It’s so much more than playing sports – or the score in the record books.
W-H students participating in the Special Olympics gave a presentation on the program to the School Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 13. The students earned a bronze medal in basketball (with a record of 6-2) and are now in the midst of floor hockey competition.
During the presentation, the team’s Inclusion ambassador, Eli, said Special Olympics was important for her mental health and social inclusion after students on her old, traditional sports teams had forced her to quit mainstream school sports.
A Hanson resident, Eli plays basketball, floor hockey, track and field, swimming, softball, soccer and flag football.
“I like being a part of Special Olympics because I get to meet new friends that become like family to me,” she said. “I get to play sports and have a chance in them since traditional sports are more difficult for me.”
She had tried traditional school sports but said coaches did not want disabled youths on their teams “because they thought it was not going to help the team in any way.
But Eli said her mom insisted she play, so she did.
“It was difficult to understand the rules and [disabled] athletes were not allowed any accommodations,” she said. “My teammates at the time told me I should just quit and they didn’t want anyone different on the team. That had affected my mental health badly and so, I quit sports, which was a difficult choice to make, since playing sports is how to help my mental health and social skills and try and make new friends,”
Eli said sports help her physically, too.
She joined Special Olympics in 2021 and gained more confidence, which helps her grow as a person.
Special memories from her Special Olympics participation include winning gold for softball, playing at Gillette Stadium and dropping the puck for a Northeastern University men’s hockey team.
“I am really proud of myself for becoming an inclusion ambassador for SOMA (the Special Olympics of Massachusetts) and want to have more people become aware of the Special Olympics so people with disabilities can be given the opportunity to participate in sports [which can] help them grow as a person in many positive ways.”
The basketball team’s Coach Leo said it was the first time the Whitman Panthers participated in that game.
“But we had a great year,” said, noting they collaborated with W-H basketball coaches Bob Rodgers and Tony Costa and their players for drills and practice games with the Whitman Panthers.
George Coffey, who recently retired from Special Olympics, said the towns of Whitman and Hanson have been so supportive of the local organization for about 25 years.
“Where I’ve been the most surprised for the support we’ve received, is – I don’t think you people know how many of the students have been assistant coaches on our teams.” he said. “They just show up and they’re really good.”
One such student, Isabel Baker, who graduated last year and is studying special education in Vermont because of her involvement with the Special Olympics here, is in the process of being hired as an intern at the Vermont Special Olympics organization.
He also noted former W-H special education teacher John Odom, who would switch schools whenever Coffey’s son, Jimmy, changed schools, to help him.
“John is now in the Hall of Fame with Special Olympics and I’m going to guess that no one on the School Committee or the school community is aware of that,” Coffey said. “John is one of my heroes because of this … everything he did was for the kids. He got nothing personally out of it, other than getting tired.”
Chair Beth Stafford confirmed that none of the committee had known about Odom’s Hall of Fame induction.
“We’re very proud to have the Best Buddies program up at the high school, and now we have it at the two middle schools,” Stafford said.
“I want to thank you very much for instilling in these kids the desire to become involved,” Coffey said.
School Committee member Dawn Byers asked what age students have to be to join Special Olympics and how interested families may reach out to join.
Coffey said the Panthers are a senior division program for students, but they can join the program age 6 to learn about the sports and go through pysical conditioning before they can play on a team or in an individual event. The age breakdown for teams is similar to that of a youth soccer program, he said.
The Panthers are 22 and up and was started specifically for former W-H students who had aged out of school programs.
“We’ve got some old people playing,” he joked.
“The more we do for you, the better it is for all of us – and I think it’s great for us, too,” said Committee member Fred Small, adding that he would like to see them come to meetings more often. “Let us share in your glory.”
Coffey went him one better.
The last Special Olympics floor hockey games worldwide will be played on Sunday, April 7.
“I think it would be great if, on the following week … the School Committee came down and played a game of floor hockey against our athletes,” he said.
Eli said she was aware there is unified track at the high school, but said she would like to see uniform sports in all seasons.
“Quite possibly it could be put in a league and we could go against other schools,” she said. “I just want to give more people an opportunity, not just track and field.”
Midyear data shows educational growth
Assistant Superintendent George Ferro and Director of Equity and MTSS Dr. Nicole Semas-Schneeweis reviewed the district’s midyear assessment data during the Wednesday, March13 School Committee meeting.
“I can happily say every class, every section we’re doing better in,” he said of the growth areas. “Please remember that as we talk about budgets, as we talk about things that say, ‘What have we accomplished? What did should we do? Is it because of whether it’s an ESSER issue or not.’ This is education, this is what we do and we’re proud of what we do.”
Reading and math assessments include intervention.
“We’re seeing improvement [in reading] from fall to winter,” Said Semas-Schneeweis of the first full year of a new reading curriculum. Ferro said the same trends were apparent in math.
“The trends are there,” Ferro agreed. “The trends are improving. … spending money to help students learn is not frivolous, it is a moral imperative that we should be doing.”
He said regression recovery in W-H following COVID is “moving faster and farther” than on a state or national basis. While there are students who are behind in both reading and math, there are also students who are on grade level.
“Improvement is improvement, and that’s what’s important,” Stafford said.
Committee member Dawn Byers said that should be better reinforced on data sheets, where color graphs show learners in the red zone are three grades below where they should be, yellow is one grade below and green outlines the degree to which a student is at grade level.
“Let’s keep that in mind,” she said.
“We’ve always had kids who struggled, maybe not this level of struggle because we weren’t in a pandemic, but we didn’t have the data to know for sure who they were or what they needed,” Semas-Schneeweis said. “This data points out exacly.”
