Remembering the Day President Kennedy Died

This column appeared in The Sun Chronicle on Friday, November 22, 2013

GOUVEIA: The day that we lost 'our' president

• Story
• Comments
• Image (1)

Print

Create a hardcopy of this page

Font Size:

Default font size

Larger font size

PreviousNext

 

It was just another November afternoon in Miss Russell's second grade classroom at Norton's L.G. Nourse Elementary School. At a little bit after 1:30 p.m, our thoughts had already turned toward getting home in time to play before it got dark.
 Then the crackle of the in-school intercom system broke into our quiet afternoon. We heard the familiar voice of the office secretary, Mrs. Tripp, float from the gray wall speaker and wondered who was getting called to Principal Holbert's office this time.

 

But Mrs. Tripp had a far more serious announcement, one that would change the world around us. We could hear the tremor in her voice as she relayed to us the unthinkable.
 

"May I have your attention please?" she began as always. "We ask you to please bow your heads on your desks for a moment of silence to pray for President Kennedy, who was shot in the head today in Dallas." There was a long pause, then she said "Thank you," and the speaker once again went silent.
 

I usually walked home, but that day I ran. I wanted to get to my television and catch up on the latest news. President Kennedy was the only president I had ever known, and was from our state. He was one of us. I remember thinking: "Why would someone shoot him?"
 

I got home and my younger brother came rushing to the door yelling, "The president is dead. Somebody killed the president!" I shook my head and told him no, he had only been shot. Mrs. Tripp had said nothing about him being dead.
 

Then I stepped into our television room and saw my mother crying. She looked up at me and nodded slowly, reaffirming my brother's news. "He's dead", she sobbed heavily. "President Kennedy is dead!"
 

Even though I was only 7, I was deeply affected. Like other Americans, I was glued to the television the next few days as the nation grieved and prepared for uncertainty. I watched with my parents when the alleged assassin, himself, was shot and killed on live television, right there on our Zenith console in stark black and white. I remember wondering just who was in charge of everything now.
 

I watched the funeral with my maternal grandparents, crying when little John-John Kennedy stepped up and saluted his daddy's coffin. It hit me then that although we had lost our president, he had lost his father.
 

Looking back a half-century later, it was a defining point in my young existence. It forever connected politics and life for me, and gave me a reason to understand my government and hope to make it better.
 

President Kennedy was a great leader in our eyes. Here was this man from a wealthy family, dedicating himself to helping poor people and fighting racism.
 

As kids in Norton, we had little exposure to the latter. Our town was whiter than snow. We didn't hate black kids - we just didn't know any. But they had to be good people because President Kennedy was trying to help them.
 

My Portuguese and very Catholic paternal grandmother had a huge picture of President Kennedy on the wall of her family room. This was during the days when we celebrated the strengths of our leaders, rather than desperately searching for their every flaw.
 

I now know President Kennedy was a man with many flaws. His personal life left a lot to be desired. He made many questionable choices.
 

But he still founded the Peace Corps. He still made a commitment to the space program that led to putting men on the moon. He still laid the groundwork for civil rights legislation that changed a nation.
 

He was still "our" President, and represented the youthful hopes and dreams of the 1960s.

His example taught a young boy growing up in Norton that you have to give back, and that government should always put people first. His famous words from his inauguration speech stayed with me:
 

"My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
 

His death taught us all that time is something to be cherished, not wasted. And that there are few sadder words in the English language than "what might have been "
 

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and can be emailed at aninsidelook@aol.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

Will North Attleboro Voters get to Decide?

This column originally appeared in The Sun Chronicle on Monday, November 11, 2013

AN INSIDE LOOK

by Bill Gouveia

At some point, you run out of excuses. Your feet get flat from being dragged so much. Your fingernails are worn to nubs from your desperate attempts to hang on as you are being dragged forward. Eventually, you have to let go and allow yourself to be pulled into the present and - perhaps - stage your biggest battle right there.

Welcome to local government - North Attleboro style.

Last week it was reported work is still being done on the special act charter which would allow voters the option of changing to a mayoral/town council form of government. The proposal - which has been around in the same general format for close to a decade - has yet to make it before the voters for any binding action. But now town officials say it is getting closer to the point where citizens can actually make the choice denied them for almost a generation.

