Attention: Mosquito Spraying Tonight

Mosquito control officers will be spraying public areas and streets west of Rt . 1 tonight to control an outbreak of EEE

The Salem News: Mosquito spraying tonight in Peabody
The City of Peabody website has additional information as well.

This came at late notice and it is only announced for tonight, September 24, 2009.

Plans call for spraying all ball fields, playgrounds, parks and the bikeway as well as residential streets west of Rt. 1.

Residents are advised to keep windows and doors that face the street or recreation areas closed during this time.

Missing Signs

I just wanted to make a mention here of the sign controversy in Ward 6, where Councilor Sinewitz's signs have gone missing in two different incidents. There are also other signs, including Mr. Sheehan's, missing - but in numbers that do not indicate a targeted action. The Sinewitz signs do appear to be being targeted.

The Salem News: Sheehan condemns theft of opponent's campaign signs
The Salem News: Sinewitz's campaign signs stolen in Ward 6
The Salem News Opinion Letters: West Peabody race gets nasty

There is much discussion going on at Keith Doucette's Peabody Patriot blog.

I feel that both candidates are handling this very well and that neither is involved in the pilfering of the other's signs. I am very hopeful the Peabody police get to the bottom of this quickly.

Stealing ANY campaign sign is simply unamerican and cowardly! Freedom of speech, especially political speech, is a hard fought for right and a basic expectation in our country.

Election Posts - Updated

I have updated all the election blog topics (top left menus) to include the most current information on candidates running for these offices.

This is a place for talking, questioning and politic'ing... but likewise for people holding candidates to the task of explaining what they plan to do if we elect them.

Separate blog topics may be started for more news related items and as we get closer to the November election date.

Ward 1 Primary: Tuesday, 9/15/09

Congratulations to all the candidates in this primary.
And good luck to both leaders in the November elections.

Ward 1 City Councilor Primary was held Tuesday, September 15, 2009.

Peabody Patriot is reporting:

OSBOURNE 360
FORTI 294
CARLI 126

Just a public service here, no editorializing.

The Salem News: Carli says city residents aren't seeing any results

The Salem News: A newcomer, Forti says he is full of 'fresh ideas'

The Salem News: Osborne touts the ability to help his constituents

Peabody Polling Locations are in this brief article in the Peabody Weekly News:

The polls will open on Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. and are at the same locations as in citywide elections. Ward 1 residents in precincts 1 and 3 can vote at St. Ann’s Church on Lynn Street, while Precinct 2 residents can vote at Woodbridge Assisted Living Facility at 240 Lynnfield St. (The Precinct 2 poll is no longer at the Peabody-Lynnfield YMCA.)

Any voters who will be out of the city on Tuesday or unable to make it to the polls because of a physical disability or religious observance may vote by absentee ballot. Call the City Clerk’s office at (978) 538-5756 for more information

I am not a resident of Ward 1 so I have little direct contact with any of these gentlemen. I will say this - that I welcome political competition and dislike uncontested races. I also demand that if someone asks me for my vote that they explain exactly why I should vote for them AND why they are the better choice for the office.

Good luck and please vote Ward 1

Shame on the Peabody School Committee

Bravo to our good and brave School Committee members. The Peabody School Committee is trying to cover their own stupidity and arrogance by blaming the very people they have caused all the headaches for in the first place.

Salem News: Special ed pushed to cover rehiring

Let's take a look at this ever more sad chain of events and see if we, unlike School Committee member David McGeney, can see where the fault lies... and who is ultimately at fault here...

The School Committee is told by Mayor Bonfanti to slash the school budgets and prepare the school system for the obvious layoffs (remember... it was ONLY the Peabody Public Schools that needed to lay off ANYONE - every single other position in Peabody Government was considered NOT OVER BUDGET.)

Then the crack education folks on the School Committee told the school administrators to sharpen their budgets... and several meetings were held to hammer out a workable budget.

During one of these meetings a School Committee member (sorry, I forget who it was) asked if the school adjustment coordinator (SAC) positions might be cut instead of the elementary school guidance councilors... with the idea that other guidance councilors could do the work of the SACs.

To his partial credit, Superintendent Burnett told the SC that IT WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA.

And to show that they know more than the experts, they told the Superintendent to do it anyway... and to his chagrin, he fired the SACs.

Now, only a few months later... The truth about the SACs comes out. They are specialized positions requiring specialized certification... and without that certification the Peabody Schools will be OUT OF COMPLIANCE... which really means that they will be open to law suits from parents for failing to meet the educational requirements of students.

So.... guess what? Peabody now needs to REHIRE the two SACs that they sacked a few months back (sorry, couldn't resist).

Now the Superintendent looks like an ASS.
But even worse... the School Committee all look like ASSES.

How to fix this situation so that the School Committee members DON'T LOOK SO STUPID IN AN ELECTION YEAR???

I KNOW! They will put all the blame on the director of the Peabody Schools Special Education department, Patricia Bullard... BECAUSE SHE FOLLOWED THE ORDERS THEY TOLD HER TO FOLLOW IN THE FIRST PLACE.

And David McGeney even gets a little testy that she somehow simply can not wave her magic wand and restore the $140,000 that the School Committee took out of her budget when they removed these people in the first place.

I simply can not believe that after so many LOWS in the past few years that the Peabody Schools have yet again sunk to a new depth.

Shame on the Peabody School Committee.

Quarry Expansion & Closure Confuses Politicians

The Quarry controversy rears its ugly head yet again

The Boston Globe: Peabody rock quarry closure plans are in midsts of expanding


This is not such a giant controversy.

The quarry was in place long before the houses all sprouted up, so the neighbors complaining about the quarry are simply guilty of choosing to live in the wrong place.

That being said, Aggregate Industries is proving itself to be not only a bad neighbor, but a criminal one as well. The company needs to be very closely watched as it has proven itself to be NOT TRUSTWORTHY.

However, the fact that the two politicians mentioned in the article, Ted Speliotis and Barry Sinewitz, are confused by such a "complicated idea" that this company has the legal right to expand, and plans to do so, while at the same time creating a shut down plan for 30 years in the future says more about the mental abilities of these gentlemen and less about this confusing issue.

It is not confusing.

This company can (and obviously plans to) continue its operations in this location until they have exhausted their permitted rights. They also are required to create a long-term plan to ultimately close the plant.

Gentlemen... how hard is that to understand?

Bottom line...

- Neighbors will complain about ANYTHING and the reality is you shouldn't build/buy your house next to a rock quarry if you don't like noise, ground shaking blasts and truck traffic.

- Aggregate Industries has proven itself to be untrustworthy and in violation of the law. They need to be closely monitored and controlled.

Now I know from talking with a few people that living near AI is a pain and it makes life unpleasant at times (and dangerous at others)... even if people made bad choices in the past (choosing to live near a quarry) - but they are there now and the City should be trying to mediate a fair and reasonable accommodation for all involved. AI has rights, but so do the residents. In fact, the City itself should bear some of the responsibility for allowing these homes to be built in the first place.

In my opinion the best course of action here is:

1) Continue the closure plan discussions with a keen focus on how the land will/can be used in the future.

2) Continue the discussion on the expansion plans - AND MAKE SURE THE CITY HAS SMART PEOPLE IN THIS DEBATE when it comes to the issuance of special permits required for AI to achieve its goals.

The only place the City has any say in AI's business (if they are operating within the law) is when they come to ask for a special permit. This is the time the City needs to act intelligently and get some logical concessions in order to benefit FIRST, the City as a whole and SECOND, the concerns of the neighbors.