An Anonymous Submission

We received this anonymous submission.

I understood that you were not going to have negative things on your BLOG or targeting of individuals, you definitely are. This does not help Ashland at all with all the negativity. Not only that, half of the information is lies. I have known all three of the Selectmen for many years and they are the most honest people you could know. They do not hide anything and everything that is done at the work sessions is brought up at their next regular meeting. I hope these complainers never want to be on the select board as they will never get voted in with all the bad things they do. Please make this website more positive so people will enjoy going on it. Thanks, a concerned citizen of Ashland.

Please check your facts before accusing people of lying. It is clear you do not attend Select Board Meetings. If you did, you would know that the board rarely mentions what they did during the work sessions. I remind you that Jeanette Stewart promised residents that the board would review what was discussed at all work sessions and that no votes would be taken on important issues. A prime example of violating this promise this is the fact that the board decided to suspend public comments during a work session. Jeanette Stewart has not kept either of these promises. I do not call that honest. Furthermore, the board does not discuss important issues at the Monday night meetings. These meetings tend to last no more than 20 to 30 minutes, and much of the time is spent signing the manifest. They have also cut out department head reports at these meetings. To his credit, the Town Administrator mentions decisions made during the work session in the Town Bulletin but detailed information is lacking. There is also a difference between complaining, and pointing out actions taken by our local officials that are not in the interest of the public.

Select Board Cancels Evening Meeting

Shortly after his election by just 50 votes against a candidate who wasn't running, Phil Preston proposed that the Select Board cancel one evening meeting a month and cut out Department Head reports. Dan Golden, to his credit, voted against this measure, but Jeanette Stewart supported Preston's motion. This is just another step in the Select Board's on-going program to exclude the public from town government. Stewart and Preston have been very effective in stopping public input and limiting pubic access. Even at their night time meetings, no meaningful business is ever discussed. Most meetings last about 20 minutes, but work sessions can go on for several hours. Even though Stewart promised that no votes on important issues would be taken during the work sessions, this is when all of the important decisions are made and voted on, including canceling the evening meeting. The few people who were able to attend the meeting were not allowed to express their response.

Still No Free Speech in Ashland

Sandra and Joseph Coleman have written two editorials calling for the Select Board to remove the gag order on public comments at their meeting. As I have pointed out before, this Select Board has systematically excluded the public for their meetings. They began by forbidding the public from addressing what Jeanette Stewart called talking about the past, even though a number of issues from the past were still relevant like the Union Contract that contained numerous errors. The stated reason for this was that they had too much to do. They moved their work sessions from the evening to the morning, at time when few people can attend, where no public comments/questions are allowed, and sessions are held at the town hall where there is little room. She promised that no important votes would be taken at the work sessions, but the board regularly votes on important issues, like the budget at those sessions. After imposition of the gag order, the board said that the public can submit questions two weeks in advance, but they have not completely answered all the questions that are submitted, nor have they read some public comments on issues. Follow-up questions must also be submitted in writing, so that to get an answer to a questions could several months. This has effectively shut down any real discussion.

It is clear that the board not only wants to cut off free speech, they want to limit public participation in town government. An excellent example is Stewart's attempt to do away with the budget committee, which was soundly defeated by a vote of 256 to 65. If the warrant article had passed, little public discussion of the budget would be allowed because of the gag order, and the budget would likely be prepared at the work sessions meetings, as it was this past year, when few were able to attend.

The right things to do would be to restore public comments, move the work sessions to the evening, and encourage public participation. So far, the board has not responded to any public pressure, but members of the public should insist that these changes be made immediately. To be sure, there have been times where public discussion has been less than civil. This can and should be effectively managed by the Board, perhaps even with the help of the town moderator.

Democracy is often messy. But debate is necessary for progress and the overall health of the government. Our officials are elected by the public and therefore answerable directly to the public. Shutting down discussion and debate are key features of dictatorships. We need to elect officials who understand that free speech and public participation are among the most fundamental principles of a democracy. Perhaps with the advent of the 5-member board, a true democratic government will return to Ashland, and in the future those who oppose free speech will be voted out of office.

Response to a Comment about the Electric Department

We recently received a comment about the Electric Department that contained a personal attack and no supporting facts. It is not our policy to print such comments, but we felt that we should respond with some facts about the Electric Department and the town. The Electric Department is the town's most important financial asset. The department just reduced its rates and has the lowest rates in the area. The department has considerable capital reserves to offset future expenses. It has invested in new equipment, and it has kept its equipment and buildings in good repair. The rates and excellent service help promote economic development and maintain our business base. Let's compare this to the town. The taxes in Ashland are the highest in our economic region. Taxes will increase again this year and for many years to come because the town has not planned for the future. The town has $20,000,000 in accumulated depreciation, which means that it will have to spend at least that much to replace or repair existing assets some time during the next 10 years. Other than the $125,000 in capital reserves for roads, the town has no capital reserves, which means that large capital expenses must be paid for by raising taxes. The town has almost no cash for emergencies in the unassigned fund balance. The town has huge long term debt. The town has no long term economic plan. The town has no economic development plan. We have serious cash flow problems. It is likely that we will not be able to sustain the town as it is in the long term unless we reduce our expenses, build reserves, plan for future, and promote economic development. The longer we wait to deal with these problems, the fewer choices we will have to solve them. What about service? When I call the Electric Department, they come. When I ask a question, they answer it. When I go to their meetings, they let me express my concerns. When I recently called the town to fix my road which is nearly impassable, they do not respond. When I ask questions, the Select Board does not always answer them even though they should know the answers. When I go to meetings, I am not allowed to talk. One more point. When I have a complaint, I get courteous service from the Electric Department. I can't say that I have always been treated courteously by the Select Board or town employees. I am not alone. I have witnessed others being treated discourteously as well.

