An Open Letter To Bob Kraft...

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/opinion/columns/bill-gouveia-letter-to-bob-kraft/article_f34d6c29-b582-5d2a-a51c-64c542ddd1a0.html

Couch And Schools, Food And Guns...

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

When I was a kid, my mother had one rule that got enforced more than any other: You could not sit on our living room couch with any food or drink.

I didn’t think our couch was all that great, but it was to Mom. She wanted it protected, and with three kids she knew that was a challenge. So she didn’t just have one rule, or one focus on how to get that job done.

Mom tried covering the couch. She had some cloth covers, and one time tried plastic. She had it treated with some kind of stuff (remember, this was a long time ago) that was supposed to protect it. She also tried permanently banning us from the room, but that had limited success at best.

The only thing that sort of worked was not allowing us to take food in the living room. Of course, this just made us want to bring food there even more. We told her we were responsible eaters. We had been around food our whole lives, knew how to handle it, and that the right to eat was basic to who we were.

But Mom was smarter than that. She explained to us that she wasn’t banning all food — that would be silly and unreasonable. But you simply don’t bring some food into certain areas, not because food itself was bad or evil — but because almost every time you brought food into a living room, bad things happened.

I wish those in Congress and the White House would follow Mom’s commonsense example when it comes to the issue of guns, assault-style weapons, and trying to stop school shootings.

Like the aforementioned couch, we have done a lot to protect our schools.

We are designing them with safety in mind. We are installing alarm systems, stronger glass and doors, and even placing resource officers or security guards inside.

But unlike Mom, we haven’t gotten our leaders to understand that covering up something, whether a couch or a school, is not going to stop the real problem. You have to make sure what you are protecting them from is kept away. Otherwise, you will ultimately fail.

Is this a silly comparison? Of course it is. But to be honest, I’m running out of ways to logically explain this problem. I’m not sure anymore how to get through to those who are so wrapped up in their right to have guns of all types that they can’t understand the concept of the greater good, our collective safety, and – to draw another silly comparison – keeping your couch safe for those who sit on it.

Eventually, Mom allowed us to have certain types of food in the living room.

But the foods that could cause the most damage — those that would stain and cause irreparable harm — were only to be eaten elsewhere. We were not allowed to have them outside of the kitchen or dining room.

I keep thinking that if it worked for Mom (minus the occasional renegade eater), then doesn’t it make sense when applied to guns and schools?

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.

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

Town Meeting Is Great - But...

Power And Responsibility - Town Meetingby Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

The institution of open town meeting (OTM) is an example of democracy in its purest and simplest form.

But in these days of multi-million dollar budgets and complicated municipal finance regulations and obligations, OTM can also serve as a dangerous threat to the long-term stability and financial planning of a local community.

That was in evidence in Norton this week when town meeting began work on the town’s $55 million proposed budget. The budget total recommended by the finance committee was ultimately approved, but there were some changes proposed and one amendment passed concerning how that budget is distributed.

Voters approved an amendment put forth by the school committee to add $143,900 to the school budget, and another to reduce the town’s health insurance account by the same amount. School committee member Deniz Savas said the figure represented the amount of health insurance saved by the committee’s decision earlier that evening to privatize the school food services and eliminate the jobs of cafeteria workers.

Because the decision was made literally minutes prior to the start of town meeting, there was no opportunity for the finance committee to review it or assess the impact.

But it was passed overwhelmingly by those in attendance at town meeting, who seemed to represent a mostly “pro-school” crowd.

That in itself is not alarming, as it is the right of town meeting to pass the budget it wants.

However, there was talk of adding even more to the school budget by transferring from various other accounts and budgets that were deemed “not as critical” by some speakers.

If school officials had been so inclined, they no doubt could have gotten the meeting to add a lot more money to their budget. To their credit, they stuck to the amount they had voted to support. But the very real possibility was there, and such a move would have caused major financial and budget problems in other areas for the town.

What’s the point? Well, voters at town meeting have complete power to change the budget numbers, but no responsibility to have studied them or be aware of the ramifications. This means the final word on crucial budget decisions is made by whoever decides to show up to just one single meeting.

You don’t have to convince a majority of councilors or selectmen or finance committee members. You don’t have to go to hearings, provide information in advance, or meet any other standards other than getting the most votes in a popularity contest after perhaps an hour of discussion.

All you have to do is turn out people who will support your efforts. It becomes a battle of political wills and organizing skills, rather than a discussion of facts before elected representatives.

Kudos and respect to all those who make the effort to be informed and show up for town meeting.

But when it comes to spending $50 million to $100 million budgets, the decisions should not be the result of a vote by whoever happens to show up.

Democracy is a wonderful thing, but it still has to be tempered with the right dose of responsibility.

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

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It's Trump's Country, And Our Fault

It's A Trump Country Today...

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle 5/11/18

Make no mistake, this is Donald Trump’s America.

