School fees, vacation daze, Peabody 100k Club and an interesting blog...

Peabody was actually in the Boston Globe's Globe North section for something besides murder, transgender bashing or being the lowest whatever for a change.

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First, the annual listing of salaries must have made its way to the 'slow week' section of the Globe news desk. Peabody: Pay list shows 40 top $100K We are yearly given a listing of the highest paid employees - not surprisingly which are managers, several light plant senior folks, high ranking school officials and police officers who do detail work.

This is usually followed by a litany of average folks being outraged at how much money is paid for so little work being done. This isn't really true, of course - it is just that EVERYONE thinks someone else's job is simple and overpaying.

I am of the opinion that almost everyone on this list is probably deserving of their pay. Where I take exception is to the public safety officers and the use of detail pay. I have discussed this issue MANY TIMES here and on the blogs and this isn't the intent of this post. We can, of course, discuss this in the comments if folks desire.

I was actually a little surprised to see this published in the Globe. It is usually a 'higher intellectual' newspaper and this is more of a Salem News article - as they have never met a government employee worth ANYTHING.

Of course, unlike the Salem News, the Globe goes into some detail giving some reasons for this high pay - most which made sense to me.

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The next article didn't really concern itself with Peabody... which was good considering the focus. Pressure to Pay looked at North Shore communities and the fees to participate on high school sports teams. It seems that while a few decreased fees, a few more increased fees. But Peabody was not one of these. Our sports fee structure stayed the same at $150 per sport with a $300 cap.

The list of communities with fees shows Peabody to be on the lower end of fees charged with only Dracut having lower fees (Gloucester also has a lower starting range, but goes up to $380 per sport.) I am the first to admit that I don't like fees for school activities. But when the schools are in such dire financial straits, I can not see spending precious academic funds on extra-curricular sports or activities. So I was glad to see that while still trying to recoup expenses, Peabody is trying to maintain a minimal impact on parents and student athletes.

It is only fair to also point out that 19 communities (or regional schools) in the area DO NOT have any fees for sports.

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Ah summer! The time when everyone deserves to spend a little quality time away from their jobs and spend it with family and friends! Unless you are school superintendent Milton Burnett. Seems that because of the budget cuts, staffing reductions and major turnovers of key people (think principals here) he has been playing catch-up all summer trying to get ready for the coming school year.

If you read the article in the Salem News, Superintendent's bid to carry over vacation is denied, and read the excepts from his letter to the school committee... it is hard to imagine them denying him a one-time exception to the rule concerning the number of days one can 'carry over' into the next year.

While I am not a fan or a foe of Mr. Burnett, I think he is totally correct on this one. It was the Mayor and the school committee who placed his department in the position where much more work than normal was required to be done (all without an assistant super) and this resulted in the necessity of missing one of the best perks of being employed - vacation time.

I wouldn't blame him if he simply didn't show up for the next 10 days and let the schools suffer... well actually I WOULD blame him and I wouldn't stand for it. BUT this is ultimately the "fault" of the Mayor and the school committee and they should have allowed this as being FAIR and not played the political game of denying it in the hopes of appearing to be on the side of fiscal responsibility after the Salem News has been trying to stir up trouble with the Annemarie DuBois pension "issue."

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I found this link to a blog run by the MAPC (Metropolitan Area Planning Council.) The Salem-Peabody Corridor Project is a new initiative that, I think, is focusing on the Rt. 128 - Main St. - Boston St. corridor and seeks to find improvements to facilitate improvements in traffic and community along the route. This was recently in the news when a group of planners, business people, city officials and citizens walked along the route (twice?) to get an 'on the ground' understanding of the project.

The link to the blog is Salem-Peabody Blog and the homepage of the project is Salem-Peabody Corridor Project.

Changes in the Blog World yet again...

*** UPDATED ***
The Peabody Patriot has returned. Maybe they were
just experiencing a glitch? Who knows.
But I would rather see MORE blogs, and
points of view, rather than fewer.

It seems that the Peabody Patriot blog (aka Peabody Elections) has left the scene (again.) I am basing this on the fact that it has been several days and all you get is... "The blog you were looking for was not found."

Now that blog was originally titled Peabody Politics and politics was the main focus, so maybe it will re-emerge when the political realm kicks up again.

