WHITMAN – Town Clerk Dawn Varley has begun closing the office on Thursdays in response to budget cuts to her department, specifically her salary increase request of 14 percent and an operations cut of $16,000 tied to the number of elections in 2026 – a state and Congressional off year with fewer elections than 2024.
Social media in the community was busy discussing the matter Monday night.
Varley currently makes $80,000 a year, and has decided to close the clerk’s office an additional day per week, so she feels she is being paid at a part-time salary,” a post stated Varley had sought a 14 percent raise, which would have brought her salary more in line with clerks in area towns.
But, according to FinCom meeting minutes, Varley had raised the issues of pay disparity between her position and others on the South Shore as well as the “intricate demands of her job including town meetings and elections supervision and the frequent updates of the regulations governing them” during the committee’s annual review of her department budget requests on March 11.
She raised the possibility of cutting back hours without a budget increase, at which the committee had balked since the Collins Report placed the town clerk in the same salary category as the assessor.
The Finance Committee was also decreasing the department’s operations budget for fiscal 2026, a reduction in this line item is due to just one town election and one town meeting next fiscal year. Ms. Varley emphasized her role’s complexity, managing elections with 40+ workers and various updated regulations and legal requirements.
According to the minutes, of March 11, Varleye asked for the support of the finance committee to support her salary request.
“What is going to end up happening, and this is not a threat, this is a fact, I’m going to go down to two days a week,” she said. “You’re going to pay me part time; you’re going to get part time. I’ve been overlooked for so many years, and I don’t think it’s fair.”
As an elected position, the Select Bard cannot make a change to her position.
Varley reached out to residents to explain her stance.
“As a result of reorganization /reduction in staff and salary in the Town Clerk’s Office, I am forced to close its window for the first time in over 50 years,” she stated in a press release Tuesday. “This decision does not fall lightly on my Heart but is solely the decision made by the Select Board, the Finance Committee and the Town Administration not to fully fund this office.”
Initially, she had included home telephone (or personal cell phone numbers) of members of the Select Board and Finance Committee, but Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter intervened.
“I have instructed the Town Clerk to remove this information from her recent posting immediately after I consulted with Town Counsel,” Carter stared. “I have also instructed the IT Department to remove the personal cell phone and home telephone numbers from the posting, if not removed by the Town Clerk.”
Varley then re-issued the press release minus the phone numbers.
Meanwhile, the Select Board, meeting on Tuesday, June 24, Finance Chair Kathleen Ottina, speaking for herself, as the committee has not met since the Town Meeting, expressed her own dismay at the announcement made at the start of the June 11 special Town Meeting, that the Select Board had voted unanimously to appropriate $150,000 from ambulance receipts at a fall special Town Meeting in order to restore $75,000 each to the Fire Department and Police Department for their fiscal 2026 budget.
Not only was that decision last-minute, there was no time to communicate it to the committee because of that, leading to “a great deal of consternation” among Finance Committee members.
“On May 17, the voters of Whitman voted overwhelmingly to reject a Proposition 2.5 override of $2 million,” she said. “The result left us with a $2,053,431 deficit that needed to be closed.”
The decision was then made to split the deficit – with the town paying 48 percent and the schools picking up the tab for the remaining 52 percent, which translated to $98,000 paid by the town and $1,064,000 by the school district.
“The town proceeded to close the gap by using $340,000 in free cash to pay OPEB and Plymouth County retirement, which we all knew about ahead of time,” she noted. “Now, this proposal to use $150,000 in projected fiscal 2026 ambulance receipts results in a deficit to the town of not the $988,000, but $498,665.”
Recalculating the deficit translates into a 32 percent debt deficit handled by the town and 68 percent handled by the W-H Regional School District.
“[That’s not the 68 to 48 that we agreed on prior to Town Meeting,” Ottina said. “Whitman-Hanson voted to cut the assessment by the $1,064,000 that we asked them to,” she said. “We aksed them to. They didn’t have to. We all know how we fund regional schools. They cooperated with us. I anticipate that future W-H school budget votes will not be so cooperative,” because this is not fair.”
In three public forums prior to May 17, residents were told that a failed override would lead to cuts to police, fire, DPW, Town Hall, Library and the schools and the voters voted no.
“I sympathize with the Police and Fire departments,” Ottina said. “I don’t want to see them undermanned. I do not want to see citizens’ health and safety jeopardized, but if voters do not realize the impact of a failed override because they don’t see what happens.”
A clerk missing from one or two offices does not impact their day-to-day living, Ottina said.
“I’m not calling for dangerous levels of manpower,” she added. “I’m simply stating this is not fair.”
Ottina said she trusts that the FinCom and Select Board will be able to work on Article 2 over the summer and that they can arrive at a solution that is “as fair as a $2 million deficit can be.”
While Select Board member Shawn Kain said he obviously respects Ottina’s opinion [see guest column, page 7] he sees a difference between a $2 million deficit and how it’s spread out so services that have to be cut are evenly distributed.
The view at Town Meeting was likely that most of the revenue was going to the schools and very little was going to public safety.
“I feel the difference in those perspectives is where we feel the big rift in our community,” Kain said noting that how funds are distributed in ways that are both equitable and do the least harm is difficult. “Just going back to the drawing board early and thinking about strategies, I think, would be helpful.”
Someone, call Guiness
HANSON – If you arrived a few minutes late, you missed it.
The Wednesday, June 25 special Town Meeting to decide whether the town would approve the assessment proposal put forth by Whitman, which had accepted it at their special Town Meeting two weeks before, must have set some sort of speed record for town meeting government.
The whole thing, from pledge of allegiance to Town Moderator Sean Kealy’s final gavel for adjournment clocked in at 3:18.
The session was held in the Dr. John F. McEwan Performing Arts Center at W-H Regional High School, as the Hanson Middle School auditorium had already been booked for the evening for a dance recital.
Therefore, we present to those unable to attend a transcript ot the entire proceeding:
KEALY: “Welcome, everybody, to a special Town Meeting. My name is Sean Kealy, I’m the town moderator. To my left is the Finance Committee. To my right is the Select Board, and we have town officers behind me. Before we get going, as we always do, would you please rise and join me in the pledge of allegiance.”
Following the salute to the flag, Kealy returned to the podium for his traditional opening greetings.
KEALY: “So, one – I think we only have, really, one piece of housekeeping.
“The rules of tonight’s Town Meeting will be governed by “Town Meeting Time,” which is the official handbook of parliamentary law by the Massachusetts Moderators’ Association, and, as I said, we onl have one article.
“I’m hoping that we can all get back to the air conditioning as quickly as possible, and so, what we’ll do is, I’ll read the article, it’ll be seconded and then we’ll have an explanation.
“So, Artcle 1 – to see if the town will vote to transfer $262,669 from free cash to supplement Article 5, line 57, as appropriated at the May 5, 2025 annual Town Meeting to meet the Whitman Hanson Regional School District assessment, or take any other action in relation thereto.
“Seconded by Mr. [Robert] Hayes.
“Explanation. …”
Town Clerk Jessics Franceschini corrects Kealy out of range of a microphone.
KEALY: “Oh, thank you very much.
“I’ve been corrected for the very first time by our new town clerk,”
[Applause for Franceschini]
KEALY: “I won’t tell her it was just a test,” he said in a mock stage whisper as a joke.
