Despite Editorial, In-Person Meetings Not Yet Worth Risk

Still Not Time For In-Person Meetings

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle 

Recently this fine newspaper ran an editorial stating it is time for the larger local public boards and committees to hold public meetings in person again, allowing citizens to attend.

With all due respect — this is shortsighted, irresponsible and wrong. It would unnecessarily expose both the public and the volunteer officials to a serious health risk for little reason or gain.

As a citizen, former local official, and newspaper columnist I look forward to all meetings once again being held in person with people in the seats. I agree with the editorial when it says “This is important business, after all, the public’s business. It needs to be conducted in public.”

But in fact, it HAS been conducted in public throughout the pandemic. Boards and committees have conducted their meetings via Zoom and other internet-based applications, so people have been able to both watch and participate. In some ways this has allowed more participation and access than available before.

The public’s business has been conducted in public, and inferring it has not is again just wrong.

Yes, technology remains a challenge for many citizens, including the elderly. The need to have quality sound and video is crucial. Teaching folks the proper use of the mute button can be a challenge. And not everyone has access to a computer and the internet.

But it certainly is a valid and proper substitute for exposing people to a virus that continues to kill close to 1,000 Americans each day. An elderly individual struggling with the mute button is much preferable to an elderly individual struggling with a ventilator.

And using the excuse that “If it is safe to go shopping and dining, it is certainly safe for a committee to gather, especially in larger meeting rooms” doesn’t hold up either. Going to a store or a restaurant is generally a short trip. There is no sharing of microphones, no public speaking to many individuals. It is also much more of a necessity.

What do you gain with in-person meetings that makes it worth the risk of spreading the virus? If you have to limit the number of attendees, who decides who can attend and who has to leave? Other than the ability to look your officials in the eye — which I am not at all discounting — what is it about a live meeting during a pandemic that justifies this danger?

The editorial also praises the Brockton City Council, which has resumed in-person meetings, as a “champion of government transparency in the coronavirus era.” But it offers no reason why other bodies are somehow not deemed transparent.

Meetings are not being held on Zoom to avoid transparency. All the actions and votes of the public boards are still conducted in the open, with the public and the press watching. They are transparent, and any inference to the contrary is again just wrong.

Getting back to in-person meetings is important. We should do so — when the number of daily infections gets to a safe level. Let the government achieve that first, and then bring back the live audiences.

Meanwhile we can continue to celebrate that government — like newspapers — continues to encourage opposing viewpoints.

Bill Gouveia is a Sun Chronicle columnist and longtime local official. Reach him at billsinsidelook@gmail.com; follow him @Billinsidelook.

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Pettiness Has No Place In Norton Charter Process

Keep Pettiness Out Of Norton Charter Process
by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

 Over a year ago, Norton voters overwhelmingly elected nine of their own to a charter commission. That body has now unanimously supported a proposed new charter.

Their new preliminary plan has been released, calling for major changes from the present governmental format. It would eliminate both the select board and open town meeting in favor of a seven-member elected town council, as well as make other important changes.

That will lead to some spirited debate from those who favor change as well as those who cherish the current format and want to preserve it. That discussion includes both the details of the changes as well as their philosophical impact. The commission has held two public hearings on the preliminary document thus far — one virtual and one in-person, socially distanced outdoor session.

Most of the public debate thus far has been respectful and based on facts and strongly-held opinions. But it is clear as it leaves the fact-based portion of the process and heads towards the political voting part, there will be a nasty undercurrent aimed at personally attacking those who seek to modernize government.

At the hearing on the library park grounds, lifelong Norton resident and political activist John Freeman expressed his opposition to many of the proposed changes, but didn’t stop there. He also once again pushed the tired, old story that Norton is being overrun by those who move here, sap the bountiful town resources, and have no real concern about the community itself.

Addressing the commission, Freeman stated, “You people don’t care about the people that live in this town. You only care about the people you talk to, probably on social media.”

And as the hearing closed, he addressed chairperson Laura Parker saying, “And I don’t know why you need that mask on, you’re under there I think social distancing, like a good little communist.”

It’s sad that arrogant comments like this have to even be discussed here, but they highlight the need to focus on fact and not fiction, common sense and not emotion when determining the future of a town.

Freeman’s ignorant, demeaning and rude statements were not only wrong, but completely opposite the truth. It is in fact those who share his narrow, self-serving viewpoint on government reform who “don’t care” about people.

