Gnome on the range ... LIVE CHAT IS UNDERWAY!       Sunday night's LIVE CHAT has been rescheduled to Monday night this week on account of the Super Bowl. Please join us at 7 p.m. on Monday!    Way to go Saints! The people of New Orleans deserved a champion!  Read More ... 152 opinions posted

Charter guest panel leans toward mayor system     The pros and cons of a mayoral system of government took center stage on Saturday before a sparse crowd in the Wareham Middle School auditorium.     In the first of two public meetings schedule this month by Wareham’s Charter Review Committee, four guest speakers – Newburyport mayor Donna Holaday, Braintree town clerk Joe Powers, Former chairman of the Plymouth Charter Commission Dick Silva, and former member of the Barnstable Charter Commission Lucien Poyant – shared their viewpoints on municipal government with about 50 Wareham residents.     The topic of discussion wasn’t intended to specifically address the possibility of Wareham moving toward a mayor/city councilmen system. That controversial subject will be addressed in detail during a Feb. 20 public meeting which will most certainly contain more fireworks than the informational presentation on Saturday. The town’s Charter Review Committee will then take their final plan to Town Meeting on April 26.     Each speaker on Saturday was given 30 minutes to offer personal reflections on various forms of town government. The speakers often differed in their viewpoints, but the majority ultimately favored a mayoral system.     Len Gay, who served as moderator for the event, informed the audience that direct questions could be asked of the panel but that no speeches would be allowed. He also emphasized that questions must pertain specifically to the personal experience of each speaker.     “It’s not fair to ask these people to pass judgment on Wareham,” Gay said.     Poyant took the microphone first and opened by giving a brief history of Barnstable’s charter review commissions. Then he strongly criticized a city counsel system, saying it “disenfranchised me as a voter.”     “We have a 13-member council,” Poyant said. “I vote for just one councilman. If I don’t like the town manager there is no recourse. As long as (the town manager) keeps seven (councilmen) happy, he keeps his job," Poyant said.     Poyant, who favors a strong mayoral system with at-large council positions, said his town’s 13-member board “creates apathy.”     “When I was brought up I took civic classes and was told how important it is to get up and vote,” he said.     Poyant, who Poyant served as chairman of the charter commission that replaced Barnstable’s board of selectmen with a town manager and town council in 1989, said he now favors a mayoral system because “a mayor is answerable to all the people.”     When asked his thoughts on the town meeting process, Poyant said such meetings are often stacked with people voting their own self-interest.     Silva, a life-long resident of Plymouth who served on that community’s school committee and charter commission for a number of years, said his community uses a the town uses the representative town meeting form of government, led by a town manager and a board of selectmen.     Silva acknowledged that even a representative form of town meeting, in which different precincts elect individuals to represent their interest at town meeting, has some problems.     “You always have some people who I think aren’t allowed to talk at home,” Silva quipped.  He rued the fact that town meeting voters are often ill-prepared to discuss subjects as complicated as the town budgets, noting how one individual obsessed over the purchase of a $250 lawn mower for the parks department.     A failed attempt in Plymouth to change to change to a mayoral system caused a great deal of animosity among residents, Silva said.     “Do not change the way you look at somebody because they disagree with you,” said Silva, who remains in favor of a mayoral system. “Don’t divide the town.”     Silva said much of the opposition to a mayoral system in Plymouth came from people serving as representatives at town meeting.     “They were scared. They did not want to relinquish their power. Some of those people think god put them there,” he said.     Holaday, who has served as mayor of Newburyport for a little over a month, said a mayoral system has many advantages.     “There are only 42 of us,” she said. “Our calls to the state get returned immediately. There is a different status in being a mayor. The mayor is like a CEO.”     Holaday, who earns $60,000 a year as mayor plus a $5,000 stipend for expenses, said she took a dramatic pay cut after she was elected.     “It’s the best job in the world,” she said.     Responding to a question regarding the cost of town government under her system, Holaday said five city councilmen receive $5,000 yearly stipends each, while the chairman get a $6,000 yearly stipend.     The total cost is $96,000 per year, which is less than Wareham Town Administrator Mark Andrews makes yearly.     Powers, who watched Braintree move to a mayor/town council government in 2007, expressed mixed feelings about the change. He noted that key decision can be made more quickly now but believes the public has less input in the government now.     “We still have an annual town meeting but no one shows up,” he said.     Powers said a form of government should never be changed for financial and budgetary reasons.     “The government, no matter what form, is only as good and the people you put into it,” he said.  Read More ... Robert Slager

