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Families demand to be notified of rehab releases

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Former Hanson Selectman David Soper is fighting for an amendment to the state’s Section 35 involuntary commitment law that he and his family feel can save lives.

It’s too late for his nephew Stephen Berry, but Soper wants to help spare another family pain.

An oxycontin prescription for pain following a dirt bike injury lead to to Stephen Berry’s addiction to opiods and his commitment to a state treatment facility,

“It spirals out of control so fast,” Berry’s father Thomas told television reporters after testifying at a hearing on a bill filed through state Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury.

“This is a gap in the law that we’ve seen and, unfortunately, it led to a tragedy,” Cutler told Boston’s NBC affiliate last week. “We’re not talking about revealing any medical information, we’re just saying when someone is released, the petitioner — which is usually a loved one — should be notified.”

Plymouth County DA Timothy Cruz supports the bill, for which there was no opposing testimony offered at last week’s public hearing at the State House.

“I strongly support passage of this bill, which would close an important gap in Section 35 commitments and ensure that a family member/petitioner is notified of any release from the program,” Cruz said. “Every day, families in Plymouth County are waging their own battles against addiction, and sharing Stephen Berry’s tragic story and testifying on this bill was an extremely difficult task for Mr. Berry and Mr. Soper. I want to commend them both for their courage and determination in seeing this bill through and hopefully preventing this tragedy from happening to another family.”

Family members provided emotional testimony about the impact of the current shortfall in the law.

“This past year for me and my [family] has involved many meetings with state and local officials all the way up to Chief Justice of criminal courts in Massachusetts,” Soper said in his testimony, a copy of which he provided to the Express. “Our goal is plain and simple: help fix what went wrong with release of my nephew and how he was released from state facility at his most vulnerable point. This is about life and death for those struggling with addiction. As of today, it is against the law to notify a loved one, had my family been notified we feel Steve’s story would have ended much differently.”

Thomas Berry explained addiction runs in his family and all his son needed was “a couple of those puppies” to become addicted. Before long Stephen’s habit was deemed serious enough to have him involuntarily committed to the Bridgewater State Rehabilitation Center on April 3, 2017.

He was supposed to be there for 90 days, but was released after two weeks because he had a pending court date.

Soper said there was no professional guidance offered to his nephew, nor any notification to his family that he was being released.

“His release was based solely on Mass. Health and Human [policy which] does not supply rides to court hearings,” Soper testified at the public hearing. “He was put in a van, ridden to Lakeville Middleboro Commuter Line with train ticket to Brockton where he later called his father Tom. He was also given money in form of a check with a letter from the state saying this check is guaranteed by the state of Massachusetts. That money was placed in that account by his father for extra clothing and food if need during his stay in Bridgewater.”

Stephen bought fentanyl and his family was notified the next day that he had died of an overdose.

“What is strange about him being released, is that the sole reason for his release was that the BSDRC would not provide him transportation to the court hearing on a criminal matter involving his mother and the theft of some items from her home back in December 2016,” Soper testified.

Cruz testified that families making such a difficult decision in an effort to save their loved ones deserve greater peace of mind than the current law provides.

“Tom Berry, Stephen’s dad, did one of the hardest things a parent ever has to do: he civilly committed his son to try to save his life,” Cruz said. “He was released without a hearing in front of the judge who, just two weeks earlier, found that he was an imminent risk to himself.”

He said he was aware of a similar case in Rockland involving a 40-year-old man sectioned by his mother after he had battled substance abuse for 17 years. He was released after 21 days, and died two days after his release.

There were 1,900 overdose deaths in Massachusetts last year, Cruz said. This is down slightly from 2016 which saw 2,100 is way up compared to 2009, 2010, and 2011 when there were only about 600 deaths per year.  Plymouth County ranks in the highest category in Massachusetts for opioid overdose death rates per 100,000 people with 147 in 2017.

“Every day in my office, we face an uphill battle to punish the traffickers and dealers of these poisons while identifying and finding treatment solutions for those whose criminality supports their substance use,” Cruz said. “But every day, families wage their own, less public and much more personal battles against addiction. The least we can do is to show those people, who know their loved ones best, that they matter enough to notify them when their loved one is released, in order to be prepared to wage their battle anew.”

Constable process reviewed

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WHITMAN – The process governing how constables are appointed is being reviewed by town officials. At issue is the discrepancy between state requirements under MGL Chapter 41 and a relatively informal process that is currently being followed. The Board is expected to revisit the process at a meeting in June.

Whitman resident James Fallon, who has already served as a town constable for six years, appeared before Selectmen prior to the May 7 Town meeting to request his re-appointment to another three-year term.

“I haven’t had any complaints or violations or anything against me,” Fallon told the board, adding he has also gone through the reserve officers academy, in-service requirements and obtained certifications and additional training.
Town Administrator Frank Lynam told the board at the time that Police Chief Scott Benton and Deputy Chief Timothy Hanlon had recommended against Fallon’s reappointment when he submitted his initial request. Neither of them were able to attend the May 7 selectmen’s meeting, held before Town Meeting.

Lynam also researched the process under which constables are appointed.
“There is a significant process involved in the application for constable,” Lynam said of state law governing the office. “The paperwork I have is simply a letter requesting your appointment in the past along with a notice that you have completed the reserve officer academy.”
The statute requires a written application to the appointing authority – in this case the Board of Selectmen – stating reasons desiring the appointment and such information as may be reasonably required by the authority regarding fitness for office.

Benton also pointed out that the Selectmen are the appointing authority.

“We have nothing to do with the process except to provide any professional interactions that we may have had with the applicant any that would be appropriate for the Board to consider in whether or not to appoint or reappoint,” Benton stated Tuesday, May 29.

An application must also include a statement about the moral character of the applicant signed by at least five reputable
citizens of the city or town of residence, at least one of which must be an attorney.