"I know we have a lot more work to do, but we're getting there. It's a lot cleaner and a lot neater than what we had before," Selectman Michael Thompson reported recently. Officials have been working with a representative from a state agency to "clean up" the document, which many thought was never all that "messy." However, the board has given no estimate of just when the proposal that has been discussed since before some of them were elected might get to actually be decided.

Of course, the question of change has many hurdles to pass even if it manages to escape the bowels of North's town hall. Chief among them is it needs to be passed along to voters by one of the very institutions it seeks to replace - The Representative Town Meeting, or RTM.

North's RTM has steadfastly and consistently refused to consider or defeated attempts to reform itself over the years.

It is a bulky body with few members who have actually gained their seats through contested elections. It has in the past voted against even reducing its own size, despite often having vacancies it cannot fill.

So if and when the charter proposal is forwarded by selectmen, it will have to be sent on to the voters by the RTM. That does not mean they have to approve it or recommend it, but rather just allow it to be placed before the same voters who elected them. If history is any indication, the likelihood of that happening is not very high.

And that really is the crux of this matter. While the decision of whether or not to change North's form of government is certainly important and requires careful attention to detail, the truth is this is much more about whether or not the will of the voters and citizens actually matters.

Oddly enough, this is about deciding what form of democracy actually makes the decision of whether or not to alter this particular form of democracy. Do the people themselves get to cast their ballots on how they are ultimately represented at the local level? Or do the institutions which are the objects of their undeniable desire for change maintain the ultimate veto power?

In no other area community does the difference between the government itself and the community members at large seem wider than in North Attleboro. As in many local towns, voter turnout has been a problem. But here it may be largely because the voting populous is tired of being asked for their opinion, and then having it ignored.

Several times North voters have expressed their desire for governmental change via non-binding referendum questions at the polls, only to have their votes explained away by those with personal political power bases in need of protecting. The voters and citizens who live in the present seem to be constantly in conflict with those who cling to the North Attleboro they remember and want to preserve.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to determining if North's government should change. That is up to the good people who live there to decide.

But those same folks deserve the chance to make the actual binding decision. The time for stalling and delaying is over. Let North Attleboro vote on its future, and let their decision truly mean something.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and can be emailed at aninsidelook@aol.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

Foxboro Politiics Now Officially in the Gutter

This column originally appeared in The Sun Chronicle on Thursday, November 7, 2013

AN INSIDE LOOK

By Bill Gouveia

            If you want to successfully locate a business with a liquor license in any particular community, there are good guidelines to follow.

            You should have a proven track record of operating similar establishments.  You should appeal not to just to drinkers, but offer something for others as well.  You should be able to prove you will contribute to the community both economically and socially in a positive manner. 

You should be located in an area where increased traffic and shoppers is considered a good thing.  You should be backed by respected taxpayers, have the approval of the Chief of Police, a positive review from the town’s legal representatives, and near-unanimous support from those who turn out at a public hearing.  If you do all that, you will normally be successful.

Unless, of course, you are applying to the Foxboro Board of Selectmen and are in any way connected with the Kraft Organization.  In that case you might as well save yourself the time it takes to present a clear and compelling argument for your position, because none of it will matter.  The overwhelming odds are you will be turned down regardless of the facts.

That is exactly what happened to those proposing to locate a bowling alley and nightclub/bar in Patriot Place surrounding Gillette Stadium.  They have to be wondering why the majority of local selectmen seem so prejudiced against the town’s largest taxpayer and all those associated with them.

They did everything the right way, even down to applying for a transfer of an existing license at Patriot Place rather than requesting a new one.  They enlisted the advice of the local police chief, going so far as to pay his expenses to travel to a similar establishment out of state to get a feel for the operation.  In conjunction with the Kraft Organization, they agreed to pay for increased police presence and provide a physical facility for a command office.

The police chief said he saw no major problems with the license.  The lawyers the selectmen hired specifically for liquor issues saw no obstacles that could not be overcome.  The establishment would have been located in an area specifically designed for commercial use and with a track record of handling high volume traffic.  And the comments from local residents and taxpayers at the public hearing were unanimously positive and in favor.

So naturally, it was defeated by a 3-2 vote of the board with the general reason of “public good and public safety” used to justify the action.  The three selectmen voting against it – Lorraine Brue, Virginia Coppola and John Gray – each also cited certain other factors.

Selectman Gray said he had visited the club’s website and spoke to someone at the company’s Fairview, Texas facility.  He cited a video on the website as a concern, despite assurances from the owners they were not going to serve the same kind of “large drinks” in Foxboro.  Apparently he felt this was a more reliable source of information than listening to the police chief’s first-hand report following an actual visit.