In This Corner - Robert Slager Either come clean or stay dirty        It appears the games have officially begun.     Anyone not living under a rock knows that politics is a blood sport in Wareham. Collateral damage is of little concern. Political warfare often takes the carpet-bombing approach – smear everything and everybody associated with a political candidate or viewpoint and hope it’s enough to win the day. It’s is a bitterly cynical approach to democracy, but it is the weapon of choice in Wareham.     Although there are still a few days left to take out nomination papers for April’s Town Election (papers must be taken out by Feb. 12 and returned by Feb. 17) the field has basically been set. Incumbent selectmen Bruce Sauavageau and John Cronan will square off against Steve Holmes and Cara Ann Winslow. Mary Ann Silva will try to hold off the challenge of Melodye Conway for town clerk. Claire Smith will try to take the town moderator title from John Donahue.     Essentially it’s the Take Back Wareham ticket against the incumbents. Frank DeFelice has also pulled out papers for selectmen, but it’s doubtful Take Back Wareham would run three people for two seats, thus splitting their own voting block. There have been murmurs that Walter Cruz will step down as selectman because of issues he has with Sauvageau, but Cruz has not confirmed that. If Cruz decides to complete his term (he has two years left), DeFelice would likely drop out of the race as he appears to be the weakest of the three TBW candidates for selectmen (he fared poorly in his run for selectman two years ago).     The politically maneuvering began long before this, however. The unregistered political action committee Citizens for a Better Wareham, which beget Take Back Wareham, which beget VoteApril6, has been preparing for this election since last April, when Cruz beat their candidate – Winslow – despite an attempted smear campaign against Cruz and his supporters. But Cruz, a well-respected member of the Cape Verdean community, withstood all that to capture a seat on the Board of Selectmen.     Whatever flag they now fly under, the organized opposition to the current board will pull out all the stops in its attempt to gain political power in April. Using a local hate web site like the wall on a public bathroom stall, they’ve unleashed a torrent of rumors and lies in an attempt to destroy the public reputations of their adversaries. They’ve boycotted this paper, harassing our advertisers and distributors, in an attempt to crush any words of opposition. They even managed to take free copies of the Observer away from home-bound clients of the Meals on Wheels program.     Politics can turn ugly in any community, but in Wareham it has evolved into visceral hatred in some corners. Any attempted to bridge the distance between political opponents, as was attempted last fall by the non-political group Move Wareham Forward, was summarily dismissed and ridiculed by the partisans who run Take Back Wareham. In this game it’s all or nothing. There is no room for communication or compromise.     There are legitimate topics for debate in Wareham. Should the town change to a mayoral system of government? What is the best way to allocate shrinking financial resources because of cuts to state aid? Is the current administration transparent enough to the public? What is the best way to create affordable senior housing? What degree of control should the town exert over developers? What is the best way to deal with environmental concerns such as nitrogen-loading into the town’s water shed? What is the best way to ensure the Wareham Free Library remains a valuable asset to the community?     These are the true issues that both sides of the political equation should be discussing responsibly together. But that isn’t what is happening. Instead of addressing their concerns in a forum such as Citizen’s Participation during selectmen meetings, political partisans are using anonymous screen names to bash the opposition on the internet. Most of their venom has little to do with actual issues. It’s about personal vendettas, and that’s the real problem in Wareham. There are people so interested in “getting” others that they no longer care what’s in the best interest of the community. They are obsessed with winning a game only they are playing.     Many of these people have lost all perspective when it comes to politics. For them everything is personal. When they equate members of the current Board of Selectmen to Nazis, they don’t mean it as hyperbole. Some of these people actually believe it, and that’s the scary part. When someone sees another as “evil” it becomes a lot easier to justify immoral action taken against that person. It becomes a lot simpler to make the end justify the means.     