He started off by saying that even the Dalai Lama hates ticks. While that is difficult to verify, it could be true — but Buddhist teaching frowns on the killing of any living thing.

By the end of entomologist Larry Dapsis’ talk “One Bite Can Change Your Life,” at the WHRHS Performing Arts Center Wednesday, June 28, one could assume few came away with a Buddhist outlook on the issue of ticks and the infectious diseases they help spread, but they had some advice on how to prevent being bitten.

“This is a beautiful summer evening, and I can’t think of a better way to spend it than by having a very robust discussion of infectious diseases,” he said.

The talk, sponsored by the Plymouth County Beekeepers Association focused on protecting oneself, one’s yard and pets from pathogens that cause Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis relapsing fever and Powassan virus carried by ticks found in the region. Dapsis holds degrees in environmental science from Fitchburg State University and in entomology from UMass, Amherst. He has worked with the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension Service for six years and 24 years in the cranberry industry with Ocean Spray before that. He stressed that, prior to joining the Cooperative Extension Service, he had little experience with ticks.

“I had a very vertical learning curve,” he said. “To address that, I read everything I could get my paws on, and talked with a ton of people. I had to figure out what the landscape really looked like.”

Even the word “tick” elicits a visceral response from people.

“When I say people hate them, I mean everybody hates them,” he said invoking the Dalai Lama. “When a gentle soul like the Dalai Lama turns his back on a form of life on this planet, that is a headline.”

Dapsis said the Dalai Lama had tweeted out his disdain for ticks a few years ago. True or not, who could blame him?

The six New England states rank in the top spots on most lists for the incidence of Lyme disease in the United States over several three-year average studies.

“If there is any question that we are living at Ground Zero with this problem, this should take it off the table right away,” he said. While Barnstable County used to regularly rank at the top for Lyme in the state, Plymouth County has overtaken Barnstable in that statistic. Part of the credit for Barnstable’s improvement has been its aggressive work against the Lyme vector.

He has advocated the hiring of an entomologist for Plymouth County, and that position has been budgeted with the expectation that one should be hired by this fall.

During a question session after his talk, Dapsis was careful to point out he is not qualified to answer medical questions, but focused on how the insects spread diseases. While he focused on deer ticks, Dapsis noted that climate change has brought more aggressive pests such as the Lone Star tick — which hails from Texas as the name implies — and the illnesses they carry.

“We’re seeing plants and animals where we never used to see them before,” he said, noting that three years ago, the first established population of Lone Star ticks was found on the Massachusetts mainland at Sandy Neck Beach Park in West Barnstable. Samples from the six-mile stretch revealed that Lone Star ticks “own that area” which is in a migratory bird flyway.

The concern with the Lone Star ticks is that they can see prey and run toward it, unlike the blind deer tick that has to “quest” for hosts on the end of vegetation.

“This is an aggressive biter,” Dapsis said of the Lone Star, known for laying eggs in clusters of thousands which hatch into hard-to-see nymphs that stick together. “Within minutes you can get overwhelmed with hundreds of bites and the older stages are also very aggressive. … They can run with spider-like speed. If they can see you, they’re going to chase you.”

The main danger of the Lone Star tick is that it spreads diseases such as erlichiosis and other illnesses, and can trigger a red meat allergy. That includes any foods, including marshmallows, made with red meat or its components.

“This can range from hives to anaphylactic shock,” he said.

Once attached to a host, all ticks secrete a glue-like material to hold themselves in place until its feeding cycle, which can last for days if not detected and removed, is complete. That cycle includes the secretion of anticoagulants into the host to ease feeding on blood as well as agents to deaden nerves to help prevent detection.

Some animals like mice, rabbits and birds known as competent hosts can harbor the Lyme disease bacteria and transfer it back into the tick population. People are among the incompetent hosts that cannot infect a tick, but are a food source for the insects.

How to protect yourself?

Dapsis advocates the liberal use of insect repellent since the highest rate of Lyme is among children ages 5 to 9 and in the senior population, who have the time to be outside. New England winters are not harsh enough to harm ticks in the winter and synthesize glycerol, a natural anti-freeze, to protect them from the cold.

Repellants are the first line of defense.

Dapsis is not a fan of all-natural products because they are not always EPA-registered. Products with DEET, eucalyptus oil or, to his preference — permethrin — which is used for treating fabric and footwear.

“It’s a real attitude adjuster,” he said. “This is the most effective tool in the box.”

Products like K-9 Advantix or Frontline or tick repellent collars can help protect your pet from the vectors. Check with your vet to determine what is best for cats.

Removing a tick should be done with pointed tweezers, grasping the insect at the head easing it out backwards.

“If you crush that tick, you just might give yourself a nasty infection,” Dapsis said. “A tick gut is full of microbes.”

Most people flush the tick down the toilet.

Instead, keep the tick, date it, and if possible send it to a lab such as the entomology department at UMass, Amherst (see tickreport.com) to determine what microbes it might be carrying. You may not test positive for an illness a tick carries, he said, but it is a “starting point for a conversation with your doctor.”