He and some others cling to the current system they fully admit is imperfect, but suits their individual purposes. But they not only reject change, they assign nefarious motives to those studying it. They believe unless you have lived in town for several decades or commit to doing so, you are merely a nuisance to be tolerated — even if you pay taxes and make up the majority of residents. Your rights and opinions are inferior to theirs.

Change is hard, and this upcoming decision is important. All honest viewpoints and opinions must be heard and are welcome, but baselessly impugning the integrity of others is not. The cheap, petty politics so prevalent in the Norton of years gone by should not infect this critical process.

But of course, it already has. And wearing a mask can’t stop the spread of that particular sickness.

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

Freedom And Responsibility Not Always Friends

We Talk Better Than We Listen

by Bill Gouveia

(This column appeared in the Sun Chronicle on Monday, August 24, 20200 

Perhaps more than anything else, Americans hate being told what to do.

And frankly, it doesn’t much matter who is doing the telling. Other countries, our own national political leaders, local elected officials, health experts, teachers, our parents, and even our spouses — although we might be hesitant to admit the last one publicly.

Sometimes Americans associate independence with stubbornness, and freedom with the right to act irresponsibly. Those can be admirable traits, but can also lead us into trouble. Not just the “good trouble” the late Rep. John Lewis so eloquently spoke about, but the kind of trouble that leads to bad decisions for the wrong reasons.

And nothing brings that out in us more than a global pandemic, apparently.

We look to our government for help in keeping us all safe and healthy, and for good reason. That’s largely what government exists to do. And we are more than happy to have them make suggestions like washing our hands, socially distancing, wearing masks, and getting vaccines for illnesses like the coronavirus and the flu.

But making those things mandatory? Whoa, that’s a different story. Many draw the line right there. Hey, we might be willing to do the right thing to protect ourselves, our families and our neighbors. But it has to be our own idea, and done on our terms. Because as Americans, our right to do as we please is often considered greater than our duty to act responsibly.

Is that part of what has made America great over the last 244 or so years? Absolutely — no doubt about it. We have never been a meek people, doing what we are told without questioning both the wisdom and authority of those doing the telling.

And in a debate as old as democracy and freedom themselves, we often disagree on whether the rights of society or the individual wins in case of a tie. You know, that old argument often summed up by the saying “Your right to swing your fist ends just where my nose begins.”

Do the overwhelming majority of Americans truly believe wearing a mask during the pandemic greatly helps contain and prevent the spread of the disease? I believe they do (though no doubt others disagree).

But making it a requirement to wear these simple cloth implements in public for the good of all? Well, wait a minute. That’s a different question. Because — freedom.

Sure, we require seatbelts. And yes, you have to wear a shirt and shoes into a restaurant (remember going into those?). But today, in this divisive political environment where “winning” is more important than doing the right thing — it becomes a great debate.

We regularly require kids here in Massachusetts to be vaccinated for various formerly deadly diseases. But now throw flu shots into that mix? Well, that somehow crosses the line. The government can’t do that, even if it is safer and an example of common sense.

Americans should never stop being stubborn, or cherishing freedom and independence. But we have to understand that just because something is mandatory doesn’t make it wrong.

And we sometimes have to listen more than we talk.

Bill Gouveia is a Sun Chronicle columnist and longtime local official. Reach him at billsinsidelook@gmail.com; follow him @Billinsidelook.

Candidate Stands Out In Crowded Field

Candidate Stands Out In Crowded Field

By Bill Gouveia

This column appeared in the Sun Chronicle on Monday, July 27, 2020

           

            It may come as a surprise to many, but in the 4^th Congressional District there are currently 11 individuals on the ballot to replace Rep. Joe Kennedy, who is running for Senate against incumbent Ed Markey in the Democratic primary.

            With so much going on in the world, politically and otherwise, it must sometimes seem to those 11 candidates that they are the only folks truly interested in what would normally be an intensely watched and scrutinized election.

            I’m pretty involved in local affairs, but I admit to not paying this race much attention until recently.  Having actually met only Julie Hall, a republican candidate from Attleboro, I wanted to know more about some others.   That led to a recent conversation with another candidate who impressed me very much.

            Her name is Jesse Mermell.  She’s a Democrat from Brookline, the northern part of the district where a lot of the candidates tend to be from.  She is a Progressive with politics pretty much the opposite of President Trump – which will not endear her to many in this more conservative part of the crazily-drawn district that stretches from the outskirts of Boston to Fall River and New Bedford, and includes many of the Sun Chronicle area communities.

