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Brianna Wu challenges Lynch in primary

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By Austin J. Schofield
Express correspondent

The presidential race isn’t the only area seeing Democratic primaries in 2020. In the Massachusetts 8th Congressional District, engineer Brianna Wu is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch for the party’s nomination. The Express recently spoke with Wu to ask her about herself and her campaign.

Q: Where are you from?

A: “I’m from Mississippi, but I’ve lived all over. I’ve lived in D.C., I’ve lived in Mississippi, I’ve spent a lot of time in Colorado, I’ve lived in Silicon Valley – where I got married.”

Q: What would you say your main background is in?

A: “I think it would be generally in tech start-ups, as I’ve started three throughout my career so far. Traditionally, however, I am trained as an engineer, and my specialty is graphical subsystems – so Vulkan, OpenGL, OpenCL, and so on.”

Q: So, you are formally trained as an engineer, and you’ve also worked in the tech industry establishing start-ups. Where did the interest in politics come into play?

A: “Well, I was adopted into a family of extremely right-wing republicans who were hyper-political. I grew up on a diet of Rush Limbaugh, Fox and others to a ridiculous degree. My father was a lieutenant commander in the navy — he used that career to break away from a life of poverty in Mississippi — and so my family had the kind of politics you would expect of someone from Mississippi of that generation. Therefore, I always had that interest in politics, but it was around the time that, frankly, George Bush started sending my friends off to die in Iraq — that really changed me.”

Q: What motivates your primary challenge of Stephen Lynch?

A: “I have been angry at Stephen Lynch for a long time. I think he is fundamentally out of step on Massachusetts’ values. I urge you to look into why he got into politics in Massachusetts in the first place. It was because he was angry at gay people for participating in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. In the ’80s, he got drunk and assaulted some Iranian students who were protesting American policies. [The Boston Globe reported in 2001 that the charges in the incident were dropped and that Lynch had struggled with alcohol abuse at the time. Fifty-two American hostages were held hostage in Iran from Nov. 4, 1979 to Jan. 20, 1981 leading to a great deal of anti-Iranian fervor in the U.S. — editor]

For a long time, I have been frustrated with Lynch and the leadership he has shown. I think that, in the Trump era, that disappointment in even more morbid. I’ll give an example; we have an ad out today that is of Stephen Lynch literally yelling at the constituent asking him to do something on impeachment. He’s like, ‘yeah, yeah, it’s not going to work, you’re just going to get him reelected.’ So I feel like there is fundamentally a leadership vacuum here in District 8, and if you go and compare that to Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, such amazing leaders, and then we have this guy that seems so out of step with everything we stand for. I can accept that he has less progressive social policies than most people, but what I can’t accept is the feckless leadership style that he enacts. If there’s a fight to be had, Stephen Lynch is not the person who’s going to fight.”

Q: Where do you part on specific issues?

A: “I think women’s’ rights is a very big one. Stephen Lynch, for the longest time, was anti-women’s’ reproductive health care access — he stood against that forever. He was against it and then he tried to run for senate and lost, and that’s when he changed his view. I’ve been dead solid consistent on this. I don’t just say I believe in women’s rights. I’ve had bricks thrown through my window for women’s rights. I’ve gone up against the worst figures in the Republican party over women’s rights. I’ve had to get Katherine Clark to intercede with the FBI for me over my position on women’s rights during Gamergate. So, that’s something that I feel very strongly about.

“I also think there’s this. There’s a teacher strike in Dedham, as we speak, because their healthcare costs are so out of control that even in an affluent neighborhood, teachers aren’t being paid enough to get healthcare. Stephen Lynch has failed, fundamentally, at bringing money from DC back to Massachusetts. We pay far more than we get back. So when our roads are crumbling, you need to ask, where are our Department of Transportation grants? When our T is literally catching on fire, my question is, where is Mass. and our fair share of that federal money? He has not been effective at bringing money back to the district because he is not willing to fight.”

Q: Where do you feel Rep. Lynch has fallen short?

A: “I think that’s one of the big ones. There are many on social policy, and its also important to say that, for all of Lynch’s talk about unions, unions are far worse off today in our state than they were when he was elected. Participation in unions is down 4 percent in just the last few years. Its plummeted. And take National Grid — how long were those guys out there protesting in the cold last year? A really long time. I was out there — I never saw him; so I think Stephen Lynch has marketed himself very effectively as a pro-union guy but when you look at the reality, its not there.”

Q: Lynch is a former president in the IronWorkers union. How do you view what he has done for these workers? What is your view on them?

A: He takes it for granted. I think a lot of these battles, he doesn’t show up. My team and I were with Stop & Shop workers during their strike. Was Stephen Lynch there? I didn’t see him. He sat that one out. I’ve never seen him out with National Grid, or with the hotel workers striking in downtown Boston. He sure wasn’t at that teachers rally in his own district just a few weeks ago. So, this is what I would say. Steelworkers are incredibly important, and I want to have their back, but, we need to look at where Massachusetts is today. The top two fields, as far as revenue, in Massachusetts are Biotech and Tech. And we are having very serious talks in both of these fields about our need to unionize and I am working with those people day in and day out on those unionization measures. When it comes to media, I sure have never seen Stephen Lynch on twitter talking about Vox’s union. I know the leaders for that rwally well. So, my dream for union participation in district 8 is: I don’t think we need to be separating Vox media people and steel workers. We are all in this together and I think white collar tech workers need to get over the elitism that makes us think we don’t need to stand with teachers and other kinds of workers. I think when it comes to working on wider issues for the wider 21st century economy, Stephen Lynch has fundamentally failed.”

Q: What are the most important issues facing the 8th District in your view?

A: “Basically, there are two buckets. There’s the kitchen table, economic discussions that keep a lot of families awake at night. I am a software engineer and my husband is one of the senior IP people at a major Biotech company. We just managed to afford a house this year. That’s how expensive it is. There are spiraling health care costs. Stephen Lynch wouldn’t even vote for Obamacare, much less more aggressive measures. He’s not there. As far as people in this district, I am talking economic issues that focus on them like a laser.