WHITMAN — The Recreation Commission reminds residents of plans for its 49th Annual Family Fun Day in Whitman Park for the 4th of July.

Recreation Director Oliver Amado outlined the schedule of events and equipment upgrades during the commission’s Thursday, June 22 meeting.

“Everything’s been all set for the 4th of July for the last three months,” he said.

A water slide, music, clowns, moon walk, field day races and games, a dunk tank and egg tosses, touch-a-truck and more. The 5K road race, which preceded park events will not be part of the Recreation Commission’s events, should it take place.

But the commission is considering a run around the park perimeter if DPW work on path improvements is completed in time.

Amado replaced all field day equipment for this year’s events.

The schedule starts at 9:30 a.m., with the bike and carriage decorating contest, featuring more prize categories. The Family Fun Day games run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the pool open free of charge for residents from 1 to 5 p.m.

The Boy Scouts will again be selling hot dogs and hamburgers, snacks and drinks to fund their programs.

Park and pool

Amado also reported during the meeting that income for the summer park program has already reached the level needed to fund the program and all planned field trips this summer, with more money expected to come in.

“If money should stop coming in — which it won’t — it’s already enough for five weeks of labor, supplies and trips,” he said. “It’s already paid for.”

Any additional income would go toward more staff should enrollment for the program continue to grow as expected as well as to reinvest into the program for equipment and any other needs.

The pool program is also in the black for eight of the nine weeks offered between Town Meeting Article 2 and revolving accounts.

“We should be hearing bells go off,” said Commission member June O’Leary. “That’s amazing.”

Amado said a lot of money has been invested in the pool and park program this year. JJ Pools vacuums the pool every 10 days for $100 each time, and conducts daily spot-checks of the pump and chlorine levels — even though pool staff also does that — at no additional cost.

“We’re in real, real good shape,” he said. “Right now people are talking about how crystal clear the water is — you could read a quarter this morning from the bottom of the deep end. The quality of the water is bringing in people in droves.”

The autumn hockey league, which has just started accepting registration is up to $850, according to Amado and field use fees have brought in nearly $6,000.

WHITMAN — Selectmen on Tuesday, June 20, discussed eviction proceedings aimed at squatters inhabiting a recently foreclosed property on Temple Street as well as plans to honor the late state Sen. Edward Kirby at a Whitman Park ceremony on Saturday.

The board has proclaimed Saturday, June 24 as Edward P. “Ned” Kirby Day in Whitman, which will include a tree dedication in his memory at the Whitman Park bandstand at 11 a.m. Saturday.

June O’Leary of the Friends of Whitman Park said a great American elm tree, selected by the Department of Public Works, has already been planted and will be the centerpiece of the ceremony.

She said Kirby had been especially helpful when she first came to the Board of Selectmen for permission to work on improving the park 17 years ago.

“When I wrote my first grant, for $285,000, Ned was a big part of that,” she said. “We appreciate that.”

The short ceremony in the park will include presentation of citations to Mary Alice Kirby.

The Selectmen’s citation, researched by the board’s Administrative Assistant Laurie O’Brien, notes Kirby’s legal education and Korean War-era service in the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s office as well as his service as both a state representative for six years and a state senator and as an elected member of the Plymouth County Commissioners. He also served as an administrative law judge and a worker’s compensation appeals judge. Kirby was also instrumental in returning commuter rail service to the area.

“I wanted to recognize him,” O’Leary said. “We just don’t thank people enough, we really don’t. There are people in this town — like yourselves — that serve for years and that service should be recognized. I appreciated Ned, he was the type of person that you were glad to see coming … he had a wonderful outlook on life.”

Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski noted that both he and Town Administrator Frank Lynam had the same experience with Kirby at different times.

“He was the first person to welcome us to town,” Kowalski said. “He ran to us at church. … He was a terrific guy and I’m looking forward to Saturday.”

The land court authorized the foreclosure of the property at 1030 Temple St., in December. Subject to a recapture, the property owner — or their heirs — have a year to reclaim the property, of which time six months remains.

“I do have a concern that there are people, for lack of a better word, squatting in the property,” Lynam said, seeking the board’s approval to have the town’s land title attorney take the necessary steps to evict them and secure the building. “Although I’m aware there are people in the property, I didn’t want to move in the winter months because I’m also aware there’s a young child there and was reluctant to start an eviction process.”

Once the foreclosure process is complete, the town gets the proceeds of sale. according to Lynam.

“We’re into the property right now for a $76,000 in taxes, fees and interest plus whatever interest we expend to secure the property,” he said.

In other business, Selectmen approved year-end transfers and announced receipt of a Green Communities Grant, for which Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green wrote the application.

The transfers included those from the Selectmen’s office for the elevator, accounts and street lighting. Transfers for the Health Inspector’s line and two for clerical expenses were also included, as well as a transfer for part-time clerical expenses at the Conservation Commission as well as a small transfer for additional clerical at the Council on Aging.

DPW is working on a water main project, replacing water gates that are more than 10 years old, on Bedford Street where the state is working on the reconfiguration of two intersections. Lynam said they want to take the opportunity to have the state do some of the work at what would be a discounted cost. The cost of the necessary engineering is just under $20,000, which is being transferred from retained earnings in this year’s budget to pay for those costs.