            But if you look at Mermell expecting to find a wild-eyed Liberal with no plans or ideas other than growing the government, you’ll be sorely disappointed.  While her idealism clearly shines through, she is in fact a shrewd and pragmatic political activist who understands that positions mean very little if you can’t bring them into being through the political process. 

            She is part of a growing new breed of potential leaders who understand that principles and politics are inexorably linked.  When asked during a recent interview how she thought the causes she fights for (healthcare, education, women’s rights) could best be advanced in today’s political climate, her answer was short, to the point, and absolutely correct.

            “Win elections”, she said.  And that is something Democrats have either forgotten or ignored until the last two years.

            Mermell says she was raised in a very small town in rural Pennsylvania, where her grandmother instilled in her values she has not forgotten.  She has participated in government at the local level as a town meeting member and the state level where she worked with groups such as the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus and the Alliance for Business Leadership. 

            And unlike many current leaders at the highest levels of Washington, Mermell understands that the major political and social issues of the day do not individually exist in a vacuum.  She notes they are tied together, and have to be addressed as part of an overall plan

            When asked how a progressive Democrat from Brookline would relate to voters in the Attleboro area, Mermell said she believes people will see in her the same basic values they hold dear.  When queried on the challenges of running for Congress in the middle of a pandemic, she chuckled and noted “I’ve never run for Congress without a global pandemic, so I guess I don’t have much to base it on.”

            That alone got me to like her.

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

Norton Needs To Fix The Water "System"

It's The System, Not Just The Water

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle
And the sad saga of the Norton Water/Sewer Commission continues.

Last week that elected board (more on that later) voted to remove the water dispensing machine outside town hall providing for residents who have had ugly, undrinkable, unusable brown town water in their homes for years. The machine had been disabled since March, when commissioners decided that unlike private machines, it was not safe to operate given the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition, commissioners cited their “fiscal responsibility” to the townspeople in getting rid of the dispenser. They said the cost could no longer be justified since the new filtration plant has “mostly eliminated” the brown water issue.

There are a few glaring problems with those statements.

First, brown water is still an ongoing issue in a good number of homes. Those people still have to pay to bring in clean water, even while still paying their water bills for the town water ruining their clothes and appliances. They have been spending extra on water for a while, so the commission’s spending complaints ring hollow.

Second and most amazing is that any of the water/sewer commissioners has the gall to use the term “fiscal responsibility” when discussing their board, given their failure to properly manage the major ongoing piping project that has now doubled in cost from the original amount of the contractor’s bid.

Just last month the board came back to taxpayers for another million dollars on this out-of-control boondoggle. It is at least the third time they have had to go to town meeting for more money. They cited “unforeseen issues” such as extra rock and ledge, claiming the project could not be finished without additional funding.

Coming back once is understandable. Twice is more than questionable. Three times is both inexcusable and unforgivable. It represents a lack of planning, a lack of preparation, and gross mismanagement. What it most definitely does not represent is “fiscal responsibility”.

But you know what? At this point, Norton citizens have to stop blaming the water department and the commissioners. Instead, they should put the blame where it truly belongs — on themselves.

At least three times in the last few decades voters have had the opportunity to eliminate the elected water/sewer board. Each time they declined, keeping it the ineffective, obsolete, ridiculous entity it is. Norton voters — you have had your chances.

But you kept it an elected board, which has not worked out. In fact, you currently only have two members on the three-member board. Why?

Because in last month’s election, no one ran for the open seat. Not a soul.

Despite all the trouble, complaints, issues and problems — absolutely no one stepped up to seek the office. And usually, when there is a candidate, that person is unopposed.

Having two or three well intentioned part-time volunteer officials completely in charge of a multi-million dollar water/sewer system is the height of foolishness. Those departments should come under the auspices of the professional town manager with centralized authority placed in a department of public works.

When Norton votes on a new town charter this April, they should remember changes like this are essential. Sort of like access to clean water.

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

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We Have To Do This Together

Young And Old, We Need Each Other Now

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle July 13, 2020
The coronavirus has inspired a lot of conversations about making important and difficult changes in our behavior and lifestyles — at least temporarily.

But people over 60 like me are finding they aren’t always in charge of their own situation. We are not always able to exercise a reasonable amount of control over our own risk of contracting and dying from this deadly and highly contagious disease. And that can at times be almost paralyzing in the fear it causes.

We can stay out of restaurants, not go to bars, avoid large crowds and family gatherings, and wear masks whenever we do have to go out — just like everyone is being asked to do.

