Golden Time For Patriot Fans

Patriots In Their Opponents Heads

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

This past Sunday I attended my 12th AFC Championship Game. All of them have involved the Patriots, eight of them in Foxboro. While standing in Gillette Stadium with my son and my best friend, we got into a spirited but friendly chat with a couple of Jacksonville Jaguar fans.

After the usual jousting (they claimed they were going to win, and we arrogantly told them that was cute), they started talking about how thrilling it was just to be in the game. That brought into focus for me just where the Patriots are in the minds of the rest of the country.

“We’re going to beat you, it’s our time,” the young man said while his female companion supported him. I responded with some witty remark about how if Tom Brady only had eight fingers, he would be Blake Bortles. Then after wishing each other well, the Jags fan said something that struck me.

“You know, even if we lose – we’re here,” he explained earnestly. “I mean, to play in this stadium, against Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, is unbelievable. Most teams don’t even get that far. It’s really awesome.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what the New England Patriots have done to the rest of the NFL and its fans. They have made their opponents “just happy to be here.”

The Patriots are the most hated team in professional sports today. That’s largely due to the fact they are the most successful sports dynasty of the 21st century.

In less than two weeks they will play in their record 10th Super Bowl, and hopefully win for a record-tying 6th time.

Of course, they are also despised for other reasons. Spygate, Deflategate, and several other alleged “gates” have also contributed to that elite level of hatred.

Toss in a genius coach who resembles an angry Yoda, a handsome quarterback with a supermodel wife, and a spoiled Boston fan base with 10 major sports championships in the last 16 years and you’ve got the perfect villain.

The Patriots are Big Tobacco. They are health insurance companies. They are that kid who lived down the street who always got the date you wanted.

They are that family in the neighborhood who always has the better-looking lawn, no matter how much you spend or how hard you work on yours.

If you had told me back in the 1980’s this would happen, I would have thought you were nuts.

Sitting on a cold aluminum bench in the league’s worst stadium watching the league’s worst team, the idea of anyone fearing the misfits from Foxboro was laughable.

But no one is laughing now — except us.

In less than two weeks, the Patriots will once again have the chance to disappoint the rest of the country. And the City of Brotherly Love and their loyal fans could be left having little beyond the honor of losing the Super Bowl to the best franchise in the history of football — again.

We are living sports history here. Enjoy it — we may never see its like again.

Go Pats.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and a Patriot season ticket holder since 1973. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

Not So Fast On Foxboro Meeting Rooms

Foxboro Citizens Own Meeting Rooms

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting or talking to Foxboro Town Manager William Keegan, but I look forward to doing so. He has done an admirable job of steering that community back towards professionalism after a period of unruly politics and out of control politicians.

But his recent proposal to bar or restrict both “political” organizations and outside groups from using certain public meeting rooms in the town hall and other town buildings shows an insensitivity towards taxpayers and citizens. While his proposed policy is no doubt well-intentioned, it is ill-advised and sends exactly the wrong message.

Keegan’s proposal would prevent groups deemed political from using some conference and meeting rooms in the town hall, the senior center, and the public safety building. He said the rooms should not be used for politics, including groups like the Town Democratic and Republican committees.. He also suggested requiring groups that do not include a town employee to add the town to their insurance policies, and be subject to being bumped by town committees after booking.

To begin with, trying to separate politics from the Town Hall is a bit like trying to separate the Red Sox and Fenway Park. It’s physically possible, but people will still associate the two. Politics is what makes town halls possible and necessary.

And yes, there should be no political fundraising done in a municipal building. In fact, that is already illegal. Candidates for elected office should not be holding campaign meetings in the Town Hall proper. It gives the wrong appearance, if nothing else.

But groups like the Democratic or Republican town committees should be able to utilize public meeting space. So should other community organizations made up of citizens and taxpayers.

It is certainly fair to give town boards and committees preference in scheduling those meeting places, as municipal business comes first. But Foxboro taxpayers were asked to pay for a new town hall as well as the other meeting spots. If they are good enough to pay for them, they should certainly be entitled to also use them.

Selectman James DeVellis expressed concern the policy could discourage groups and individuals from participating in local affairs. “The backbone of this town is its volunteers. I think over time we’re losing the genuine want for groups to come in,” he said. That concern is a good one.