“The other bucket is a grand vision of where Massachusetts is going to be 100 years from now, and this is where I am ridiculously qualified to take us. Stephen Lynch is flat out terrible on tech and biotech issues — this is my field; this is my husbands’ field. So, when we are talking about bringing tech and biotech jobs into the state, one of the things that really disturbs me about Massachusetts is, we spend all this money on education, as we should, but we are a brain drain state. People come here and attend college, and then they go back to Silicon Valley or New York or Austin, Texas and they take those skills elsewhere. That is because our leaders in this state have failed to keep start-ups and talent in this state, starting the companies of the 21st century. I know how to get us there, and Stephen Lynch doesn’t.”

Q: Lynch chairs the Joint Committee on Commerce and Labor. What committee assignments would you aspire to if elected?

A: “There is a committee in congress right now that is not being taken as seriously as it should be; that is the science, space and technology committee. This committee controls patents, it controls communication standards, it controls encryption standards, it controls a wide array of tech standards and we are embarrassingly ignoring this committee. When we think of Facebook and their negligence causing our democracy to be damaged immensely – that is something that this committee has the power to regulate. There’s a videogame called ‘Total Spectrum Warfare,’ and the idea behind this game is that the wars of the 21 century are not fought with guns and bullets and bombs and missiles, they’re fought by controlling an enemy’s economics, their power system, their shipping infrastructure, their media infrastructure, their water infrastructure – this is where the U.S. is vulnerable. You could take out power to a majority of this country if you were to aim a missile at a very particular two-mile area of our power grid, and we don’t have a plan for that. It is a fact that Russians hacked our nuclear powerplants. We don’t have a plan for that. So, when it comes to the kinds of wars and attacks on our democracy in the 21st century, I am serious about being on the forefront of that committee addressing it.

“We have a role to play in the U.S. safeguarding our democracy. I come from Mississippi. We had more people serving per capita than any other state in America. I saw a lot of my friends die in Iraq and when I think of all the brave men and women that have given their lives so that we can vote, it makes me furious to see Congress failing to safeguard our elections in common sense ways. We have got to take this seriously, and Stephen Lynch is fundamentally a part of that problem.”

Q: Before we wrap up, is their anything else you’d like to touch on?

A: “Yes. The demographics in this district have changed immensely since he was elected just after 2000. Please understand how he got elected. We were attacked on 911 and he was a part of the backlash against that and in that moment, we went with the most conservative choice. Stephen Lynch’s base has traditionally been South Boston, so when you look at what this district looks like today, almost 20 years later, what are the differences? It’s much younger, it’s more diverse racially – Asian voters are almost 11percent of our district the last time I looked. We have areas like Brockton that are fundamentally falling apart. He’s not there. Stephen Lynch has kept power by focusing on this one small area of district 8, which is massive. We’re going to go out there, we’re going to talk to the people in Brockton that don’t even know who Stephen Lynch is because he never shows up. We’re going to talk to them and win their vote. The truth is, Stephen Lynch has taken the seat for granted for a long time and it’s time he had a real fight.”

The Patio latest Rosen project honored with Metro South Chamber award

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The Patio at McGuiggan’s Pub in Whitman center is the latest Richard Rosen project to earn a Metro South Chamber of Commerce Economic Impact Award. Rosen, of Rosen Realty Inc. and the Rosen Family Restaurant Group, accepted the award during the Chamber’s 106th Annual Luncheon on Nov. 20 at the Teen Challenge Center in Brockton.  It was the third Rosen project in nine years to receive the Chamber’s Economic Impact Award. In 2010, the award was given to McGuiggan’s Pub, which opened in restored commercial space in Whitman Center.  A 2013 award was for the conversion of the vacant First Baptist Church in the town center to a multiple-unit residence. The glass-walled Patio at McGuiggan’s opened this year.

Hanson recycle deal struck

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HANSON — New Bedford Waste Services will extend its recycling contract with the town for two weeks — sending a truck to empty full containers at the transfer station Wednesday, Dec. 4 — while lawyers for the company and the town iron out a contractual dispute.

That impasse, which led to unpaid bills by the town, had been halted. At issue was whether emails advising the town of increased fees under the “uncontrollable circumstances” clause of the contract were sent by the company or received by the town.

NBWS President Michael Camara met in a joint session with Selectmen and the Board of Health on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

He said the uncontrollable circumstance was the solid waste disposal crisis in the state since China stopped accepting recyclable waste in 2017 — a time when they were handling 55 percent of global recyclables, including 4,400 containers a day from the United States.

“If we could absorb the losses, I wouldn’t be here tonight,” Camara said.

Selectman Jim Hickey suggested it was improper to discuss whether the town would be shopping around for a better rate from another company in Camara’s presence as some members of the two boards had begun discussing.

“I think its rude to talk about other companies in front of this gentleman when he just said, in good faith, he’ll pick us up for the next two weeks,” Hickey said. “I would rather have a quick contract signed to get us through Christmas … at the new rate and let the lawyers go through [the issue].”

The Board of Selectmen agreed that it was an idea worth running by Town Counsel for an opinion.

Without at least the two week agreement, Hanson residents would be unable to recycle.

Health Board Chairman Arlene Dias said they did receive an email the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 27 saying that, because the town had underpaid the bill, NBWS was not going to pick up Hanson’s recycling.

“What they were billing was not the contract price,” Dias said. “Each month we paid the contract price, and that’s been going on for two years.”

Camara countered that the “uncontrollable circumstances” clause permitted the increase, to which Dias said Town Counsel Jay Talerman disagreed with Camara, and said the suspension of service is in violation of the contract with Hanson.

The contract originally charged the town nothing, unilaterally opting to charge $65.98 per ton in October 2017.

“Such increase was done without reasonable or proper notice and is, itself, a questionable practice under the contract,” Talerman wrote in a letter read by Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett. “While the town reserves the right to challenge such [an] increase, it nevertheless made ensuing payments in good faith so as to ensure the provision of complying in recycling services.”

Talerman said at no point since October 2017 did the company advise the town of increases in recycling costs, but bills received have been in excess of $65.98 per ton. Talerman concluded that the town was paying the proper amount of $65.98 per ton, rather than the $93.75 per ton — including a surcharge — demanded by NBWS.