“We have never done that here,” Lynam said.
There are about a half-dozen constables serving the town of Whitman, which should be retaining 25 percent of what constable-generated revenue, Fallon added, saying he wants to pay that to the town.

Lynam told Selectmen there was a representation of a “questionable action” on Fallon’s part in displaying his badge and requiring a person to stay on the scene of a civil incident that “exceeded any authority [he] may hold as a constable.”
That incident – in August 2013 – involved a question about two women involved in a vehicle incident as well as an earlier incident involving a complaint from February at Diamond Fuels in which Fallon allegedly pulled up to a gas pump in the wrong direction. The station manager on duty shut the pump off for that reason and Fallon was said to have pulled out his badge and stated he wanted to refuel.
“That’s something that can be troubling,” Lynam said.

Fallon countered he had been out serving papers on the day of the February incident, and said he wears his badge on a lanyard around his neck on those occasions. The badge was mentioned by the manager of the station and he simply asked if the pump could be turned back on since there were no other customers at the time. He said when another person drove up, he just left.

“At no point did I whip out [the badge] and say, ‘Turn it on, I’m a
constable,’” Fallon said.

Lynam said the investigating officer noted at the time that the clerk had a video of the incident on a cell phone and he observed it noting Fallon “could be clearly seen taking the badge and showing it to her.” There are also incidents that may or may not be involved with Fallon’s actions at Marble Street, including his demand that the manager there give him an unlisted number for a person he wanted to contact, Lynam reported.

“Those things raise a concern,” he said.
Fallon said the Marble Street issue went to court when a harassment complaint was filed against him but argued the complaint stemmed from a single interaction in which he is alleged to have yelled at the person. A harassment complaint must involve three separate interactions, he said, noting a judge did not allow it to go further.

“I don’t even know who this person is,” Fallon told Selectmen he said to the investigating officer. “I’ve never seen this person, I have no knowledge of what she looks like. I could be standing right next to her and not even know it.”

The day the incident allegedly occurred, Fallon said, he and his son were at the White House for an event.

Fallon said the objections centering on incident in 2013 was not brought up when he was last re-appointed in 2015.

Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said that didn’t make sense.

“I think we need to clean up this arrangement,” Kowalski said. “I’m not comfortable voting one way or the other in the form the information is in.”

“That’s the reason I did the research on the constable appointment process, because it appears that we’ve taken a very informal approach,” Lynam said.

“It’s part of the weakness in the system, which prompted me to look at the appointment process.”

 

Panel tables land buy

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The School Committee on Tuesday, May 29 voted to indefinitely table the purchase of land to the rear of the WHRHS property now being sold by an abutter.

Committee members had indicated at a previous meeting they would like to negotiate a donation of the acreage — which includes some wetlands — but the owner has since advised them she would prefer to sell it. The asking price is currently $50,000.

“I’ve said before, we’re pretty strapped from a financial standpoint so I question that,” said member Christopher Howard, who also indicated he wanted to see more information on how the district could possibly use the land.

Chairman Bob Hayes said the real estate broker contacted the district when the land went on the market to suggest it might be something the district could use. The property is land-locked, he noted.

“I think the idea of a donation is probably not something that the sellers are interested in,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner. “If this is something you want to pursue more, things are always subject to negotiations, but that’s the cost of the land that we talked about at the last meeting.”

Member Fred Small made the motion to indefinitely table the issue.

“If there’s any interest in going after it [and negotiate] the price tag, at least that allows us to say we put it on the burner,” Small said, noting the only possible usefulness for it would be to swap the wetlands somewhere else.

Member Michael Jones said he walked the property about a week after the issue first came before the committee and found it was not all wetlands.

He wondered if a counter-offer of $20,000 might be acceptable to the seller. Member Dan Cullity suggested the issue was more suitable work for the facilities subcommittee to pursue. Gilbert-Whitner said she would place it on that subcommittee’s agenda.

Member Robert O’Brien asked if the land was useful to the district.

“I don’t think we’ve even looked at that,” Gilbert-Whitner said. “My understanding is that someone said it could maybe be used for parking or something, but these are wetlands around us so you really have to be careful.”

The Committee voted to ratify the unit A collective bargaining contract by a 6-0-4 vote.

Members Howard, Christopher Scriven, Robert Trotta and Chairman Bob Hayes abstained because they have family members who teach in the school district. Hanson Town Administrator Michael McCue, represented the two towns’ boards of selectmen. Member Michael Jones was able to vote because his wife is a substitute school nurse and not covered by Unit A. Alexandra Taylor was not present.

The committee was advised that Hanson’s 200th anniversary celebration committee is seeking the district’s support and involvement in events being planned for 2020.

In other business, the committee reorganized following the May 19 annual town elections in which incumbents Hayes and Small were re-elected and Whitman resident Scriven was elected to fill the vacancy left when Kevin Lynam opted not to run again.

Gilbert-Whitner opened the meeting, presiding until a chairman was selected and leading a moment of silence on the day after Memorial Day to “remember those who have given up their lives so that we may live as we do in this country.”

Hayes was then unanimously voted to return to the post of chairman in his 16th year on the committee. Trotta was elected vice chairman, by a 5-4 vote over Small, who was the vice chair last year. Trotta, Scriven, Howard, Jones and Robert O’Brien Jr., supported Trotta while Small, Hayes, Dan Cullity and Steven Bois voted for Small. Small was unanimously voted in as secretary/clerk.

Cullity was elected treasurer with Howard selected as assistant treasurer.

Subcommittee assignments are:

• Negotiations — for unit B, C and D contracts: Hayes, Small, Cullity, Trotta and Scriven;

• Facilities — Small, O’Brien, Jones, Scriven and Cullity;

• Policy — Trotta, Howard, Small and Scriven;

• Warrants — Cullity, O’Brien, Trotta, Howard and Jones;

• Pilgrim Area Collaborative — Bois; and

• Legislative — Small and Jones.

Incoming Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak, who starts July 1, was appointed to the North River Collaborative and PCC boards of directors.