Now sadly it seems that the new blog, the Twisted Tanner, is more interested in being the National Enquirer of Peabody, rather than a place for adults to meet and discuss issues in an intelligent manner. I had held out hopes... and was certainly impressed with the amount of posts - and comments - even in the very first few days.

And while the posts keep coming, they are lowering any sense of standards each day. Name calling, insulting nicknames, blatant favoritism and rumor presented as fact are becoming more and more prevalent.

This all seems very deliberate and it is obviously the work of one of the previous Patriots (or more than one I believe) and has lost both a Peabody focus and all semblance of credibility.

That is sad and unfortunate for us all.

I was asked if I planned on "Closing Shop" or "Throwing in the Towel." Well, no actually. If I were to decide that bloging wasn't for me any longer, I would write a post saying so and then stop. I certainly wouldn't just disappear... I frankly find that incredibly insulting to the people who read and participate.

And as for "Throwing in the Towel," that sounds like a contest with winners and losers. I certainly do not see this as a contest and I absolutely don't consider blogging, or not, winning or losing.

When this very busy season is done, I will have many things to discuss with you I am sure. We live in a City that seems to breed nothing but controversy and everyone has an opinion on these things. I look forward to hearing your and sharing mine.

A new Peabody Blog?

A new Peabody Blog has apparently sprung up right after the recent election.

The Twisted Tanner

http://twistedtanner.blogspot.com/
or
http://www.twistedtanner.com/

I see that the owner has chosen not to list an email address or other contact information so far, so I could not contact this person to get permission to post a link to this new site.

However, as he/she has already posted at the Peabody Patriot, and has a link to the site from their name... and the Patriot has already linked to it... I feel that it is not inappropriate to point you all towards this new blog in a post.

To the Twisted Tanner, Welcome! I have not yet delved into your blog (I've just read some of the headlines) but I welcome additional voices to the discussion.

Please email me and let me know if I may add a link to your blog. And while I see you already have linked to this one - please understand that I am fine with it.

Again, welcome!

Rumor wrong - Doucette NOT running in Ward 6

Well it seems the rumor was wrong and that there was some organized group of posters (or simply one mimicking many) who wished to make it look as if Keith Doucette was running for Ward 6 Councilor. This rumor is and was false.

Here is what I wrote at Keith's Blog:
Note: I am not linking to Keith's blog at his request.

Keith...
I reported a 'rumor,' then it was 'confirmed' by many posters.
Then you pulled your site down.
This all seemed to fit.
Sorry if you feel wronged again.
Unlike many others I will state when I have made a mistake. This obviously is a mistake and I am sorry if I have offended you (yet again.)

That being said... I am not a paid reporter and do not have all the time in the world to check everything myself. I do not, for instance, call the participants in every news article to confirm the reporters veracity.

However... I probably should have been a little more vigilant when it comes to rumor passing by anonymous sources. I will try and do better.

Peabody Patriot has closed shop (again)(again)

UPDATED:
Keith Doucette has NOT pulled papers to run in Ward 6
Please see THIS post for more details

I have made this post too many times now. The Peabody Patriot has closed shop yet again. This is on the heels of Peabody Elections (Keith Doucette's blog) closing the previous day. For better or worse folks... I (again) will be here to host this forum for your comments, commendations and criticisms of the goings on here in the City of Peabody.

Everyone is welcome here to participate in an adult level of discourse concerning the important issues to the City of Peabody, Massachusetts.

At least Keith seems to have a reason for closing that blog - he has pulled papers to run for Ward 6 Councilor. This is a very smart move (closing the blog) in my opinion. As a public official (or someone running for such a post) it is probably not in your best interest to be confronting anonymous people in a public arena.

Now as for the Peabody Patriot... that is another issue altogether. It is really quite a bit of work to run an active blog, and frankly this newest PP was doing a pretty good job. I am sad to see another voice removed from the blog scene.

I also worry at to why..... Now everything I am about to say here-in is PURE CONJECTURE and has little factual information to back it up. It is PURE SPECULATION on my part.

Did you notice that one of the very last things the Patriot posted was that a MOLE in the City Clerk's office had told him that Keith Doucette had pulled papers to run for Ward Councilor...