The good people of Wareham can only hope that this election season can rise about all that. For nearly 24 hours from Saturday through Sunday the local hate site has been inaccessible to viewers. Unfortunately it appears to have been just a technical glitch. This community would be far better off without an un-moderated forum in which anonymous people can say whatever they want, regardless of the truth, especially when those who hold a contrary viewpoint are quickly banned from commenting.     Take Back Wareham’s participation in that web site has already become a campaign issue. Both Winslow and Holmes have repeatedly posted comments there, despite the site’s Nazi imagery, extreme use of profanity, sexually-explicit content, and racist and homophobic commentary. It is fair to ask why two candidates for the Board of Selectmen have not only failed to condemn such a web site but have repeatedly attached their names to it. That is, at the very least, tacit approval for what that web site represents.     The circle of hatred must come to an end in Wareham. The nasty political games must give way to open, honest and mature dialogue. There must be transparency from all sides. The selectmen must cease violating open meeting law, no matter how insignificant the transgressions may appear. The Citizens for a Better Wareham must stop changing its name every few months in a silly attempt to hide the identity of its leadership. The CBW crew passed out VoteApril6  buttons and signs at the Middle School on Saturday. Former CBW board member Dick Wheeler, who gleefully participated in that effort, has now admitted he’s one of the driving forces behind VoteApril6. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence that his wife is a former trustee of the Wareham Free Library.     Maybe there is no way to completely stop the blood sport known as Wareham politics. But at least take the hypocrisy and deception out of the equation. It’s easy to attack those who hold opposing viewpoints, especially while living in a glass house and hiding behind an anonymous screen name on the internet. Transparency must apply to everyone. People who use anonymous screen names really shouldn’t demand it from others.      It’s fine to be politically opposed to certain things. That is the right of every American. But when people offer only opposition and no solutions other than to let them handle things perhaps it’s time to wonder if these people actually stand for anything other than themselves.  Read More ... In This Corner - Robert Slager - 13 opinions posted

District Attorney Tim Cruz Inspector General steps in; Town to get computer disks back from DA's office     The Inspector General’s office of the State of Massachusetts has taken possession of 84 computer disks that were confiscated by the Plymouth County District Attorney’s office last summer following the town’s audit of its own computer system.     The town will also receive copies of 69 of those disks. Copies of the remaining 15 disks, which contain information from computers within the Wareham Police Department, will be turned over to Interim Police Chief Rick Stanley.     During Tuesday night’s selectmen meeting, Chairman Bruce Sauvageau said Town Counsel received a letter from the District Attorney’s office confirming that the Inspector General’s office will take over investigating what is contained on those disks.     “They are returning all of the disks (to the town),” Sauvageau said.     The news comes as a major victory for the Board of Selectmen, which has battled with the District Attorney Timothy Cruz for nearly eight months over possession of the disks.     According to Sauvageau, the only disks that were reviewed by the District Attorney’s office were those relating to police computers.     “The DA has referred the matter to the IG and the (state) ethics department for further investigation,” Sauvageau said.     The chairman also confirmed previous statements he has made that the Board of Selectmen were cleared of any wrongdoing in initiating and conducting the computer audit.     “There was no finding against us,” Sauvageau said. “When we receive the disks we will need to sit down with Town Counsel and discuss what to do next.”     Sauvageau said the Inspector General’s office will be focusing on two departments in their on-going investigation into alleged corruption (past and present) in Wareham. Although he did not state which departments were involved, the Observer has previously reported that the Wareham Free Library and the town’s Municipal Maintenance Department are the focus of the investigation.     Despite repeated requests from the town, the District Attorney’s office had refused to return the disks and has never officially acknowledged why the computer disks were confiscated last summer from a private digital forensic company hired by the town. The District Attorney convened a Special Grand Jury last July for an unstated reason and called Sauvageau, then-interim town administrator John Sanquinet and Systems Manager Matt Underhill to testify about the purpose and scope of the audit after Board of Assessor Chairman Steve Curry wrote to the District Attorney’s office, complaining that confidential information could be compromised.     