Bois was named the MASC/MASS Joint Conference delegate with Trotta named an alternate.

SSVT celebrates student excellence

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HANOVER — Whitman senior Rosa Gachia has big plans for her future, but the Allied Health student who intends to become a surgeon has already compiled an impressive résumé at South Shore Regional Vocational Technical School — and just added the biggest achievement of all.

The SSVT School Committee on Wednesday, May 16 announced that Gachia, daughter of Kenneth Njuguna and Teresia Kariuki, is valedictorian for the Class of 2018.

She will attend Bridgewater State University in the fall and was also accepted at Simmons College and Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Gachia is also a member of the National Honor Society, a SkillsUSA participant, a peer mentor, student body president and student representative to the School Committee.

Hanover seniors Cole Hoadley, Mikaela Drake and Gachia, were also honored as students of the month for February, April and May respectively. Drake was also honored as the school’s Vocational Student of the Year.

“It’s an honor to have students such as this at South Shore Vo-Tech,” School Committee Chairman Robert Molla said, adding the committee’s congratulations.

“These are truly three of our finest students,” said Assistant Principal Sandra Baldner. “The students of the month are always spectacular. She asked each student to talk about what they consider to be the highlight of their SSVT experience.

“She really is the face of South Shore,” Baldner said of Gachia. “She represents a work ethic, a spirit and a kindness that we would like all students to embody.”

Gachia singled out meeting new friends from the eight member towns at SSVT as her highlight of attending the school.

“I never would have gotten to meet Mikaela or Cole if I went to Whitman-Hanson,” she said.

“She worked hard while having all that fun,” Baldner added.

Automotive student Drake, who Baldner described as a “dynamic, talented and gifted academic student” has also been named the school’s Outstanding Vocational Student of the Year.

“I think the most memorable moment was getting accepted into Automotive Technology Shop because I remember that, in freshman year, there were a lot of people that wanted it and I wasn’t sure if I would get my first choice of shop,” she said.

Drake will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute in September.

A Metal Fabrication/Welding student, Hoadley was selected for his exemplary work ethic and for his efforts on behalf of the student ambassador’s program.

“Without Cole, there really wouldn’t be a student ambassador’s program,” Baldner said.

While Hoadley said there had been many highlights for him over the past four years, he found the SkillsUSA program especially rewarding.

“I’ve been part of tons of different conferences for them to leaderships to three district competitions and two state competitions,” he said. “It’s an unbelievable experience.”

He plans to attend Massasoit Community College while staying in his trade and working full time.

In other business, Superintendent-Director Thomas Hickey announced that Assistant Principal Mark Aubrey has been hired to be the next school principal. Principal Margaret Dutch is retiring at the end of the school year.

Horticulture teacher at Upper Cape Tech Keith Boyle has been hired as one of two vocational coordinators at SSVT. Interviews are still being conducted for the second position.

Non-resident tuition rate of $17,266 for fiscal 2019 was accepted by the School Committee.

Mitchell tabbed as Hanson Select Board chair

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HANSON  — Selectmen welcomed two new members and discussed ways to attract more residents to the ranks of public service at the board’s annual reorganizational meeting on Tuesday, May 22.

Selectman Kenny Mitchell was also elected the board’s new chairman, joined by new Vice Chairman Jim Hickey and Matt Dyer as clerk. Dyer, Selectman Wes Blauss, Cemetery Commissioner Jim Flanagan — who had accepted his four-write-in-vote win — Health Board member Arlene Dias and Housing Authority member Benjamin Fletcher were sworn in by Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan to start the meeting.

W-H senior Marc Benjamino was among more than two dozen people receiving one write-in vote for cemetery commissioner, with another nine people attracting two or three votes each.

Mitchell offered thanks to former Selectmen Chairman James McGahan and former member Don Howard for their service.

“Don Howard is a breath of fresh air,” Mitchell said. “He loves the town of Hanson. … Don’s blood type is 02341.”

Mitchell also noted that Howard, who served on more than a half-dozen committees might be interested in, and would certainly be welcome to, continue serving on some of those. Not all the appointments need to be selectmen.

Mitchell asked Blauss and Dyer to look over the committee assignments filled by Howard and McGahan to determine which ones they would be interested in serving.

Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested that social media platforms such as Facebook could be used to outline the skill sets needed and time demands required of boards and commissions.

“Trust me, I understand the words I’m saying out loud in this town — Facebook and Hanson, not a great mix,” she said. “But I do think for some people, that’s the level, that’s where they’re engaged and there are ways to prevent people from abusing that and using it just for information.”

She has been doing some of that outreach on her own already.

“We need some fresh faces,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

“One of the problems I see with maintaining a Facebook page is maintaining a Facebook page,” said Town Administrator Michael McCue, noting that a planned IT hire cold be tasked with doing that, among other responsibilities. “One of the things we would expect of an IT director is [his or her] currency with new technologies and any new methods for getting information out.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett also reiterated the need for more transparency in the process for filling appointed committee vacancies, urging they be posted with more regularity to help attract new people with the right skill sets and reassure the public.

“We want to open it up, welcome everybody and be really transparent,” she said. “They’re being appointed by us.”

Selectmen also reviewed their goals for the year, many of which are still in the works — such as reuse of the Maquan School building, new cell towers, Plymouth County Hospital reuse, potential new highway building among them — while goals of hiring a new police lieutenant and a part-time facilities manager have been completed.

“These things are being accomplished with the invaluable assistance of … department heads … and staff members,” McCue said. “When I read a list of things and say, ‘We’ve done this and we’ve done that,’ these are really staff accomplishments.”

Voters opt for some new faces

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Newcomers were the big winners in the annual town elections on Saturday, May 19.

Political novices Wes Blauss and Matt Dyer will join the Hanson Board of Selectmen and Chris Scriven will join incumbent Fred Small in representing Whitman on the W-H Regional School Committee.