Keegan believes some type of policy is needed, though he expressed a willingness to change it. Selectmen must ultimately vote to adopt any policy, and they asked the town manager to review the proposal after including input from local citizens and non-profit groups.

“Making policy is like making sausage. You put a bunch of stuff in there and something comes up,” Keegan explained. That’s an accurate though overused cliché.

But in this case, the taxpayers of Foxboro paid for the sausage. They shouldn’t be banned from eating it just because it’s not always a pretty sight.

Here’s hoping the selectmen eventually institute a much more inclusive policy for public spaces. Now excuse me, I’m suddenly hungry.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

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Trump Would Have Kept My Grandfather Out

Trump Would Not Have Liked My Grandfather

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

I wonder what my grandfather would have thought of President Trump. I know President Trump wouldn’t have thought much of him.

My grandfather left his island of Madeira (Portugal) many years ago for Norton, to try and better his family’s life. He had little money, no college degree, no “special skills” beyond a tremendous work ethic and spoke no English. Today, he would not meet any of President Trump’s “standards” for being allowed to immigrate to the “Land of the Free”.

To be fair, I don’t believe President Trump specifically mentioned Portugal as one of the “shithole countries” from which we should take no more immigrants. But his utter disdain for people from Haiti, El Salvador, and many African nations — while expressing a preference for people from Norway — would certainly place my grandfather closer to the former than the latter.

According to President Trump, my grandfather would be of no use to the United States. Why take poor people who will take our jobs, and perhaps cost us money? Obviously, my grandfather would be seen a drain on what matters more than people to this President — Trump’s “amazing” economy.

Of course, President Trump doesn’t know my grandfather never collected welfare. That he and my uncle scrimped and saved for seven years before being able to bring his wife and children here. That he bought acres of land and farmed it for decades while also working full-time for Wheaton College in the maintenance department. That he lived in Norton for close to 60 years, paying taxes on the local, state and federal level.

President Trump doesn’t know my grandparents raised four sons and two daughters, three of whom served in the US military. He doesn’t know my father came here at 14, graduated high school in three years, raised a family, put himself through college while working three jobs, became a CPA, and reached the upper echelons of a major national bank.

President Trump doesn’t know one of my uncles owned a neighborhood store. Or that my aunt owned a café, and her sister worked at Balfour for more than 30 years. Or that another uncle managed a Fernandes Supermarket, while his brother ran the union representing its workers. By the way, that supermarket chain was founded by the son of an immigrant from the same area.

Without my grandfather and my father, I would not have been here to serve Norton for over 40 years as a town official. Or to have helped raise two amazing kids, who have given me five grandchildren with unlimited potential.

This is not a unique story. There are millions like it, featuring immigrants from “shithole” countries who have contributed so much to America.

I am proud of them. I am proud of my late grandparents and father.

I never expected to be proud of this President, so his ignorance doesn’t surprise me. But I am so disappointed in others who fail to stand up and condemn his words and actions.

You deserve as much shame as he does. Maybe more.

Happy Martin Luther King Day.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and proud son and grandson of immigrants. He can be reached at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

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State Pot Rules Are For The Paranoid

Pot Causes Paranoia - Without Use
by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

There has long been a theory (some would call it a fact) that marijuana has a chilling effect on people. It makes them paranoid, act strangely and illogically, and leads them into hysterical decision-making that creates bad and costly situations for the public at large.

And you don’t even have to smoke, ingest or inhale it for all those things to happen. All you have to do is try legislating it here in Massachusetts on either the local or state level. The federal government is even a crazier story.

Truth be told, just the mention of legalized pot is often enough to set off politicians at every stage of government. Here at the local level, officials have displayed a wide variety of reactions to something the people of Massachusetts voted — by a relatively wide margin — to support. Combine that with the ridiculous and inconsistent approach by the current administration and Justice Department, and you have a confusing mess that leaves most of the area high and dry. Pun intended.

And they have gotten little help from our distinguished state legislature, which has treated the issue of almost any form of legalized marijuana as if it were regulating plutonium. In typical Beacon Hill fashion, it continues to ignore the expressed will of the people. The majority of members pay lip service to the fact voters spoke on this issue, but remain unwilling to act accordingly.