The Department of Revenue ruled in the town’s favor on that issue. In a letter to the town, the DOR noted that nearly all assessor records are public.     According to a source, Rep. Susan Williams Gifford wrote a letter of complaint surrounding the audit to the DA on behalf of her husband, Mark, who serves as director of Municipal Maintenance. During an illegally broadcast executive session meeting of the Board of Selectmen, John Cronan said the computers of Mark Gifford and Pollution Control Facility operator Dave Simmons should be audited because they are “two of the biggest rats in town.”     The DA’s office later ruled that the selectmen had violated open meeting law because they had not invited Gifford and Simmons to be present during that meeting. The Board of Selectmen  denied violating opening meeting law, claiming they had no way to know in advance that Cronan would make such a remark. They also noted that no further discussion ensued regarding Gifford and Simmons.     The Inspector General’s office has been investigating alleged improprieties within the Municipal Maintenance Department for nearly a year. The investigation widened to include the Wareham Free Library after the Observer reported that as much as $1.5 million may have been embezzled from the library under the direction of former library director/selectman Mary Jane Pillsbury, who died in 2008. According to library sources, the embezzlement scheme began after Pillsbury orchestrated a money-laundering operation in which specific people donating to the library received cash kick-backs. The money was then replenished by selling new books at various book sales, as well as from money taken from the library copy machines. A third method has not been publicly reported.     The alleged enterprise occurred from the early 1990s through 2005.    Read More ... Robert Slager - 18 opinions posted

Sisters Kaykeigh and Kaylah Ormsbee could soon be separated from each other by the Department of Social Services Fighting to keep a family together     Tara Ormsbee never wanted to be in the news again. She never wanted to be the focus of another Department of Social Services battle. She never wanted to see her family torn apart as it was 13 years ago.     “History is repeating itself,” Tara said, cradling her 19-day-old daughter in her arms.     It was 1997 when Tara and her 12-year-old twin sister sat in the middle of a heartbreaking battle between her parents and the state. Tara and her sister Sheena had been separated - Tara sent to live with their father, Sheena with their mother – when they were 10. Then, two years later in 1997, the court ruled that neither parent was fit for custody. The girls were taken away from a Brockton courtroom in tears and whisked away to a waiting van to be taken to an undisclosed location.     The photographic image of Tara, sobbing and screaming for her father as she was forced into the van, will forever remain burned in the memory of those who have seen it.     Tara and her husband Kennan sat nervously in their modest home just over the Wareham town line in Plymouth on Tuesday afternoon. Little Kaylah sneezed a few times, as newborn babies often do. Tara pulled her daughter a little closer, rubbed Kaylah’s nose a few times and watched her baby fall back to sleep.     It was a moment that could have been captured in a Hallmark Card, but abject fear bubbled right beneath the surface. In a few weeks Tara will learn whether DSS will take her children away from their parents the way she and her sister were taken away from theirs.     Eleven months ago Tara, who has two other daughters, voluntarily checked herself into a drug rehabilitation center in Manomet. She and her husband had become addicted to OxyContin, a slow-releasing narcotic usually prescribed for pain associated with cancer. When bought on the street, the pill is crushed and snorted, giving the user a high some say is more powerful than heroin, and every bit as addictive.     Keenan voluntarily began out-patient treatments for his own addiction to the drug.     “We’re no angels,” he said. “But we’ve tried hard to keep our family together. There is a roof over our head and food on the table. The girls go to school. They have toys and decent clothes. We’ve passed every drug test they have given us since April. We don’t neglect our children. We voluntarily went for help for a problem, and then all hell broke loose.”     DSS won’t comment on the matter, citing confidentiality issues. But according to Tara and her husband, after DSS learned that Tara had checked herself into drug rehabilitation her life has been turned upside down. She said DSS has repeatedly threatened to take their children away if they don’t follow a rigid program of drug testing and counseling. Tara said she has followed each demand the DSS has made of her. Keenan admitted to missing a few counseling sessions recently.     “I don’t know what they want,” he said. “I can’t go to work and provide a better life for my family because they make me go to all these sessions. We have no life. We have to live on their schedule. They completely run our lives. We’ve been totally clean since April. We have drug test results to prove it.”     In a few weeks Tara and Keenan will be back in court, fighting to keep their family together. According to Tara, DSS wants to take her children away because little Kaylah was born with traces of a drug known as Subutex in her blood. Subutex is used to treat narcotic addiction.     “That’s what is so crazy about this,” said Tara, who grew up in Wareham. “I fought and fought with DSS because after I learned I was pregnant I didn’t want to take this stuff. I worried what it might do to the baby. But they threatened to take my other kids away if I didn’t. Now because they made me take this stuff they are using that as a reason to try to take my children away. They are punishing me because I did what they told me to do.”     Tara’s father, Dana Raymond, told the Observer by phone that his daughter is being targeted by DSS because of him. He said his public outspokenness against DSS when his daughters were taken by the state has now put Tara in DSS’s crosshairs.     “Look, if these people are angry with me, deal with me,” Raymond said. “Don’t take it out on my daughter.”     Raymond said Tara’s two years in state custody, beginning when she was 12, put her on a bad path.     “My daughter has made mistakes,” he said. “We all have. But something else is going on here. It just doesn’t make sense.”     Tara said she tries not to think about her life as a teenager. She said she isn’t bitter about what happened to her and her sister.     “If none of that happened, I might not have meet Keenan,” she said of her husband, whom she married in 2006.     Keenan began staring at a large cross hanging on a wall in the living room. For a moment he seemed lost in thought.     “It doesn’t seem right to me,” he said. “We tried to get help for our problem and now we have to go through all this.”     Five-year-old Kayleigh emerged from her bedroom, a shy smile etched across her face. She wanted to hold her new baby sister. She sat back on the couch after Tara placed a pillow near Kayleigh’s lap.     Tara smiled as she kept a protective eye on her daughters (18-month-old Kelsi was napping in another room).      “Kayleigh’s such a smart, beautiful kid. She has a heart of gold,” Tara said. “I don’t know what I would do if they took her away from me.”    Read More ... Robert Slager - 4 opinions posted

In This Corner - Robert Slager No good deed goes unpunished     Of all the cheap, sleazy tactics employed by the hater bloggers in Wareham, this has to be the sleaziest.     Last week I started a Facebook page for the benefit of the community. There was no hidden agenda, as anyone who has visited the page could plainly see. I created the page so people who live or have lived in the area could connect with one another to share stories and photos, to promote their events, businesses and charities, and to have a little fun. I installed a number of applications such as trivia games, horoscopes, and a link to donate to charities around the world. I asked the friends of the page who attend Wareham High School to make yesterday “Pay It Forward” day by doing something nice for somebody else and then having that person return the favor to another.     The Facebook page has nothing to do with either the Wareham Observer newspaper or web site. I haven't posted news stories or commentary there. Heck, I didn’t even list a phone number for the Observer anywhere on the page. I was just trying to do something nice for the people of Wareham. There was no other page like this in town where people young and old alike could come together in celebration of their community.     The popularity of the page absolutely exploded. In less than a week more than 550 people joined as friends. That’s truly remarkable. If I had known there was such a desire for a page like it I would have created one a long time ago.     But the hate bloggers in Wareham simply couldn’t have it. They couldn’t allow the name “Wareham Observer” to be attached to anything positive for the community. So they complained to Facebook that such a page shouldn’t be allowed.     There are two ways to create a Facebook page – as a “personal” page and as a “business” page. I intentionally set it up as a personal page because I wasn’t trying to sell advertising or subscriptions to the Observer. Anyone who has visited the page knows that. I was trying to provide a community service.     But because the page was called “Wareham Observer” the hater bloggers actually contacted Facebook to tell them to take the page down because it wasn’t set up as a “business” page. I’m not making this up. These people actually did this. But that’s not even the worst part. Now they are going around trying to convince people I set the page up so I could look at photos of underaged girls on other people’s pages.     