“But, I hereby declare that we have a quorum. More than 100 voters have checked in, and are in attendance. And I see the youngest voter right over there. She’s doing magnificently,” he said, gesturing to the small child a resident was holding in the audience.
He then returned to the explanation of the article.
KEALY: “So, we have a motion and it has been seconded. Explanation – This article is to supplement Article 5, Line 57, as appropriated at the May 5, 2025 annual Town Meeting to mee the Whitman Hanson Regional School District operating assessment to the town of Hanson.
“Do I see any questions or concerns?” he asked, scanning the audience.
He did not
KEALY: “Seeing none [his emphasis], all those in favor of Article 1, signify by saying, ‘Aye.’”
AUDIENCE VOICES: “Aye.”
KEALY: “All those opposed, ‘nay.’
FEWER AUDIENCE VOICES: “Nay.”
KEALY: The ayes have it, Article 1 is adopted.
Scattered applause was heard.
KEALY: “And, with that, I will adjourn this special Town Meeting, sine die.”
[“Sine die” adjournment means a legislative session is adjourned without setting a date to reconvene – a Latin phrase meaning “without day,” effectively ending the session.]
Welcoming spirit of Whitman in art
By Rosemary Hill
Special to the Express
WHITMAN — A lifelong resident of Whitman, Susan Pimental is more than an artist — she’s a storyteller, a neighbor, and a keeper of the
town’s shared memory.
Her roots in Whitman run deep. Her Uncle Tom Harding’s old factory
still stands on Pond Street, and her father Tom Pimental’s popcorn
cart lives on in the joyful memories of baseball games and summer
gatherings.
But Susan’s love for her hometown isn’t rooted in nostalgia. It’s
grounded in compassion and an honest embrace of community complexity. She understands that a true community is made up of many kinds of people — from different backgrounds, with different abilities and means. Listening to her speak about her friends, neighbors, and family reveals someone who uplifts others without ignoring life’s challenges. She doesn’t wear rose-colored glasses — she sees clearly, but chooses kindness.
Her art reflects that spirit. Susan creates what’s known as “ready made” art — a style pioneered by artists like Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Joseph Kosuth, and others. To that list, Susan humbly adds her own name. Her work is a blend of joy, struggle, history, and deep human connection.
When asked about her birthday, she laughs and says she’s turning “80-ish.” Like many women of her generation, Susan didn’t have many formal opportunities to express her creativity — but she found ways. She recalls arranging flowers at a local greenhouse, inspired by an aunt who once worked at the famed Toll House Restaurant. She also made toys and gifts for loved ones, turning everyday materials into acts of imagination and care.
One story she shares is especially moving. As a child, she made toys with her uncle, a kind and creative man who was also a veteran living with PTSD. Tragically, he died from its effects — a familiar sorrow for many families. But Susan remembers their connection with warmth: “He was a good man. We made toys together just that very day.” Like much of her art, this memory holds space for both truth and tenderness. Susan’s artwork is intricate and distinctive. She assembles carefully chosen objects — buttons, shells, figurines, scraps of pottery — that, at first glance, seem unrelated. But when brought together, they become something new. One sculpture features a piece of Wedgwood pottery. When asked why, she simply says, “Of course.” There’s no question of whether it belongs — it does, because everything belongs in its own way.
In another piece, she highlights a chipped Hummel figurine. “It’s still a Hummel,” she says with a smile. Her uncle’s memory lingers there, too: a soldier, a good man — not defined by damage, but by who he was.
Like many families in Whitman, Susan’s parents made do with what they had. Her mother worked at the Regal Shoe Factory as a stitcher, often bringing work home. Susan remembers watching her mother use heavy leather stamps to cut out pieces for the next day’s sewing. Even as a child, Susan saw the parts behind the whole — a sensibility that now informs her art.
Her father’s popcorn cart — once just boards and wheels and a vision of more — lives on in spirit, much like Susan’s work.
Many residents have seen Susan’s larger pieces over the years — colorful birdbaths and whimsical lawn sculptures adorning local yards. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Susan turned to crafting smaller, more intimate works from found materials: shells, plastic flowers, buttons, bits of ribbon. What began as a personal outlet is now something she wants to share with others, especially children and families.
One of these sculptures — gifted to this reporter’s family — features a painted conch shell, googly eyes, and bits of gold. Affectionately named “Shelly,” she now lives on our bookshelf as a symbol of joy and creativity. Susan teaches us that art doesn’t require perfection or wealth — just care, imagination, and a willingness to see what’s possible.While her larger sculptures remain available by commission, Susan hopes to share her smaller pieces more broadly with the community. Each one is a lesson in resilience, creativity, and joy.
Fittingly, Susan celebrated her “80-ish” birthday on June 14, the same day as Whitman Day, which also marked the beginning of the town’s 150th anniversary celebration. She joined in Whitman Day festivities in the Park, where she and her family had a table despite the rain as she gave away her whimsical sculptures as gifts to the children of Whitman. Through her art, her stories, and her generosity, Susan Pimental reminds us that community isn’t just a place — it’s something we build, together, with love, creativity, and care.
25 recent firefighter graduates now on the job
STOW—State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine announced the graduation of 25 recruits from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Call/Volunteer Recruit Firefighter Training Program last month.
The members of Call/Volunteer Recruit Class #118 trained at the Academy’s Bridgewater campus and graduated at the Department of Fire Services’ main campus in Stow. They represent the fire departments of Avon, Dartmouth Fire District 1, Dartmouth Fire District 2, Duxbury, Freetown, Grafton, Halifax, Hanson, Lakeville, Norwell, Onset, Raynham, and Westport.
“Massachusetts firefighters are on the frontlines protecting their communities every day, and today’s graduates are needed now more than ever,” said State Fire Marshal Davine. “The hundreds of hours of foundational training they’ve received on nights and weekends will provide them with the physical, mental, and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely.”
“Massachusetts Firefighting Academy instructors draw on decades of experience in the fire service to train new recruits,” said MFA Deputy Director of Training Dennis A. Ball. “Through consistent classroom instruction and practical exercises, tonight’s graduates have developed the tools they’ll need to protect their communities.”
The Martin H. McNamara Outstanding Student Award was presented to Firefighter Kayla Kalamajka of Dartmouth Fire District 1. The award is named for Martin “Marty” McNamara V, a call firefighter with the Lancaster Fire Department who lost his life in the line of duty in 2003 while battling a fire in a multifamily home. It is presented to one recruit in each graduating call/volunteer training class and recognizes their academic and practical skills, testing, and evaluations over the course of the program.
Video of the ceremony will be posted tomorrow at the Department of Fire Services’ YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/dfsosfm.
Sports user fees voted
The School Committee has voted in favor of a new schedule of sports user fees at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School.
“We still don’t have a budget,” said Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak, filling in for Athletic Director Bob Rodgers who was away in Las Vegas at a poker tournament that had long been planned, to speak for the Athletics Department.
“I told him, if he wins, he’s going to solve our problems today,” he said.
Szymaniak and Rodgers had been in close contact on the issue all week, and Rodgers had drafted a proposal that is outdated already.