They created legislation that purports to legalize pot, but in fact buries it under a pile of bureaucratic silliness. The regulations are virtually indecipherable, much of it reading like it was put together by someone under the influence of something far more disabling than marijuana. Just the approval process alone at the local level is so dumb and deliberately dense as to defy belief.

It was created to be able to give cover to local politicians who could be “at risk” if they allowed marijuana dispensaries of any type in their communities. How, you ask? By recognizing what most local politicians and officials know all too well, but most local voters don’t really think about and understand:

Getting elected and reelected at the local level is completely different than running for state positions, primarily because the people who vote in each election are very often not the same. Simply put, the people who elect selectmen and city councilors are very often not the same people who cast ballots in state races. And those who treat these elections alike often have short political careers because of it.

How else can you explain a system that requires an applicant for a marijuana dispensary to go before a board of selectmen in order to proceed to the licensing stage, yet not require them to actually approve it? Instead, local officials can merely vote to issue a “letter of non-opposition” and thus be able to claim they were firmly on both sides of the volatile issue. They can say both “We didn’t approve it” and “We didn’t deny it” with equal truthfulness.

This rather unique position allows them to assuage the larger, more broadly-based electorate who vote in state contests by allowing these businesses to at least move forward. At the same time, they can tell the smaller, more provincial group who faithfully votes in local elections that they refused to actually approve allowing “reefer madness.”

Some leaders and municipalities have embraced the potential economic benefits of legalized pot. Attleboro Mayor Heroux has made anticipated revenue from marijuana dispensaries an integral piece of his financial and budget plans for the city. By contrast, most leaders in Foxboro have run from any type of marijuana facility — medical or recreational — largely because that town narrowly voted against the statewide ballot question. And because the local election voting base is much more conservative, with marijuana not fitting into their vision for “The Gem of Norfolk County.”

In the meantime, the Trump administration — which always favors “leaving things up to the state” — has its attorney general vigorously enforcing federal marijuana laws even when they conflict with state laws. That’s a complete change from the previous administration.

A lot of these legislative folks just need to chill. But then, that seems to be what they fear the most.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official. He can be reached at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

Attleboro Effort Needs All Hands On Deck

Attleboro Override Boat Needs A Captain

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux was sworn into office this week. Of the many issues that will demand his time and attention, none are more important than the one that has dominated city politics for the last few years.

That is education, and more specifically the anticipated placement of a Proposition 21/2 debt exclusion on the ballot to fund a proposed new Attleboro High School.

The cost is anticipated to be around $266 million, with approximately half to be funded through state reimbursement. That would leave about $133 million to be raised through the property tax.

For the average city home valued at $280,000, the tax increase would be $393 per year over the 20-year life of the bond. That is an average, with some years being higher and some lower. The debt exclusion tax would disappear after 20 years, when the project is paid off in full.

Obviously, this is a big deal for city taxpayers, students and parents. The current high school is a half-century old, and repairing it would actually cost more than building a new school. But city voters have never — ever — approved an override. Many believe they should not start now.

Mayor Heroux favors building the new school. But campaigning on this issue and governing with it are two different things. The new administration is clearly in favor of the concept, but leading the actual effort is much more difficult and can be politically dangerous. Just ask Kevin Dumas.

Heroux’s campaign manager and former city councilor and state representative Bill Bowles recently turned some heads when he questioned the integrity of both the numbers being circulated and the leaders of the override effort. While insisting he favors building the school, Bowles was plowing the political ground the Heroux administration must cultivate. Heroux inherited the Dumas debt exclusion plan, and that is being made very clear.

A significant segment of the voting populace will oppose this override on purely philosophical grounds. They want no new taxes — period. They are not interested in explanations of the numbers, they just want them discredited. They believe their counterparts on the “other side” will support the project under any circumstances.

Overrides are perhaps the most divisive thing a Massachusetts community does. But debt exclusions for schools are often successful for one simple reason: The amount of school building reimbursement makes them a relatively good “bargain” (note the quotation marks) for property taxpayers.

If Attleboro voters turn down the state money (which comes in part from their state taxes), there are plenty of other communities willing to take it. One way or another, it will be spent.

Mayor Heroux wants to combine the override vote with a possible upcoming special election to fill his state representative seat. One reason is to save money, which makes good fiscal sense — even though the state partially funds special elections.