Seven percent of Whitman’s 10,589 registered voters cast ballots and in Hanson, 14 percent, or 1,013 of 7,473 registered voters cast ballots.

Blauss was the top vote-getter in Hanson with 545. Dyer received 492, Joseph Weeks III garnered 471 and incumbent Don Howard received 301 votes with 214 ballots left blank for the Hanson selectmen’s race.

In Whitman, Scriven received 516 votes to 331 for Small and 301 for Heidi Hosmer, with another 321 ballots left blank for the school committee race.

Dyer and Blauss said they were eager to go to work for Hanson as a way of giving back to the community.

“I’m blown away and very thankful for all the support and the love from all my supporters, the voters in Hanson, my family and friends who’ve all come out to support me,” Dyer said after Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan announced results in the Hanson Middle School gym. “I think what the voters were looking for was a younger voice to come and speak and bring new ideas and come at [government] from a different angle.”

He said he thought the difference for him was getting out to talk to voters and town officials to demonstrate he is not a one-issue candidate. He hopes to make a difference and bring in business, but recognizes that will be a tough job.

“My first goal with the board is to make sure we have a good working relationship with everyone on it,” he said.

Blauss was also gracious in victory.

“I think all four of us were good candidates,” Blauss said at his victory party at the Thomas Mill. “It’s a pleasure to have won, but no matter which way the vote went, I would have thought Hanson won.”

He said he has no immediate goals because he entered the race with no agenda, but wants to see the marijuana sales issue resolved sooner rather than later so the town knows where it’s going, pro or con.

“I’m 67 years old, I’ve never run for elective office and it was one thing I felt I probably should do to give back to the town — Hanson’s been a great place to live,” he said.

They were the only contested races on the respective town ballots.

Weeks congratulated Blauss and Dyer, while pledging he would be back to run again, while Howard expressed bitter disappointment in the results.

“I’m going to miss you,” Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said to Howard. “I liked working with you.”

“I’ve been devoted to the town of Hanson for the last 10 years,” Howard said when asked for his reaction to the result. “They aren’t going to be able to do what they said they were going to do.”

Howard said he would particularly miss representing Hanson on the Old Colony Regional Planning Council, but is still a member of the Water Commissioners.

Weeks lost by 21 votes and said he would “try to jump on some other committees” to continue serving his hometown. This was Week’s second campaign for a seat on the Board of Selectmen. He just completed a term on the Planning Board and sits on the Hanson Housing Authority board.

“It’s a matter of who the folks feel should be representing them and I think the town has spoken about that,” he said. “To lose by a handful of votes is tough.”

In other uncontested Hanson results: Sean Kealy received 845 votes for another term as town moderator; Kathleen Keefe had 821 votes for re-election as assessor; Arlene Dias garnered 804 votes to return to the Board of Health; Benjamin Fletcher got 782 votes for re-election to the Housing Authority; Steve Lyons with 740 votes and August Silva with 770 votes were re-elected constables; Corrine Cafardo with 768 votes and Linda Wall with 814 votes were returned to as Trustees of the Public Library; Bob Hayes received 790 votes for re-election to the School Committee and returning to the Water Commissioners will be William Garvey with 770 votes and Denis O’Connell with 713.

In Whitman; Town Clerk Dawn Varley received 587 votes for another term; Daniel Salvucci was re-elected as Selectman with 560 votes; Priscilla Waugh had 571 votes for re-election as assessor; Wayne Carroll garnered 547 to return to the Department of Public Works Commission; Michael Ganshirt with 547 votes and Kathryn Youngman with 468 votes were returned to as Trustees of the Public Library; Sheila Salvucci was elected to a three-year post on the Planning Board with 546 votes and Barbara White garnered 581 votes to return to the Board of Health.

Grenno leads fire chiefs’ association

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BRIDGEWATER — Before a hall filled with family, friends, Whitman officials and dozens of fellow fire chiefs, Whitman Fire Chief Timothy Grenno was sworn in as president of the Fire Chiefs’ Association of Massachusetts (FCAM) during ceremonies at Bridgewater State on Tuesday, May 15.

After taking his oath, administered by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Grenno noted the date coincided with Peace Officer Memorial Day, first designated by President Kennedy in 1962, and thanked police, particularly the Whitman Police Department, for their service.

Grenno pledged to work closely with the firefighters’ union as well as state officials to ensure firefighters’ safety and well being.

“At the end of the day, we are all the fire service,” he said. “We may disagree at times on the fundamentals of some things, but in the end our mission creed is the same: To see that everybody goes home at the end of their shifts.”

He also pledged to work to restore funding for training, mental health services for stress-related issues such as PTSD, fire safety programs to educate the public and for legislation to provide protection from and treatment for work-related cancers.

Grenno offered a special tip of his hat to his mother Marylyn, who he was not sure would be able to make it due to recent health issues. A new rehabilitation facility, however, has recently helped improved her health and she was able to attend.

“She’s always been the strongest person I know,” he said, adding thanks and “saving the best for last,” to his wife Maureen.

“I love you and thank you for your continued support, even if it appears I love my phone more than you sometimes, I really don’t.”

Family and community was the unofficial theme of the event.

“This is a time to celebrate, to highlight, to spotlight public service — and in particular, the fire service,” Polito said. “I hope that you know when come to these gatherings, that no one goes this way alone, that you have a strong and reliable partner in state government.”

She noted that the men and women who devote their lives to public service are not always forefront in the public’s mind so long as streets are plowed, the lights come on and the cable TV connection works.

“I value public service, as you do, and without you we would not be the great state that we are on many levels,” she said. “We have that because of you, and I cannot state that strongly emphatically enough — how grateful we are for your choice of careers — hometown careers in municipal service that have made your communities better and our commonwealth better.”

Grenno was accompanied in the procession opening the ceremony by retired Whitman Fire Chief Timothy Travers, a past president of the FCAM. Whitman Fire Department Chaplain the Rev. Alan Butler offered the invocation.