Selectman Brue was worried about the number of people the business might draw to Patriot Place, and that police staffing levels might be spread too thin.  She said it would amount to “bringing on another Toby Keith’s”, although the capacity of the bowling alley venues would have been about half that of the popular country bar.

No doubt the many tax-paying businesses located in Patriot Place were pleased to hear one of their selectmen dedicating herself to limiting the number of people who might travel to their location.  In many other communities, local officials try and help businesses located in commercial areas rather than hurt them.  The situation in Foxboro appears somewhat unique.

No one is questioning the right of selectmen to make the decision they did – just their wisdom in doing so.  Given what Trader Joe’s had to go through to eventually get a license, this appears to simply be part of the selectmen’s ongoing feud with their largest source of revenue – the Kraft Organization.

And the businesses located in Patriot Place, along with the taxpayers of Foxboro, appear to be little more than collateral damage in this silly and ongoing war.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and can be emailed at aninsidelook@aol.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

Is the World a Crazier Place Today?

This column originally appeared in The Sun Chronicle on Monday, November 4, 2013.

 

AN INSIDE LOOK

By Bill Gouveia

 

            Those of us of a certain age are constantly reminded by seemingly daily events that this is a much different world today than when we grew up.  And although fully aware how old that makes us sound, and that nearly every generation before us has said pretty much the same thing, we nonetheless remain convinced it is true.

            Probably because it is.

            Twice in the past few weeks my hometown of Norton has had to send schools into “lockdown” because of an unauthorized person trying to gain access to the building.  While no children were ever truly in danger and both instances turned out to be relatively harmless, it was enough to bring the frightening reality of school security and our safety in general to the forefront once again.

            You certainly can’t blame officials in any school district for being cautious these days.  In an age when people have flown airliners into office buildings, hidden bombs in their shoes, and carried semi-automatic weapons into public buildings for random shootings – you have no choice but to always err on the side of safety.

            But the other side of you sometimes wistfully wonders why we can’t strike a balance even now between safety and logic.  No one wants to gamble with the lives of our children, grandchildren, teachers or workers – but at the same time it seems schools just shouldn’t have to be places with locked doors and in some cases, armed guards.

            Is the world a crazier place today than it was 50 years ago?  Or is it just that with technology today we hear about far more of the craziness than we did when television was in its infancy and the internet was still just a dream?  I don’t know the answer, but tend to think the world is indeed more dangerous simply because we keep improving our ability to harm ourselves and each other.

            When I went to the store to buy some cold medication the other day, I had to show my driver’s license in order to purchase the over-the-counter pills.  Why?  Because, as the clerk so simply related, “Kids have been buying it and getting high with it.”  I sadly chuckled to myself as I realized it was more difficult for me to buy this harmless cold remedy than it would be a bottle of Jack Daniels.

            But with access to information comes added power and responsibility.  Our cars go faster, our guns shoot more bullets, and our ability to travel more easily exposes us to more diseases.  Our risk factor rises faster than our ability to do more, do it better, and improve our lives and the lives of those around us.

            But it confuses me when I realize one of the women who tried to use the bathroom in a Norton school was arrested for trespassing, while the off-duty state trooper who accidentally shot a Norton woman behind her own home at dusk while hunting was never charged with anything.  While they are clearly two entirely different scenarios, it does make you stop and think.

            In so many ways, we are a safer society than the one that spawned those of my generation.  We drive with our seatbelts tightly fastened.  We ride bikes wearing helmets formerly reserved for astronauts.  Our children are in protective car seats, seemingly until age 18.  Our coffee is served beneath signs warning it is hot, and not to spill it on ourselves.

            Yet we still fight efforts to make it tougher to own guns that shoot an incredible number of bullets in mere seconds.  We make possessing small amounts of marijuana a crime, but you can buy a six-pack of beer on nearly every street corner.  We fight rising crime rates by reducing spending on public safety and utilizing fewer police officers.

            The only thing that shutdown a school when I was a Norton student was snow.  But things are different now.  Maybe that is the price we pay for our “advanced” world.  Or maybe we’ve just given up on using common sense as a real solution to our problems.