Which is, to an extent, as it should be. As the 19th century French philosopher Joseph de Maistre famously said, “Every nation gets the government it deserves.” We can debate whether or not America deserves President Trump and his version of government, but the fact that America got what it voted for is indisputable.

There is very little President Trump has done since he got elected that can be termed a surprise. He hasn’t snuck up on anyone. He acted like an immature, bombastic, uninformed, arrogant, misogynistic, insulting, rude, and self-serving candidate when he was running. He has done little to nothing that changes that general description since taking office.

In terms of legislative and political accomplishments, he has given permanent tax breaks to corporations and temporary ones to individual taxpayers. He has pushed through legislation to take away health insurance from millions of Americans. The centerpiece of his foreign policy has been to propose the building of a giant wall, eliminate the DACA program that protected children/young people who have lived here since an early age, and a court fight to ban people from coming here based upon little more than their religion.

On the more personal front, Trump the candidate mocked a disabled person during one rally. He insulted the appearance and character of every opponent he had, regardless of party. He lied about revealing his taxes. He lied about crowd size at his inauguration. He has lied about big things, small things, old things, new things, red things, blue things — lied so much he gets special attention when he actually tells the truth about something.

His former campaign manager has been indicted. His hand-picked National Security Adviser was fired, indicted, and plead guilty in a federal investigation. His personal lawyer has had his offices raided after admitting he paid a porn star $130,000 to remain quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. Hell, a tape with Trump admitting to sexually assaulting women came out right before the election — and his popularity increased.

His son, son-in-law, and campaign manager met with Russians during the campaign because he was promised dirt on his opponent. He often mocks his own attorney general, publicly attacks the integrity of the intelligence agencies he oversees, and admitted firing the FBI Director to protect himself against investigation.

But no one should be surprised by all this. Disgusted? Sure. Disappointed? OK. Some are very pleased and satisfied, perhaps even more than they expected to be. That’s understandable.

But don’t be surprised. This president is merely reflecting America, not reshaping or remaking it. He’s not instilling this type of behavior and leadership in Americans — he’s just making it acceptable. He’s the vessel, not the source.

Donald Trump is what happens when we as a people value bravado more than bravery, insults more than integrity, equity more than equality. There have always been Donald Trumps among us (though Trump is unquestionably the trumpiest ever), but we generally chose to keep them from positions we knew full well they would abuse for their own benefit.

This is indeed Donald Trump’s America. But that’s our fault, not his.

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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Norton's Water Problem A Dirty One

Norton's Water Problem More Than Just Water

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

In Norton, the water many citizens have coming into their homes is absolutely awful. The governmental authority responsible for overseeing delivery of that water is arguably worse.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just Google “Norton Dirty Water” and do some clicking and reading. What you’ll see is nothing short of disgusting. Yet the argument can be made the horrible water is not even the biggest problem in the system.

Norton’s multimillion dollar Water/Sewer Department is overseen by a three-member elected water/sewer board. Over many years, the responsibilities of these part-time, public spirited volunteers have grown to levels never anticipated when it was originally created.

An independently elected board, they do not come under the centralized authority of the town manager. They are not obligated to work in concert with the board of selectmen or other town entities — though they often do. They are ultimately responsible for the multi-million-dollar water/sewer department’s enterprise account, which is not subject to town meeting approval as other budgets are.

Forget for a moment the recent large expenditures for a new water treatment plant, long delayed by the state because of possible archeological issues on the site. Forget the messy way former commissioners worked with other towns and the state to build the Mansfield Treatment Plant, located in Norton, which the town pays to use.

Norton’s town meeting unanimously approved an additional $1 million a few weeks ago to finish the long-delayed plant in order to get rid of the dirty water. Now they might be asked to provide an additional $400,000 or more for a project along Route 123 that is expected to run over budget for reasons many believe should have been anticipated by those overseeing it.

Norton does not have a DPW. Although it has consolidated many smaller departments into the general responsibilities of the highway department, the town continues to suffer from a lack of centralized authority and responsibility on the water/sewer side. But it is difficult to blame commissioners, past or present, for that.

On several occasions over the years, Norton voters have declined to eliminate the water board, or bring it under the authority of the town manager by making it an appointed committee. But they have changed the board of health, tax collector, town treasurer, and town clerk positions to appointed ones for similar reasons.

Within the past couple years, voters at Town Meeting overwhelmingly defeated an article to eliminate the elected water/sewer commission. The argument against it was elected officials are more accountable to voters than appointed ones.

Norton water is not brown because the water/sewer commission is an elected board. But the lack of a unified, centralized approach to protecting and distributing Norton’s most precious natural resource has clearly produced negative results over the last half-century or so.

Norton needs to fix its water. A critical first step would be to fix the way the system is managed and led. There simply is no need for an elected water/sewer commission that gives the appearance of accountability, while actually preventing it.

The solution to Norton’s water problems starts at the top, not the tap.

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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