A person posted here asking if I would be making any endorsements of candidates for office in the City of Peabody. They also wanted to know predictions about who I thought might actually win.
This is a good idea for a post. I will need to do some research into ALL the candidates first... at least those who are running in races against someone else.
Sadly, I (like Needham's Corner) have had few candidates visit my home. One was here (Grayson, Ward 4 challenger) in person and two others (Driscoll, Ward 4 incumbent and Hochman, School Committee challenger) left literature when no one was home.
I am very desirous of knowing what these candidates stand for and what they see as the future path for Peabody. I have read the local papers, gone to websites and facebook pages, I have even asked some directly for these answers... and received little, if anything, in return.
So while I do not feel that competent to discuss some of the other ward challengers, I certainly have an opinion on most of the existing ward councilors and the at-large folks. And the school committee as well... I know the incumbents, but VERY little about the challengers.
Then you have the two that are utterly meaningless... Library Trustee and Electric Light Commission... Frankly... who cares. Library trustee? As long as we don't get a book burner like Bev Dunne in that roll... I could care less. And light plant? I mean what DO they do anyway? That job seems like simply a Free Health Care Position to me.
So I will do some due diligence and start a post very soon on the endorsements and predictions... and I hope everyone will toss in their own two cents in the discussion as well.
I would also be happy to publish the websites of ANY candidates... so please feel free to pass them along in the comments.
More on this to come.
Farewell Dark City....
11 years ago
18 comments:
2 visits & 2 pieces of literature by Sinewitz
1 visit & 1 piece of literature by Sheehan
1 piece of literature by Manning
I understand why candidates don't want to spend any money or time to win a meaningless SC or CC role, but last I heard there was someone running for mayor.
Mr. Donovan......
Donovan......
Donovan......
The silence is deafening.
I may be in the minority, but I don't like visits. Just leave your literature and I will decide. I can also understand why some people just leave their literature and don't visit - time. Most people that are running have fulltime jobs, family or other obligations. I can't imagine how much time it would take to visit every house. This may explain why some people have not been visited by Mr. Donovan.
I received a visit from Alyward with literature, literature from Rossignoll, and a visit from Sinewitz.
I can understand the lack of a visit, but to not send out any literature? Or how about an ad in the Peabody Weekly or SEN's?
Its the candidates obligation to reach the electorate and make their case for why they should be elected.
I'm dying for an alternative to Bonfanti. Unfortunately, I don't see a viable one this election season.
I got yelled at about this in the past, but I still believe it to be true.
It is the candidates responsibility to get out the word about themselves.
It is also the voters responsibility to get to know something about the candidates.
But I think the bulk of the weight is on the candidates... if they hope to be successful that is.
I will say right off the bat that I thought Mr. Donovan was a joke candidate going into this race. Not that he is a creep or anything... but that he was NOT a viable candidate in any way.
And his campaign so far is proving me correct. His whole message is about how he knows more about Peabody (and Eastman) water than EVERYONE... including State experts. He is running no campaign as far as I can see... although I have recently seen a few signs up for him in yards.
But his is the most difficult task... to unseat a rather popular mayor in a short period of time. He is NOT getting any message across as far as I can see.
I just read about the Brooksby Forum in the Weekly News... was this event open to the public? Did I simply miss an invitation?
How incredibly rude to have a forum like this for a cloistered segment of the city and to NOT have a more public forum for the rest of the city (not living behind gated doors.
I will start a new post based on the article.
You can read it HERE.
I never really understood endorsements. If someone is basing their vote upon who was endorsed, that is just a sad commentary...people should be thinking for themselves. If you're too lazy to figure out who you want to vote for then you probably shouldn't be voting in the first place. Not that the candidates make it easy for you...there's NEVER anything useful in their literature and they seldom say anything of substance.
Well, I have seen one or two good pieces of campaign literature in my time, but certainly not this year.
Even from the one candidate who I really found engaging and intelligent... his literature says the same thing as everyone else...
... I have a family ... I live in Peabody ... I love the City ... I want to see it be better ... etc.
All lovely (but meaningless) sentiments IF you have no good ideas to bring to the table.
I want a candidate to tell me what they think is/are the most important issues and what they would like to see happen with those issues and HOW THEY WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Now, no one can see the future and predict how things will turn out. GWB could not see the 9/11 attacks and both McCain & Obama had no idea of the depth of this financial crisis. Thus they had to change course and reconcentrate on other things.
I get that. But you got to tell me something about you that shows me that you are thinking along the same lines as me... and not a flag waving, I love Peabody thinking... but some concrete examples.
I think we need/don't need to rezone downtown or the whole City.
I think we need/don't need to restore money to the public schools.
I think/don't think we need to concentrate on infrastructure and improvements instead of having the lowest taxes north of Boston.
I want these candidates to show me that THEY ARE THINKING about these issues and not simply knee jerking there way through a meeting or simply pandering to 5 angry phone calls tat they received.
Sadly, most candidates are unprepared to give me what I want.
They are satisfied to write some God Bless Peabody tripe on a flyer and call that a campaign statement.
You know what...
The woodchuck that lives under my garage... he has a family... has lived in Peabody his whole life ...has a job here (eating my garden) and finally HE LOVES PEABODY!
That makes Mr. Gopher as qualified as any candidate so far running in this election!
The gopher could probably run this blog better as well.