However, overrides are different. They are generally more emotional, often bringing out those who might not otherwise participate in the electoral process. As I have often noted, that can be a good thing.

But seeking to spend $266 million? A case can be made that deserves its own ballot. Combining it with a state representative race — that does not even include the entire city — is unfair to both the candidates and the debt exclusion. Not to mention the city and its people.

It would be virtually impossible to focus on the many issues in a Statehouse race with the override looming over the election. State representatives play virtually no role in overrides, yet that would dominate the discussion.

Heroux now must convince voters this debt exclusion is not a sign of failure, but a necessary component in the growth of a healthy city. His administration must instill confidence rather than stoke the fires of doubt. Assuming, of course, they truly believe it is the right thing to do.

Heroux said of the override planning effort, “I will not rock the boat. I will be in a support capacity.” But if he wants this passed, he needs to do far more than not rock the debt exclusion boat. He needs to captain it. His inaugural speech was a great start. For if the administration does not go all in, the debt exclusion will undoubtedly go down.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official. He can be reached at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

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Concentrate On What We Have In Common

Don't Let Everything Divide Us...

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

As we enter 2018, we are a country divided. Our political, philosophical and societal differences have solidified into an almost impenetrable barrier.

Forget the issue of race, which has always been an obstacle to better understanding. Today we are divided by far more things including economic status, geographic background, politics, and yes — sports teams. Again, no surprises except for the depth and vitriol now accompanying those divisions.

All of which made me think of my late friend Bill Godun. He has been gone 15 years now, but looking back I wonder just how we came to be so close, and if it would even be possible today.

You see, Bill and I had virtually nothing in common. He was a New Yorker, complete with the accent and the attitude. His personality, outlook on life and entire philosophy was almost exactly opposite my own.

To begin with, Bill was a diehard New York Yankees fan. To this lifelong Red Sox fan, that alone can be disqualifying when it comes to friendship. He was also a strident supporter of the New York Giants, which is almost worse. He died before the Giants beat my beloved Patriots in two Super Bowls. I shudder to think of the abuse I would have taken had he still been around.

Bill was a chain-smoker to the tune of some four packs per day (while at the same time taking breathing pills for asthma – the stubborn idiot.) I have never smoked. Bill drank a lot of beer, often to what many might consider excess. I am a social drinker at best, preferring to stick to Coke. He liked his steak cooked until it had the consistency of leather. I like mine to moo when stuck with the fork.

Bill hated politics, while I am a political junkie. When he did get political, he was definitely a conservative Republican. I am (surprise) a liberal Democrat. I try hard to be considerate when voicing my opinions to others, although I am hardly shy. Bill was as subtle as a hurricane, with little time or desire for the niceties of polite conversation.

Yet, we became not just friends, but close friends. The kind you share your innermost secrets with. The type you trust, without even stopping to analyze exactly why.

Bill was there for many special moments in my life. When we moved into our “new” house almost 30 years ago, he was there to help. When my young sons hit their first-ever “over the fence” little league home runs, Bill sent them engraved plaques to hold the balls. When he traveled this way on business, he stayed at our house. He was the only person my wife ever allowed to smoke in our home.

When the ball rolled through Buckner’s legs in the 1986 World Series, Bill was at my house. He said I looked so pathetic even he didn’t have the heart to bust me about “the Dead Sox”. When his beloved Giants won their first Super Bowl, we watched the game together. That might be the happiest I ever saw him.

Then in January 2002, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. We both cried. Despite an aggressive course of treatment, he went downhill fast.

But we were to have one more great time together. With the help of a friend, we went to the Super Bowl that next month to watch my Patriots win for the very first time. We shared one last amazing experience and memory.

I will always cherish my friendship with Bill. We never felt the need to explain or analyze it, we just enjoyed it. We accepted each other for what we were – blemishes and all.

So looking back as we start this New Year:

If a chain-smoking, hard-drinking, conservative republican Yankee fan can become the best of friends with a non-smoking, soft drink sipping, liberal democratic Red Sox rooter, then almost anything is possible. Our differences don’t have to divide us. Sometimes they can bring us together.

Bill probably would be a Trump supporter if he was still here, and we would be arguing about that big-time. But then we’d talk family, watch a game and enjoy each other’s company.

There’s a message there for all of us heading into this new year.