Going forward Ferro cited the need for reviewing software as a resource compared to its price, that is expensive; continued participation in DESE’s Instructional Prioritization Institute to close gaps for struggling learners and writing support for all levels.
During the Public Forum, Hanson resident Frank Milisi posed a question about the regional agreement in hopes of helping to alleviate the budget situation.
“I’m not sure it’s legal, I haven’t checked with [town] counsel or the state, but is it possible, in the school regional agreement to assign a set increase to the school budget every year that the towns would be guaranteed to have to fund every year,?” he asked.
He provided the example of a 5-percent increase to the majority town written into the school agreement.
“At that point, the school would know exactly the increase that it’s getting in its budget, the towns would know how to budget for that 5-percent increase of the majority town” he said. “It would provide two things: less angst around budget season … and a way to project into the future revenues that are needed to fund the school and town departments and kind of alleviate the budget situation in both towns.”
Szymaniak noted the regional agreement is under review right now and that suggestion could be brought up between the two towns and counsel.
Budgets enter the final stretch
WHITMAN – The town should have a clearer picture of the budget situation by the time it meets to review the fiscal 2025 town budget on Tuesday, March 26.
Chair Dr. Carl Kowalski, in this regular report to the board on Tuesday, March 12, thanked Whitman resident and former Finance Committee member John Galvin, Finance Committee member Kathleen Ottina and Select Board member Shawn Kain for “keeping the possibility of an override in the public eye.”
Galvin and Ottina submitted columns to the Whitman-Hanson Express last week, and Kain has submitted one for publication in this week’s issue [see page 7].
“I’d also like to thank Beth Stafford, the chair of the School Committee, for reminding us that the school’s final assessment has not been made yet,” Kowalski said. “But they will probably be making it … at their March 20 meeting. Good timing, because we will be meeting with the Finance Committee in our joint meeting on [Tuesday], March 26
“I’d just like to thank all these people for keeping these kind of tricky budget matters on people’s minds,” he said. “It’s important for us to be thinking about it.”
Assistant Town Administrator Kathleen Keefe said the municipal budget is a “work in progress.”
Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter is still working on the fiscal budget, “putting in long and hard hours on that, but I believe the next week will reveal some information that will be key.”
During the meeting, the Select Board also voted to advance the draft of the MBTA Communities community zoning amendment to the Planning Board.
A representative of the Planning Board attended the meeting to determine how the Select Board voted, to take it downstairs to his board, and plan a public hearing. The Planning Board put forth a proposed zoning amendment to be voted by the Select Board on Tuesday for that public hearing to be scheduled. Legal counsel has not completed their review of the amendment as the lawyer doing that is recovering from a recent medical procedure.
“She expects to have her review finalized prior to the public hearing, which the Planning Board plans to schedule on April 8,” Keefe said. “Town Counsel did suggest that [the] Select Board recommend putting this forth to the Planning Board, pending the final review of Town Counsel.”
It will come back to the Select Board for a final vote on April 9, which will be after the April 8 public meeting.
“It’s a tight schedule,” Keefe said. “Publications have to be posted in the newspaper – it’s a really tight deadline – which is why we’re hoping the board considers it tonight.”
Something to
celebrate
With the town of Whitman poised to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2025, the Select Board voted to endorse appointing Richard Rosen to chair the anniversary committee. Rosen has met with Carter about the appointment since he organized the last anniversary celebration of 125 years in 2000.
“Mr. Rosen expressed an interest in organizing the 150th anniversary celebration,” Keefe said. “He’s already contacted several people who were involved in that last anniversary celebration. He already has several great ideas for the coming event, and we just want to thank Mr. Rosen for offering to organize this very important celebration.”
Vice Chair Dan Salvucci noted that Rosen had organized Whitman’s past WinterFest celebration for 20 years and “has all the connections and the volunteers.”
“I think it will be a great event.” he said.
In other business, Kowalski lauded the W-H Will program that continues to meet at WHRHS.
Noting that he had not been able to attend the meetings for a while, Kowalski said the Tuesday, March 12 morning session was an “enlightening experience,” with nine students as well as school counselors, Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak and Whitman and Hanson police and fire officials.
“Listening to the students talk, plainly and intelligently and smoothly about their activities as far as SADD is concerned, as far as mentors for their classmates who are having issues with substances or anxiety … was an uplifting couple of hours,” he said, encouraging members of the Select Board to attend as well from time to time. He also encouraged parents to attend, noting Whitman parents do not participate as much as those in some other communities do.
“I reminded myself how important that group is and how much you learn when you go,” he said.
Hanson board looks to dam work
HANSON –The Select Board on Tuesday, Feb. 27 voted to issue a letter to the Natural Resource Damages fund (NRD) supporting a vision for restoration of the Indian Head River and potential dam removal at the as well as the safety and security of the State Street bridge.
The conditional letter of support all three towns are being asked to sign says they believe that dam removal and river restoration are ideally what their vision would be for the site and river, according to Becky Malamut, of the North and South Rivers Watershed Aassociation (NSRWA).
Hanover submitted its letter earlier that week and Pembroke had not yet committed their letter as of the Hanson board’s Feb. 27 meeting, although a majority favor it. Two other members want to see the letter first.
“It’s tough for me, because you’re telling me you can’t tell us the dollar amount, we can’t know for certain what it’s going to cost us,” said Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett.
Malamut said the whole project has a probable cost $600,000 with town asked to put in between $50,000 and $100,000 to show “skin in the game.”