Before leading the prayer, Butler recalled the little red fire chief cars kids used to dream of getting for a toy — and how times have changed.

“Today, if Timmy is called to a scene in Whitman he shows up in a black Chevy Tahoe,” he said. “The windows couldn’t be any darker. All the lights are camouflaged and you don’t know whether it’s the fire chief or Secret Service agents — and Timmy pops out.”

He spoke of the level of stress among today’s first responder as “beyond telling.” Equipment is taken good care of, but the personnel need support as well, asking for grace upon those gathered, especially among the fire service for work that is hard — if not impossible to talk about.

Guest speakers at the ceremony included Bridgewater State President Frederick Clark, State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey, Travers and Polito before Grenno’s swearing-in and address.

Travers recalled that Grenno’s father was a charter member of IAFF Local 1769, his sister Missy and her husband Richard also served as firefighters.

The need to prevent job-related cancers and increase aid to cities and towns for public safety was also stressed by Travers in his remarks.

Ostroskey said the FCAM is extremely valuable to its members and agreed that cancer prevention, as well as active shooter and hostile event response are key issues today.

Family ties also figured prominently in Clark’s address.

“You’re really part of the family,” Clark said of Grenno, whose wife Maureen has worked for the university for 18 years. “We know your jobs get more and more complicated based on the challenge that comes before you. … Right now we’re challenged by the opioid crisis, which affects us all. But you all manage through those challenges beautifully, you adapt wonderfully and professionally as well.”

He then joked he was presenting Grenno the virtual key to the campus but noted all the doors are locked for the summer.

Towns head to polls May 19

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HANSON — When voters go to the polls in Whitman and Hanson on Saturday, May 19, they will see only one contested race in each town — three candidates vying for two school committee seats in Whitman — incumbent Fred Small, Heidi Hosmer and Christopher Scriven — and four candidates running for two selectmen seats in Hanson.

Polls in both towns are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with all Whitman precincts voting at Town Hall and all Hanson precincts voting in Hanson Middle School.

Hanson voters had the chance on Sunday, May 6 to hear the candidates’ position on the issues and to ask questions during an annual forum jointly sponsored by the town’s Democratic and Republican town committees. Town Moderator Sean Kealy, himself a candidate for re-election, moderated the event.

“This is an opportunity to get to know who’s on the ballot and where they stand,” Kealy said.

Going through the ballot in reverse order, Kealy noted that some candidates were unable to, or opted not to, attend the session.

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes took the opportunity to talk about his candidacy and ask for voter support at the forum, as did constable August P. Silva.

“I’m about education — I think that education is everything,” said Hayes, a Whitman native who has lived in Hanson for 30 years. “I know it costs a lot, and we get a lot of complaints about taxes, but education is a proven fact and without it, you have issues.”

He has served on the school committee for 15 years and has been chairman for 11. Both of his children are W-H graduates who bought homes in Hanson.

“When I accept a duty or responsibility, I do my utmost to fulfill all that is required of me and then some,” said Silva, a 49-year veteran constable, an Army veteran and retired teacher who has also served on more than a half-dozen other elected and appointed offices in town. “My experience and knowledge are what helps to make doing the job right and in a timely manner.”

The other uncontested candidate for re-election is Steven W. Lyons.

But the bulk of the afternoon was focused on the four selectmen candidates: incumbent Donald H. Howard, Wesley Blauss, Matthew J. Dyer and Joseph R. Weeks III.

Howard noted his residence in the home he built in town in 1960 and his 10 years’ service on the Board of Selectmen in his opening statement as well as his concern over the need for expansion of the town’s commercial tax base. Dyer, who grew up in Hanson, is a political newcomer who noted his wish to give back to the community as well as the need to diversify the tax revenue to attract new business in town. Weeks, too, is a Hanson native — who briefly lived in nearby Rockland — strives to give back to the community and stressed the need for business development and long-term sustainable planning, especially in the Main Street corridor. Weeks is now ending his service as a member of the Planning Board. Blauss, retired after a 40-year teaching career and 30-year member of the Recreation Commission, stressed education and environmental concerns in his opening statement, saying he believes strongly in the affect of global climate change on the lives of today’s children and is a proponent of the pay-as-you-throw trash program. He is also a member of the Hanson Historical Society.

The candidates were asked the following questions, starting with what can be done to attract new business to town:

Howard said Conservation regulations regarding wetland areas along Main Street and a drainage problem from Phillips Street create a particular challenge to development there.

“I’d love to see something done down there,” he said. He said the people’s voice should rule what is ultimately done to develop the former Plymouth County Hospital site.

“Right now we are a drive-through community and we need to [develop] some sort of destination,” Dyer said. He advocated development of a project like a boardwalk trail along the wetlands to entice visitors to come to town and develop a multi-use project at the old Ocean Spray building as well as bringing high-speed internet and sewage service to town to help business development.

“We would be the only community on the Old Colony line to have a walkable downtown — Plymouth doesn’t have it, Kingston doesn’t have it and neither does any of the other communities.”

For the PCH site, an indoor soccer facility could be a way to meet the growing demand for such a field in the area, Dyer said.

Weeks advocates continuation of the complete streets project to make Hanson a more walkable town and, along with tax provisions, can bring more business to town as part of a long-term plan. He agrees with Howard, however, that drainage issues have to be dealt with first.

“I feel like I can’t add much to that, although I would like to give a shout-out to Dunkin’ Donuts,” Blauss said, agreeing with the ideas other candidates were floating. “They have done a great landscaping job — it’s attractive, you can get off the train and the area right around there is a draw.”

For parts of that stretch of Main Street that is not a draw, he said he is not certain how much town-owned land there is in the area with which the town can work.

GREEN COMMUNITY
STATUS

Dyer, who is a member of Green Hanson, said he has worked on green technology and sustainability, noting that Green Community status is “that next step” for Hanson.