Green said the $197,408 phase two grant will allow lighting upgrades in the police station and DPW building as well as heating systems in the fire station and library, while make possible the purchase of an industrial sized steamer/kettle cooker for Whitman Middle School.

“By completing that grant, Lisa is returning to the town not only in savings, but in actual capital costs, more than twice her salary,” Lynam said.

Whitman and Hanson town administrators will meet with school district Business Services Director Christine Suckow over the summer to examine the numbers and create a document outlining revenue — and expenses for all departments and capital improvement needs — as they begin work on a comprehensive budget approach for next fiscal year.

Another meeting will be scheduled when that process is concluded, most likely before Sept. 11, as Whitman Town Administrator Frank Lynam urged a realistic fiscal outlook be ready by September.

Former W-H School Committee Chairman Wilbur Danner of Hanson had suggested appointing subcommittees to examine the “actual cost of the schools or the departments” and bring that information back for discussion.

“We can sit here and talk forever about what we need. We need something tangible … then work together to try and reach that goal,” agreed School Committee member Robert Trotta.

More than two dozen town and school district officials, School Committee members and concerned residents from both communities met Monday, June 12, conducting a wide-ranging discussion to begin the process of determining how to best coordinate town and school budgets to meet ongoing fiscal challenges.

“This is not a School Committee meeting,” said Chairman Bob Hayes, who facilitated the session Monday night. “This is a meeting of people in town and town officials. … [We’re trying] to be objective to try and settle some of this budget stuff, and it’s not just school budgets — the towns are having the same issues.”

The greatest need is one of more revenue to fund all town budgets, officials said.

“We’re trying to figure out how, collectively, how to move forward,” Hayes said. “For years people have urged us to start early to see what we could do. Now we’re off and running.”

He stressed the group is in no way trying to circumvent boards of selectmen, but rather seeks to come up with ideas for addressing financial challenges facing both communities.

State Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, attended and state Rep. Geoff Diehl, R-Whitman was represented by staff member David Walsh.

“You’re not alone,” Cutler said. “Every town is facing these kind of challenges. … At the state level, we’re having the same sort of issues with revenue, our revenues are not meeting their benchmarks.”

New state revenue sources are being considered, such as an Airbnb tax or a surtax on the state income tax, as well as the revenue from now-legal recreational marijuana, once governing legislation is complete, he said. Absent major changes such as those, Cutler doesn’t expect to see Chapter 70 increases for the next three years or so.

“I think we should be suing the state,” School Committee member Fred Small said about cuts to such mandated reimbursement programs.

Hanson Selectmen Chairman James McGahan and Whitman Selectmen Chairman Carl Kowalski also attended along with Whitman Finance Committee member Shawn Kain and Michael Dugan of the Hanson Finance Committee.

“We’re coming down to two basic principals,” Dugan said. “Where’s the revenue coming from and what are the expenses we need to support. … Poor choice of words, but where the biggest fires are going to be.”

Schools represent about 33 percent of Hanson’s budget and 65 percent of Whitman’s. Student population also has an affect on those percentages.

Kain urged a greater level of transparency in the budgeting and financial planning process, with a long-term approach.

“If we’re going to ask people to sacrifice, it’s very important that we demonstrate to people how we’re sacrificing in all departments,” Kain said.

Lynam said gross estimates from the towns and the schools by August or September would help identify what the towns can expect for the next fiscal year’s budgets.

“The bigger picture is our ability to identify our resources, your needs and put them together to figure out how to meet them,” Lynam said. “The elephant in the room is how much of that budget has to be allocated to education. … What I would like to see from the schools is earlier estimates.”

Whitman resident Christopher George asked why firefighters and police personnel did not face the same layoffs as teachers during recent tight budget years.

“The only department that lost employees was the schools,” he said. “Every other town around us has figured out they need more revenue. … In the absence of more revenue, the other departments have, essentially, kept level service and at some point that’s got to give.”

Lynam said finding the revenue was the only viable solution.

“We’re not going to cut fire,” he said. “We’re not going to have people waiting for an ambulance for 13 minutes because only one shift’s on. You’re not going to cut police with everything that’s going on.”

He said there are three departments that deliver a “huge percentage of essential services” — the schools, police and fire department — along with public works.

“The rest of us are overhead,” Lynam said. “But without that overhead, nothing else gets done.”

Practically speaking, George said he is talking about an operational override that could result in cuts across the board to all departments if it failed.

“This group is talking more of getting together to see how we’re going to expand revenue, not how we’re going to kill each other,” Hayes said.

Whitman resident Marshall Ottina also urged that public safety officials be included in the meetings to help ensure the financial plan is comprehensive, representing all town departments.

“Department-wise [approach] tends to pit one against the other, and we don’t want to do that anymore because nobody wins,” agreed Whitman-Hanson Education Association Vice President Beth Stafford. “If we present a united front and present one thing ‘for the town’ … I think that’s really important.”