In response to a question from Vice Chair Joe Weeks about whether commits the town to a project or specific course of action, Malamut said it was non-binding.
“This is just telling NRD and DEP that you’re still interested in seeing what happens,” she said. “You haven’t just decided that dam removal is off the table.”
Malamut said the feasibility study was completed about a year ago. Town officials and about 160 residents had been updated on that completion at a public meeting in December, which found that dam removal is possible and would not increase flooding either upstream or downstream nor impact infrastructure in the area, she said.
“To no one’s surprise, the big question is sediment,” she said.
Composite sampling has been done behind both dams, focusing on the State Street area in Hanson, Malamut said.
“There was one area where we found the level [of lead] exceeded the state thresholds for soil [or] sediment,” she said. Lead and mercury were below the MVP thresholds.
Select Board member Ed Heal asked if samples were or are being done on the other side of the dam. Malamut replied that only the upstream side had been tested.
By removing the dam, she said there is not going to be much difference in sediment levels, according to Malamut and two areas of sediment would not mobilize, the study concluded.
Based on conversations with the state DEP, it is believed they would approve removal of the dam without having to do any major excavation or taking contaminated sediment off-site because they don’t believe that sediment will move, Malamut said.
That brings up the end of the study and of SuperFund, she told the board.
“We don’t know, obviously, what’s going to happen upstream, but what we do know is that State Street [dam] is already breached in two places,” she said. “We have some extra funding left in the contract and we have an opportunity to extend the contract and do some additional work with that funding.”
She said the NSRWA would like to further the designs for State Street to 60 percent, from the 30 percent mark where the design process now stands, as well as designing scour countermeasures needed to make sure the bridge maintains its footings and water levels are maintained lower. They also want to begin preparing permit documents. None of that means approving the dam removal, it is, rather, the next step in the process.
“This is not, ‘go ahead and remove the dam,’ this is continue to do more of the study to determine is it something you guys are ultimately going to propose,” Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett asked.
“Exactly,” Malamut said. “Specifically, we’re focusing on State Street with the additional funds because it’s already breached. Whatever is upstream is already flowing downstream.”
The EPA will do an assessment to enable communities to understand what their plan will be for the Fireworks site and do additional sampling behind both dams and to better understand the extent of sediment contamination and how to remove it.
FitzGerald-Kemmett asked how the town could commit to a dam removal without the full facts about contamination, but Malamut said the letter was simply committing to the vision for the site.
Select Board member David George asked whether State Street would have to be closed for the work if and when the board approved the work. But Malamut said she didn’t think that was necessary.
“It depends on the scour countermeasures,” she said.
“The town of Hanson will not be responsible financially whatsoever for what happens to that bridge, including future problems that might happen because of the removal of the dam,” Select Board member Ann Rein asked, noting the project is fraught with danger of contamination of the North River all the way to the seaboard.
While acknowledging it is an important question, Malamut said she didn’t have that answer.
“I think it’s important for us to read the letter,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.
Funding for the Natural Resource Damages Fund is unique Malamut said, in that the majority of dam removal projects don’t have a bucket of money in pocket.
“There is $7 million there,” she said. “I think we’ve got about $400,000 for this project. … It’s also important to think of costs moving forward.”
While the “bucket of money” available will be used, the town will also be asked to put in some money for the project because funders want to see dam owners doing that.
“[We] won’t be reliant on the town to fund the removal of the dam itself in addition to these scour countermeasures for the bridge,” she added.
Hanson’s letter to the NRD, which FitzGerald-Kemmett read aloud during the meeting states the town supports moving forward with river restoration as the objective of the site with the understanding that Hanson doesn’t have all the data needed to determine how to safely remove contaminated sediment through the Indian Head River, and requiring following conditions: EPA to complete an assessment of the fireworks site upstream to determine the extent of contamination, who is responsible for the cleanup and an appropriate plan for it; and project partners must set up an appropriate sediment management plan for contaminated sediment behind both dams, which could be mobilized as a result of dam removal.”
The letter also states dam removal is possible and is the preferred alternative for Hanson, after reviewing the feasibility study, if funding is available, as well as the vision of returning river fowl and fish. It is also aware soil samples from the dams exceed soil standards for upland reuse and that further sampling is required to better understand the scope of the contamination and an appropriate sediment is needed to determine the extent of contamination and an appropriate management plan.
Rein said a third bullet point about the safety of the State Street bridge must be included.
Towns weigh their MBTA zoning options
By Tatylor Fruzetti
Express corrwspondent
Many Massachusetts communities will be faced with a decision by the end of the year – whether or not to follow the 2021 law to implement zoning for multi-family housing for communities that have commuter rail stations or are adjacent to them.
According to the mass.gov website, the new law requires MBTA communities to “have at least one zoning district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right.”
The law is intended to address the housing crisis in Massachusetts and approximately 177 communities are subject to the MBTA Communities Law according to the state’s website.
The Multi-Family Zoning Requirement also calls for these housing communities to have a minimum gross density of 15 units per acre, the housing must be no more than 0.5 miles from a commuter rail station, subway station, etc., and no age restrictions.
Communities that benefit from the MBTA, and communities adjacent to MBTA communities, are being told that they must adopt the new zoning changes by Dec. 31, 2024 or else they will no longer be eligible for funds from the Housing Choice Initiative, the Local Capital Projects Fund, or the MassWorks infrastructure program.
Additionally, towns that fail to comply with the zoning changes may be subjected to civil enforcement per the state’s website.