            Those charged with guaranteeing our safety these days have a tough job.  But they’ll be relieved to know I don’t drink coffee.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and can be emailed at aninsidelook@aol.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

We Hate Incumbents - Except Our Own

This column originally appeared in The Sun Chronicle on November 1, 2013

 

AN INSIDE LOOK

By Bill Gouveia

 

            Opinion polls across the country clearly show voters are not happy with incumbent members of Congress.  They would like to see them voted out of office.

 

            Well, not so fast.  They don’t like incumbents other than those who represent them personally.  Those particular congressmen they want to keep in office.  It is primarily other people’s incumbents they have a real problem with in Washington.

 

            That’s not to say no veteran lawmakers are in serious trouble with their local constituency.  There are certainly many battleground elections that will come up in 2014, especially in the primaries where both conservatives and liberals will try to outflank each other to either the extreme right or left.  It is much easier to upset a sitting member of Congress in the primary than in the general election because there are simply less voters.

 

            But if incumbents are so disliked and so heavily blamed for the many problems facing this nation today, why are they not replaced more often?  Why do voters send the same officials back to Washington year after year?

 

            Well, there are many reasons.  Chief among them may be the old adage about “the devil you know” being safer than the one you don’t. 

 

Predictability is a trait not discussed much by those who analyze elections, but it weighs mightily in the minds of campaign experts when they try to influence them.  If you always know where an official stands on most issues, you don’t have to put a lot of effort into swaying them to your side.  But true mavericks – otherwise known as those who actually vote their consciences rather than their party – require more attention and work to earn their support.

 

            It is also true that incumbents have a built-in advantage with the local political establishment.  Governors, mayors, city councilors, and selectmen all count on their local congressperson to keep federal funds flowing and help them solve their problems.  They invest in relationships with the congressional staff as well as the elected official.  They are loathe to give that up and start all over, afraid they might lose whatever “edge” they had.  They also have the advantage of their particular political party.

 

            Additionally, Congressmen and Congresswomen love to come home to the district and blame everything on everyone else in Washington.  You know, those “other people” who make the job of our poor, beleaguered elected heroes so difficult.  We are constantly reminded how lucky we all are to have the independent, strong-minded local person to fight our battles for us in that crazy capital city.

 

            Some say it is amazing that in this internet age, with all the sources of informational available to people, that incumbents can continue to defend their often indefensible records.  But that itself highlights a common misperception quite prevalent today.

 

            Just because the public has a vastly increased number of “informational opportunities” does not mean they are taking advantage of them.  The fact there are more places to go for information (both good and bad) does not mean the public is therefore more informed on the issues of the day.

 

            You can lead a voter to the issues, but you can’t make them vote.  People love to complain about the lack of general progress in Washington and in their own states, but that does not mean they are looking to truly understand how to improve their political lot in life.

 

            In other words – just because you give the average voter more access to information does not mean they will use it for purposes other than bolstering their already-formed political positions.  Information is indeed power, but power is exercised for purposes both good and bad regularly. 

 

            Contrary to what some people may believe, it is still generally a good thing to be an incumbent.  Fundraising is easier, and using the perks of office is always a good way to increase your re-election chances.

 

            The vast majority of those in Congress are incumbents.  Those newcomers who get elected in 2014 will be incumbents by 2016.  And unfortunately, Congress changes those who enter it much more than those who enter it change Congress.

 

            All politics are local, as former Speaker Tip O’Neill so eloquently said.  And everybody hates incumbents – except those who benefit by their incumbency.

 

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and can be emailed at aninsidelook@aol.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

Going to World Series a Family Affair

Thios column originally appeared in The Sun Chronicle on Monday, October 28, 2013.

AN INSIDE LOOK

By Bill Gouveia

            On Thursday, October 24, 2013 I realized one of my lifelong dreams.  I went to a World Series game at Fenway Park with my two sons.  And even though the Red Sox lost, it is an evening I will never forget.

This completes my personal professional sports championship experience.  I have now attended at least one Super Bowl, one NBA Finals game, one NHL Stanley Cup Finals, and now one World Series Game.  Not bad for a guy who has spent his whole life in Norton.

            I was in New Orleans when the Patriots won their first Super Bowl.  I was in the balcony when the Celtics beat the Lakers for the title in 2008.  But last Thursday night – well, that falls into a category all its own.

            The Red Sox occupy a special spot in the hearts and minds of sports fans of my generation.  While the Patriots have pulled neck-and-neck in the race for New England’s most popular team, the Red Sox continue to be part of our birthright.  They are history, interwoven into our culture.  While many may not understand the relationship between this team and their fans, it is something tangible and quite real.