“[That’s] because we worked on a new proposal … to lower that fee structure” between Monday, June 16 and the School Committee meeting on Wednesday, June 18. “It’s higher than it was, but more amenable, I think, in a bad situation.”
To balance the budget, Szymaniak encouraged the School Committee to approve the proposal he and Rodgers drafted that increases sports user fees for this year, with the plea made by Rodgers in a phone call that morning – “if the budget looks better, we want to reduce those fees.”
“I hope,” Symaniak had replied, knowing there are more retirements scheduled for next year, “and, if we can get ahead of the game, we will.”
Hanson’s special Town Meeting was slated for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 25 in the Dr. John F. McEwan Performing Arts Center at WHRHS.
“It’s imperative. Imperative, imperative that we get a quorum and hopefully pass a budget, so [Business Services Manager Stephen Marshall] doesn’t have to fill out umpteen documents for the state before July 1,” Szymaniak said.
“The user fee proposal, although not great, is different from the $500,” he said.
When we were looking at $500 and still reducing the athletics budget by $250,000 … but through some fund-raising and what Mr. Rodgers thinks we can do, based on students, I’m looking at a $375 first sport, $250 for a second and $100 for a third, with a family cap of $1,200.”
Fees are not delineated based on how much or whether they are a money-maker for the school, Szymakiak said.
“That’s not something we’ve done since user fees were enacted, except for the sports that are more expensive – which is hockey,” he said.
Ice hockey will go from $200 to $400 for varsity players only and the “outrageous cost of ice time right now might even still minimize the amount of ice time they can purchase,” Szymaniak said. “That [fee structure] should get him close to that $250,000 without cutting any sports. We won’t really know that until [Athletics First Night] and we can get some enrollment numbers.”
If a certain enrollment in sports is not reached by then, it is up to Rodgers to figure out how the district is going to run certain sport – similar to the way some sports were eliminated from the budget in 2008.
“We don’t want to do that,” Szymaniak said. “I think sports are invaluable. Everything extra curricular in our district is invaluable for our students that don’t love academics – that don’t love coming to school. … We want to minimize the cost, but there has to be an impact felt district-wide due to the lack of an override and the fact that, right now, we’re looking at a $1.75 million deficit from the proposed budget.”
But, Szymaniak warned, if the district goes on a 1/12 budget, all sports are of the table for September.
“I can’t have a football team when I’m going to RIF another 24 teachers,” he said. “I’ve heard, and I’m sure members around this table have heard, ‘You’ll just figure it out anyway, There won’t be any real cuts.’ This is real. $1.7 million is real. Last year was $1 million. We got by – by using some free cash and some different things, but we got by. This year, I can’t get by.”
“I hate this,” said member Glen DiGravio. “This stinks, it absolutely stinks, but it’s the position we’re in. … but, it’s like Hillary said, if we’re going to be the bad guy and do this, we have to be the bad guy the whole way through, because there has to be consequences to pay.”
He said that, if kids think they can get away without paying, no one is going to pay. But he also argued for hardship provisions as well as more fundraising avenues, such as an always open dedicated GoFundMe account.
“As bad as this is, I do think there are ways to get through this,” DiGravio said, adding he was willing to donate right away.
Member Stephanie Blackman also had some suggestions, such as intramural rather than freshman sports, and allowing sponsorships of teams.
Rodgers also wants to establish his own kind of scholarship program for students who can’t afford to pay a user fee or can’t work out a way to work it off. There also some residents who have donated money in the past toward the scoreboard or other needs.
Vice Chair Hillary Kniffen said the district should require that scholarship funds be deposited in an interest-bearing account with students only provided with partial scholarships.
“You’re going to wipe out that scholarship fund,” she said if scholarships paid user fees in full. She also said a payment plan has to be signed off on before a student goes out for a sport.
She also suggested a fee structure that takes into account that sports like football are more expensive than those like cross-country. Szymaniak pointed out that football also brings in revenue for the school and the fee structure takes that into account.
Jennifer Roback, 879 Bedford St., Whitman, speaking during the public forum about sports user fees.
“I’m deeply concerned about the recent cuts approved at Town Meeting,” she said. “While I understand the town has spoken, I continue to struggle over the way education is weighed against other departments in this town. Education is not simply another line on the balance sheet, it is the foundation of our children’s future.”
Highly qualified teachers, not software or other “minute-fillers” are decisions of long-term consequences, not short-term inconveniences she said, noting that she is the parent of a special education student as well as one enrolled in the high school’s Pathways Program and a third in elementary school.
“I understand that we all rely on vital services like emergency response and public safety, but cuts to education affect far more than the moment in time that may affect an entire generation of students,” she said, also expressing dismay that $500 user fees per activity are being considered, arguing that such a move puts undue pressure on working families.
“For many students, [sports] are a pathway to scholarships and college opportunities,” she said.
“What’s more troubling is this fee applies only to students attending our district,” Roback said. “While those who attend [South Shore Tech] or the [vocational-agricultural schools] are not asked to make comparable fees. Why is that?” She charged that it not only inequitable, it’s unfair and advocated renegotiating regional agreements with vocational schools is necessary to make sure W-H students “are not placed at a disadvantage simply for staying in our own schools.”
“We risk creating a system, where only families with the means, can afford to let their children thrive,” Roback said.
Asked this week about student fees at South Shore Tech, Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey said his students already pay for uniforms for classes, exploratory shops and their ultimate shop choice, as well as work boots and some tools – the cost of which is why some unions or employers award tool scholarships to seniors joining their ranks or workplace.
Sports user fees are also under study at SST, “possibly as a proposal in our fiscal ’27 budget, in part because we’ll be entering a time period that we’re going to have increased costs because we’re going to lose access to all of our playing fields [as the new building is constructed],” Hickey said. “We’re going to have to do more off-campus, away travel.”
While it is not a done deal, Hickey said it is something he is looking into. With more towns joining the SST region, it also helps decrease assessments to Whitman and Hanson as their SST enrollment drops a bit – but more towns could also mean more sports participation as the school will be faced with stretching dollars.
“It’s probably going to mean we’re going to need some sort of fee structure to be able to add more programming, or other needs.” he said. “We’ve had costs that are just part of being a vocational student, but now we may need to keep that structure and possibly have a sports fee structure, as well.”
Whitman Finance Committee Chair Kathleen Ottina also spoke during the public forum, thanking them for the difficult work they did in helping come up with a balanced budget for the towns.
“Having grandchildren in the system, I am devastated by the cuts in the classroom, especially the interventionists who have been eliminated,” Ottina said. “I’m also concerned about the user fees, but I want to acknowledge the hard decision that you folks made, whether you voted for or against the budget cuts.”
The Fourth of July in Maine
By Linda Ibbitson Hurd
Special to the Express
My Uncle Sandy was my mother’s step-brother and served in the Air Force during WWII as a U.S. Army pilot first lieutenant.
His full name was Sandy Royal Austin. In 1944 on July 22 while flying a B-17G over the Ploiesti oil fields in Romania, his plane had engine trouble and dropped out of formation before being shot down by enemy fighters. All on board bailed out right before the plane exploded; it was a parachute landing and the men were taken prisoners. The POWs were held in a schoolhouse in Bucharest, Romania until Rumanians surrendered to Russians Aug. 23, 1944. Sandy was among the 1,150 POWs flown out on B-17s early in September 1944 to return home.