On Feb. 14 2024, the Town of Milton held a special election to vote on the issue and ultimately overturned the MBTA Communities Multi-Family Overlay District which originally passed at a special town meeting on Dec. 11 2023.
The vote took Milton out of compliance with the state law, resulting in Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell filing suit against the town of Milton on Feb. 27, according to a press release from the Office of the Attorney General.
“The MBTA Communities Law was enacted to address our region-wide need for housing, and compliance with it is mandatory,” said Campbell in the press release.
“Hanson is going to continue to move forward with creating the zoning for the MBTA requirement until a judgment of the Court directs otherwise,” said Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green. “Something to understand is that we are simply creating the zoning, not the housing.”
Green said that Town Meeting will be provided with all the facts and will vote on the zoning changes.
“There must be an understanding that all towns are subject to legal action by the state for not complying with the legislation,” said Green. “The residents who attend Town Meeting and vote on the article will have to decide whether they prefer spending taxpayer dollars on legal fees to defend the town against a suit by the Attorney General’s Office and lose thousands of dollars in grants, or simply vote to create the zoning and benefit from the thousands of dollars of grants.”
Mary Beth Carter, Whitman’s Town Administrator, said the town is planning to put this proposed zoning by-law amendment on the May 6, 2024 Annual Town Meeting warrant. “I found it surprising, however Milton’s decision not to comply with this mandate has no influence on what will be decided in Whitman,” she told The Express. “Once the by-law is accepted, that may bring forth housing projects that up until now would not have been possible.”
According to Halifax Town Administrator Cody Haddad, the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee is looking to find a solution that would have a minimal impact on the town, but also allow for the town to be compliant with the MBTA Zoning Requirement.
“The situation in Milton, in my eyes, only further affirms that the state will continue to make this requirement a priority and towns that do not comply, will be penalized,” said Haddad. “We are cognizant of the state’s concern regarding the housing crisis facing Massachusetts, but we are also aware of what the Halifax community desires for their town.”
Haddad said that the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee will likely present their findings at the Fall Town Meeting.
“This topic can be controversial to many residents who are concerned that the zoning requirements could change the look and feel of a community, and impact several town services, including schools,” said Kingston Town Administrator Keith Hickey. “I am not sure of the reasons why Milton voted the zoning down but will be looking into why the sentiment of the voters was, if Kingston can learn from what occurred in Milton, we will do that.”
Hickey said that he plans to present the initial recommendations of Kingston’s MBTA subcommittee to the Selectmen at their meeting on March 12.
“Once the MBTA overlay district is finalized staff will have several informational meetings, website postings and informational tv shows on PACTV to introduce and discuss what is being proposed,” said Hickey.
Hickey said that the vote on the MBTA overlay district will be at the Fall Town Meeting.
“Hanson is going to continue to move forward with creating the zoning for the MBTA requirement until a judgment of the Court directs otherwise,” said Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green. “Something to understand is that we are simply creating the zoning, not the housing.”
Green said that Town Meeting will be provided with all the facts and will vote on the zoning changes.
“There must be an understanding that all towns are subject to legal action by the state for not complying with the legislation,” said Green. “The residents who attend Town Meeting and vote on the article will have to decide whether they prefer spending taxpayer dollars on legal fees to defend the town against a suit by the Attorney General’s Office and lose thousands of dollars in grants, or simply vote to create the zoning and benefit from the thousands of dollars of grants.”
Plympton Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy said that Plympton has received a technical assistant grant award which it has used to acquire the services of Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Devellopment District (SPREDD) who will assist the Town with drafting a zoning overlay-type district that will be in compliance with the Commonwealth’s guidelines. Once drafted, this would go through the normal process for review and potential adoption of the zoning bylaw edits. Dennehy said she doesn’t expect a vote will take place until the May 2025 Annual Town Meeting.
Winter sports season closeout
The winter sports season has a come to a close at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.
Cheerleading traveled up to Worcester State on Saturday, March 9 for the Division 2 state championship. The Panthers fell short by just 1.6 points to winner Billerica.
Girls’ basketball saw its season come to an end, but its Sweet 16 round win was a thriller. On Tuesday, March 6, the Panthers rallied back from a double-digit deficit to defeat fourth-seeded Dartmouth and advance to the Elite 8. Jenna Mishou netted the winner with 20 seconds remaining. Dylan Hurley nailed two clutch free throws late. … But in the Elite 8, Mike Costa’s club fell to fifth-seeded Oliver Ames, 32-21, on Saturday. Lillie MacKinnon drilled a 3 with 13.2 seconds left to bring W-H within one but that’s as close as it would get.
Super Tuesday focus on down ballot
Considering the outcome of most Super Tuesday presidential primary states was a foregone conclusion, the real contests were in attracting voters to show up for down-ballot candidates filling offices closer to home. In Whitman and Hanson, only state and town party committee slots were up for votes.
State Sen. Mike Brady, D-Brockton, and former state Rep. – who also ran for governor and U.S. Senate, Geoff Diehl, R-Whitman, made the case for the offices as they made stops in Whitman on Tuesday, March 5.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, with no real competition, received 815 votes in Hanson and 950 in Whitman. during presidential primary voting. Hanson provided U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., with 59 votes, author and self-described spiritual leader Marianne Williamson with 45 votes and 73 people voted “no preference.” On the Republican side, former President Donald Trump received 1,281 votes to 487 for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. There were also 12 votes for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and 16 for no preference. Whitman gave Phillips 101 votes, Williamson 71 and no preference 131, according to the unofficial results.