That’s how disgusting these people have become. My jaw almost hit the floor when I read that. So, because I created a Facebook page the entire community can enjoy that makes me some kind of pervert? That’s sick, even for these people.     First of all, any Facebook member can view public photos on other Facebook pages. It doesn’t matter if you have a business page or a personal page. Anyone who currently uses Facebook knows that. My family already has its own Facebook page. If I had the sick inclination to do what these people are suggesting I didn’t need a Wareham Observer page to do it.     Second, these twisted people are claiming I targeted kids to join the page for some nefarious purpose. That’s an outright lie. When the page was launched last Monday I did send invitations to some people I knew in Wareham. That included some members of the Wareham High football team. I have covered the Vikings for five seasons and have gotten to know some of these young men.     Once a page begins to grow Facebook suggests people to add as friends. I took advantage of that feature and sent out some more invitations. Then hundreds of people began to send unsolicited requests to join. As this page was intended for everybody’s use and has no questionable content whatsoever, I approved everybody’s request. I didn’t create the page for my benefit. I did it for the people of Wareham.      But the hate bloggers simply couldn’t tolerate that. It ran contrary to their “Robert Slager is Satan” mantra. So now they’re doing everything possible to have the page removed.     In order to prevent that from happening I took off the name “Wareham Observer” and replaced it with my own. They can’t claim it’s an actual business page anymore so that effectively eliminates a loop hole they were trying to exploit.     It deeply saddens me to have to write a column like this. It saddens me even more that there are people in this town with nothing better to do than try to destroy a positive addition to the community for their own political purposes. Apparently the hate bloggers are terrified that some people might discover that I’m not the embodiment of evil the bloggers claim me to be. Apparently there is no end to their quest to silence every voice in town but their own.     At least one positive thing has come from all this. Many more people now know what the hate bloggers offer this community.    Nothing.    To visit my Facebook page, please click on this link and see for yourself:  http://www.facebook.com/notifications.php#/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000711579213  Read More ... In This Corner - Robert Slager - 6 opinions posted

Police catch bomb-threat suspect     After a lengthy investigation, Wareham police detectives have charged 30-year-old James Johnson of 30 Bates Pond Road in Carver with two counts of making a false bomb threat, and larceny over $250.     On Sept. 12, 2009 and again on Oct. 17, 2009, Johnson allegedly placed cell phone calls to the Plymouth County Teacher’s Credit Union, which is located at 2201 Cranberry Highway in West Wareham. Johnson allegedly stating there was a bomb in the building. The building is directly across from Wareham Fourth District Courthouse.     Wareham Police and Wareham Fire responded to the Credit Union. They evacuated the building on both occasions. However, no bombs were ever found.      Wareham detectives began an investigation and say they were able to trace the cell phone used that ultimately led them to Johnson. The investigation allegedly revealed that Johnson had stolen blank checks from a family member and was cashing them at the Credit Union. On Sept. 12, Johnson panicked when he learned that the victim was en route to the Credit Union to conduct routine business, according to police.     Police say Johnson called in the bomb threat, knowing the business would have to close and thus, the victim wouldn’t discover the missing money. He repeated the incident on Oct. 17 for the same reason. Credit Union officials told police that Johnson had withdrawn over $12,000 from the account over a period of time.      Johnson is currently being held in the Plymouth County House of Correction on unrelated matters and is scheduled to appear at Wareham District Court on March 4.  Read More ...

Police seek suspect who robbed Maxi Gas at gunpoint       Law enforcement officials are asking for assistance in locating a suspect of an armed robbery that occurred at Maxi Gas at 3242 Cranberry Highway.     Around 8 p.m. on Tuesday a gas station attendant called 911 to report that he had just been robbed at gunpoint. The suspect fled on foot toward Onset Avenue. A subsequent search by the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department could not locate the suspect, who is being described as heavy-set, around six feet tall with dark brown receding hair. He was wearing a knit cap and a black jacket.     Please call the Wareham Police Department at (508) 295-1212 or the Tip Line at (508) 291-2300 if you have any information.   Read More ...