Sandy somehow rescued his parachute for his bride-to-be so she could make her wedding dress out of it, as fabric at that time was scarce. After the War, Sandy and his wife Jean moved to Alaska and then they moved to Dover Foxcroft Maine with their three children. Their son Dale was my age and their two daughters, Diane and Janet were about the same ages as my younger siblings.
In the Summer of 1961 when I was 14, Sandy and Jean invited our family to spend Fourth of July with them in Maine. My mom’s father and stepmother, who was Uncle Sandy’s mother, lived twenty minutes away from Sandy and Jean. Since we had not seen any of them for several years and Dad had the week off, he and Mom decided to go.
The Fourth of July was on a Tuesday that year; we left for Maine on Monday and pulled into their driveway four hours later. Every building and house we passed was decorated with flags and patriotic bunting, including theirs.
Their spacious yellow and white Victorian house was set back from the street with a flagpole beside it flying the American flag, the POW flag and an Air Force flag. There was a big olive drab colored tent on one side of the expansive lawn. We found out that it was for us kids if we wanted to sleep outside instead of upstairs in the house.
We were warmly greeted with hugs that were returned and all the usual comments of how big or tall some of us had grown in both families. My sister Penny and I remembered Aunt Jean, Uncle Sandy and Grandma and Grandpa Austin and although our brother Dave and sister Barb were too young to remember them, it didn’t take long for them to warm up to Grandpa Austin, who was a kind, loving man.
The first night’s supper was lobster for the adults and burgers or hot dogs for us kids. The younger kids were a little shy with one another but by the end of the meal they were running around laughing and playing. My cousin Dale was now taller than me with a reddish cast to his light hair and a few freckles across his face that brought out the blue in his eyes. He was a bit less standoffish than he used to be.
After supper all of us kids played outdoor games that even the little ones could play; from Hide and Seek, Simon Says, Blind Man’s Bluff and more. Our parents and grandparents watched from across the yard as they reminisced, caught up on family news and had many laughs under a beautiful full moon until bedtime. I slept in the tent that night with the other kids, except for Barb and Janet, the two youngest, who wanted to be with their mothers.
Fourth of July dawned bright and beautiful. Mom and Aunt Jean told all of us to get dressed and to be at the breakfast table if we wanted to eat before the parade started. Dover Foxcroft was a small town that reminded me of Hanson.
People were friendly and you couldn’t get away with much as everyone knew who you were. All along the sidewalk that went through the main part of town, people were sitting or standing as Clowns entertained and interacted with the crowd. My cousin and I watched our younger siblings having a good time, and our Dads and Grandpa as the Antique cars passed by sounding their horns.
Grandma Austin was on a float that went by with other ladies and all their delicious looking homemade pies. Our moms liked the Float from J.J.Newberry’s and the one from the Textile Plant. I loved everything about the parade, especially the patriotism, the tradition and the meaning of it.
Off to the lake
When the parade was over, we spent the rest of the day at beautiful, scenic, Sebec Lake. Uncle Sandy had a roof rack on his truck to secure his canoe. He also hitched his boat and trailer onto the back of the truck. He had his fishing gear, plenty of beach toys, chairs, food and Grandpa Austin and Dad in the front seat with him. Grandma Austin and the rest of us rode with Aunt Jean in her station wagon.
When the vehicles were parked and the boat was tied to the dock, we found a beautiful shade tree and put our chairs under it. Uncle Sandy asked who wanted to go for a boat ride and all the younger kids were jumping up and down yelling in unison. We all got in the boat except our grandparents, who wanted to sit in the shade. My brother Dave sat up front with Sandy and Dad; my cousin Dale and I sat way in the back and everyone else was in the middle.
After the boat ride Dale and I challenged our mothers to a race to see who could swim the furthest. My cousin Diane blew her whistle to start the race. We swam out to a boulder and back again, both our mothers keeping up with us. Both Dale and I reduced our pace as we wanted them to win, and they did. Even though they knew what we did, we were proud of them and impressed with what excellent swimmers they still were. There were big hugs all around. The rest of the day the younger kids were jumping off our Dads’ shoulders and being caught by our Moms. Dale and I took turns pulling the kids around on the rubber rafts.
We loved climbing on the rocks and helping the kids to dig holes while Grandpa and our Moms took pictures. Before we knew it, we were packing up to beat the sunset home, as Uncle Sandy put it.
Fireworks were not allowed in Dover Fox-croft, Maine at that time so Uncle Sandy drove home by way of Bangor, Maine, which was closest to his house, so we could see them. Quite a few of their neighbors were there; it was the perfect end to a perfect Fourth of July day.
When we got back to the house, everyone got ready for bed. When Gram and Grandpa Austin left to go home, they invited us all to their house the next day to teach us how to make homemade ice cream the old fashioned way and to see Grandpa’s clock collection from when he was a clock maker, which made us excited and Mom happy. When I was getting ready to go into the tent where Diane, Penny and Dave were, Dale tapped me on the shoulder and wanted me to follow him.
He asked me if I knew what a cherry bomb was and I told him yes, we have them in Hanson, too. He blushed a little and grinned, telling me he has one and wants to set it off on the pond in the center of town as the grand finale of today’s celebration. I looked at him and grinned and said okay and off we went.
The moon lit our way as we walked to a sizable pond surrounded by a metal split rail fence. Swimming wasn’t allowed and there were benches to sit on and shade trees all around. We walked towards a hollow tree and he pulled a box out of it that contained a board with the cherry bomb wired to it. He flattened the box and threw it in the water. I could see the street and the town beyond the benches and was glad there were no lights on. He picked up a long stick, put it down on the ground beside him, took out his matches, set the board on the edge of the water, lit the cherry bomb, pushed it gently with the stick until a breeze sent it out onto the pond, grabbed my hand and we started running until it was safe to stop. We stood in the silence until the explosion shook the night and sent us running again.
Lights began to come on as we ran through the woods and we heard a siren. We kept running until we reached his yard. We practically leaped into the tent, relieved the kids were asleep and that all the lights in the house were off. It was so hard to keep from laughing, we kept putting our hands over our mouths. He finally raised his hand to mine, shook it and whispered, thanks. We finally settled down and went to sleep.
During the remainder of the time I was there, to our relief, nothing came of it. In 1966 The Child Safety Act came into being and they were banned. The more I grew up and the more I learned about these particular explosives and how many people had been harmed, the more I realized how foolish we had been and how very fortunate we were that nothing happened.
Hanson OKs new cable access contract *UPDATED*
HANSON – The Select Board on Tuesday, June 24 approved renewal of the contract with Whitman-Hanson Cable Access, while taking the opportunity to express a couple points of general dissatisfaction with its cable provider corporation Comcast.
“Let’s be real,” said Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett on the subject of the paltry discount offered to the community’s elder residents.
“You’ve got to practically cut of your left arm, give a pint of blood and show all kinds of documentation to get two bucks a month off of your cable bill?” she said.
“This is less than worthless,” said Select Board member Ed Heal, “If I knew Xfinity was my only option when I moved to Hanson, I wouldn’t have moved to Hanson.”
He said he has cable outages almost daily and he works from home.