Haley planned to suspend her campaign Wednesday.
Only 29 percent (3,341) of Whitman’s 11,641 registered voters, went to the polls, including 37 by absentee and 1,046 by early voting. In Hanson, the unofficial results showed 34 percent, or 2,876 of the towns 8,421 registered voters cast ballots.
Biden won all the delegates — 1,669 up for grabs Tuesday [118 in Massachusetts where he took 83 percent of the vote at 478,500] in all 16 states voting on the Democratic side and former president Donal Trump took races in all but Vermont as former South Carolina Gov. Niki Haley grappled for wins on the Republican ballots. Haley garnered 191,658 votes (36.8 percent) in Massachusetts to Trump’s 478,500, or 59.9 percent, giving the former president the state’s 40 delegates. Trump now leads the delegate race with 995.
While Trump’s wins were decisive, the margins were lower for him across the country, as two area voters voiced the reasons of those who went with Haley.
“I like her policies better,” one man said.
“I’m an independent, and Biden didn’t need my vote, so I took a Republican ballot to stick it to Trump,” a female voter said. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity, given the divisive political climate in the country.
Polling places were relatively quiet, with no lines at Town Hall doors when polls opened at 7 a.m. Hanson was a little busier as a steady trickle of voters drove up to Hanson Middle School to vote. There were not a lot of campaign operatives meeting them with encouraging waves and campaign signs.
No Republican volunteers were out holding signs for the morning voters to acknowledge, but a gaggle of Democrats in Whitman held more signs for Brady than Biden-Harris opposite Whitman Town Hall. In Hanson Democratic Chair Kathy eagan sat alone in a mornng drizzle holding a Brady sign after having placed a trail of Biden-Harris signs up the middle school driveway.
Whitman Town Clerk Dawn Varley reported about 185 in-person early votes cast and noted there were still 500 mail-in ballots out as of 7 a.m., on primary day. Between all early and absentee voing options, there were 1,023 ballots involved in early voting. If voters, who are on the State Elections list for early-ballot applications, but did not use them, will receive another one in September for the state Primary and another one still, for the general presidential election in November.
In the past, people who took out – but did not use – their absentee ballots, could “beat their ballot to the booth but you can’t do that any more,” Varley said, “Some people would do that. If we hadn’t processed their ballots, they would come and vote [in-person] and cancel out the absentee ballot.”
“It’s a lot of money,” she said of the low-turnout primary. “You have to staff it, because you don’t know, you could have a ton of people.”
What was expected to take time in Whitman Tuesday night was the GOP State Committee race. There were slots for 35 candidates, with only 25 candidates on the ballot – and room for 10 write-ins.
“It’ll be a long night,” she said.
Democrats gave Brady 1,127 votes for state committee man and Peggy Curtis 1,300 votes for state committee woman in Whitman. Hanson gave Brady 856 votes and Curtis 837.
State Committees
Diehl and his wife KathyJo Boss, were running as a slate on the Republican ballot, where they were the favored candidates on the state party slate for Whitman and Hanson voters. Diehl earned 1,570 votes, Boss received 1,426 votes. Hanson gave Diehl 1,367 votes and Boss 1,221.
“It’s one of those sort of hidden races in Massachusetts politics,” Diehl said. “They don’t realize that there’s 40 Republican men and women who run to be on the Mass. GOP Board.”
The committee decides who the Party Chair is and appoint the national committee man and woman are.
“Those three people are very key in making sure the party runs effectively to recruit good candidates, support candidates and then the National Committee officials they appoint go to Washington, D.C. To try and gain support for state Republicans,” he said.
“I’ve been serving [on the state Democratic Committee] for several years,” Brady said as he joined his sign-holders in Whitman. “It’s important to support your Democratic candidates. “We want to make sure the economy stays strong and we create more jobs for people.”
For Diehl, getting the national support to try winning Congressional and statewide races is vital and requires better party leadership.
“That’s why I’ve spent a lot of time promoting the Massachusetts Freedom Slate,” he said, pointing to his experience of running statewide campaigns twice.
“There’s other husbands and wives that run as a slate,” Boss said. “I’ve always been involved in politics.” She served as president of the NYU student body when she was in college, lobbying in Albany.
“I gues it’s something in our DNA,” Diehl said.
As for Trump’s chances in the day’s primary, he predicted Massachusetts could be one of the higher-percentage states in that column at the end of the night.
“It’s no secret Charlie Baker misspent $2.5 billion,” Diehl said. “The T was never really fixed under his leadership. Maura Healey’s inherited some of these problems, but she’s also got issues of her own with immigration … the cost of living… all of these things are building to the case being made that maybe Trump had four good years and maybe we should go back there.”
In Washington, Tuesday, Secretary of Transportation was reminding MSNBC audiences that the Biden administration’s accomplishments include an “all-time high in the stock market, record job creation, unemployment that hasn’t been this low and for this long since before I was born (in 1982).”
He also pointed to a bipartisan immigration bill put together by one of the most conservative members of the Senate — Sen. James Lankford, R-OK, — that failed in the House of Representatives because Trump killed it with “the chill he put on Congressional Republicans.”
“People are also frustrated, I get it,” Buttigieg said. “It was especially disappointing to see what happened with the border.”
W-H history teacher Steven Bothelo brought some of his students to observe the early-vote ballot process earlier in the week.
“I always try to get the high school students up here,” Varley said. “There’s early voting for all elections now, by mail.” She said Libertarian ballots have shown an interesting trend in town.
In 2020, there were only 5,000 Libertarian ballots cast statewide. This year, Varley said, there have been 25,000.