“So we’re at a standoff,” said FitzGerald-Kemmett.

Camara said another family member — MBWS is a family-owned business — sent emails explaining the increase.

“I find it astounding that you would believe that somebody would be sending an email to our town telling us that you are going to suspend services if we don’t increase, and if we want to have a conversation — and that nobody here at Town Hall responded,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

“We’re billing you market rates, we’re not making a dime on it,” Camara said.

“I appreciate the situation you’re in,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “But to unilaterally, without discussing … According to our attorney, we don’t owe you anything.”

Hickey asked why the board was discussing the issue when it was between the lawyers.
Camara had explained to the board that China’s decision came after that nation’s president saw a video of Chinese workers — men, women and children — burning plastic, “people choking in factories, because they couldn’t breathe … things they couldn’t recycle being dumped in streams and rivers or put outside and burned and the nasty materials were going into their crops and fields where their animals were grazing,” Camara said. In the effort to recycle since then, other nations such as Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam at risk of similar contamination.

Massachusetts banned waste-to-energy facilities 20 years ago, Camara added, adding that his industry is advocating for the lifting of that ban as well as expanding landfills.

Camara’s firm founded Zero Waste in 2013 with the goal of handling recycling and municipal solid waste (MSW).

FitzGerald-Kemmett asked if the company had considered a redundancy plan in case things ever changed with China.

“China was it,” Camara said. Disposal issues have also become an issue as state landfills close and companies have to look out of state to dispose of solid waste.

“There’s no more safety valves,” he said. “Currently, we’re exporting trash to New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.”

Trash is baled, wrapped in leak-proof, water-tight bags and trucked out to stack it in those states.

“So they’re literally building mountains out there in other states,” observed Selectman Wes Blauss.

“Yes, we are,” Camara said. “It’s sad that the state of Massachusetts doesn’t have a backup plan.”

“Honestly, it seems like you’re getting it from all sides,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “It’s not our intention to add to that, but you know where we’re coming from.”

Whitman OK’s sewer funds

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WHITMAN — In the end, it took less time for voters at the Monday, Dec. 2 special Town Meeting to complete the work of acting on the four-article warrant than it did to achieve a quorum.

When voter number 150 entered the Town Hall Auditorium just before 8 p.m. — the session was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. — she received a warm round of applause.

Less than 23 minutes later, voters had transferred funds to pay an engineering bill for repairs to Hobart Pond; accepted another transfer to fund accrued vacation time for former Police Chief Scott Benton; and OK’d an appropriation to pay for sewer bills to Brockton and the engineering, consulting and permitting costs involved in repairs to Whitman’s sewer force main. A fourth article calling for a transfer of $7,209 from the law account to the Animal Control account was passed over.

A $900,000 appropriation from sewer-water retained earnings to pay $121,676.23 in additional sewer bills to Brockton as well as $88,083.70 for preliminary work on a sewer repair expected total of about $8.2 million.

Lynam said the sewer bill was the result of renegotiation of a contract with Brockton begun in 2015 and tentatively agreed on within the last month.

The cost includes capital costs Whitman has not paid in the past and is now responsible for, and the remainder of the transfer will fund the planning and design for a new 16,000-foot pipe in the ground to replace a pipe that has failed twice already.   

The Hobart Pond article transferred $4,500 from the Norfolk County Agricultural H.S. in the May 1019 annual Town Meeting to pay a prior year’s bill to Collins Engineers Inc., for their work

A resident asked why the transfer was necessary and if it would be repeated in the future. The funds were intended to cover funds owed an engineering firm that helped the town repair a breach in the Hobart Pond dam.                                             

“Each year, we have to make an appropriation the first Monday in May to pay for whatever students are going to Norfolk Aggie,” Town Administrator Frank Lynam explained. “We don’t necessarily know who’s going until June.”

Lynam explained the town always has to estimate that two students will attend the school for budgeting purposes. This year there was one surplus student and the line was a “reasonable place” from which to transfer money. A 90-percent threshold was required to pass the article, and voters passed it with 97 percent voting in favor.

A second transfer — of $15,500 — from Norfolk Aggie involved in the 2019 Town Meeting vote, as well as a $22,818.57 transfer from the 2019 law account to fund the police chief salary line for the balance of fiscal 2020.

Lynam amended the article to correct a misprint in the warrant from $37,918.57 to $37,318.57, but a voter pointed out that the figure still didn’t add up until it was further amended to $38,318.57.

A voter asked, once the amendment was approved, if it was designed to pay unused sick leave time, which Lynam said was not the case. He explained the transfer would settle up accrued, unused vacation time and noted that the Board of Selectmen had recently voted to limit the carryover of unused vacation time to no more than nine days per year.

Fire officials launch safe cooking campaign

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Cooking is the leading cause for home fires and injuries, and so State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey and Chief Dennis Condon, president of the Fire Chiefs’ Association of Massachusetts (FCAM) are urging residents to use caution while cooking in a statewide cooking fire safety public awareness campaign. This campaign has two main messages to prevent home fires: Stand by Your Pan to prevent cooking fires and Put a Lid on It to safely put grease fires out.

“Cooking is the number one cause of fires in Massachusetts, but they spike during the winter holiday season,” said Ostroskey “Leaving pots and pans unattended can be a recipe for disaster. So it is important to always stay in the kitchen when cooking.”

The Department of Fire Services has developed public services announcements (PSA’s) to educate the public on the importance of standing by your pan in the kitchen. They feature firehouse chefs from Holyoke and Methuen talking about cooking safety and sharing their favorite recipes. Lt. Maria Pelchar from Holyoke provides us with her recipe in Spanish. The PSA’s serve up two key messages on cooking safety in these television and radio spots: “Stand by Your Pan” to prevent fires and “Put a Lid on It” to put out a stovetop fire.

“Safety is the key ingredient in any recipe. The leading cause of fire injuries to everyone and especially to seniors is cooking,” said Condon, “which is why it is important to put a lid on a stovetop fire.” He suggests keeping a pot lid or cookie sheet handy when cooking.

Important cooking safety tips:

• Stand by your pan, when cooking. Never leave food, grease or oils cooking on the stovetop unattended.