“There are meetings that I’m supposed to be attending from home that I’m disconnected from because Xfinity is my only option.”
He does not have Xfinity cable because it is to big an expense, so he has just the basic cable, which is supposed to be the best Comcast can do – spending hundreds of hours on the phone with Comcast for my cable service, and it continues to go out.
While he completely supports WHCA, he has no use for Comcast.
Heal’s experience is not isolated, other Board members attested, so Solomon offered to have Comcast Government Affairs Representative Kathy Maloney reach out about the possibility of meeting with the board on other issues.
“A lot of companies don’t give a senior discount,” said Attorney William Solomon, special cable counsel working with the town on its third licensing agreement over the past 20 years, reviewed the new contact and answered questions ahead of the board’s vote. “It’s totally voluntary. We can’t require them. They provide a discount.”
He ticked off the names of some cable companies that do not, which includes Verizon, and Charter.
“It doesn’t mean much,” Solomon said of the Comcast senior discount.
“No, it doesn’t,” said Vice Chair Ann Rein. “It’s $2. It’s rather insulting. It’s one reason why a lot of us cut that cord. Mine’s cut and it’s been cut for three years.”
But Solomon did say that if the Board voted to have Town Administrator Lisa Green, with town counsel, draft a letter to Comcast asking for a “really meaningful” payment break for seniors.
He said the way he views it, a senior discount is voluntary, and they do give something, albeit not much, “but the rest of the contract is so valuable to the town,” but the company may just be in a mental rut, and they don’t want to open a Pandora’s box.
Select Board member David George asked if Comcast offered a veterans’ discount, saying that Verizon does offer one. Comcast does a range of discounts for the military, including mobile service plans, NOW TV and Diamond member status, the highest tier available.
“That’s why I don’t have Comcast,” he said, referring to the veterans’ benefits issue.
FitzGerald-Kemmett said, all criticism aside, Solomon represented Hanson and what they are or might be getting in the contract process.
In the letter, Solomon said, he would, in a fair way, thank them for what they did do – something they don’t normally say or do – approach them on the negotiated point that, in six years, they do those things elsewhere, they’ll come to Hanson, and it can be discussed.
“Without that letter, they might just do more channels,” he said.
Other than that, Solomon said he would not defend Comcast on that point, but to be fair to the company, the new license has tremendous value that was negotiated fairly with the town of Hanson.
Solomon said the real value of the contract that is financially worth millions, is that it is good for the local economy and helps people work together.
“I always say, ‘Show me a town that doesn’t have any community television, and I’ll show you a town, where people just don’t work together.”
Rein agreed that community television is very valuable.
“That’s what we’re fighting for,” she said, “But he senior discount? That’s a virtue signal that just doesn’t signal.”
He said the new 10-year license is to Hanson’s benefit as it is the maximum length for a cable license allowed in Massachusetts, likening the benefit to a “good, long-term mortgage, you sign up for it.”
It provides the town with some certainty over 10-year period, according to Solomon.
“We have good news of completion of the Comcast cable license,” he said. “Let me just say, it’s an outstanding license. The key issues in these licenses now are PE&G and capital dollars. You’re in 4.75 percent of the company’s gross revenues – just short of the 5 percent, which actually has some benefits.”
Hanson has been at that level of revenue for the last eight years, according to Solomon, who added that’s where most of the funding comes.
Revenue is not just cable fees, its advertising, sales on Home Shopping Network, whatever comes into them, with rare exception, under the license, is revenue, of which the town gets 4.75 percent for its portion of the WHCA operating costs.
“That makes if simpler,” Solomon said. “It also prevents gamesmanship at Comcast. … Capital support, as I said, is really outstanding, and it reflects the work of Maloney. She’s known the towns, and Hanson, and working with Lisa has made a big difference at the negotiating table. We were able to get an excellent dollar number.
That is a fixed number, while he said Comcast has been taking the position elsewhere for the past five months that it doesn’t want to pay a fixed capital amount, and would rather pay on a per-subscriber basis that would lead to uncertainty and risk.
“We were able to convince Ms. Maloney and – more importantly – she’s been able to convince the folks she works with, that Hanson’s license should mirror the Whitman license,” he said.
That capital payment is $212,800 over 10 years – $21,280 per year – a credit to WHCA Executive Director Eric Dresser and his ability to sell his 10-year creative vision of making sure they have the proper equipment.
“And what’s great about WHCA-TV, is that it’s not only the equipment, it’s the output,” Solomon said. “It’s the programming on all of PG&E and the programming and the product.”
“Hanson, like Whitman, has done a tremendous job with respect to community television,” Solomon said. “As you know, PE&G – public, educational and government – access has never been more important, since COVID with remote meetings, they say democracy would have ended [without it].” That tremendous job has continued in Hanson with respect to the Select Board and other committees being able to get their message out and remain visible to residents, he noted
Much of that is credited to two excellent directors at WHCA – current Executive Director Eric Dresser – “No one’s better in the state.” Solomon said – and the late Steve Roy before him.
“As we know, cable revenues are challenged, nowadays, with some people cutting the cord and going to streaming and we don’t currently share that revenue, “Solomon said, adding that, “Cable still has a great program and, frankly, there’s not a better cable company than Comcast. I know that from working with all the companies, even though they’re on the other side of the table from me.”
WHCA currently has three standard access channels and, going forward, will have those three channels upgraded to SDI – or serial digital interface – that is a better-quality picture and better audio and, in addition, Comcast is providing a high-definition channel within 24 months. After providing that channel, Comcast has 18 months before having the right, if the corporation wants to, to reclaim one of the standard definition models.
“There again, that’s not being agreed to anywhere else by Comcast,” he said. “The reason they want the channel back is to use it for internet bandwidth, and the reason we want it back, is we want everyone to be able to see the PE&G [coverage] on the standard channels, lower channels, and not have to go higher.”
He also noted there are still people who watch television on a non-HD-ready set.
“Credit to Comcast, who understood how strongly Hanson felt, and Lisa and, obviously, Eric played a crucial role in that provision that they would wait on their right to reclaim it, so it doesn’t happen right away,” Solomon said.
Hanson’s contract also has no population density requirement. They have to serve everyone in the town, he pointed out.
(Editor’s note: This version corrects information on Comcast ownership and clarifies information on available military discounts.)
Heat wave safety for older adults
By Dr. Steven Angelo, Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare and Retirement of Massachusetts
Experts are forecasting that 2025, especially this summer, will be particularly hot, which may pose heightened health risks for older adults, according to a University of Southern California study.1 Seniors may be more susceptible to heat-related illnesses like heat stroke as well as complications from chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure that are worsened by extreme heat.
- Plan ahead – Follow local weather reports to ensure you have enough food, prescription medications and other home “staples” to get through a heat wave.
- Stay hydrated – Drink plenty of water, even if you are not thirsty. Limit caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. Drinks with electrolytes are also all right.
- Use cooling strategies – Take cool showers, use fans, or place damp washcloths on your neck and wrists to help lower your body temperature.
- Limit physical activities outdoors (particularly between 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) –
If you must go outdoors: - Wear lightweight and light-colored clothing, sunglasses and brimmed hats;
- Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher;
- Bring water; and take frequent breaks in the shade or air-conditioned spaces.