“We think it’s because they’re like – ‘Well, I don’t like that choice, and I don’t like that choice, so I might as well take that choice,’” she said. “I don’t know why, nobody knows. … And they’re using them. Selectively.”
Hanson Town Clerk Beth Sloan’s experience offers a different explanation.
“That’s because they didn’t understand,” Sloan said. “They thought they were unenrolled and that was [the ballot] they got. But with in-person voters in Town Hall, no one asked for a Libertarian ballot, because they could see [the posted sample] ballots.”
Sloan said there were already 617 vote-by mail ballots and 158 in-person early votes cast.
Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver garnered 4 votes in Hanson, Joseph Hornberger and each Michael Rectenwald received 3 votes and Michael Ter Maat received 1 vote. No preference received 10 votes and write-in candidates 12, as they carried the day on the Libertarian ballot. Whitman gave Oliver 6 votes, Hornberger 4 votes and Ter Maat 2 with 8 votes for no preference and 7 for write-ins.
School panel: It’s not our override
School Committee Chair Beth Stafford took the opportunity at the Wednesday, Feb. 28 meeting to make clear that the Committee has not had anything to do with an override question.
“I want people to know – the public to know – that the School Committee has not had anything to do with that request, nor have we approved that, because we haven’t even given our assessments yet,” she said. “The figures that [Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak] had given before were based on just broad numbers that they had.”
She said anyone familiar with the budget process knows the School Committee goes through a lot of steps, looking at data pertaining to enrollment, class size and more – and that work is not yet complete.
“We haven’t done our assessment, so it’s very difficult for us when we look at the comments that people are making,” Stafford said. “We’re not done and I want the public to know that.”
She added that a lot of the Committee members are “kind of leery about a ‘school’ override” because it would not be a long-term solution to the budget problems they face.
After the first year, funds gained from an override go into the general fund, with no guarantee of being earmarked for school budgets.
“So, I want to just caution everybody that we have had no conversation with either town about an override,” she said. “It has not happened yet and we’re still looking – there’s a lot of factors that impact the assessment, but not services to the students of the district. We do not want to impact the services the students already have and the services we were able to get though ESSER that have shown the positive impact it has had on the students and the W-H Regional School District.”
Stafford also noted references on Facebook of a sarcastic nature about the Committee wanting what is best for students.
“Well, all 10 members of this committee and the administration try every day to do what is best for the students, and I can speak for everybody on this committee,” she said. “We don’t do things willy-nilly. Everything is [done] with great thought and, hopefully, with cooperation and coordination with the two towns.”
Stafford also stressed that, if the committee had to have more conversations with the towns, they will.
Szymaniak said he was invited to a Whitman department head meeting before the February break.
“It was a very good meeting,” he said.
At that meeting, Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter shared figures surrounding a 5-percent assessment increase from the school district and it, “seems that Whitman still has some issues around their budget,” he said.
“Being transparent, I will ask Mary Beth if I can share that budget with you folks,” he said. “It was just given to the department heads, so I don’t want to overstep. I also received a budget from Hanson.”
Town Administrator Lisa Green did include the 5-percent overall increase of the budget, and he said he will ask her the same [question] to see what both budgets look like as the School Committee moves forward for its next meeting.
“To be level-service we need a 5-percent increase of our overall budget,” he said. “Then I gave you a 4-percent increase, a 3-percent increase and a 2-percent increase. That 2 percent takes into account pretty much what both towns had earmarked for us without substantial change to their own budgets. I will sit here as superintendent and say I don’t know who can survive with a 2-percent increase of their budget.”
He said such a budget would have “significant impact” on staffing and service delivery to students.
Szymaniak said a 5-percent increase is needed for level service, but he does have some potential flexibility if the committee opts against replacing people who retire. But that would affect classes at the high school where most of the retirements – five – are planned, at a savings of about $300,000 and excess and deficiency has not been discussed yet, either. Szymaniak also said he has not yet committed extra circuit breaker money.
“We went through this budget already and curtailed everything, or trimmed everything as far as non-people,” he said. “There’s no more flexibility there. … We haven’t issued an assessment yet but the assessment I’ve provided for really right now is a 2-percent increase of the overall budget.”
At that level the personnel cuts would be significant. Class size increases are also being considered.
The state is not adding funding, he said and the funds from the communities are not enough to meet the needs of the schools.
State aid
State Rep. Alyson Sullivan-Almeida, R-Abington, and state Sen. Mike Brady D-Brockton, provided a legislative update to the committee during the meeting.
Szymaniak had written to Brady on behalf of the committee following its last meeting about the unfunded and under-funded mandates school districts must live by.
“Being the regional school district that we are, we rely on the state pretty heavily and when that under-funded mandate comes in more under-funded that we anticipate, it directly affects service,” he said. “I would just ask on behalf of myself and the committee, that we fully fund those mandates, and that changes the whole dynamic of how I plan a budget and what happens to the taxpayers in both towns.”
His areas of concern include transportation, circuit-breaker and special education as he asked that the under-funded sections of the budget be as level, as they have been in the past. Last year, the district over-estimated transportation reimbursement, and when it came in lower than expected it led to the removal of some staff prior to the beginning of the school year.
Small thanked Sen. Brady for attending the meeting, expressing his appreciation for seeing Brady and knowing his concerns.
“I know the hard position that you folks are in where the state made certain projections and anticipation of revenue,” he said, stressing that he was speaking for himself. “Those aren’t being hit. As a matter of fact, they’ve adjusted them and the adjustments aren’t being hit.”