• Put a lid on it. In the case of a pan fire, slide the lid on it to smother the fire, and then turn off the heat. Do not move the pan until it has cooled off.

• Water or fire extinguishers will not work. They will only spread the fire.

• Never move a burning pan. You can be badly burned or spread the fire.

• Wear short or tight-fitting sleeves when cooking, because loose fitting clothing can easily catch on fire.

• If your clothing catches fire, Stop, Drop, Cover and Roll to put out the flames.

According to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System (MFIRS), there were 9,816 residential fires in Massachusetts involving cooking in 2018, which resulted in one civilian death, 46 civilian injuries, 29 firefighter injuries and an estimated $5.4 million in property damage. Cooking is also the leading cause of injuries to older adults (people over the age of 65).

Some public housing authorities have started installing smart burners on stoves that limit the temperature burners can reach. They get hot enough to boil water but not hot enough to ignite a piece of paper. Another safety device that can be installed is an in-hood fire extinguisher. They contain an extinguishing agent in a small can installed by magnets in the hood over the stove. There are many examples of these devices putting out stove top fires in Massachusetts. The cleanup is minimal compared to a fire.

State and local fire officials are asking the public’s help in reducing the number of cooking fires this holiday season. “We’re challenging the public to reduce cooking fires this year by remembering to stay in the kitchen when frying, boiling and broiling, and checking on baking frequently,” said Ostroskey.

For more information, please visit mass.gov/cookingsafety.

On thanks and giving

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By Stephanie Spyropoulos
and Tracy F. Seelye
Express staff

WHITMAN — Gratitude and a positive attitude is what the Conley Elementary School gathered to celebrate this week as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches in their recent assembly.

On Saturday, Nov. 23, that spirit of giving found W-H student athletes, members of the Whitman Police Department and members of the community volunteered to help serve Thanksgiving dinner to about 360 seniors from Whitman and surrounding towns at the Whitman Knights of Columbus.

Conley School also collectively gathered a donation to present to the Whitman Animal Shelter for $1,000. The highest ever in the Conley School, which by the jaw drops — students could not believe themselves — that their spare change had such grand accumulation over the last months.

Principal Karen Downey assisted by fifth-grade student Destin Rodriquez held the check and took a peek at the total before they announced their final amount.

The school has gathered their coins and cans with full meals to serve approximately 30 families in need in the Whitman area. Volunteers from the Whitman Food Pantry accepted donations and thanked the Conley students and staff.

In celebration of the season and giving to those in need the community at Conley left the cafeteria with both teachers, and students feeling blessed and thankful with a palpable feeling of excitement and positive energy.

Several students read from gratitude lists, which they created in conjunction with their classroom time and lessons. The students also assisted in presenting the baskets to the Whitman Food Pantry, which were then loaded into cars to take to the pantry in time for the holiday.

The K of C served up roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, winter squash, peas and onions, and a dinner roll plus dessert for the 47th year.

“The first one was in 1972,” said Whitman Council on Aging Director Barbara Garvey. “I couldn’t be here because I was graduating from Abington High School.”

Garvey noted the seniors were dining with more than 350 others as a “nice time to make new friends and visit old friends.”

“The members of the Whitman Knights of Columbus have always been very kind and generous to this community as a whole and, in particular, to our seniors,” Garvey said. “They and their volunteers give countless hours of their time, effort and resources not only today, but through the entire year to make this undertaking possible. It’s massive, as you can see.”

Garvey thanked the K of C and all the volunteers on behalf of the Whitman Council on Aging and all those attending Saturday’s dinner.

The Rev. Robert Collen led the blessing before the volunteers served it in nine minutes and 36 seconds.

Hanson backs outside school audit

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HANSON — Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett has asked town counsel Jay Talerman to reach out to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to discuss regional school assessments with Christine Lynch of the DESE’s Office of Regional Governance.

The board also voted, on Tuesday Nov. 19, to conditionally appropriate not to exceed $30,000 for Hanson’s share of the cost for an independent audit — based on passage of an audit request in Whitman. The Whitman Board of Selectmen approved the audit request the same night. The report would be provided to both town administrators.

The request for information from DESE came before Lynch’s appearance at a School Committee meeting Nov. 5 to provide what FitzGerald-Kemmett called an excellent explanation of the Education Reform Law and how it impacts school assessments.

Lynch had strongly suggested the two towns work together to solve the issue, which led Whitman Selectman Randy LaMattina to invite some Hanson officials to do that.

FitzGerald-Kemmett reported to the board about the Nov. 12 meeting she, Selectman Matt Dyer and interim Town Administrator had with Whitman Selectmen LaMattina and Justin Evans and Town Administrator Frank Lynam concerning the regional school assessment issue.

“The purpose of our meeting was to just lay it on the line that, regardless of what the School Committee votes … there has to be a path forward,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “We’ve got an agreement in place and I think the right thing to do … would have been to have folks from Whitman come to us and say, ‘We believe that we can’t sustain the regional agreement the way that it is now.’”

She pointed to Whitman’s financial constraints in suggesting that officials there could ask to discuss a way forward.

“I’m not saying we would have agreed to do it, but we would have at least had a dialog about it,” she said, noting that, instead people have been lobbing verbal hand grenades on social media. “We’re going to end up at super town meeting anyway you look at it, regardless of what the School Committee does.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said she thinks Hanson is at a place where they still need the School District’s figures on what it is costing each community to educate children this year and how much money each is getting from in the way of Chapter 70 state aid.

“I’m not trying to be incendiary at all because I do appreciate the spirit in which Randy and Justin reached out,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

The committee formed by the School Committee to look into assessments has named Chairman Bob Hayes of Hanson and Vice Chairman Christopher Scriven of Hanson to it. Whitman has officially appointed LaMattina and Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski to that committee. Hanson Selectmen Nov. 19 voted to appoint FitzGerald-Kemmett and Selectman Jim Hickey to sit on the assessment committee.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said she is looking for a private auditor to examine the School District finances to offer an impartial examination — a move Whitman Selectmen backed the same evening in their meeting. The cost of the audit, estimated at between $45,000 to $50,000 would be split between the two towns and could take about four to five weeks.