Now, I DO KNOW a little bit about how City Hall operates - and a little TOO MUCH about how the computer infrastructure works. It is a FACT that ALL computer access is monitored 24 hours a day on City computers. This means EVERYTHING. Emails sent and received. Web sites accessed. Even instant messaging through your computer is recorded and logged... AND CHECKED.

Perhaps the MOLE was 'discovered' and some form of punishment or threats were in the offering? I have no idea BUT I would not put it past the current administration to view these actions as both illegal (using a city computer and city time for personal business) and disloyal.

Like I said... this is (mostly) conjecture. The way City Hall operates its computer system is NOT conjecture though - that is a fact.

Westside Restaurant Updated

It seems to me like the Peabody Weekly News is becoming a better source of good reporting than any other newspaper around. Here is an update from them regarding the Westside Restaurant special permit and the ensuing controversies

The Peabody & Lynnfield Weekly News:
Council postpones vote on alcohol license for Westside
Note: PLWN articles are only available for approximately one week

I sincerely appreciate Councilor Bettencourt informing the public as to the nature of the emergency that led to the recess of the City Council meeting that evening. I am especially glad to hear that everyone is now fine and that his family is safe.

I stand by my previous comments that the meeting should not have been stopped. The fact that one councilor was not able to be present for the meeting (even though he did attend part of it) is irrelevant.

A quorum is the minimum number of meeting members that need to be present in order for official business to take place. For the City Council that number is 6.

Now a special permit needs to have a super majority (in this case 8 votes) in order to be approved. Thus, with Councilor Manning choosing to vote no the die was cast for the special permit to fail.

This is why I called into question the shenanigans that went on with Councilor Bettencourt's emergency call. It was not that he was responding to a family emergency - of course any good parent would have left to take care of his family - it was the closing of the meeting to prevent the special permit from failing.

Aside: I have reviewed all my comments made concerning this matter. I find that I have consistently sought WHY the meeting was postponed instead of continuing and I questioned the legitimacy of such actions. I also stated that IF the entire emergency was a concoction used to postpone the proceedings, that such actions would have been reprehensible. And because of the actions by the Council AFTER the departure of Councilor Bettencout, I felt it was important that it be reported what actually happened.

And while this apparently angered a few readers, it seems Councilor Bettencourt also felt the need to share the reasons for his departure with the press.

Link removed.

I was asked to remove a link to one of the local blogs by the owner. I believe it is still up and running so do not construe that its removal from this blog has anything to do with its status.
-PI

Peabody blogs are like the weather... ~UPDATED~

Peabody blogs are like the weather... Wait a minute and they will all change! Except for the Peabody Roundtable of course.

It seems like the world of Peabody blogs has yet again had a sea change.

And a new version of The Peabody Patriot has emerged with nary a word about who is running it or what has transpired.

Keith has reopened Peabody Elections
Old Post: (Keith has changed the status of Peabody Elections to invited participants only (I am NOT one btw)...)

As always... interesting times here in Peabody.

Peabody Patriot... Gone Again?

It seems that the Peabody Patriot has, once again, left the building.

There was a cryptic message of a sort up on the site a few days back... which vanished a few hours later.

~~Click to see the Cryptic Posting~~~

And then today ~poof~

Some people with claims of knowledge have posted here (see comments) but I have no personal knowledge of what happened at the Patriot this time.

I will say that running a blog is a tremendous amount of work and running a good one is 10x tougher. Add to that the R_E_A_L_L_Y slow news about Peabody for the last few weeks (and many fewer posts and/or comments) and perhaps the Patriot needed a break.

I will continue to be here and the Peabody Elections blog seems intact. I welcome the Patriot if he/she decides to come back as I don;t see anything wrong with more people discussing the issues important to the City of Peabody and her fine citizens.

New Blog on Peabody Politics

A group of citizens led by Keith Doucette has opened up a new blog to focus specifically on the next elections here in Peabody.

2009 Peabody Elections

As is usually the case, Keith has interesting things to add to the blog-o-sphere. Check it out.

Goodbye Jorge Peabody

I have had one last exchange with The Peabody Patriot's Jorge Peabody. He has handed the reins of the Patriot to another and is planning a more subdued life as a visitor rather than a blogger.