School Committee member Dan Cullity noted that the overall budget problem started in 2008 when the state reduced its Chapter 70 reimbursement from about 70 percent to about 50 percent. The state has also informed the district that the towns must increase funding closer to the expected target share.

Grants that have been depended on to fill the void and support needed programs are also beginning to run out, which present another budget challenge.

McGahan asked about the possibility of hiring a professional grant-writer, perhaps one paid on the basis of the successful applications they write.

“Grants are called soft money,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner. “They’re going to be here for a period of time and then they’re gone, so in terms of sustainability that’s a concern.”

The district often has to partner with other districts or educational collaboratives that better qualify with demographic profiles in obtaining grants.

School Committee member Alexandra Taylor asked about the likelihood of attracting more commercial development to benefit the tax base.

“From a practical standpoint, the only way to generate that revenue is to move Whitman and Hanson to a highway,” Lynam said. “We’re too far off the road to attract large businesses.”

While Whitman does well with small business, revenue raising is limited to taxes and fees, he said.

Elimination or charging fees for non-mandated busing of school children was also questioned as a possible revenue source by a parent. But Lynam argued families with two working parents often depend on that transportation for their children.

“That’s a voters’ decision,” he said.

Gilbert-Whitner also noted the district is required by law to provide transportation for any student who lives two miles or more from a school, and is reimbursed for transporting students within a mile and a half.

Whitman resident Cheryl George pointed to surrounding towns’ success in passing operational overrides to support all departments. But others pointed out, Whitman-Hanson’s regional school district, and the commercial tax base of those surrounding towns, makes the process more difficult.

Amid glances back on the past four years and glimpses of future goals, the 272 members of the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Class of 2017 graduated Friday, June 2 with tears, cheers and laughter.

“As we leave here today, remember that we have all been blessed with enormous opportunities, and it is our responsibility to take each door that is opened to us and use it to make a contribution,” said Valedictorian Olivia Morse. “With the strife and conflict that is plaguing the world today, our courage, compassion, and determination is needed now more than ever.”

It was a night to celebrate great academic and extra-curricular achievement, but Principal Jeffrey Szymaniak also recognized graduates who had more pressing challenges to overcome on their way to a diploma.

Honor Society graduates, 12 military-bound seniors, band, chorus and show choir members, 81 Adams Scholarship winners, athletics participants and sportsmanship award winners, championship teams, Superfans, academic competition award winners, art students who participated in the Memory Project for orphan paintings and various art competitions, Mock Trial competition participants and seniors who have worked to support fundraisers for several local nonprofits were among the students recognized by Szymaniak for a round of applause from the audience.

“Today is about academic achievement,” Szymaniak said. “However, there’s some of you … that should be commended for actions that aren’t on any traditional awards list.”

He referred to “The Missing Awards List,” which he ran across on a blog that recognized students “brave enough to come to school the day after a bad day.”

“I wish I could give an award for those sitting here who did homework and studied while juggling a job, had to take care of siblings or a sick family member, to help pay the bills,” he quoted. “I wish I could give an award to those of you who cope with surgeries, allergies, medications, conditions, tests, procedures, doctors appointments, measured diets … as part of your normal.”

He also saluted the parents who take care of the students who don’t get the awards, applauding the award-winners while thinking “my kid, too.”

Student speakers also saluted the hard work all their classmates have done toward this day.

“Whether you believe it or not, each and every one of you seniors out there has become more mature and grown tremendously, not just in your education, but as a person over these four short years at Whitman- Hanson,” agreed Class President Lily Spicer in her welcoming remarks. “We’re not freshmen anymore and soon we won’t even be seniors. Together it is time to say goodbye. Enjoy this summer and within the next few months, we will all begin a new and exciting chapter of our lives.”

“Our time here has emphasized that life isn’t meant to be easy, and that the greatest things we could ever hope for arrive only with work and determination,” Salutatorian Emily Cook said. “Dreams and aspirations are what motivate us to act, to pursue success; but never let your dreams remain just that – figments and reminders of what could have been.”

Graduation night awards [below] were presented to: Emily Cook, Zara Rabinovitz, Madison Jolliemore, Emily Gonzalez, Michael Gorman, Jessica Gaudreau, Devyn Smith, Patrick Brown, Owen Lydon, Taylor McVeigh, Luke Tamulevich, Morse, Robert Caliri, Hannah MacDonald, Mikayla White and Spicer.

“Each graduating class is unique in its accomplishments,” School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes said. “Since their arrival as freshmen in 2013, they have participated in academic and athletic programs in a building that supports 21st-Century teaching and learning. … Now it’s up to the graduates to shape their future and, as you just heard, they have a future and it’s a great one.”

Hayes said the class has the keys to their own future success, but offered some advice.

“Confront challenges,” he said. “Learn to use your time wisely. Put down that cell phone and socialize with your friends and family. Look to the future with hope, embrace the world we live in and leave it better that you found it.”

Both Hayes and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner encouraged the graduates to return often to touch base with the school because they will always be W-H Panthers.

“This is the best day ever,” Gilbert-Whitner said, quoting her grand daughter’s approach to life. “You’re just the best ever and it’s just so exciting to be here and feel the energy here this evening.”