Selectman Kenny Mitchell said it was a step they should take.

Selectman Jim Hickey said he still wants to know why the 2007 DESE language change was never mentioned in School Committee minutes.

Hayes said the School Department is required to hire an independent auditing firm to report to both the Committee and DESE each year.

FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested the new audit’s lens would be more broad than the one required of the schools.

Another point of contention for the towns with the revised Regional Agreement centers on the de-regionalization process, both towns stress is not imminent, but a point of concern centering on the process and costs if it ever came to that.

“It’s probably not the move, we’re so attached at the hip right now, but I think the question is being asked,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “So, I feel it’s something I feel we need to have some [discussion] around. I don’t want to spend a lot of time on it. … I want people to feel we’ve looked at all the options.”

Mitchell said the assessment discussion is needed.

“We can be right, but it’s not going to get us what we want,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “What do we have to lose? If we don’t go to the bargaining table, it’s going to happen. At least if we sit down to the bargaining table, we may effectuate some change.”

Hayes addressed questions asked by a resident, who used to work for the School District business office about how the statutory assessment change came about. He noted that the state made the change through an amendment to the Education Reform Act.

“The state contributes a ton of money to school districts,” he said. “They are stating that Hanson has more ability to pay before you get to the 60-40 split [in student population].”

Personnel moves

In other business, the board voted to hire Carol Jensen as supportive day coordinator at the Hanson Multi-Service Senior Center.

After an internal posting, there were no applicants, but a general posting brought in two applications, Marini said. She and Senior Center Director Mary Collins interviewed both well-qualified candidates.

Jensen has experience in working with dementia and Alzheimer’s patients through Braintree Hospital.

“That’s what the social day care program is and we think she will be a good fit for the position,” Marini said.

The board approved a request from Police Chief Michael Miksch to appoint full-time student police officer Mario Thompson and part-time officer Bryan Rodday.

Thompson, who grew up in town is a part-time officer who has completed a program the full-time officers go through.

“He’s actually working in a cruiser once in a while on his own and has done a great job doing it,” Miksch said. Thompson currently works full time for the Duxbury Harbormaster. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Bridgewater State University and coached youth football as well as a basketball program for the Special Olympics.

Town Meeting approved the funding for Miksch to hire two officers in January to help offset the move to a regional dispatch center. Thompson would be one of those two and the department has secured an academy slot for him beginning Jan. 6.

Rodday has been a full-time dispatcher in Scituate who applied for a Hanson dispatch job, but also applied for a position as a part-time officer for HPD. A Hanover native, he also holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Bridgewater State, and has worked as a special education teacher in Hanover schools as well as home-schooling autistic children.

Miksch called attention to the beard he has been growing — as some other police officers in his department are — for “Mowvember,” during which men are encouraged to grow a mustache and/or beard to fight men’s cancers as well as suicide and to support mental health programs. Hanson Police are participating to raise funds for Cops for Kids with Cancer.

Selectmen also voted to appoint Matthew Cahill of Duxbury as new highway director and heard an update on the Highway Department from interim Surveyor Curt MacLean.

The director’s job and new title was posted after the recent death of Highway Surveyor Bob Brown, according to Marini, who said one internal application has been received for the posting.

“Although his service to the town and experience was extensive, we just wanted to open it up to see if we could get a higher level of qualifications,” she said, noting that six applications were received.

Marini, MacLean and Blauss conducted the interviews.

“All the applicants were well-qualified, but one just stood above the rest, with being a civil engineer and he comes to us from MassDOT [with] 10 years’ experience in the maintenance division and construction division,” Marini told the board. He also has experience in snow and ice removal.

Cahill said he was excited to begin working for Hanson.

“Well, we’re excited to have you before the first snowfall,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

MacLean said his biggest concern when he began as interim was snow and ice, but the crews have worked to ensure sanders are ready for winter.

“If we have an event tomorrow, we’re all ready to go,” he said, and thanked Marini and the town’s department heads for being “great to work with” during his tenure as interim surveyor.

MacLean said the current Highway building if “functional” but offers extremely tight quarters and no longer state-of-the-art.

“If you ever had a fire you’d lose all your equipment int hat one building,” he said. “It beats working in a lean-to.”

He also reviewed the protocol for obtaining road signs. For the full meeting, visit the Whitman-Hanson Community Access TV YouTube channel.

Whitman kicks off its annual Toy Drive

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WHITMAN — From Paw Patrol to footballs from Little Tykes to baby dolls there were  toys and more toys waiting for placement at the VFW pavilion on Essex Street Whitman Area Toy Drive set up event on Sunday.

The room was also filled to the rafters with about 150 volunteers despite the uncooperative weather.

“This year was the most volunteers we have ever had and we were grateful to see such a turnout,” said Co-Organizer Jane Plasse.

With more than 40 empty banquet-sized tables to fill, volunteers from Whitman, Hanson and other surrounding towns emptied eight donated, giant, handmade wooden boxes built by the SST High School woodworking program last spring.

“You are really good at what you do and we appreciate you,” said Westhaver founder of the Whitman Area Toy Drive as he addressed the crowd.

The inception of the toy drive began 19 years ago with its first year for the Toys for Tots Marine toy drive however they did not have a location specific to the South Shore at the time, Westhaver said.

Whitman Area Toy Drive was founded with the intended focus on keeping the donations for families within the community.

“We have never said ‘no’ to a family in need. There is no child who should go without at Christmas time that is our adage … this is considered Santa’s Workshop,” he added.

Westhaver asked if the children that volunteered could also help Santa and soon the room was abuzz with voices, and lots of colorful movement, as boxes were carried like a shipping belt across the table rows.

All the playthings were separated by ages and gender from infants to teens allowing a few guidelines to enable an easier workflow. The Whitman Area Toy Drive does provide for tweens and they are looking for gift cards to serve that age group.

Among volunteers were local athletes from Whitman Baseball and students from Dance Dimension Studio in Abington — owners Laurie Healy of Whitman and two of her four daughters were at the event as volunteers among the 25 dance students that also attended.

Eldest daughter Samantha Healy, a teacher at the school, said that for the last five years they have had a donation box at their winter showcase as well as at the studio to encourage others to give to the event.