But some of us still have to work. We still have to go to the grocery store. We can’t hermetically seal ourselves in a mayonnaise jar and hide under the porch for the next year or two (nothing like an old Johnny Carson reference to show your age).

So unless the “youngsters” do all those things too, this disease can still kill us. Young people are far less likely to actually get sick, but still prime candidates to carry the virus back to those who are more highly susceptible. The fact you may be more resistant is great, but does not decrease the risk to your parents, grandparents, extended family and older acquaintances.

The burden for the health of older Americans is still squarely on their own shoulders. They have to stay at home, wear face coverings, and do all the things our health experts tell us (even when our president flaunts and regularly ignores them). That’s on us. That’s our responsibility.

But it is also yours, younger generation. And we need your help.

It’s horribly unfair that schools and colleges have had to close. Many young people have been cheated out of what should be some of the best and most meaningful times of their lives. You should be free to live life to the fullest, go out and have a good time, enjoy your families and friends. There’s nothing wrong with the fact you’d like to go out to a bar and socialize, or play some hoop with a bunch of friends.

But please avoid all those things for a while longer. We hate to ask, but it affects us greatly. We’d like to live as long as possible, and to a significant degree that now depends on you helping to contain COVID-19.

Some believe this disease is part of “natural selection,” or “thinning the herd”. Perhaps we are supposed to die off to balance the scales of nature that were so badly disrupted by this virus.

We know you have sacrificed heavily and struggled to provide for your families during this difficult time. We understand what you have had to endure. We were young once, and frankly we think what you are going through really sucks.

But we still have things to contribute. We want to see our grandkids grow up. And to do that, we desperately need your help. We are not ready to pack it in.

Thank you for your sacrifices. When we can — the next round is on us.

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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Local Budgets Will Also Be Victims Of COVID-19

COVID Budget Burden Trickling Down to Local Areaby Bill Gouveia
This column was published in the Sun Chronicle on Monday, June 29, 2020)

This is a difficult and dangerous time for local cities and towns, as well as the nation. Voters must pay careful attention to what’s happening, because it is going to affect their pocketbooks in the short-term and the security of their children and grandchildren in the long run.

We are all aware of the pandemic and its threat to our health, though some take it more seriously than others. But the less obvious danger is to our communities, our local services, our educational and public safety systems, and maintaining a quality of life considered acceptable.

You hear a lot about the national debt and the exploding deficit we are running these days in Washington. Local communities are not allowed to deficit spend like the federal government. But many are draining their already low reserve funds to sustain a level of services and funding they may not be able to support going forward. Without new funding or a shifting of responsibilities, local communities are going to face either huge tax increases or a dismantling of basic services.

Most city councils or town meetings will dip deep into their reserve funds just to remain afloat. Local government and budgets have not been high on people’s priority lists given the overwhelming economic and health disasters brought on by COVID-19 and the nation’s scattered and often unfocused response. It’s hard to think about your town’s budget when you are out of work and choosing between buying groceries and paying the mortgage or rent.

But city and town governments still have to function whether we pay close attention or not. And while drastic measures and spending are not questioned under current conditions, months from now — when tax bills start increasing and services decreasing — everyone will be looking with a much sharper eye.

The new rules will be different. Schools and public safety departments have to change from the way they have done things. The days of placing 30 kids in a classroom are over, but we haven’t added more classrooms or more teachers. If schools and childcare businesses can’t open, families with two working parents have a serious problem. Local costs of virtually everything are going to soar, while at the same time local revenues from things like meal taxes, excise taxes, and state aid are plummeting.

Municipalities are going to have to pay a lot more money just to provide the same services they were operating pre-pandemic. And it seems unlikely much extra money will be coming from the state or federal government. So that leaves one basic source of additional revenue: Local taxes. From all of us.

Plainville is already having an override election. They will not be the only community to do that in the next year or so. Cities and towns are going to bear the brunt of this huge financial disaster, and unlike their elected federal counterparts — they have to present a balanced budget.

There are tough choices coming up. None of them are going to make everyone happy or satisfied. None of them are going to be easy or enjoyable.

Stay informed on the local level, folks. It’s going to get messy.

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

Strange Not To Be A Local Official

There's A Time For Everything...
by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

When I got up Sunday morning and looked into my bathroom mirror, my face (a scary sight at any time, but particularly in the morning) looked just a little different. Maybe a tad more relaxed, though also a bit sad.