            So when they unexpectedly wound up in the World Series this year, I decided this was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up.  At 57, I have no idea when or if this chance might present itself again.  After all, this is only the sixth time in my lifetime it has happened.

            So with the support and encouragement of my amazing wife (who has been to a Super Bowl with me), I decided to get tickets for a game in Boston.  And we decided it would not be a complete experience unless my two boys came with me.

            Sports has always played a central role in our family, some might say to an extreme.  Family events are often planned around the playoff schedule.  We travel together to stadiums in other states to follow our teams.  Our conversations (when not about our grandchildren) tend to center around the local franchises.

            So we searched for tickets to Game 2 of the World Series, knowing that was when both my kids would be able to attend.  We ultimately found three seats together in the centerfield bleachers, for a price much higher than I would have liked.  But we went ahead and did it, figuring this was a Christmas present our children would never forget.

            Our sons were shocked when we told them, and initially said it was too much.  But I told them the honest truth – this was probably much more for me than them.  While the idea of actually attending a World Series game was thrilling, the prospect of going with both my sons would be well beyond that.  So they agreed, and Thursday afternoon it was off to Fenway Park.

            I saw my first Red Sox game in 1965 at the age of nine when my grandfather brought me to magical Fenway.  Ten years later I took him to our first playoff game, sitting out in the bleachers and watching the Sox advance to the World Series.

            On Thursday, some 48 years after going with my grandfather, I walked into the same baseball cathedral for a World Series game with my boys.  I was somewhat overwhelmed just entering the ballpark, but completely lost it when we went inside and approached the field.

            As we walked the concourse, my eyes welled up.  My kids looked at me, and I told them, “I know it’s stupid, but I never thought I’d live long enough to see a World Series game, especially with you two.”

            And they understood.

            We sat out in the bleachers and watched the game together.  The Sox wound up losing late on some silly errors, but we did experience the thrill of a clutch homer by David Ortiz.  We soaked up the atmosphere only a World Series shared by a father and his sons could provide.

            It was a dream come true, the thrill of a lifetime, and a parenting and family moment that can’t be duplicated.  And I never thought I’d say this – but the outcome didn’t really matter. 

I must be getting old.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and can be emailed at aninsidelook@aol.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

Norton Needs to Keep Band Going

This column originally appeared in The Sun Chronicle on October 21, 2013.

AN INSIDE LOOK

By Bill Gouveia

 

            Though it may have seemed trivial and relatively unimportant to many, the announcement last week that the Norton High School Band has dissolved to the point where it pretty much does not currently exist and cannot march in the annual Veteran’s Day parade has many people incredibly sad. 

 

            While the impact on the parade and the honoring of our deserving veterans is of prime importance, the current state of the band is disturbing on many levels.  It says something about our priorities today regarding both our educational systems and society in general.

 

            I am former president of the Norton High band.  It was back in 1974, and I might have been the worst president the band has ever had.  But I played the trumpet (not overly well) and enjoyed marching during football games and parades.

 

            I covered high school sports for this fine newspaper back then, and would walk the sideline in my band uniform taking notes until halftime.  Then I would make a mad dash for my trumpet, jump into line, and perform in the halftime activities.  My wife-to-be (yes, high school sweethearts) “played” the symbols.  Her big moment at each home game was the crash at the height of the Star Spangled Banner.

 

            Our children find our band experience embarrassing.  But as we tell them all the time – it was very cool to be in the band back then.  And it should be now too.

 

            Our marching band was 99 members strong, which was amazing considering our graduating class had only 99 members.  We won awards in statewide band competitions, and even recorded an album.  I was going to explain those are oversized CDs, but then realized even CDs are now obsolete.

 

            We were proud to be band members, as I’m sure recent band members were also.  We loved the parades, where we got decked out in our uniforms and represented our community.  We looked forward to the ceremonies at the town common, and the hot dogs the veteran’s organizations so generously served us at the finish.

 

            Today that pride in the band and the music program is considerably less visible despite the tremendous efforts of those great kids trying so hard to maintain that wonderful tradition.  There are just simply not enough of them. 

 

            It is not a completely sudden shift.  Both interest and funding (not a completely coincidental relationship) have been falling off for bands across the area for many years.  With the range of activities available to youth today greatly expanded and in some views diluted, it has been difficult to get students to commit the time and effort necessary to have a good band. 