“We try to get everyone to help set up -the families and get the kids involved- so they can really be part of it,”  said Healy who was also wrapping boxes.

Whitman Baseball Predators Coach Tom Shannon said they had 13 athletes in 12 under league who participated on Sunday.

“It is a great event and we are happy to be here to help out. It is a lot of good for our kids,” said Shannon.

The group has participated in previous years and they want to keep the tradition going each year as the kids’ age, he added.

Patricia Horger a lifelong resident of Whitman emphasized how great she feels about the importance of the toy event.

“Anything you can do for children — anytime of the year, but especially Christmas — to let them have something they want,” she said.

She has been a local gift donor to the toy drive but this was her first year at the set up event, she said.

Westhaver, who joked that each year it takes less than a half hour to set up, challenged the volunteers to see how long they would take to offload the boxes.

With such a large attendance of helpers Fred Small of Whitman School Committee commended the dedicated people who came out in the pouring rain.

“With all the craziness that is going on in the world today this reaffirms that there is goodness in so many.  It just makes you feel good,” he said.

Whitman Area Toy Drive gift gathering boxes will be placed in area businesses after Thanksgiving for re-filling through the week before Christmas.

Westhaver also could not believe the set- up took only 15 minutes, according to his iPhone.

He thanked everyone who turned out following the event calling it “a great day of unity and families … was beyond imagination,” he said.

Stanbrook picked for TA

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HANSON — The Board of Selectmen, in a special meeting on Saturday, Nov. 16, extended a conditional offer of employment as town administrator to John Stanbrook of Middleborough.

The offer is contingent upon completion of a background review and investigation by consulting firm Municipal Resources Inc., and successful negotiation of terms of employment by the Board of Selectmen.

The board interviewed three finalists — Stanbrook, who is now assistant town manager/finance director in Mansfield, Lincoln Heineman of Scituate, currently the finance director in Hanover; and Richard LaFond of Bridgewater, who is now Abington’s town manager. A fourth candidate withdrew their name from consideration before the interviews with selectmen.

Mike Gallagher, acting town administrator in North Attleboro, had initially applied, telling MRI staff that he was not interested in the town manager position to which his town was transitioning. When he informed his appointing authority they made him a more tempting offer Gallagher felt he could not turn down and withdrew his name.

“He was torn by it,” said MRI consultant Bob Mercier.

The board conducted the back-to-back interviews followed by their deliberation and conditional offer during the all-day session.

“I’m thrilled to be doing this with you guys, I think it’s one of the most important things we’ll do,” Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said to the board before the interviews began.

MRI senior management consultants Reginald “Buzz” Stapscynski and Mercier kicked off the meeting with an overview of the recruitment process they followed. They called all three finalists after the meeting to inform them of the Selectmen’s decision.

MRI met with department heads and conducted listening sessions with members of the public to help construct a profile of the traits Hanson was seeking in a town administrator, according to Stapscynski.

“We want to ensure the people we bring forth as finalists have knowledge about the community,” he said.

narrowing field

Based on their conversations with selectmen MRI searched for candidates with a bachelor’s degree in public management or relevant training and experience, a proven record of thoughtful financial management, and strategic capital planning.  Creativity and the ability to identify innovative solutions to complex municipal issues, strong public speaking and presentation skills, extensive experience in collective bargaining, and electronic media skills were also preferred.

“That’s important for us, because the cookie cutter regular town administrator — in our experience, there is some movement away from that,” Mercier said. “There are some other talented folks who didn’t come out with an MBA but they can certainly do the job.”

MRI also heard a lot of people in Hanson asked for a person who listens, communicates well, and will empower town employees.

Selectmen felt Stanbrook filled the criteria best, after asking each finalist the same core of 15 questions, with some follow-ups on specific issues for some. LaFond, for example, was asked a half-dozen questions by Selectman Matt Dyer about a police contract negotiation that took four years.

LaFond said negotiation goals were frequently changed during the process, delaying a conclusion.

Heineman’s length of time on various positions listed on his resume was also a concern voiced by Selectmen, as was his security in his position in Hanover.

“The first thing [MRI consultants advise] was fit,” said Selectman Jim Hickey. “For me personally, and the town as a whole, I just don’t think Lincoln is a good fit.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said he was certainly qualified, but agreed.

“I thought [Stanbrook] had a real 360 perspective on things,” she said. “He’s been elected, he’s been appointed. He’s worked his way through various levels of government and would probably have gotten the town manager’s job if it wasn’t for the residency requirement.”

He said he was offered the town manager’s job in Mansfield, but that town had a residency requirement when the offer came, he and his wife had just bought their house in Middleborough.

“He understands that it’s not really his opinion that is — his judgment, we’re looking for, but we’re not really looking for his opinion politically,” she said. “He really seems to understand consensus building.”

Selectmen Kenny Mitchell said that, while LaFond’s experience stood out, Stanbrook seems humble and has had longevity at previous positions.

“He was a union member for 22 years,” said Selectman Jim Hickey, who has been a Teamsters member on his job for about 30 years. “Similar to me sitting on this side of the table, I do what I think is what’s best for the town, but I like that he has that background.”

Selectman Matt Dyer, who commutes to his own job through Mansfield said he has seen how that town has been revitalized and praised Stanbrook’s consensus-building, as well and strongly endorsed him.

“He’s not overpowering, he’s not going to come in with intimidation or anything like that,” Dyer said. “He can take that team and can start working on these projects like revitalizing downtown.”

Selectman Wes Blauss said he liked the number of endorsements LaFond provided and his answer to the succession question, which may not have been what the board wanted to hear — that there never has been such a plan in place or may be likely to.

“I did think Rick LaFond was realistic,” Blauss said.

“You don’t get the experience until you get the experience,” Hickey said. “That’s why I go back to fit. … Both candidates are strong, but I think with John, Hanson could get stronger.”

Questions centered on the regional schools assessment issue, economic development, customer service for residents, their knowledge of Hanson, how they resolve personnel problems and deal with fallout from social media, among other issues.

