New Bedford PD and FD were offered some similar deal. They refused. I imagine these employees will do the same and so would I. Thats a lot of money. I don't imagine they will ask this of teachers only police . And our firefighters seem exempt from everything in town. So the town will get less. Less cops= more crime. Less municipal maintenance= bad roads and dilapidation of buildings.   Then they can blame it on the unions. Those evil town  employees would not work for peanuts.

Yeah The Police Take A 15% Cut And The Bos Continues To Sue Everyone That Looks At Them Crosseyed. We Continue To Sue The Library, Street Name Changes. They Have The Money For That. The School Dept Got A 1% Increase. The Teachers Wont Be Asked To Take Pay Cuts. The Fire Dept Is Exempt Because They Are In Districts. Some Former Selectman Tried To Privatize School Busing Years Ago To Save Money And She Was Fought Tooth And Nail And It Failed. And Jimmy Potter Wants The Bos To Be Paid??? Wheres That Money Going To Come From? Vote For Change In This Current Bos!

I agree with paying the BOS.   Paying them essentially demands transparency and holds them to a different standard automatically.  The current challenges from a financial and planning standpoint are putting this town at risk for years to come.  Wouldn't you want individuals who could do this important work all day, every day instead of being burdened by other responsibilities?

Maybe some of you will answer by saying that's what we pay the town manager for but I disagree.  We pay the town manager to be a tactical, day to day steward of the town hall and the execution of the policies and responsibilities assigned to him by the BOS and the citizens of the town.  The BOS should be much more strategic, setting policy for the town, understanding the ins and outs of the important groups in towns and how they operate (i.e. Police and Schools).   Putting aside the fact that this particular BOS has alienated and has public disdain for the police and schools; two areas of town that should be a priority since most towns are judged on their crime and school system, they still don't have the time to really dive deep into the real issues of the town and to set an agenda that is less reactive and more proactive.

inliar ldependent voice these ass  holes are not worth paying then even a dollar a year   this town adminstrator asked lord bruce for a day off not bruces job this town adminstrator is a total dick and a pussey he has got to go these selectman have totalley botched up our gov and you want to pay them   get real get real i live here you dont any more you are in need of a serious education these power hungery nuts ran for the job nowing it was not payed and now want to pay them i say give them the boot and if we ellect better secltman then maybe we can pay them  this is more than a downturn thieir job is been total malfesance and you want  to pay them  they are crooks    liars thieves  i say independant voice pay them in wampum beads

IndependentVoice wrote:

I agree with paying the BOS.   Paying them essentially demands transparency and holds them to a different standard automatically.

Where's that money supposed to materialize? Feed a stray dog once, you'll never get rid of it.

We're already asking everyone to surrender x% of their wages and benefits, income they can kiss goodbye forever, and they know they're only buying time until the next layoffs.

Forgive me, I just can't swallow the thought of paying a gang of inept thieves to dismantle our direct assembly and pocket the change.

Money doesn't mean transparency. Look no farther than Wall Street.

independant voice  i am  not a great master of the english language but these people suck  why   they have done a  hoerable job of running wareham maybe when they are gone and the rag has gone out of bussiness then we  can throw a party when thay are gone i suppose you are in favor of giving wall street exes  large bounus dont you  think that is a good idea bounus for doing a shit job  what are you slagers brother or savenues wife get real

Will The Town Clerk Be Asked To Surrender Her 9,000 Dollar Raise She Just Got Last Year? If The Bos Had Their Hands On The Pulse Of Warehams Financial Crisis Why Did They Vote In Favor Of That One? Independant Voice? I Recall That Is Also The Motto Of The Wareham Observer......strange

You guys have lost your minds.....you really think I'm somehow connected to Slager or Bruce?   Why the attacks on me?  I've done nothing but support your positions and now that we have a disagreement  or two or because I take a different position one one or two issues I get attacked?  The motto of the Observer?

And what did I say for or against that 9k raise?  What does that have to do with anything I've written?  For the record, a 9k raise seems ridiculous considering the financial circumstances of the town and of the country.....that is wrong and should be explained.

And how do you take my suggestion....SUGGESTION mind you...that perhaps a mayor/city council form of government should be looked at and then link that to Bruce being mayor....you idiot.

Because I'm not willing to call Bruce or Liz or Slager or anyone else whom you don't like some ridiculous name or embarrass myself by stooping to name calling or childish editing of cartoons doesn't mean I'm automatically on the so-called other side. 

You have no idea what you are talking about and you are making yourself look foolish.  I don't know how you can read what I've written and come to those childish conclusions.  How old are you?

IndependentVoice wrote:

Anyway, BILLW....  I don't claim to have the answer as to where the money would come from or even how much that position is worth....and perhaps given the economic situation, this is not the time to bring this subject up.  However, I fundamentally think Wareham needs to be run much like a business and in business you are as good as the people that you hire.

An educated guess suggests you're new to town. I'm not trying to insult you, IV. Maybe you've actually seen towns this size managed well with hired help but if you have, I've no doubt they were far more affluent than this one... in the suburbs of NY or Boston?

Once upon a time, I worked as a newspaper reporter in small to medium sized markets from coast to coast in every time zone, at least twice, before I turned freelance writing business profiles and agri-science stories. So I drag unique baggage to this enterprise.

More to the point, though, my family have lived, worked and died in Wareham for 300 years.

For the record, this is how and why warehamobserver.com began.

Last edited by billw (2009-02-19 17:25:34)

TBL wrote:

I guess Brenda wants the safety of Wareham's roads left up to Jethro and Cooter with their 1975 piece of shit truck.

Nope, sorry, Jethro and Cooter are already under contract to plow under the town's sidewalks. For real.

Oh, hell, ignore that rant. Everyone else does. I'm just another bicycle hippie and would sod every street if I had my way. Just by way of no harm, y'all are the shittiest motorists in christendom.

IndependentVoice wrote:

I'm actually not new to town...I don't live there any longer after living in Wareham for over 30 years.   I care because of the life-long investment that I've made in believing in Wareham, admiring the people of Wareham and because I still have family in Wareham.

Sorry, I was way off base and should have remembered that.

What I do recall from childhood was almost every adult I knew here was in one way or another engaged in the operation of this town for the simple joy of associating with their neighbors, like a play date for big people.

I hope that's not dead and gone because otherwise I really am doing this for nothing. ;-)

funny the police voice their opinion regarding the treatment recieved by the town selectmen and all the sudden out of the blue they want the police to take 15% paycut .   probably a coincidence right.  how many coincidences are we to believe.   

you dont like us so we are going to screw with your lives............. that is the attitude running the town