Weeks has also been a member of Green Hanson before getting involved in other town committees, said the Planning Board has already taken up the Green Community process.

“It opens us up to all kinds of grants,” he said. “We have a fantastic town planner who is looking at the overall maintenance of the town within both a short-term and long-term plan and she’s in agreement that this is something we hadn’t had the resources to pursue.”

Bluass, noting that so many other communities are working toward plastic grocery bag bans, said he doesn’t know why Hanson hasn’t followed suit.

“I think that there are plenty of avenues that we can start talking about [that in],” he said.

RECALL REVISION
ARTICLE

“I think the recall law, in general, is incredibly important because it’s a great opportunity for democracy and a town can correct itself when it feels it needs to,” Weeks said during the forum that took place the day before Town Meeting. “I do want to take away my personal opinion vs. being a person in a selectman’s seat.”

He said it was worth allowing the public to discuss and vote on it.

Blauss said the stipulations for admission to sufficient facts for conviction or outright conviction of a crime as required by the revision, could take too much time.

“There’s no way to remove that person from the position [before a vote could be held],” he said. “It seems to me the people should have the opportunity to decide in a recall election.”

Howard agreed that the public has a right to debate and vote on an issue at Town Meeting, which is why he voted to place it on the warrant.

Dyer said he opposed the article.

“I believe it will take away the rights of our voters,” he said. “It should be up to the voters to take that [person petitioned for recall] out of office.”

RECREATIONAL
MARIJUANA

“Although I do not smoke pot myself, I think absolutely the town should vote,” Blauss said of why a referendum question is not being put forth. “There are several of us who don’t even understand why it isn’t on this month’s ballot.”

Howard said he was surprised that Hanson voters voted in favor of the 2016 state ballot question.

“I was really disappointed,” he said, arguing that it makes the Police Department’s job harder. “It proved to me that there’s more people smoking pot than voted no.”

Dyer also said it should be on a town ballot.

“I don’t believe a small group should be changing the culture of our town,” he said. “It’s a community decision.”

Weeks said, while there is a referendum option, the moratorium article that the Planning Board drafted last year to provide time to explore that option was voted down at Town Meeting last year.

“We deferred it to Town Meeting because we felt it wasn’t the job of a Planning Board member to say that they are for or against anything.”

He said he would support a referendum question.

RECREATION PRIVATE VENDOR

Howard said that, to be honest, he didn’t really have much involvement with the issue and didn’t have an answer for why a private vendor arrangement was approved.

“This is a really close issue to me,” said Dyer, who has recreation and park ranger experience. “I truly believe in public recreation. I should not be privatized because that’s what sets America apart from every other country — we decided to preserve our land but also [to] make sure we had that balance between conservation and recreation.”

Weeks agreed, arguing privatizing Camp Kiwanee is not in the best interests of the town.

“Would it be good to have it be sustainable? That’s a great idea, businesswise, but we want to make sure we don’t lose the essence of what Camp Kiwanee is, because it is the heart of Hanson.”

Blauss, said he was involved in the purchase of Kiwanee by the town in 1979 as a community recreational center. The weddings and rentals have been used to subsidize its operation.

“As long as we keep Camp Kiwanee on that footing, I think we’ll do well,” he said. “That’s my hope for the future.”

Library Trustee Linda A. Wall, one of two trustees running unopposed for re-election, sent an email to be read at the forum asking for voter support for her continuing collaborative efforts to bring quality programs to the library.

Kealy closed out the afternoon by asking for voters to support his re-election effort.

“No one was foolish enough, other than me, to take out papers,” he joked. “But I would appreciate your vote. I hope I’ve earned it over the past year.”

Sparks fly over recall bylaw in Hanson

By

HANSON — Proposed bylaw changes governing recall elections sparked more heated debate during Hanson’s annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 7 — while bulk soil removal and storage as well as marijuana business placement also spurred discussion.

“It’s amazing we have 124 people who don’t give a damn about the Celtics,” Moderator Sean Kealy said in announcing that a quorum had been achieved to permit the session to begin. There were 177 total voters signed in for the meeting.

After more than two hours of civil discourse on financial and bylaw articles, debate boiled over when the recall amendment came up for discussion. The amendment was passed, 80-50.

While Kealy managed to keep his humor for most of the meeting, the recall debate tested his patience as a resident repeatedly ignored his admonition to confine debate to the current issue and not dwell on past recalls.

The recall revision article changes the time window for recall votes and provide seven specific reasons for recall elections:

• Conviction of a felony or misdemeanors [domestic violence, DUI, illegal manufacturing, distribution or dispersing of controlled substances, assault or criminal harassment — while presently in office;

• Admission to facts, while presently in office, sufficient to be convicted of a felony or the above misdemeanors;

• Was found in violation of the conflict of interest law while presently in office as determined by the state Ethics Commission or the Attorney General;

• Attended less than 50 percent of the posted public meetings of the board of office of which the official was an elected member or to which he or she has been elected or appointed as part of his or her elected position during the previous 12 months;

• Lack of fitness and sobriety while performing official functions, involuntary commitment to a mental health facility, being placed under guardianship or conservatorship by a probate court;

• Corruption, conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude, conviction of bribery or extortion; or

• Violation of law, regulation, bylaw or other abdication of the applicable requirements for the elected position.

Former Selectman Bruce Young, who wrote the current bylaw, reiterated his objection to changes, citing the fact that it is similar to the bylaw used in many other towns. He added that it would be difficult to recall an official elected without voter knowledge of a conviction in another state. He “totally agreed” with Kealy’s admonition not to rehash prior recall debate.

“We tried to use some elements of the existing bylaw for recall,” said Selectmen Chairman James McGahan. “This change proposed is to make this bylaw more fair, responsible and reasonable.”

But resident Mark Vess, wielding a sheaf of recall petitions from a 2014 recall election, raised the temperature of the debate. Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett made repeated point-of-order objections as Kealy worked to rein in Vess’ comments.