Stanbrook  interview

Stanbrook, whose father was the first Hanson store manager when Shaw’s was the Brockton Public Market, (BPM) and often accompanied his dad on Sundays to check on the store, which was closed on Sundays then. He started his own working life in grocery, where he was a strong union member for more than 20 years.

When he moved from Brockton to Halifax and wanted to know a bit about that town, Stanbrook attended Town Meeting and applied for appointment to the Finance Committee. He loved that work and his municipal career began there. He became the Halifax town accountant after having been elected to that town’s school committee.

“I like the smaller town, hands-on approach, I like getting my hands dirty and doing things myself,” Stanbrook said, adding he does delegate responsibilities, too. “I’m looking for a new challenge.”

Stanbrook has been in municipal government for 15 years and said Hanson’s commuter rail station and the Main Street corridor offer a lot of potential for redevelopment.

“I think you’ll agree with me that potential is always exciting and that’s why I get out of bed — the potential of what’s going to happen that day,” he said. “There’s nothing worse in life than seeing potential wasted.”

He said he believes Hanson has a lot of potential.

While he acknowledged that, in a job interview setting, he would be referring to himself a lot, but stressed he works with others as a team to accomplish goals.

On the regional schools assessment issue, Stanbrook said he wants to hear the board’s opinion, but is willing to talk to Whitman officials.

“I want to know why,” he said. “Coming from outside I want to know why the assessments are going up and why they want to shift more of a burden to this town.”

Mitchell asked each applicant what they saw as their role as town administrator and how they would go about establishing priorities and the importance of open space and conservation.

Stanbrook said his role would be to get the most accurate information to the board as quickly as possible to allow Selectmen to make decisions, as well as managing town employees.

Blauss asked about encouraging teamwork in the workplace and who applicants most admire.

“I like trying to build consensus,” Stanbrook said, adding he likes to encourage open dialog. “I want to hear what everyone has to say. Once people realize that it’s OK to say what they think … you start getting really good ideas from people.”

He also said he most admires John F. Kennedy, for whom he was named.

Dyer asked each candidate to site their greatest strengths and weaknesses as well as a nine-month stint working for Cohasset, which Stanbrook said was so short because of the declining health and death of his father.

Stanbrook said he is a strong consensus-builder and he is weakest in dealing with people for whom “the best interest of the town has no meaning for them.” He admitted he struggles with that.

Homework

Hickey sought to determine how much homework applicants had done on Hanson.

“What can you tell us about the community … and, more importantly, what can you tell us about us,” Hickey asked.

Stanbrook said that living one town over for a lot of years gave him the opportunity to observe Hanson.

“I really do feel that the town has been well-run, but needs stronger leadership at the top and someone who can implement decisions that are being made here,” he said, stressing he was not trying to slam anyone. “I think it’s been a very well-run town, … a stronger person at the top in this position would do better. … This town needs strong leadership and a good working relationship with selectmen.”

While he worked on learning who Selectmen are, Stanbrook emphasized he comes to the town with a clean slate.

FitzGerald-Kemmett focused on the economic development needs of Main Street. Stanbrook said Hanson is similar to Mansfield in the presence of the train station area, which needed a facelift.

Mansfield has seen development of four-story apartment complexes around the MBTA station.

“That’s what worked in Mansfield, I’m not sure if it would work here,” he said. “There is a segment of the population in Mansfield that doesn’t like four story buildings because that type of thing is bringing more growth. … It starts the snowball going.”

He said bringing people together to build consensus is the best approach.

She also asked Stanbrook where he saw himself in 10 years.

“Sitting right here,” he said. “I’m not interested in skipping to the next town.”

He added that, when it is time for him to retire, he planned to have someone in place who could step forward to fill the position.

“I would try to recruit someone,” he said. “I don’t want to leave the town in any worse spot. … I’d want to make sure whoever would take over my position … could just step right in tomorrow and be able to do it.”

Stanbrook said the reason for government is to serve the public and get information they request to them. That kind of transparency is something MRI consultants said is demanded by the public even more today.

MRI’s process

“The public arena in general today [is saying] you better be transparent and you better be open to the public because people are going to find out, one way or the other,” Mercier said. “We want the next administrator to be open and transparent.”

Leadership skills were also important.

“We want a leader that people will have confidence in, that you will have confidence in, that will bring this community to the next level,” Mercier said.

There were 39 initial respondents, the majority of which were from Massachusetts. Some were quickly dismissed as lacking the right skill sets, bringing the field to 14, who were asked to provide essays. Only two failed to respond. Six of the 39, and one of the 14 sent essay questions were women. Only 12 of the 14 returned essays.

The essays were scored on content and grammar and narrowed the field to nine for phone interviews.

They said they each called two people they thought might be a good applicant, but stressed they receive no financial remuneration from those they called.

“Our loyalty is to you,” Stapscynski said.

Full interviews may be streamed at youtube.com/user/WHCA9TV.

School assessment panel gets revamp

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The School Committee on Wednesday, Nov. 13, voted 8 to 1, with member Fred Small dissenting, to appoint a member from each town — Vice Chairman Christopher Scriven from Whitman and Chair Bob Hayes from Hanson — to a smaller Regional Agreement Amendment Committee, which began meeting Tuesday, Nov. 12. School Committee member Rob O’Brien Jr., was absent.

Whitman Selectmen Randy LaMattina said he and Selectman Justin Evans met with Hanson counterparts Selectmen Chairman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett and Selectman Matt Dyer — along with town administrators Frank Lynam and Meredith Marini — met in a “very informal” manner Nov. 12 to begin discussing an effort to find a way forward.

“I would describe the dialog as quality and respectful,” LaMattina said. “I would not say we came to a conclusion, but I would say we were very cognizant of each others’ concerns. The door is open.”

“I can’t promise anything,” FitzGerald-Kemmett agreed. “We don’t know what’s going to happen … ultimately it’s the taxpayers who decide.”

LaMattina said he would like to see the School Committee involved in the process, but noted that, at the end of the day, it is the selectmen who will be going to the taxpayers for “the check that we need to have cut.”

While he said Whitman is firm on the position that the statutory method is the most fair and equitable way to ensure state aid is going where it is intended.

FitzGerald-Kemmett said the meeting Tuesday was a good one and “We understand where Whitman’s coming at.”