Vote No on the Loader

We received the following anonymous post:

If we get a new loader, what happens to the old one? Why we, sell it or trade it in of course. The loader is not that old and with the proper use and care will operate for many more hours. Whomever, aquires our loader will have a fine piece of equipment to operate for their business for many years to come.

Reminds me of a similar situation with the town sidewalk plow a few years back. Yup, right before voting time the sidewalk plow was broken down and the sidewalks couldn't be plowed. After a few years the new plow was obtained.

Furthermore, who's idea was it to put chains on and use the W&S department's pickup truck with an 8' plow to plow roads? This truck has been seen on several occassions over the past few storms plowing North Ashland Road in addition to plowing parking lots. This non-commerical vehicle is not made to withstand this type of use/abuse.

Perhaps next year the W&S department will be asking the voters for a new pickup truck because this one has been broken.

The Library Trustees Need Your Support

We received this post from Lynn Davis.

The Ashland Town Library recently received a letter and a list of regulations from the Scribner Trustees. At this time, the Scribner Trustees have locked the two large meeting rooms on the second floor and have restricted public access to the entire second floor. The Library Trustees oppose these actions and plan to attend the next meeting of the Scribner Trustees on Monday, March 4th at 7:00 pm at the library to address these issues. We would appreciate your support of the library at this meeting.

Fire Department Roof

We received the following Questions about the Fire Department Roof:

"Concerned about the fire department roof and the men/woman's safety of shoveling if off. How did the roof and the men/woman fare during these last snow storms? Is the roof still holding up? Is everyone safe? Just wondering if anyone knows anything about it."

I, too, hope that all members of the Fire Department are safe. I don't know the current condition of the roof, but it must be in worse shape than it was two years ago when the first engineering evaluation was done. I do know that a member of the fire department volunteered to sweep off the roof this winter.

Should We Give the Select Board Complete Control of the Budget?

The Select Board has submitted a warrant article proposing that the town do away with the budget committee and give the board complete control of the budget.  As a an elected member of the budget committee, I think that voting on this proposal gives voters an important choice about the budgetary process and how much input the public will have in that process.

Currently, the Select Board prepares a budget with the Town administrator and the department heads. The Budget Committee conducts a thorough review of the budget and is responsible for developing the final budget that goes before voters at the SB2 meeting.  At that time voters have the option to amend the budget before it goes to a vote. 

The Budget Committee, made up of seven elected members plus two liaisons, holds public meetings on the budget and invites public discussion.  The committee also presented two budget forums this year designed to inform the townspeople about the town's financial situation and to get feedback from the public.  Given nine voting members on the board representing a variety of opinions and backgrounds, each item is thoroughly vetted and discussed before decisions get presented for a public vote.

The Select Board may argue that they should be in charge of the budget since they are responsible for conducting the day-to-day operations of the town and they are more familiar with the needs of the departments than members of the budget committee.   However, the Select Board, the Town Administrator, and the Department Heads do NOT prepare the budget in public.  While some discussions may take place at Select Board Work Sessions, they are not detailed discussions and no public input is allowed.

In contrast, the Budget Committee goes over the budget with each Department Head, in public.  The Department Head explains the reasoning for budget requests and answers questions from the committee on individual line items.  Members of the public can also ask questions of both the Department Head and the Budget Committee.  In addition, the committee discusses and votes on each change proposed to the budget in public so that the public can understand the committee's reasoning. 

The Select Board focuses on the operating budget, but the Budget Committee looks at the budget as a whole.  It considers how to balance long-term and short-term needs, and it considers how much taxpayers can afford to pay for the services provided by the town.

The Budget Committee conducts a public hearing before it finalizes its budget for the SB2 meeting, and it prepares the default budget (a budget based on last year's budget plus committed financial obligations that becomes the operating budget if the proposed budget does not pass).   Public input is considered at a meeting after the hearing and changes are often made before the budget is finalized.

Having a Budget Committee ensures that developing the budget is an open, transparent, and democratic process as opposed to the process used by the Select Board which is closed and does not allow for public input except at the end of the process. 

Financial decisions must ultimately be left to the voting public.  Having a Budget Committee is the the best way to ensure that the complex process of developing the budget is open, transparent, and responsive to public input.