In her prepared remarks, Gilbert-Whitner reflected on the meaning of success.

“Now, at this very moment in time, each one of you is a success, having completed all of the requirements to attain a high school diploma,” she said. “In earning your diploma this evening, you have accomplished a tremendous amount from the beginning of your public school journey in kindergarten to the stage this evening.”

She also quoted the poem “Success,” attributed to both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Bessie Anderson Stanley:

“To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

Senior Sophie O’Brien, the class speaker, noted the obstacles that had to be overcome on the way to successfully completing high school.

“And along the way, many of us can agree in saying we got lost, or in other words, felt like we got defeated, or that we just wanted to give up,” she said. “But clearly, we got out of bed, and we didn’t let those late nights, bad grades, or tough losses, stop us because look where we are. We have made it to the biggest stage of our lives so far and made the journey worthwhile.”

WHITMAN — An occasional chilly sprinkle from leaden skies couldn’t put a damper on the town’s Memorial Day parade and traditional observances on Monday, May 29.

After last year’s parade was rained out, organizers vowed this year’s parade would go on as rain was forecast to hold off until the afternoon.

As the parade formed at Court Street ahead of the 9:30 a.m. step-off, residents began to line the South Avenue route in front of Town Hall and Cub Scout leaders organized a group photo on the steps to occupy their energetic scouts.

Town Hall was the first stop along the parade route for a prayer by American Legion member Richard Cameron and remarks by state Rep. Geoff Diehl.

“On this Memorial Day, help us to remember with deepest gratitude and awe the extraordinary men and women who, out of love, gave their lives to protect our beloved country and preserved our liberty,” Cameron prayed. “Help us to be ever-mindful, also, of the wounded heroes in our midst who, with valorous hearts, risked their lives that we might prosper and that our children’s future would be secure.”

Diehl also honored the sacrifice of those lost in defense of country, noting that international peace has been the goal of U.S. military deployments in both world wars as well as current missions in the Middle East.

“Americans are fortunate to have not fought a foreign army on our own soil in preservation of our liberty since the War of 1812,” Diehl said. “But we have had to remain vigilant after attacks on Pearl Harbor and the World Trade Centers, where justice for the innocent and the unarmed has cost us the lives of too many brave young men and women of our armed forces.”

Diehl said Memorial Day observances help keep those fallen warriors alive in our memories.

“It is our duty to answer their sacrifice by immortalizing them … so as not to ever to allow the life they gave, along with many of their brothers and sisters in arms, to be diminished,” he said. “They say that a person dies twice — the time when they take their last breath and the time when their name is last spoken.”

Memorial Day “provides the living legacy that keeps them from ever dying in vain,” Diehl said.

A ceremonia volley from a VFW firing squad and the playing of “Taps,” and “Echo,” by W-H students Sam Andruk and Matt Gallagher, were followed by the parade’s reforming and proceeding to the fire station on Temple Street for another wreath ceremony before concluding the route of march at Colebrook Cemetry where Boy Scout Nathan Morse read the “Gettysburg Address” during wreath ceremonies at the Civil War Unreturned and American Legion memorials.

Parade participants also gathered at the Whitman Park flag pole for the national anthem and pledge of allegiance and at the Civil War Soldiers Monument for Morse’s reading of Gen. Logan’s Order establishing the first Memorial Day in 1868 and finally to the Veterans of All Wars monument for a prayer and wreath ceremony.

Participating in Whitman’s parade were Grand Marshall Paul Riccilli of VFW Post 697, co-Marshall George Lopes of American Legion Post 22; Diehl, Town Administrator Frank Lynam Selectman Dan Salvucci; the Whitman Police and Fire departments, VFW Post 697, American Legion Post 22 and auxiliary; Sons of the American Legion Squad 22; Post 22 Legion Riders, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 119; Knights of Columbus Council 347; W-H band and majorettes, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of Troop and Pack 22 as well as Troop and Pack 59; and Girl Scouts, Brownie and Daisy Scouts.

Hanson opts for Hickey, Kemmett and change

HANSON — Hanson voters looked to voices of change as former Recreation Commission Chairman Jim Hickey garnered 579 votes as the top finisher in a four-person race. Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett was also elected as a Selectman with 543 votes. Incumbent Selectman Bill Scott fell short with 422 votes and former Selectman Jim Egan received 348.

The turnout in Hanson was 14 percent of the town’s registered voters.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Hickey as he stopped by Whitman Town Hall for post-election interview with Whitman-Hanson Community Access TV. “I really think the people wanted a change.”

The former baseball and softball coach, stressed he is not a politician, but that his recent work as chairman of the Recreation Commission gave him a glimpse of how things worked — and he didn’t like it.

“Somebody had to step up and I was the one always complaining, so I stepped up,” he said. “I’m so glad that it’s Laura and I, to be honest, because I think we will work well together.”

He said he thinks they will learn and listen to the town. Hickey, who has used a Facebook page to offer Hanson residents a voice on the issues, pledged to keep that going now that he has been elected. He stressed his telephone number is also listed in the book.