Jorge was the latest in a long line of folks to man the helm of the Patriot. Now Jorge and I did not always agree on things, sometimes we did, but often we didn't. And that never seemed to bother him or me. And I found that to be a refreshing stance from the Patriot.

Jorge did a very competent job and I for one will miss is presence. Jorge, you are always welcome to come and participate here.

I look towards the newest rendition of the Patriot with a bit of skeptical intrigue... will it devolve back into a room full of cheap shots and yelling? Or might it continue down the path of civilized and thoughtful discussion of the important topics of the day?

We will all wait and see.

Patriot Returns... but who is leading the charge?

It seems that the Peabody Patriot is back on live. However it seems like it has a new tone and a new email address... and this leads me to believe it might (again) be under new leadership.

To this I say... WELCOME! I think that multiple points of view are often the most conducive to an active and engaging conversation. Readers will find they sometimes agree and sometimes disagree with my points or take on issues, but that is often a good place to being to discuss these issues in depth.

Please be sure to visit the Peabody Patriot and say hello. Also be sure to visit back here.

The Peabody Patriot - Gone Again?

I saw today that The Peabody Patriot has taken a little break from blogging. I certainly hope that this is indeed a temporary situation and that Jorge (or whoever) will be back to provide another place for discussion of the relevant topics to the City of Peabody and her citizens.

Let me say that I certainly did not always agree with Jorge, or the long line of Pat's (etc.) before him, but I had respect for the efforts put forth to try and create an engaging place for Peabody Citizens to discuss the issues of the day. And often... The Patriot was an early source for news that only hit the papers days later. Come back soon Jorge.

One Peabody poster (WhoGAF) recently said that the Peabody Roundtable is the Big Dog now. Well, speaking to that, let me make this brief statement (and for folks who have read my posts before... you know how hard a BRIEF statement is for me):

I plan on continuing posting commentary on issues of the day and interesting Peabody news items. I was not and will not be in the habit of publishing rumors without some hard evidence or to engage in unfounded speculation. I believe those who have asked us, the citizens, for the opportunity to serve us (as elected & appointed officials or as public servants) are subject to a certain level of scrutiny regarding their handling of public issues and City business. I also believe that they have a right to a certain amount of privacy that should not be breached unless it comes into conflict with their responsibilities to the citizenry. I think you know I prefer facts to attacks and open and frank discussion instead of mockery and name calling.

With your help the Peabody Roundtable can become a place for positive engagement for the citizens of Peabody.

PI
peabody_insider@yahoo.com

Slow News Month?

I have been looking for more topics of interest... in the newspaper(s), on-line and even in Dunkin Donuts.

The basic opinion is that National events are holding dominance over local issues... and even though the economy is in terrible straits and the effects are playing out all around us, there is nothing concrete for me to bring up here.

So perhaps you have some ideas or concerns that you would like to air? Here's your chance. This blog is still getting a few visitors each day so maybe we can discuss how YOU are handling the current downturn in this thing we call an economy.

And, yes, I am still upset about the contract with the police union. But frankly, while others are predicting that elected officials 'heads will roll' in the next elections... I feel it will all be forgotten and we will forever have a 9/11 holiday for the cops here in Peabody.

The Roundtable is Back On

Hi Everyone:
The Peabody Roundtable is back and I hope to be updating the site at least 2 or 3 times a week. Please read and comment on the 4 new posts and feel free to voice your opinions.

Hiatus

I will continue to blog about Peabody.
However, I will only start in earnest with the New Year.
I hope to have a few posts, maybe a recap, in mid-December.

Feel free to leave your comments. All are welcome.

The First Post

This is the first post for the Peabody Roundtable blog.

Since the demise of Old Fred's Peabody Patriot, many folks have been looking for a place to again meet and discuss the on-going going-ons here in Peabody.

This time a team of people will be trying to work together to make this a lasting addition to the blog-world... and not just another short-term enterprise.

To do this though, we need you as both readers and participants. Please have a look around, read about what other folks are saying and then let us know what you think.

As always, this is a work in progress and helpful commentary is certainly appreciated.

This would be a good place to start off with any ideas you might have concerning what would make this a better place for everyone to discuss the issues facing our City of Peabody, Massachusetts.