Certain medications may make dehydration or sunburn more likely. So, whether you are staying inside or heading outside, check with your care provider to make sure you are taking the proper precautions.
Older adults and their caregivers can work together to summer-proof their homes. Keep shades down when the sun is most intense. Strategically place fans, particularly in doorways between rooms or in front of window air conditioning units to better circulate air. Install ceiling fans, including temporary ones that can be placed in light bulb sockets.
•Check in – Be alert to signs of heat-related illness like confusion, weakness, flushed skin, dizziness, or excessive sweating. Seek medical attention if your loved one is experiencing symptoms of heat stroke, such as hot, dry skin, a rapid pulse, confusion or unconsciousness. - Help with activities so older adults can limit time outside – Volunteer to run errands, including picking up prescriptions and food shopping.
Find out about community services - “Cooling stations” or other public places, like libraries and community centers where older adults can go;
- Proactive check-in programs or telephonic “heat advisory” alerts;
- Local news station advisories; and
- “Summer safety” programs at local community centers, municipal halls or local hospitals for older adults and their caregivers to learn more about staying healthy and safe.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for the advice of a doctor.
Officials present new budget seek decorum
WHITMAN –The budget is balanced, but the town’s free cash account is a little worse for wear [see related story] after Whitman’s special Town Meeting on Wednesday, June 11. Hanson takes its turn at settling the school budget next – the town budget was already approved, both with and without an override at the May 5 Town Meeting.
Hanson has set its special Town Meeting on the school district assessment for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 25 at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School. The location had to be changed because the Hanson Middle School auditorium has been booked for a dance recital that evening.
Whitman’s special Town Meeting began its business June 11 with 117 voters. A quorum of 100 was required.
Select Board and budget working group member Shawn Kain updated Town Meeting on a discussion held during a meeting of the board before Town Meeting convened.
“I’m unhappy with the way public safety kind of landed with this budget,” he said. “To address that – to try to take the edge off the cuts to both police and fire [as] they are part of our strategic plan, listed as a priority to the town, it was obvious after article 2 came out that we crossed a threshold that they were not comfortable with, for that reason, this was the proposal that we discussed and then voted on.”
Kain noted that, right now, the ambulance account takes in a “healthy amount of money.”
“If we decrease ambulance runs, staffing, then we’ll obviously take in less revenue, which would be foolish,” he said.
Instead, the Select Board is voted to use $150,000 from ambulance revenue toward staffing for both police and fire departments, while working with the Police Department to look at other ways to add to the shifts where they are currently lacking.
“I don’t want to bend the rules of finance, obviously, in a way that’s going to put us in a difficult situation, but this seems to be an obvious solution that’s a compromise, but also in the best interests of public safety, our priorities and financially,” he said.
Fire Chief Timothy Clancy explained that losing two firefighter/EMTs – whether temporarily or permanently – would reduce the second ambulance availability to about half the time. He estimates the department’s ambulances could bring in $1.4 million this year.
“You could see a revenue cut of $700,000 if we only ran one ambulance,” he said. “They came up with a solution of $75,000 to police and fire … there’ll be another revenue source that could possibly of making us whole in another special fall meeting.”
He argued for the second ambulance by reminding the voters of how many lives they save, “and shame on me for not publicizing ig enough.”
“I will tell you, not only as the speaker of this, but they have saved me once and I’ll be forever indebted for that,” he said.
To cut the two positions would not only decrease revenue, but would also increase the department’s reliancce on mutual aid, increasing the wait time in a medical emergencies due to the reliance on mutual aid for many communities in the area.
“It seems like I was just here yesterday, speaking to the same group of people,” said Select Board Chair Dr. Carl Kowalski. “We had a very interesting Town Meeting in which we agreed to fund our departments to the best of our ability by the use of an override. Unfortunately, that override was soundly defeated at the polls, so we’ve had to do some work between that Town Meeting and this special Town Meeting.”
Kowalski said the Finance Committee, Select Board and schools are now “in a position where they all agree on what we need to do tonight.”
“That’s not something that always happens around here,” he said. ”I have to give particular credit to the Superintendent of Schools, Jeff Szymaniak, who’s done something that isn’t done very often also, and that is to agree that the assessment to the town can be lowered some, to make this year one that we can get through, even though it’s going to be difficult.”
Once again, alluding to his days as a student reading the “Wizard of Oz,” as a text to how one handles change and – in particular, Dorothy’s friends who couldn’t feel or couldn’t think or they couldn’t act with any kind of courage, but ultimately learned they had thosee qualities within them all along.
Voters at the Town Meeting of a few weeks ago, remembered a motto, “Use your head and follow your heart, and act with courage,” he said, adding that this Town Meeting would do the same.
“Whitman always does that, and I hope they do it tonight,” Kowalski concluded.
As Town Meeting convened to complete the business of voting the Article 2 budget for fiscal 2026, Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter reminded voters that since that at May 5 Town Meeting, the town faced a $2 million deficit. Since the override failed, she noted that the town has been faced with making several difficult budget reductions.
Carter also thanked Szymaniak, and the School Committee for voting the week before, to certify the reduced operating assessment suggested by the town in the amount of $19,917,569. to lower the assessment by $1,664,730.35 for Whitman to an assessment of $19,917,568.65 – or the 4.086 percentage – and lowering Hanson’s amount by $677,333.92 to $15,775,031.08 – or 5.344. The district budget will now be $64,564,205.55 – or a 2.596 percent increase over last year, and we will need to reduce by $1,742,070.64.
“This reduced assessment, certified by the W-H Regional School Committee, equates to a 4.09 percent increase over last years’ operating assessment to the town,” she said, also thanking other town officials, department heads and members of the budget for their cooperation in presenting a balanced budget to Town Meeting.
“Every budget reduction that was made, was done only after careful consideration and analysis,” Carter said. “After department expense lines were reviewed for possible reductions, we then looked at those positions that had increased from part time to full time in the past several years ro determine which positions could revert to part-time status.”
Salary reductions made were: see list from last week
Whitman now has one administrative position in the assessor’s office unfilled – in a three-person office. In the three-person Town Clerk’s office one position has not been funded. The Police Department budget was cut and two officers’ positions plus another $90,000 or so as currently not funded. Two firefighter positions were not funded and the building inspector was informed that day that his full-time job would now be a part-time job. The DPW was another department where two positions were not funded. The Health Department administrative assistant’s hours were reduced, another part-time clerical position at the Council on Aging was not funded. The Veterans’ Service offcer was also reduced to part time.
By the time the nearly two and half hour meeting was over, however the building inspector position was returned to full-time in the budget as was the Veterans’ officer, based on the assertion that a part-time VSO is a violation of state law.a
“What is being presented this a balannced fiscal 2026 Article 2 budget,” Carter said, noting that both the Select Board and the Finance Committee recommended passage of the article. “I urge you to vote the Article 2 budget as presented this evening.”
Finance Chair Kathleen Ottina $2,053,431 had to be cut from the budget in the wake of the May 17 landslide defeat of the $2 million override sought to fund both town and school budget deficits.
“We had 25 days to develop a new budget,” she said, noting the defeated budget had taken months of work.