“If anybody wants to talk to me, I’ll be more than happy to listen,” he said.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said she wants to support people who seek positive change in town.

“I’d like to bring the community together, and I guess that must have resonated with enough people that I got the votes that I got,” she told WHCA. “But the hard work begins now.”

After that interview, FitzGerald-Kemmett told the Express that she had been nervous, but Selectman Kenny Mitchell said he had predicted before 3 p.m. Saturday that Hickey and FitzGerald-Kemmett would be the winners.

“I’m in a state of shock,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said of her win. “I was really hopeful, but it’s just so unpredictable. … You hope you’ve connected with them somehow, but you just can’t be certain. To me the message that came across loud and clear is we’re sick of this divide, divide, divide.”

She points to the closure of Maquan School and the district school budget as pressing issues. She also indicated she may volunteer for the Highway Building Subcommittee to ensure transparency for the taxpayers on that issue.

Contacted by phone at his home, Scott declined to comment on the election results. FitzGerald-Kemmett offered a salute to the work Scott and Selectman Bruce Young had done on the board and thanked Egan for the race he ran.

Egan, for his part, said he “anticipated that I would not be elected” but was surprised he did not do better.

Mitchell also offered a tip of his cap to Scott during a WHCA-TV interview with Kevin Tocci and Bob Hayes.

“I’m disappointed that Bill Scott didn’t get in,” Mitchell said. “Bill and I have done a lot on the board over the past [few] years. But it’s always nice to see two new faces, too. … I can work with anyone, so I’m looking forward to working with both of them.”

Mitchell, like FitzGerald-Kemmett, cited the highway barn, the future of the Plymouth County Hospital site and the Maquan School closure as important issues facing the town.

Whitman returns Kowalski, picks LaMattina for Board of Selectmen

WHITMAN — Receiving 680 votes in a four-person race, Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski was re-elected on Saturday, May 20. Finance Committee member Randy LaMattina was also elected to the Board of Selectmen with 626 votes. Newcomers Laura Howe, with 389 votes and Nita Sault, with 188 votes rounded out the field.

Whitman voters also passed a $310,000 Proposition 2 ½ override question to add three more firefighters to Whitman Fire-Rescue beginning July 1 by a margin of 591 for the override and 409 against.

Ten percent of the town’s 10,34 registered voters — 1,126 — cast ballots.

LaMattina said he was grateful for the result and credited his opponents for their well-run campaigns.

“I’m kind of shocked that I came so close to an incumbent like that,” he said. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the result. … I think [the campaign] exemplified everything that is right with politics today.”

Kowalski, for his part, confessed after the result was announced, that he had been nervous during the day.

“I like the people I was running against and I know they did a good job and I felt they were getting out the vote for them,” he said. “It was kind of nice to hear the results come in, and I’m just glad it’s over. I’m looking forward to the next three years.”

He said he feels for Howe and Sault for all the work they put into campaigning, adding he hopes they continue to stay involved in the town. Both Howe and Sault were gracious in defeat as all four candidates present at Town Hall for voting results offered comments. Selectmen and School Committee winners were sworn in by Town Clerk Dawn Varley following the result announcements.

“I wished we got more voters out,” said Howe who added the rainy weather over the previous several days had made campaigning difficult. “I only came here to make a stand because my voice wasn’t heard, and the fact I came in third and did well, I’m very happy.”

Sault said her campaign was one of the best things she has ever done in her life.

“One-fifth of the vote for someone who’s only been back in town for a year and fighting cancer at the same time,” Sault said was an encouraging result. “I’m ready to serve the town in any capacity, it doesn’t matter, and I’m very happy that Carl was re-elected. He’s done a lot for the town, so I’m very happy.”

Sault said she valued the experience of participating in candidate forums helped her learn to think on her feet.

“It was nothing but a win-win situation for me, anyway,” she said. “I have wonderful friends in town so I feel very, very blessed.”

LaMattina said old-school campaigning “outside of the Facebook world” — although he did use social media — made the difference for him.

Fire Chief Timothy Grenno, meanwhile, leaned heavily on social media to inform voters of his department’s personnel needs.

“Once the taxpayers saw the facts and were educated on the issue, they supported it,” Grenno said. “I did a total social media campaign this time. We had some good discussions and I think it was a great way to educate the people and I thank them whole-heartedly for coming out and supporting us. It helps us help them.”

He said he put the information out there and let the taxpayers vote.

“I’m very excited,” Grenno said. “I had faith in the Whitman taxpayers. I knew that they wouldn’t let us down. I know that they support public safety, they always have and I think they always will.”

In a three-person race for School Committee in Whitman, incumbents Steven Bois (693 votes) and Alexandra Taylor (549 votes) edged challenger Marshall Ottina (459 votes).

“It wasn’t a popularity contest, it was more than that,” Bois said. “It was about students. It’s not about me serving.”

Bois said that, if anyone else had won, the important people to keep in mind are the district’s students.

“We carve ourselves in a way to make sure the students have 21st century technology, 21st century materials — the best of the best when it comes to our teachers, which we’ve always seen,” he said.

