Peabody can NOT use affordable housing funds for fuel assistance program

Salem News: Lawyers say no to using affordable housing money for fuel assistance.

I have mixed feelings about this situation. While I still think that Ted Bettencourt was both unprepared and grand-standing when he made these proposals I like that he was 1) recognizing that people in Peabody are hurting in this financial crisis and 2) trying to solve a problem in an innovative way.

Now he really should have gone about this in an entirely different manner, but perhaps this speaks to the kind of person he is… I don’t know as I do not know the man. But my advice to him (or anyone in his position) is to NOT get people’s hopes up if you don’t do your dam homework first.

Councilor Bettencourt, next time you have a good idea why not run it by the experts in the City who understand these matters better than you do? I mean why not go and discuss this matter with the finance and legal teams we have in the City? Talk to the Mayor and your fellow Councilors. Find out what other programs already exist and see if your idea can actually be done legally BEFORE you need to go and announce an IMPOSSIBLE SCHEME to the PRESS… and through them, a needy public, all in an effort to LOOK GOOD.

I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe you simply were excited about a good idea and didn’t think through the whole thing before you yelled it to the world. Okay. That I understand. I actually like to see people having some passion about their jobs. Good for you. But let’s consider this a learning experience and maybe next time you can see if your idea is feasible before someone who is truly in trouble and really needs that assistance you promised hears about your plan and thinks help is on the way... when... it really isn’t.