She said both boards of selectmen are trying to do what is in the best interests of their residents.

“In the end, I think we’re cognizant that, while we’re trying to do what’s best for the citizens in our respective towns, we don’t want to see the schools harmed in the process,” she said.

She did, however, ask the School Committee for transparency and clarity, specifically on the current operating cost numbers that Marini has asked the district to provide in an effort to determine a path forward. LaMattina said that, while Whitman is still committed to the statutory assessment formula, the town may need to make concessions if Hanson is to be eased into the scenario, which can only be achieved if the next budget year’s figures are available.

“We need a budget,” he said.

“It would be bananas for us to try to figure out any kind of an agreement if we don’t have those numbers,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said of the information Hanson wants. “It’s literally like working in the dark.”

The two towns are still at odds over the assessment formula to be used by the district.

“It’s all going to come down to timing,” Hayes said.

The statutory method takes into account a town’s minimum per pupil expenditure designated by DESE — the minimum local contribution — which fluctuates based on inflation, wage adjustment, town’s total earned income, property values and municipal revenue growth. Anything in a budget over the minimum local contribution goes to the regional agreement, based on pupil population, for any other operating expense.

There is no requirement for unanimous agreement by both communities to use the statutory method.

The agreement/alternative method uses strict per-pupil representation to assess the communities, the method currently used by the district. Both communities have to pass the assessment methodology prior to the budget distribution or at town meeting in order to use this method. If one town does not vote the budget forward and the other does, it does not constitute unanimous agreement for the method to be used.

“The agreement pretty much only needs a couple of tweaks here and there, but they’re big tweaks,” said School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes in beginning the discussion. He asked for thoughts on how the Regional Agreement Committee could move ahead with fewer people, but the discussion quickly veered back to a debate on the merits of a statutory vs. agreement/alternative method of determining assessments to the towns.

“If that’s what we’re forming a committee to do, I don’t know that it’s the School Committee’s charge … you’re getting too many people in a room and too many chefs trying to make a stew,” said School Committee member Fred Small. “That should be between the two towns.”

He advocated the statutory formula is the fair way to go, but said if selectmen want to work together in the spirit of community to see if there is some give and take on the issue, a month’s delay to see if they could come to a solution might be in order before the School Committee formed a committee.

School Committee member Christopher Howard agreed the selectmen needed to meet to figure it out, but member Dawn Byers said the School Committee should have a voice in that process.

School Committee member Dan Cullity, however, said enough time has been wasted.

“We should have been doing this two months ago,” he said. “We can’t wait around any more, we’ve got to get this done.”

FitzGerald-Kemmett said she agreed with Small’s contention that the state will end up taking over.

“We know each side has sort of picked its weapons and worked out their position,” she said.

Town positions

LaMattina said Whitman remains a strong supporter of the regional school district.

“We know Hanson has been a good partner,” he said. “We will try to work through it, but neither town is going to back into this. I think we need to see a budget.”

While Whitman is looking to what the schools future needs are, “We cannot formulate a plan with an unknown number,” LaMattina said. “I don’t know if we’re going to come to a great kumbaya agreement, I do think we can get there but I think we need to know where ultimately we need to be.”

Hanson wants to see the district’s current operating costs, FitzGerald-Kemmett said.

Small said there is a “lot of misinformation” on social media.

“There’s no such thing as a wealth-based method,” he said. “If we were two separate towns the monies that we’re talking about would be Whitman’s money just going to Whitman, because it’s part of Whitman’s Chapter 70 money.”

He said the statutory method was the only one available back in 1993, until an amendment in 1995-96 permitted an alternative method.

“When half of our money — $25 million — comes from the state, and they’re only increasing their revenue by half a percent, our town can only pay so much,” Small said.

One Hanson resident, who has worked in the school district in the past, said it sounded to her like the committee was trying to rush a decision. She said FitzGerald-Kemmett’s request for current budget numbers made sense to her.

“I understand Whitman is in a crisis, but is this the way to go?” she said, noting Hanson’s assessment could go up by $1 million.

School Committee member Christopher Howard advocated rushing into a dialog if not a decision.

“I think both towns are making very valid points,” Howard said. “My concern is, if we give some folks in one town some information, and some folks in the other town other information, I’m just very concerned about … folks selectively picking and choosing certain data points to make certain arguments,” he said. “There’s value in people coming together as a group.”

Whitman Town Administrator Frank Lynam said he understands the reason for FitzGerald-Kemmett’s request for a breakdown of costs by school building.

“We want to get deeper in the budget process,” he said. “We want to understand what the costs are individually and where they are coming from.”

He also said detailed information is needed for what is being sought for fiscal 2021.

Small and Whitman resident Chris George, meanwhile, became involved in a heated exchange with Hanson resident Bruce Young about the assessment formulas.

“Since 1993, when educational reform was passed, and since the state has been giving out Chapter 70 aid differently than they did in 1991, when our agreement was struck, aid to one town — in some years Hanson and in some years Whitman — has been reallocated from one town to another,” said George. “That’s what not following the statutory method does. Since 2015, that’s close to $4 million from the town of Whitman.”

When the region received state aid, Young countered, it is not allocated to the towns or specific students in the towns, it is allocated to every student in the district.

“This is a region, not two towns within a region,” he said.

Small said the state has different minimum contribution formulas for the two towns because they receive different Chapter 70 aid funds.

“When you get up there and say it doesn’t exist, you are telling a falsehood,” Small said. “I’m calling you out on it.”

School Committee member Steven Bois had heard enough at that point.

“You make me think I want to start a night class here,” said Bois, a longtime school volunteer and former Whitman Finance Committee member. “There has to be a point — and this is coming from a Republican — you have to have the ability to pay. I volunteered at both schools and, never said this anywhere publically, but I’ve seen differences between Whitman kids and Hanson kids and I know where the needs really are.”

He said he has listened to the debate without comment for three meetings, and had had enough.

“Mr. Young, I don’t think you’ve been on our side at all,” Bois said. “I know I got an email from your wife when I first won election, ‘Oh, a Republican got in, thank goodness.’ No, that ain’t it, it’s still all of us.”