Taylor said that while Ottina was close to her in a couple of precincts, she wasn’t really worried about the outcome.

“I just leave it up to the powers that be and I know it will all work out in the end,” she said. “I think my experience on the School Committee, knowing how it works, knowing how things need to be done, I think that helped.”

Graduating seniors will receive four tickets to graduation per family under a trial program approved 8-1 — with Chairman Bob Hayes dissenting — by the School Committee on Wednesday, May 10. The policy will be revisited each year.

Principal Jeffrey Szymaniak recommended the change after he received complaints from some parents about the general admission system used in the past.

The use of tickets will require using the main office door at about 4:45 p.m., for ticket-holder admission before the gym doors open to general admission at 5:30 p.m. All unoccupied seats would be up for grabs at 5:30 p.m.

The tickets would be handed out to seniors on the first day of commencement rehearsal, with the instruction to return any unneeded tickets to the office the next day “so that they don’t go up on eBay,” Szymaniak said. “I’ve seen it — it happens in Pembroke.”

Hayes, who noted he has had to “make peace” between bickering families at some graduations, stressed the need to provide clearly worded instruction letters to parents that students make sure their parents get. Lost tickets also create a problem, he said.

“You’re going to need more people to be out in the trenches figuring out the saving [of seats], because it’s going to happen,” he said.

Szymaniak said he is trusting the people of Whitman and Hanson to behave honorably and make good choices.

“I’m not putting students in the position to take tickets, I’m not putting students in position to make judgments for adults,” Szymaniak said, noting staff members or other adult volunteers would be asked to fill that role. “That’s not comfortable for me, that’s not comfortable for kids. … “Maybe next year this doesn’t work and we go back to something.”

He told the parents who made the request for a change that he would look into the situation, meeting with Assistant Principal David Floeck and Administrative Assistant Siobhan Horton, who coordinate the ceremony, and Facilities Director Ernest Sandland about the number of chairs fire codes permit on the gym floor. Hanson Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr., advised Sandland that 1,700 chairs are permitted on the floor, along with room for another 500-600 to stand on the floor.

“I was quite honest with them — I don’t know how it flows,” Szymaniak said of the current system, explaining he is with seniors inside the school for the hours before the graduation ceremony. “Once 4:30 p.m. hits, I’m with kids. … It’s really the best hour and a half I spend with seniors because everybody’s excited.”

Parents are known to begin standing in line at the gym entrance as soon as the school day ends at about 1:40 p.m. until the doors open at 5 p.m.

There is also overflow seating in the second-floor lecture hall and the air-conditioned performing arts center — as well as standing room for nearly 900 on the walking track overlooking the gym floor.

“I also asked my South Shore Principal group what they do for graduation, and I looked at schools that are about the same size as us,” Szymaniak said.

He found a variety of ways to approach graduation ceremony admission.

Pembroke, like W-H, does indoor ceremonies only. Many other schools plan for outdoor ceremonies, with the option to move indoors in case of rain with admission by ticket only.

Duxbury (250-300 seniors), Scituate, Hingham and Silver Lake all provide three tickets per family. Pembroke makes three to five tickets available; Abington provides six (125 seniors); Hanover (175 kids) does four; and Weymouth (400) and Brockton (150) both provide two tickets. Foxboro has no limits on attendance.

“The parents have a valid issue,” Szymaniak said. “Can we make it better?”

He calculated how many tickets the school could make available, based on the size of the gym and spillover areas and came up with two scenarios to discuss before making his recommendation for the graduating class of about 280 — stay the same or offer either two tickets per senior or four. He also had to calculate in the 30 people on stage, including administrators, School Committee members and class officers; 60 faculty members, about 75 band and chorus members as well as 50 to 60 50-year graduates.

Students with blended families would have to choose between parents and step-parents with the two-ticket option.

“We would still have lines, but I can guarantee a seat — maybe not together — but I can guarantee a seat for four people in a family,” he said of the four-ticket option, making that recommendation. “My issue would be around reserved seating.”

The open admission policy has allowed members of the community to attend, as well.

School Committee member Christopher Howard suggested a small post-event committee could be appointed to review the use of tickets and whether it should be retained for next year.

Szymaniak also reminded the senior class that the “Senior Assassin” water pistol game is not sanctioned by the school and therefore not permitted on school grounds or at on-campus events during or after the school day.

WHITMAN — She was only a week early, but newborn Rebecca Bennett certainly has made a grand entrance, arriving in the family car on the side of Route 27 in Whitman Tuesday morning.

In labor but not expecting such a quick delivery, her parents were driving to the hospital — as they have with their four other children, who happen to be all boys.

“We thought we could make it to the hospital but she had other plans,” said local mom Sara Bennett, in a phone interview from Signature Health Care Brockton Hospital on Wednesday morning.

They finally got their girl, who has also given them lots to talk about.

Sara told her husband to pull over as the baby was already there.

Although the delivery was “easier” for the experienced mom of five the roadside delivery was not something she would want to do again by herself, she said

“Whitman Fire/ EMS arrived and asked what we needed and I said, ‘nothing … she is already here,” Bennett recalled Wednesday morning.