He said at the same tine, the district is charged with educating children.
“Our towns have a finite amount of money that you can raise with Proposition 2 ½, so their hands are somewhat tied,” Small said. “It’s my opinion … that one department should not be taking away from another.”
Small said that, while Select Boards are still expected to bring a balanced budget before Town Meeting, but noted the assessment is up to 5 percent in their budget.
“It’s very difficult,” he said. “I would ask you to fight for every penny you can get for us. It would just go so far. I know you’ll do your best, and that’s all any of us can expect at this time.”
Brady said he and Sullivan-Almeida have a great working relationship, noting the school district communities also lost another representative, Josh Cutler, who has joined the Healey-Driscoll administration, leaving that seat open until the end of the year.
“Anything we can do, we’re both going to advocate for [it],” Brady said. “I know sometimes these regional schools do get short-changed, especially with regional transportation.”
He said they would be happy to support amendments to the state budget, but cautioned that the legislature has to fully fund what’s recommended in the Chapter 70 money and the student opportunity Fair Share Amendment.
“The unfortunate thing on the state level is the last four months, revenue has been down.” he said. “You’re not going to get anything less, because that’s committed at the state level.”
Sullivan-Almeida said Rep. David DeCoste, R-Norwell, who represents a portion of Hanson had a personal appointment and was not able to attend the meeting.
She said that special education, which is always a “big-budget item” on the W-H budget that they are required by law to address, and stressed all the district’s legislators support fully funding budget mandates from the state.
“Unfunded or under-funded mandates [are] not fair to the towns and we fully understand that,” she said, noting that their position on legislation depends on where the funding is coming from, but added they are always keeping a close eye on that.
“I’m almost hard-pressed to guarantee you a certain amount of money that you’re going to get right now, because it is scary,” she said. “Revenue has been down from the projected numbers. They’ve even had to go back in and re-project those numbers, and it’s even down from there.”
She said the scary part is, those revenue numbers could go down again from what is being projected now.
“I don’t want to give you false hope in any way, shape or form,” she said, noting if she had to choose between funding a small project in a town and ensuring the mandates are funded, Sullivan-Almeida said she would rather see that the mandates are funded to ensure students are not left behind.
Scriven asked for some examples of how education is funded.
Sullivan-Almeida, who sits on House Ways & Means, said that committee is currently on a listening tour of the state. Brady serves on the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
“We definitely have a different perspective on how the budget process goes,” Sullivan-Almeida said, noting the chairs of each committee follows a lengthy process, including hearing from each state department and executive office what their “asks” are. “In amongst the listening tour, we always advocate for local aid, we advocate for the increasable bleed with Chapter 70, Chapter 90 – funding that really impacts our local communities.”
That includes funding for regional transportation and special education, she said.
She said they also encourage boards, committees, residents and even students to reach out to advocate for their education needs.
“We’re going to advocate on your behalf,” Brady added, “But the more, the merrier – the old cliché, there is strength in numbers.”
“And the squeaky wheel always gets the oil,” Sullivan-Almeida said, adding that both she and Brady make an effort to share information on grant availability with the district.
Where ESSER funds are concerned Sullivan-Almeida said they have a solid working relationship with the federal legislative delegation, but Brady said inaction in Congress is delaying any work in that area right now.
“I think ESSER funds were great,” Small said. “But the job’s not done and I think that’s the scary part. Our budget’s in trouble, and part of it is we did what was needed, being fully cognizent of the end date, but now with it’s ending how do you deal with it?”
Freedom Team wins support
WHITMAN – While the nation seems to grow further divided with each passing day, a group of Whitman residents have looked to area towns for an idea aimed at bringing residents together.
It’s called the Whitman Freedom Team (WFT), and perhaps the holiday season is the best time to explore it.
Former teacher and principal Thomas Evans, and School Committee member Steve Bois are heading up the project, based on similar efforts in Natick and Scituate. There is no limit foreseen regarding the number of people who might choose to become involved, to aid in drawing on expertise specific to a situation.
Evans pointed to the fact that he and Bois are on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
“He’s a very dear friend of mine, he’s very fair, and that’s what I want,” he said. “I don’t want people to agree with me, I want people to tell me what the problem is, define it and then go to reconciliation.”
Select Board Chair Dr. Carl Kowalski said both Bois’ and Evans’ involvement speak well of the program.
“My attitude about finance committees changed when Steve became the chair of the Finance Committee,” Kowalski said. “And you, Tom, absolutely best principal I have ever seen.”
“You don’t know any others,” Evans said.
“I know a few,” Kowalski said. “To have you as the headpin on this will work out perfectly and I’m looking forward to working with you.”
The freedom team mission: “to preserve freedom through unity in the community,” according to Scituate’s website scituatefreedom.org.
“This is something that is going to take a while to germinate and to become official,” Evans said in his first public opportunity to discuss the program and its aims. “It’s something I’ve been working on since last March after watching a TEDXNatic talk on the program presented by Jamele Adams. TED Talks are influential videos from expert speakers on education, business, science, tech and creativity. The X in the program’s title denotes it is an independently organized TED event. A former dean of students at Brandeis University Adams is the first Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Scituate School District in Scituate.
He gave the TED talk in Natick, dedicated to inspiring others to “be L.I.T.” – as love, inclusion and trust are keys to bringing communities together.
“We’re going to do it,” Evans said. “The more we talk about things and the more that we talk about how our country is, is moving toward being as good as we can be. We can help with that.”