 

            But there is a difference between having a “good” program and having a program at all.

 

            If not enough kids turned out for the football or baseball team, there would be a huge outcry throughout the town.  We should be just as concerned about this problem, and make every effort we can to find out why it is happening and address it.

 

            Educating our children is not just about books and math and computer skills.  It is also about creating well-rounded students who appreciate the arts and can contribute to them.  While not every kid is a musician, their high school years should expose and involve them to these things as much as possible.

 

            When I was in the school system, there was a program in place at the elementary level to get kids interested in playing music.  It was a great “feeder system”, and that has been somewhat revitalized in Norton in recent years.  But if the community thinks the music program is important, it has to start showing it more.

 

            This is not all about funding, nor is it unique to Norton.  And perhaps there is little we can do about it.  Our own kids never marched in the band, though my oldest still claims we forced him to join in his freshman year.  We understand how difficult it is to maintain this very important tradition.

 

            When there is no Norton High Band in the Veteran’s Day parade next month, it will be a sad day for my hometown.  Let’s hope it serves as a wake-up call all around the area.

 

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and can be emailed at aninsidelook@aol.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

Have to Let the Lens into Local Meetings

This column originally appeared in The Sun Chronicle on Friday, October 18, 2013

AN INSIDE LOOK

By Bill Gouveia

When local communities hold their public municipal meetings, they could never get away with excluding print reporters.  The resulting backlash and legal consequences would be swift and severe.

But that same "respect" (perhaps tolerance is a more accurate word) is often not extended to the television media - particularly local cable access.  As powerful as the written word is, we have become a visual society. That means actually being recorded during municipal business is a double-edged sword, giving the public unfettered access but also focusing the spotlight on local officials.

News articles or columns are always presented through the prism of those doing the writing, even in the most objective of circumstances.  Claims of being misquoted or having statements taken out of context can create reasonable doubt in the minds of many.  But actually being seen making the statement is yet another thing entirely.

This manifests itself in many ways on a local basis.  First and foremost, it makes control of local cable access a very important thing.  While many citizens watch and enjoy their community television stations, relatively few understand how they are run or who controls them.  This varies from town to town.

In many communities the local cable operation is controlled by a semi-public non-profit organization appointed in part by selectmen.  These groups come under mostly state regulations, and receive funding from a portion of the cable bills paid to the local cable company.  This usually amounts to several hundred thousands of dollars each year.

The best (or worst) example of the fight for control is Rehoboth. The messy, protracted, legal and highly political battle over control of local cable access there highlights just how powerful and profitable - politically and financially - controlling public access can be.

In Rehoboth the independent operation began acting in what local officials rightfully considered a suspicious and questionable manner.  They wrested control from the group, and in an ongoing legal battle are trying to recover missing equipment and account for questionable spending.

But placing control under selectmen has created different issues.  They have supported the chairman of the Finance Committee when he decided which of his committee's meetings should be televised and which should not.  This form of censorship is both politically expedient and frighteningly effective.

In Wrentham, the local cable access director has claimed the town administrator blocked the televising of a meeting of the Building Commissioner Search Committee. By the time an Open Meeting Law complaint could be filed, the interviews had been conducted and it was pretty much a dead issue.  Those with a cynical view might say -mission accomplished.

In Foxboro, the Advisory Committee is the group responsible for advising the citizens on all matters relative to Town Meeting.  While open to the public and welcoming visitors, they have resisted making it possible for their gatherings to be televised locally.

The philosophy here seems - at least in part - to be that televising the meetings discourages people from serving the community.  Good folks willing to step up and volunteer for this important job might not do so if they know they have to appear on television on a semi-regular basis.  They also might act differently if they know they are on TV.  It is claimed in the end, this hurts the town.

Being on television might be intimidating to many, and may discourage citizens who would otherwise serve from offering their talents.  But that is still not a good enough excuse to prevent people from watching their government in action.

Those who say people can come to the meetings if they really want to be informed are in serious denial.  That is just not a practical answer for most in these busy days. You must make local government as transparent and easy to follow as possible.

The idea the camera brings out the "political" side of officials may also be true - but not relevant. It is a lousy excuse. This type of public service must be actually performed in public.

When newspaper writers first were allowed into all public meetings, there were no doubt those opposed to that also.  But as it was then, sunshine remains the best disinfectant for government - even if it shines through a camera lens.

 Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and can be reached at aninsidelook@aol.com or followed at @billinsidelook