While the town cannot impose a cuts on the W-H school district, she said the Finance Committee proceded with a 48-52 percent split on deficit disribution, hoping the School committee would reduce the assessment to the town by just over $1 million, while the town’s share was just under $1 million. She, too, lauded Szymaniak and the School Committee for the “very difficult decision they made” to cooperate with the town’s recommendation.
“You didn’y have to, but we’re between a rock and a hard place and there weren’t any easy choices,” Ottina said.
To pay the $988,665 town deficit, free cash was used to pay its OPEB oblihgations and donation to the Plymouth County Retirement expense. That left $648,000 to cut from the remainder of the town’s line itemsi n Article 2.
Carter and department heads then worked to producea budget that maintains services the residents expect, while minimizing the number of employees who would lose their jobs.
Firefighter positions left to fall TM to be settled
WHITMAN – Personnel cuts made in recent days to balance the town’s budget have been upsetting, but debate and discussion were largely in keeping with town officials often-repeated call for respectful discourse.
It went off the rails only once when a personal comment about the school his daughter attends devolved into a shouting match between former Select Board member Randy LaMattina ended with LaMattina being escorted from Town Hall auditorium – and an after-the-fact apology from School Committee member Steve Bois.
Free cash, meanwhile was left anemic by transfers to increase hours of the building inspector – $32,018; and Veterans Service Officer – $13,065, leaving free cash at about $63,000. It had started at a $103,000 balance.
As for the emotionally taxing personnel cuts, the Select Board plans to revisit the proposed cut of two firefighters and other public safety cuts at a fall town meeting.
The cuts proposed to the Fire Department’s budget raised concerns almost as soon as the meeting started.
“We’re talking about a $750,000 loss in revenue if we lose that second ambulance,” one resident said, referring to Fire Chief Timothy Clancy’s opening remarks [see related story]. “That more than makes up for what they were looking for – and they weren’t even looking to increase their budget, it was level-funded. It was less than level funded.”
He reminded people that the Fire Department are the people who are going to respond in emergencies.
seeking level funding
“They’re the ones that are going to take care of our citizens when we need them,” he said. “This is a pretty significant cut to their budget. … If it’s in order, I like to make a motion that we level-fund their budget.”
As he returned to his seat to write out an amendment to level-fund the Fire Department budget again, Resident Bob Kimball said it was his understanding that the Select Board planned to return $100,000 to the Fire Department budget, asking if they didn’t need to make that an amendment, too.
Moderator Michael Seele said there would have to make an amendment, if they wanted to make a change. The amendment was filed and, after a lengthy discussion, the amendment was defeated by a voice vote and the original budget line was adopted.
Select Board member Shawn Kain had said that the funds would be sought at a town meeting in the fall.
“We want to work out a plan with the police and fire chiefs to plan more thoroughly so we can more appropriately work with the Finance Committee,” Kain said. “But we voted to make that a priority and make it happen in the fall.”
The ambulance account has been more healthy than had been projected, and Kain said he felt confident the projections will fall in line with what they are looking for.
“We are taking a small risk, but I feel comfortable with the risk and I want to give it a priority, given the current circumstances,” he said.
The amendment presented, meanwhile, returned the level-funded figure of $4,110,180.
Kain said he appreciated the sentiment of the motion, as the board has prioritized public safety, but they did not want to support the motion at this time to avoid throwing Article 2 out of balance.
“Clearly, if you look this evening, the respect for public safety is not in this budget,” resident Randy LaMattina, a former Select Board chair said, seeking to remind voters what the ambulance reserve account is for.
“Specifically, gear replacement, and purchase of new apparatus,” he said. “A fire truck is supposed to be purchased this year, It actually won’t because it went through the Building and Facilities Committee and then somehow got squashed.”
He argued the way to support the Fire Department would be to “support the amendment and give them the money right now.”
“If they’e going to have to look somewhere else to find it, they’re going to have to find it,” he said. “They have free cash – they can look there.”
Finance concerns
Finance Chair Kathleen Ottina, meanwhile pointed out that the $4,110,180 was the figure approved in the fiscal 2025 budget for the Fire Department, and during the past year.
“The Fire chief didn’t ask for $4,110,000,” she said, “He asked for $3,945,000. This number has no bearing on discussions the Finance Committee had with the Fire Chief and I urge you to vote against this amendment,”
Firefighters’ union president Scott Figgins said he appreciated what the Select Board and Finance Committee were trying to do, but on behalf of his rank-and-file membership. He echoed LaMattina in reminding the Town Meeting that eight years ago voters in that Town Meeting supported an override article – that also passed at the ballot box – for four additional firefighters to handle the increase in call traffic. It was one of only two overrides to pass in Whitman within the past 25 years.
It had been more than 70 years since the department had increases in staffing.
“Every time I come to Town Meeting or go to a Select Board meeting the biggest thing we say is, ‘Let the people speak,’” Figgins said. “We worked in unison with the other departments, we didn’t say a word because we were all going together to this override as one, and the minute the override didn’t pass, money was taken from us and given to another department that is getting a substantial increase. The other departments are also getting an increase or being level-funded.
“We are the only department that is getting cut – and getting a significant cut,” he said, arguing that, in a department with 500 employees, 23 positions is not a significant cut, but with the Fire Department’s roster of 24 positions, the loss of two is significant.
“The voters spoke,” Figgins said of the May 17 ballot question on the override. “They said no. They want the services they pay for, they don’t want them cut.”
During informational meetings on the override, voters were told only one firefighter would be lost if it passed, and now two stand to be cut, according to Figgins.
“Now they’re taking more money from us than what was originally said,” he said. “That is unheard of to us. That is not fair. We always say ‘don’t pit us against each other’ – well, you just did. And we’re standing up for ourselves.”
Resident Tina Mones said people were given clear information that if the override failed there would be cuts.
“When people voted no, they knew they were cutting services to police, to fire and to a lot of departments in town,” she said. “This is what the people said. They said no, so when the Fire Department doesn’t get funded the way they wanted to they should have been out there, getting people to vote yes on the override.”
Town Counsel Peter Sumners said that, in his legal opinion, Article 2 must be balanced and state law does not allow towns to deficit spend.
“It is my understanding that there is not sufficient money in free cash to fund this article, so an appropriation source would have to be identified,” he said.
Kimball said Whitman is a complete town.
“It’s not the Fire Department, it’s not the School Department,” he said, citing the fact, as Mones, had, that 70 percent of voters said no. With the issue slated to be brought before a fall Town Meeting, he argued that the Fire Department is no losing anybody.
“They’re still maintaining the same number of people,” he said. “We’re a complete town. If you want to take this money from here, you tell me, in the article, where you’re going to get the money from because I don’t want it to give it from anybody else. I want them to be as whole as we can. It’s a complete town.”.
Former Town Administrator Frank Lynam noted there had been comments made about the use of free cash and balancing budgets.
“The simple fact is we can no longer raise enough money to fund the services that the residents of Whitman have become accustomed to receiving while we continue to work within the confines of Proposition 2.5,” he read from remarks he made during another Town Meeting debate seven years ago. “Fixed costs continue to rise at a greater rate.”
He had enumerated in 2018 that those costs include many being discussed that night – education, technology, public safety, solid waste, veterans’ services, health, life and liability insurance, county retirement and other post-employment benefits (OPEB).