Evans said Adams was not only passionate about the idea of Freedom Teams, but was also willing to help people form teams in their own communities. When no intervention is needed, they discuss ways to improve their communities.
“That’s why I’m here tonight, because of my friend, Jamele Adams,” Evams said, noting that Adams, of Franklin, has been very supportive of his efforts to form a team in Whitman. “My hope is that those who might be interested in helping in making the WFT a reality will give me a call and then we’ll go from there.”
While he supplied the Select Board with some information on what a freedom team is, he began his remarks on Tuesday, Dec. 5 by stressing what it is not.
“It’s not political,” Evans said. “It’s not partisan and it’s not a law-enforcement agency. The WFT is made up of Whitman volunteers and is based on the 10-point communal engagement model that roots pillars of the community, and people central in the community as a team dedicated to love, inclusion and trust. It might sound corny, but that’s what we’re about.”
While not a law-enforcement agency, Evans said the key to the team’s success will be the police chief, a person trained in what is lawful and whose expertise the team would defer to in such matters.
Chief Timothy Hanlon, for example, has advised that should the WFT set up a hotline number as Scituate has, it cannot be affiliated with the police department because of town liability issues.
Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter and Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak have also had helpful discussions with the team, Evans said.
“The superintendent … has offered us support,” Evans said noting issues often come to the attention of freedom teams through the schools. “He has allowed [Director of Equity and MTSS] Dr. Nicole Semas-Schneeweis … to speak with students who are interested in getting involved.”
Parents, a lawyer, clergy, and local political officials (including three Select Board members) are involved. Evans said he is working to include a social media expert, a mental health clinician trained in trauma and multicultural lenses and a transformational justice facilitator.
“We hope that more people will learn about this will learn about it, respond to it and come forward,” he said. “Tonight is just the beginning. There’s still much more to do before the Whitman Freedom Team becomes a reality, but rest assured, it will happen.”
The WFT is also working to organize as a 501 (c)3 non profit, which will allow it to stay independent of the town, raise funds to finance some of its goals and programs.
Select Board member Shawn Kain, who does similar work professionally, urged caution in dealing with people in crisis, even as he supported the effort.
“Point well taken,” Evans said, noting that members of any organization should know their limits.
Police chiefs in Franklin and Natick have been supportive of their communities’ freedom teams and the positive impact they have seen from the teams’ work.
“The Freedom Team assists in helping our community heal when needed, and will join the network of the freedom teams, of which Whitman will be number eight,” Evans said. “It exists to listen and facilitate discussions for individuals and groups, encouraging people to be ‘up-standers,’ not by-standers in interrupting racism, bigotry and prejudice wherever it’s encountered, preserving freedom through unity and a commitment to gaining new understanding in the community.”
Those goals have been adopted from the teams in Scituate and Natick.
While Evans said he is not looking to be the only person making decisions in the team but he has suggested the motto: “Find a Way,” in memory of the late J.P. Drier, a young man who had so much to give to our community. The former W-H student athlete died from complications of Type 1 diabetes in July.
“The mission of the Whitman Freedom Team is to preserve freedom through unity in the community,” he said. The team will meet monthly, usually via Zoom, to explore ways of offering dialog in support of individuals and the entire community in the goal of moving beyond tolerance to celebrate and share the community’s diversity.
“We’re beginning to change, and we need to change,” he said. “We can be different, but we can also work together.”
Evans said he was advised by the seven other freedom teams in eastern Massachusetts – including Natick (where the first team was started in 2016), Hingham, Frankin. Hopkinton and Scituate – to adopt some of their organizational frameworks and goals. rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.
“Once we’ve formed officially, the members will decide what the wording should be, but this is where we’re starting” he said.
When a report of hate, bias-motivated threats, harassment or violence related to race, color, sex, gender, gender or sexual identity, age, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability or class, is received by the team it will offer a safe, private and respectful place to discuss such an incident, using a transformative justice model.
“We respond to violence without creating more violence,” Evans said. “We are trying to be healing – having parties come together, be educated and de-escalate situations.”
Hanson Legion hosts St. Patrick’s Day dinner
If St. Patrick’s Day means a corned beef and cabbage dinner for you, Hanson’s American Legion should be in your plans.
The Legion is holding a free traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner from 2 to 4 p.m.
“People can stay longer, if they like,” said Commander David George, “We’re going to do a 50-50 raffle, there’ll be all Irish music, we’ll do some games with the dart board and we’ll do some door prizes, including a prize for the most creative Irish attire. George said the renovated hall, will have the upper-level bar open during the event.
“We might have a contest for best-dressed or something like that,” he laughed.
Guiness will also be available at the cash bar, but the meal is no-cost.
While there is no cost, those interested in attending should register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/846948986217?aff=oddtdtcreator by email at [email protected], Facebook.com/hansonamericanlegion or sign up at the Legion hall, so they will know how much food to prepare. Right now, George said between 65 and 70 people have already signed up.
Guests may dine-in or take meals to-go.
“We’re just trying to do something good for the community,” George said, noting they are not limiting the event to veterans. “It’s open to anybody that wants to come.”
The Legion is also offering the hall for events, and now offers scratch ticket sales through the Mass. Lottery, as well as KENO, access to an ATM and juke boxes during hall rentals. A meat raffle was a sell-out event, Friday, March 1, with a much youner crowd than in years past, George said, noting many attendees stayed after the raffle to socialize.
“It’s the new American Legion,” George said, noting that a lot of the organizations newer members are from the Iraq/Afghanistan post-911 wars. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that have joined.”
For more information on the event, call George at 781-316-7605.
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