Mom, dad and baby are all healthy, she added. The pink bundle of joy weighs 7 pounds 8 ounces and is 19 ½ inches long.

Calling 911, little Rebecca’s dad pulled to the side of the road so paramedics from Whitman Fire could secure the baby’s airway and cut the umbilical cord, then wrapped and transported mom and baby in the ambulance.

Bennett said the guys (Whitman firefighters) “were wonderful and so nice.”

She even found some time to post a note to the department on their public Facebook page it read:

“A special thank you to Whitman Fire/Rescue for the transport to the hospital after having my baby on the side of Route 27 in our car…they were professional and so caring!”

Chief Timothy Grenno replied on Facebook extending congratulations to the family and acknowledged the recognition of gratitude for his department members.

“With all the tragedy we and (my guys) see on a daily basis it’s nice to see a positive and heartwarming incident that really shows the qualifications and skills of our paramedics and firefighters,” said Grenno.

WHITMAN — Voters at Monday’s annual Town Meeting supported Fire Chief Timothy Grenno’s Article 23 proposal to raise and appropriate $310,000 outside the levy limit to fund the salary cost of hiring three new firefighter/paramedics for Whitman Fire-Rescue.

The article, on which the Finance Committee was divided, also transferred $20,000 from the reserve from appropriation ambulance account to equip the new personnel. Voters at the May 20 annual Town Election will have the final say. Two years ago, Grenno had asked for eight additional firefighters, but the department did not receive the grant funding sought to pay a portion of that effort.

While Grenno expressed optimism on the chances it would pass, he said he is prepared to work hard to convince voters of the need.

“The Town Meeting voters have always supported the public safety departments in Whitman, hands-down,” Grenno said after the meeting adjourned. “The ballot box is a different question. It’s a tough budget time, on family budgets as well. … But I’m going to get out there and educate the people.”

He plans on using every communication avenue open to him, from social media and cable access TV to meetings with different groups in town to “get the facts out there.”

“I think, when I present the facts and show the taxpayers what goes on within the four walls of Whitman Fire-Rescue, and how it’s almost impossible to cover the emergency call volume that we have, I think that they’ll be sympathetic to us and understand that this is a real need and that we’re not crying wolf.”

Police Chief Scott Benton pledged to add his support.

“From a public safety standpoint I obviously support it,” Benton said. “I thought he did a great job. It was a great presentation — he definitely made his case.”

Benton added he not only respects Grenno as a fire chief, and considers him a friend, he said Grenno does an outstanding job in advocating for his men and the people of Whitman.

“I absolutely support what he is doing,” Benton said. “I hope the townspeople will fund it.”

Grenno provided the same PowerPoint presentation to Town Meeting voters that he gave before the Board of Selectmen a few weeks ago. The Whitman Fire Department became a full-time service in 1965 with five members per shift. In 1973, with an ambulance service added to the department, staffing levels remained at five per shift, where they remain today. The goal is to add one firefighter per shift, Grenno said.

“We need six people per shift,” he said.

In 1965 call volume for both fire and medical emergencies was 496 runs during the year. Last year, call volume was up to 2,664 runs. Medical emergencies make up 64 percent of all responses.

When calls come in, priority EMS calls — chest pain, shortness of breath, seizures and overdoses, for example — all five firefighters on a shift respond. For non-priority first calls — such as orthopedic cases — three firefighters respond, leaving two and possibly a shift commander to respond to subsequent calls, Grenno explained.

Based on a one-room fire, a three-person engine response has a 38-percent effectiveness rating. That increases to 65 percent for a four-person company and 100 percent for five responding firefighters or more.

Last year, the fire station was empty 18 percent of the time due to call volume, with subsequent calls dependent on mutual aid, which helps but takes from 20 minutes to an hour to get to a call.

Grenno received backing at Town Meeting from Finance Committee Vice Chairman Randy LaMattina, residents Tom Evans, Richard MacKinnon and Neil Gorman as well as state Rep. Geoff Diehl, R-Whitman, spoke in favor of the article. Finance Committee Chairman Michael Minchello, meanwhile, said he was not against the need for more staffing, but sought an alternative view on how to tighten the budget, arguing the presentation does not reduce overtime costs.

“You can arrive at a fire scene in the newest fire truck, the shiniest fire truck, but it’s when you get off  … the manpower at that scene is what matters,” said LaMattina.

“Every citizen is going to benefit by this,” Evans said. “It’s a matter of life and death.”

MacKinnon, president of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, also endorsed the override.

“We’re grossly understaffed in Whitman,” the Washington Street resident and Whitman firefighter said. “I urge the town members here to at least put it to an override.”

Court Street resident Gorman, told of a brother in “a different town” who died from smoke inhalation in a four-alarm fire a year ago.

“This is people’s lives,” he said, noting that he later discovered that an engine could not respond to the fire at his brother’s house because of staffing issues in that town’s fire department.

“I agree this needs to go to the town for a vote,” Diehl said, noting federal and state changes to the amount of revenue an ambulance department can generate as well as how certain medical cases are transported.