For the first time since 1974, the guy looking back was not an elected or appointed Norton town official. And honestly, it feels a bit strange.

Saturday evening my time as Norton Town Moderator ended. I chose not to seek reelection, opting to move on after four terms. That caps more than four decades as a town official in one capacity or another, from the town’s highest elected office to many other boards or committees less recognizable.

It’s been an interesting journey.

As an 18 year-old Norton High senior, I became the youngest town official in Norton history when Moderator Joseph Yelle appointed me to the finance committee. I served 15 years there over a couple of different shifts. At 23, I was elected to the board of selectmen, and would be elected twice more over the next two decades.

In 2008, I won a sticker campaign against an incumbent to become moderator, where I would stay for 12 years.

In between I served on the local cable advisory committee, the extended school year study committee, a few town manager search committees, a bylaw review committee, a couple of charter review boards, and some others that I and everyone else have forgotten.

With the exception of a few years in the 80’s when selectmen made $50 a month, it’s all been as an unpaid volunteer.

To serve in those type of capacities in one municipality for that long is unusual for several reasons.

People don’t stay in one town as much as they did “back in the day.” Volunteering in town government is a difficult pastime. Maintaining the necessary intensity and desire is not easy — and I can attest that losing an election is not a pleasant experience either.

I’d like people to know it is worth the effort. Whether it makes you popular or not, making a difference at the local level matters.

But public service has sort of been my thing. I can’t hammer a nail, coin and stamp collecting bore me, and my mom threw out my baseball cards years ago. So local politics and working to make my hometown better has been my hobby for a long time. Along with being a Patriots season ticket holder for 49 years, of course.

And writing. I’ve been a newspaper columnist for more than 20 years. In fact, this particular piece you are reading is coincidentally the 1,000th column I have written for this fine newspaper. I guess if nothing else, I’m consistent.

I’m not going anywhere. I’ll still be active in local affairs, and hope to keep filling this space for quite a while. But you’ll forgive an old guy if he just takes a moment to reflect on not officially being part of his town’s government for the first time in 46 years.

And now there are no sports to watch on TV. In life, as in politics — timing is everything.

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

Our Country, Protests, Police - And Being An American

What It Means To Be An American

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

There have been times when some have questioned just what it means to be an American. This is one of those times.

We are a country born of protest and rebellion. Those we call the “Founding Fathers” were termed “Treasonous Criminals” by the lawful government at the time. Had they strictly obeyed the laws and patiently waited for fairness, rather than taking a radical, dangerous and sometimes violent path — the America so many claim to love would not exist today.

This country condoned the enslavement of an entire race for over 80 years. Then fought a vicious, bloody, civil war in large part to allegedly “free” that race.

It took another 100 years before a sweeping civil rights movement would bring African-Americans even remotely close to the equality our Constitution promises. It was modeled after peaceful protest but marked by disobedience both civil and otherwise, and sometimes violence.

Today, things are much better. America has improved. We have re-written and passed many laws to protect the rights of minorities.

But better is not good enough. In this regard there is no such thing as “more equal.” There is only equality or inequality. And inequality has been tolerated for far too long.

In our area, the impact of systemic institutional racism may not seem as obvious — unless you are a victim of it. It may be more subtle than in Boston or Providence or other cities, but it is real nonetheless. That is a fact we can no longer deny.

I don’t pretend to understand it. I am a white man. I grew up and still live in Norton, a town the last census showed was over 90% white. In school in the 60’s and 70’s we had only a handful of black students. Even now, most people I know and interact with are white. That’s just a fact.

So although I read about the problems of race, talk to people about it, and watch it on television — I have little actual experience. I consider myself to be an open and accepting person. But is that enough? Have I done anything to truly help the situation? Or have I contributed to the problem by just saying racism is wrong, but not actually doing things to expose and expunge it?

Let us concentrate on that. Not on the looting, which is wrong and should stop. The truth is, that’s the easy part. And as Americans today, we are too often all about taking the easy path. The hard stuff? That’s somebody else’s problem.

This is not just about policing. It is about how society views black people, especially young black men. It is about our attitudes, our obvious prejudices and the ones we don’t even know we are projecting. It is about confusing “better” with “equal,” and mistakenly believing “white privilege” is just another made-up term instead of the truth it so obviously is.

And it is about the lack of positive action from people like me, who just simply haven’t had the experience. Who haven’t had their lives directly affected. Who need to better comprehend.

I think today, understanding that is to understand being an American.

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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