“We presented a budget that year that relied heavily on free cash,” he said. Something that’s been done year after year. He urged the Town Meeting to approve the budget presented, because that’s what the voters said on May 17.
ZBA Chair John Goldrosen spoke in favor of fully funding another position – that of building inspector – citing the difficulty in keeping experienced people after a nearly 30-percent cut in salary. The current inspector had told Carter that he would likely be seeking employment elsewhere after she called him about the proposed cut to part-time in the full-time position.
“It will be a loss to the town,” he said.
School Committee member – and former member of the Finance Committee – Rosemay Hill cautioned aganst any change that Town Meeting should be wary of making cuts that create or contribute to long-term financial problems, cautioning against any cuts that could create a problem of the inability to create revenue.
“This is another cut that does not make sense to me,” LaMattina said, underscoring that, during his time on the Select Board the Building Inspector was made a full-time position.
“That didn’t just happen arbitrarily because Bob Curran was retiring,” he said. “Mr. Curran, through the course of his career, went above and beyond – well over it – but when the board looked at this, there was a need for a full-time building inspector.”
LaMAttins pointed out that building is not slowing down in Whitman, noting there are several large projects going on at the moment, and building inspections can create revenue, as does the Fire Department through its inspections as well as ambulance receipts.
“Folks, you need to look at what you’re doing,” he said, adding that the Town Meeting was being asked to gut and canibalize all town departments for the benefit of one – the School Department. “This is why we’re at Town Meeting. What the Finance Committee and the Select Board are giving you are suggestions [his emphasis]. The people who sit in this room are the ones who make the budget.”
Goldrosen then made a motion to amend the article by increasing the building inspector salary to $185,650. Building Inspector Robert Piccirilli said that figure does not reflect his salary, but includes all the inspectors in the department.
“This isn’t an easy discussion,” Kain said, noting that Town Meeting is not ideal to cut down the building inspector salary, at this time it appears new growth projections for next year reflect a lower number than this year.
Piccirilli countered that growth may have been slow, but Whitman is about to grow.
The amendment was approved by a vote of 79-47.
Again, Sumners, rose to opine that the budget needs to be balanced and the town cannot deficit spend to pay for salaries.
Hill asked what line did those filing an amendment propose to be the funding source to be, and proposed that the funds be taken from free cash.
Following a huddle by town officials, Goldrosen amended his amendment to raise and appropriate $153,632 and transfer $32,018 from free cash. The amount beyond what the Select Board recommended would come from free cash.
“If the point of this amendment is to restore the building inspector to full time, his salary would have been $99,613,” Ottina said. “The recommendation was to make it a part-time position at $68,000. The difference is $31,613. It may be nit-picking, but we’ve spent months combing through these budgets, so if you want to restore the building inspector to a full-time position, it shouldn’t be $32,018 from free cash, it should be $31,613.”
Both the amendment and the line item were approved by a voice vote.
When the school budget same up for discussion, LaMattina asked how many retirements have there been so far and has excess and deficiency funds been used to help balance the school budget.
Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak said there had been one retirement in November, three teachers retiring and seven paraprofessionals retiring. No excess and deficiency has been used in the budget this year.
“If they would have kicked in E&D in this year, if there had been a push to get that done, we would not be collecting town services,” he said. He then made a motion to amend the article down to $19,417,569. “This is a consistent source of revenue or the schools and they have kicked it in year after year – why is it not being done this year, is my question.”
He had been asked by the moderator to address the Town Meeting through him, rather than turing and addressing the audience as he had already done a few times during the meeting.
“Year after year we were not borrowing against the school budget,” Hill said. “We have our largest building [under construction] that middle school, right now, and we’re borrowing against that school budget and because we had used E&D, it has affected our [bond] ratings. Using E&D was never a good idea, ever.”
She also said voting another amount just kicks the school budget to another Town Meeting.
Szymaniak said that, if the budget were not passed at the Town Meeting, the school district would not have a budget as of July 1, which would lead to a super town meeting of both communities, with the district under a 1/12 budget as of July 1.
“It was challenging to reduce a budget to the number of $4,750,000,” he said. “We were able to do that, the School Committee affirmed that on recommendation by me – 7-3. Three people, actual persons, don’t have jobs as of July 1.”
He’s reduced the athletics budget by $250,000 contingent on user fees, if those fees don’t match the cut, certain sports will not run in the district next year.
“Through the eyes of the state, we are not funding our district appropriately,” Kain said.
School Committee member Steve Bois said he came to the Town Meeting when he heard E&D characterized as “the schools’ free cash,” initially calling out LaMattina by name, but backing off – a bit – when admonished by Seele.
“I don’t think someone who hasn’t had their child, in 13 years, of public schooling has a right to question us, like we’re the problem,” Bois said.
“You want to bring up my daughter?” LaMattina shouted from another microphone stand. “My daughter only went to Whitman public schools…”
“Mr. Bois has the floor,” Seele said from the podium.
“… until the sixth grade,” LaMattina said.
“Mr. LaMattina!” Seele shouted. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to ask you to leave the meeting.”
“… and then we pulled her out because the Whitman-Hanson School District was failing her!” LaMattina continued. “But she’s going back to public education, Steve, she’s going to the U.S. Naval Academy…”
“Mr. LaMattina!” Seele shouted. “[You] be quiet.”
“Folks, do not fall for the fearmongering,” LaMattina continued. “If you notice they’ve done nothing but [unintelligible] this position because they used temporary money for full-time positions. If you want your services back, follow the amendment.”
He was then escorted out of the Town Meeting by Whitman Police officers.
Bois offered his apologies to the LaMattinas. He explained his 30-year job in the Presidential Library system is being cut and he is under strain, he apologized and stepped aside.
Voters rejected the amendment and passed the school budget article.
Other articles
Michelle Winnett of Raynor Avenue, asked why the Select Board’s administrative assistant was the only one in that job category without hours being cut.
“With the volume of work that goes through that office, [it] could not function without an administrative assistant,” Carter said. “We interact with every single town department, and the work goes through there is something that could not be absorbed by the assistant town administrator or the town administrator.”
Another resident asked why the Select Board has a salary line.
Carter emphasized that the Select Board does not receive compensation, but oversees the town administrator, assistant town administrator, administrative assistant, recording secretary and municipal hearing assistant salaries.
The salaries and expense lines of the Technology Department were also questioned as to details concerning cost increases, their qualifications and what steps are in place to mitigate hacking attempts such as the one WHRSD sustained a few years ago.
Technology Director Josh McNeil explained that the assistant technology director’s salary level was aimed at retaining a “highly qualified, highly skilled individual that is way above par in relation to what we’re actually trying to pay him at this point and with all the cyber security situations going on these days – I don’t want to toot our own horn or anything for the town of Whitman – but we probably have two of the best IT individuals, relation to the skill, experience and education.”
The assistant director also holds a master’s degree, state procurement and purchasing certification as well as an ethical hacking certification. The department has also undergone a cyber security audit paid for by Plymouth County, not by direct taxpayer funding. The county provided strong recommendations to WPD officials, which $26,000 included in the expense line will fund,
“We’re still working behind the scenes on a grant,” McNeil said. “If we don’t obtain the grant, then the three copiers we have on the list are not going to be.”
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 205
- Next Page »