“Do not restrict my speech,” Vess said raising his voice. “Hold it right here.” He charged Kealy could not dictate what goes on at Town Meeting, to which Kealy responded was, indeed, his function as moderator.

“I know you’ve got the Enterpriseon speed-dial, but I can decide what is within the scope of this argument,” Kealy said.

Vess then challenged Kealy to have him ejected from the meeting by police, which Kealy said he preferred not to do. Vess then continued to refer to the 2014 recall.

“There are no names mentioned in what I’m presenting here tonight,” Vess said.

“It’s a small town,” Kealy responded.

Vess continued to read from the 2014 recall petition.

“There’s no need to reread what was put forward as the recall several years ago,” Kealy said. “Is this a wise change to the bylaws or not?”

Vess said it is not a wise change because recalls are intended to remove officials voters do not feel are doing their job.

Holmes Street resident Adam Valachovic noted only half the towns in Massachusetts have recall bylaws.

“The fact that we have one is actually somewhat amazing,” he said in support of the article. “If we’re going to have a bylaw, let’s have it as transparent as possible.”

Another resident said it appears to insulate officials a bit, asking what prompted the drafting of the article.

McGahan reiterated his position that misuse of a bylaw to control a selectman is wrong, but it included valid reasons to remove an official not doing their job.

“In most towns and communities, people are removed from office by recall for malfeasance, misfeasance or non-feasance,” said West Washington Street resident Joe O’Sullivan in support of the article. “The toxic political environment in this community causes good people not to run for those seats up there [on the town officials’ dais].”

MARIJUANA BYLAW

Voters grudgingly voted to approve a zoning bylaw governing marijuana sales in town, with an eye toward future amendments and/or a referendum and also approved a 3-percent sales tax on marijuana products.

Marijuana establishment bylaws were required after state voters opted to legalize recreational use in 2016, but former Selectman David Soper wanted to know how Hanson failed to be among 189 communities restricting it or the 25 communities that otherwise regulate it.

A Planning Board-supported effort to pass a moratorium on marijuana establishments was defeated at Hanson Town Meeting, and Hanson was among the state communities voting yes to recreational marijuana in 2016, selectmen pointed out.

“The best we can do to mitigate any potential impact … would be to follow the lead of the Planning Board, which is to zone where these folks can set up,” said FitzGerald-Kemmett. “At least we can control that piece.”

Planning Board member Joseph Weeks said because the moratorium was defeated, Hanson no longer has the luxury of time.

“If we don’t zone it and/or if we zone it and make it too restrictive … there is a possibility in which litigation can come against the town and then we find ourselves really opening up anywhere within the confines of the law and it may go somewhere we just don’t want it to go,” Weeks said. “There is nothing to say you can’t do a referendum after the fact.”

Young asked what the true consequences of voting down the bylaw.

“I’ve been informed by town counsel that the licenses will begin issuing June 1,” Kealy said. “We won’t have another town meeting before then.”

BULK STORAGE BYLAW

The bulk soil storage bylaw revisions were opposed by former Selectman Bill Scott, as a change that would affect “every homeowner in town that decides to put an addition on their home.”

Even the installation of a 40-foot swimming pool would produce 350 yards of material that would have to be moved and stored, Scott said. He also argued it would impact the Highway Department and “anyone trying to run a business” in town while Cranberry growers, of which he is one in Wareham, would be hit hard because of the amount of sand needed in their growing operations.

“This is a knee-jerk reaction to something that has to be decided on its merits, not by putting this garbage in the warrant,” Scott said.

Another cranberry grower, who lives in East Bridgewater but pays taxes in Hanson, said there are already a lot of difficult regulations governing the business.

He doubted the town had standing to supercede state and federal regulations, but pledged to try to work around them if that was the town’s wish.

“I’m not so sure we have the right to tell them how to run their business,” Vess agreed.

Rosewood Drive resident Danielle Sheehan, said she and her neighbors began the bylaw revision effort because of problems with wind-blown sand in a nearby bog. She has lived on the street for 20 years with no problem until recently, saying they had been working with the town for almost a year trying to deal with it.

“We’re not asking them to not do bogs,” she said. “We understand the importance of it. My husband and I are in landscaping and trucking and dealing with sand as well all day long, but there’s a 4,000-yard pile of and out there that, when the wind blows it’s blowing in our faces, our kids can’t play outside. Our outdoor hockey rinks in the wintertime can’t go up because the sand is melting the ice — we have it in our window sills, we have it in our doors, we have it in our cars.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said the board supports the cranberry business and that the bylaw only requires an annual permit.

Bog owners said that, with dropping water tables and uncertainty over which bogs would be threatened, the permit creates a hardship and that agriculture should be exempted.

McGahan said he has seen the size of the pile in question and noted the severe windstorms this year have exacerbated the problem.

“We didn’t want to do this, but we had to put some kind of control in place so that if it comes down to it, the Board of Selectmen can take action,” he said.

The bylaw change was narrowly defeated 73-67.

“I knew we were going to have a discussion about plants going in, but I didn’t expect it to be about cranberries,” Kealy said at one point during the evening.

BUDGET ISSUES

Only two budget lines were questioned, one by Planning Board member Don Ellis seeking an additional $5,000 for the town planner’s salary, but that is not permitted via amendment from the floor.

The other, regarding Park and Fields expenses was raised by Soper, who questioned the $25,000 budgeted for an expense that he had understood has been covered by user fees in the past.

Selectman Kenny Mitchell said the funds were intended to maintain seven fields used by various sports leagues. He said sports groups do not support that effort financially. Fertilizer alone costs $9,000 each year, Mitchell said.

Sports groups have provided funding for upkeep of fences, one league representative said, but McGahan, who is active in youth sports, said most user fees go toward uniforms and equipment.

Both Hanson and Whitman town meetings were carried live and recorded for rebroadcast by Whitman-Hanson Community Access TV.