Well, I think we can at least agree the gopher would probably come up with better posts than what your capable of.
Ooh, such clever ripostes, Anon(10/7 evenings). If you don't value what happens on this site, feel free to surf elsewhere - and post your riveting comments THERE.
So, Brooksby Village hosted some sort of forum: good for them.
What else is going on? I find the standard campaign literature totally useless in determining for whom to vote.
1.Either you are from Peabody (bonus points! ooh, you are "one of us") or you have to justify why we should vote for you. Really, who cares if you were born here? Do you follow Census reports? Hardly anyone was born here, and smart voters don't care!
2. Wife with ethnic maiden name pulls in the "ethic" vote. Pul-leeze.
3. You have kids? Oh, good, you care about kids - and by extension, education in Peabody. Again, SHALLOW...
4. Homeowner? Ok, the feds are giving you a fat tax credit for homeownership. Why should I care?
5.Activities: sports, coaching, PTA, PTO: yeah, ok, we get it: you seriously care about kids. Yawn: boring.
Message to City Councilors: if you are running for city council, I don't care one fig about the preceding five points. Do you have ideas? Are you ready to DO something? Or do you just feel your mission in life is biz "hours of operation" and other miscellaneous trivia? Do your want to lower taxes and IMPROVE SERVICES? Show me!!!
Library and PMLP: yeah, what PI said. No one cares. Sorry!
Can we get some SUBSTANCE in these races please?? Pretty please?
How much text could a woodchuck type if a woodchuck could type text?
A woodchuck left a flyer at my house today. It did not list what hole he lives in or why he chose that hole. He did not list his education or profession. He had no community involvement and doesn't participate in any city activities. All is said was was "Vote for Woodchuck for City Council" and listed his ideas to let downtown Peabody flood and rezone it into a water park and move city hall to an empty space at the Northshore Mall. He also wants to forgo educating the kids altogether in this city. The money saved from this will be spent on building seven senior centers and filling in Spring Pond so another Brooksby Village can be built on the site.
There you go PI and Needham, go vote for the woodchuck.
Ok,
you have Liacos (30years)
Driscoll (22 years) and
Garabedian (16 years).
Please...someone tell me something what any one of these individuals has done (on their own) to make Peabody a better place to live.
They all voted to raise YOUR/OUR TAXES EVERY YEAR SINCE BONFANTI HAS BEEN IN OFFICE.
They all voted to INSTALL 450k OF NEW WINDOWS AT CITY AHLL.
They all voted to BOND FOR 960k to CLEAN SPRING POND, when it was done for 450k.
They all vote to ADD NEW DEVELOPMENT SUCH AS BOULDERWOOD TO NEIGHBORHOODS SUCH AS BARTHALAMEW STREET THAT CAN BARELY HANDLE THE TRAFFIC THEY HAVE NOW.
So, PI and NC you can rip apart literature all you want...but in the end, it IS what has gotten these people elected in the past.
Here's one for ya...
"Working to stabilize the tax-rate" how many times have you seen this on certain peoples' literature? Yet EVERY year they raise the taxes.
Sure, Peabody has the lowwest tax rate around. Does that mean we could not do better??
I have been visited by many more people than/candidates than you all mention. And I will make up my mind soon, I smell change in the air and think that people will be surprised.
Thankyou ! I couldn't have said it better myself!
Do you want to know what the outcome of the LOWEST TAX RATE around is? It's called no families live in Peabody anymore.
Yes, I'm a lifer. Born and raised in West Peabody and when I was growing up the streets were filled with children. Now, there is maybe 4-5 houses on my street that have kids.
The problem is all of my friends baby-boomer parents haven't moved out yet. Why you ask? Because the tax rate favors them staying instead of bringing in new blood via a great school system or other city provided services.
Peabody has (had) a tremendous opportunity to be a stellar community that has both a competetive tax rate, great city services, and an excellent school system. Instead, we went with the LOWEST TAX RATE possible approach and ended up with a crumbling infrastructure, a LOUSY school system, and a city filled with retiring baby boomers or families that live in the cheap apartements next to the dump.
I'm tired of hearing how our taxes have increased every year for the last 8. $40 a year isn't a tax increase - it's called keeping up with operational costs that have also increased.
As Bill Parcells used to say, "we are what we are" and that is MEDIOCRE. And in my mind, a lot closer to Lynn than Lynnfield.
OG says...
there will be no change in local politics because our incumbents really don't need to work hard or stay on their toes in this city...as a result we get political lifers in many positions...now there are some who will claim that 'experience' is a good thing but at some point that reality crosses with another reality > POLITICAL MALAISE...and that dear friends is what we have right now here in Dark City...how do get out of this funk? We don't. It has become our way of life. Our political energy and expectations are low and as a result you will get more of the same > incumbents re-elected and comparatively lower taxes. Do not confuse my realism with pessimism. We are indeed what we are.
OG, Such a dismal outlook. I hope that the rest of the city doesn't have such a dim outlook on the future of our city.
Can someone tell me how we compare with our neighbors when it comes to commercial tax rates?
2009 Commercial Tax Rates
Peabody 18.03
Salem 24.54
Lynn 25.35
Danvers 16.60
Lynnfield 11.35
Saugus 19.76
Malden 18.17
The real issue is when you compare residential tax rates. Peabody is well over a $1.00 less (and in many cases $2+ less) than any surrounding town.
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