Override averted – this year

By

WHITMAN — The use of capital stabilization funds enabled the town to avoid an override ballot question — this year, Town Administrator Frank Lynam announced to the nearly 200 voters present at the start of the Monday, May 7 annual Town Meeting.

Capital stabilization was used to pay capital debt for the police station and Town Hall renovations as well as on a bond taken out in 2000 for limited repairs to Town Hall.

“The simple fact is that we can no longer raise enough money to fund the services that the residents of Whitman have become accustomed to receiving,” Lynam said of the $36,814,122 budget resulting from collaboration with all town departments, the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee. “We are presenting this budget with the realization that the town will need to increase its levy in future years in order to continue funding town services at our present level, and to meet the current and future capital needs of the Town.”

Lynam estimated there is only about $180,000 left in capital stabilization.

The fiscal 2019 budget is up $1,898,402 from last year.

Lynam warned residents that increases in fixed costs such as technology, public safety, education, solid waste, veterans’ services, health life and liability insurance, County retirement and other post-employment benefits are outstripping the town’s ability to fund the budget within the confines of Proposition 2 ½. Work on the fiscal 2020 budget will have to begin next month, beginning with a comprehensive review of our revenue, expenditures and capital assets toward developing that budget.

“The alternative to this would be to significantly reduce services and the quality of education we offer our youth and permit our capital assets to deteriorate over time,” he said.

Finance Committee Chairman Richard Anderson presented the “road map” for town spending in the coming year.

“This is in response to the extremely difficult budget we face this year,” Anderson said. “While we do not agree with each other, we all recognize the benefit of strategic planning and fiscal restraint.”

He offered the analogy that the Selectmen drive the fiscal car while the Finance Committee plans the route, but voters at town meeting decide whether to make the trip at all. Anderson also argued that the town’s position is due as much to unfunded or under-funded state and federal mandates as from spending and limited revenue.

“We have a long road — a long haul,” Lynam said after the Town Meeting, which he said went very well. “I can tell you right now there’s no way we can fund next year’s budget. We can’t continue down the road we’re going down an that’s why I wanted to make that clear tonight.”

There was an initial question, once the meeting got under way, from resident Elaine Williams on how the electronic voting devices would be used. Selectman Daniel Salvucci agreed with Williams’ suggestion that the devices be used in all questions.

“We’re paying the money to use these devices,” Salvucci said. “It seems to be working. Does Town Meeting want to use it for every single vote — and I agree, I think we should — I think that was the main reason we brought these forward.”

Moderator Michael Seele had recommended voice votes unless a voice vote supported using the handsets. Town Counsel Michelle McNulty’s interpretation of state statute agreed with Seele’s recommendation, which was the approach used, specifically on questioned items on Article 2 — which was decided by the devices when a voice vote proved inconclusive.

“The towns that use them on every question had lengthier town meetings,” said Seele, who chaired the committee that studied using the devices. “It’s up to the meeting.”

A special warrant article for $280,000 to purchase streetlights from National Grid was amended to authorize the borrowing of the funds and issue bonds or notes of the town for them. Lynam also indicated the town has applied for two grants, which if received, will pay for the borrowing in two years while the town saves on energy costs by switching to LED lights.

A line item within budget Article 2 later centered on $143,000 sought for street lighting. Lynam explained it was for electricity costs, which is expected to be reduced by the LED lighting in coming years.

BUDGET QUERIES

There were 25 line items questioned within budget Article 2, all of which were ultimately approved. Some of the questioned lines dealt with $1,000 certification stipend earned by some town employees as the town is obligated to meet as a result of approving state laws permitting the stipends several years ago.

A 4-percent increase for Lynam — the third year of an attempt to bring his salary closer to the minimum compensation for a town administrator — and a 2-percent increase for Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green after Green received a 1.5-percent increase last year — were also approved.

The question was prompted by the fact that the salary for the position was increased prior to hiring Green to a level that will still be the lowest among 15 people in equivalent positions through the region.

A question about Fire Department expenses triggered a question about why a brush fire off Indian Trail last year was left to burn overnight while fire personnel were sent home.

“Do you want me to comment on the expense or why we don’t go in the woods at night?” Fire Chief Timothy Grenno asked, then answered both, noting the expense line funds firefighter salaries, contractual obligations and benefits.

Fires in extremely dry weather burn deep underground along root systems and can take as long as two weeks to extinguish, Grenno added.

“If the ground is burned out and you have a firefighter walking across that ground drawing a hoseline and they fall into a pit, that fire can immediately flare up,” he said. “There’s too many obstacles in the woods, there’s too many obstructions, there’s dangers so when we confine a fire … so it doesn’t spread overnight in the darkness and then you go back first thing in the morning and you start up again.”

A Board of Health request for an additional $22,979 — bringing the inspector’s line from $43,148 to $66,127 — was also questioned. Lynam explained it was due to the board’s assumption of responsibilities for animal control services, placing the inspector at the department head level. Both the fire and health board expenses were approved.

A $6,000 expenditure to Whitman WILL was also questioned, with Lynam explaining it was a division of the $12,000 traditionally budgeted for the Whitman Counseling Center, which also was budgeted $6,000 this year.

“It’s no secret to anybody in this room that we’ve had an explosive growth in opioid addiction,” he said, noting the Whitman-Hanson WILL coalition is providing “serious effort to provide assistance and education to people in handling and combatting addiction to drugs.”

Two residents, who suggested the money go into the general fund, questioned a Police Department revolving fund financed through fines assessed by the department. The revolving fund is intended for training and education of officers.

“That fund offsets what this town spends in the police budget,” Police Chief Scott Benton said, comparing it to the Fire Department’s ambulance receipts account. “As the police chief, I want the money to go to the Police Department. I can appreciate where you’re coming from, but I object to [funneling the money into the general fund].”

Lynam agreed that the funds are used to finance the unique needs of the Police Department.