In This Corner - Robert Slager VoteApril6's insidious plan for victory      In this great nation in which we live the three most precious gifts we’ve been given are the right to speak our minds, the right to worship as we please, and the ability to chose our own leadership. Without that last gift, the other two might not be possible.     The right to vote our conscience, to engage in a democratic process, is the blood that pumps through the veins of America. It is the foundation on which all other things have been built.     It is a right that so many take for granted. Millions of American men and women have died to protect our most precious freedom. But even in the decision to select a president, less than half of eligible voters make it to the polling both. Encouraging people to exercise their right to vote is a noble pursuit, provided that the objective is to promote democracy and not just to increase the chances of electing a specific candidate or a slate of them. Then it becomes manipulation of the most cynical kind.     Over the next two months a group calling itself VoteApril6 will do everything within its power to increase voter registration. Normally that should be applauded. But this group is not interested in democracy for the sake of democracy. It only wants to improve the chances of its own slate of candidates.     Once these people were known as the “Citizens for a Better Wareham,” an organization that catered to the special interest groups in town. Then, after they were exposed for the political partisans they were, they changed their name to Take Back Wareham. Now, in an effort to distance themselves from the shameless political tactics they performed under that name, they are calling themselves VoteApril6.     Members of VoteApril6 refuse to publicly identify themselves. The reason why is clear. They want to fool people into thinking they are part of a grassroots campaign to encourage people to vote. If their true motive was revealed they would be discredited as they have been under previous incarnations. They are not the incumbents in the upcoming election. These are people supporting the challengers.     They have paid at least $1,500 in advance to run advertisements in the new Wareham Week newspaper until the April 6 town election. There is no contact information on their ad save for an e-mail address. There is no phone number, no address, no website listed. And that’s because they are collecting e-mail addresses that they will undoubtedly use to push their slate of candidates in the days leading up to the election.     VoteApril6 is not a registered political action committee. That’s why they are being so subtle and vague about their intention. The Observer had the son of a friend e-mail them to get more information last week. VoteApril6 is suggesting that potential voters read Wareham Week for their political education. VoteApril6 has already ordered buttons, decals and lawn signs. They plan to get their message into the school system. They even called Facebook and made us change the name of our Facebook page because in  it became wildly popular among high school students in a matter of days. They simply don't want young people in this town to know the truth. They only want to be able to manipulate young voters into voting for their candidates.     I am curious about something. Why would VoteApril6 suggest that people read Wareham Week to learn about the election? How would VoteApril6 know anything about the potential election coverage of a newspaper that has just been conveniently created?     There are a few things Wareham should know about this new newspaper. The publisher – Anne Eisenmenger – is a Wareham resident who attended a secret meeting in the summer of 2008 intended to launch a recall of the Board of Selectmen. Advertisers for this newspaper include the family of former selectman/library director Mary Jane Pillsbury, Citizens for a Better Wareham board member Bob Brady, and attorney Margaret Ishihara. They all attended the same recall meeting with Eisenmenger. Brady, who hosted the infamous anti-selectmen “community meeting” last summer at the Middle School in which all pro-selectmen voices were silenced, has gone from business to business in Wareham trying to sell advertising for the new paper.     The goal of the Citizens for a Better Wareham/Take Back Wareham/VoteApril 6 is to increase voter participation as much as possible by any means necessary and then to try to completely control the media so only their message gets out. That’s why they’ve tried so hard to put the Observer out of business. They cannot control the flow of information as long as the Observer is still around. So they have spent the better part of the past year pressuring our distributors and advertisers into severing ties with us. They speak of the importance of voting while they callously disregard the value of freedom of speech.     They have engaged in an absolute smear campaign on a local hate web site against anyone they perceive to be a threat to their political ambitions. And it’s only going to get worse.      But publicly they will put on a different face. VoteApril6 and Wareham Week will not pull out the heavy artillery until the last minute. They will try to lull people into complacency with a soft, positive message. Then as the election nears they will unleash a smear campaign against their political opponents the likes of which Wareham has never seen before.     On the Take Back Wareham Facebook page Saturday, the moderator made the following post: “Candidate update: as of yesterday 1/28/10 we have 3 potential candidates for 2 seats on the BOS (Frank DeFelice, Steve Holmes & Cara Winslow), we have 1 potential candidate for Housing Authority Don Hall, and Melodye Conway for Town Clerk. Media reports indicate that the incumbent Clerk Mrs. Silva is also in the race”     Note how the post didn’t say “there are three potential candidates for two seats on the BOS.” No, the moderator said “we have” three candidates. Silva was just an afterthought. That should eliminate any doubt that Take Back Wareham is nothing more than a political action committee in disguise.     Steve Holmes, under the name Searay240 (he has publicly admitted it’s him), has made 306 posts on a local hate website that allows Nazi imagery and extreme profanity, one that bans people for having a different point of view from its own. Cara Winslow has made 136 posts to that same site under her own name. It’s unclear if DeFelice has posted there as anonymous names are allowed.     Holmes was one of the chief organizers of the boycott against the Observer. He has publicly acknowledged that. During Brady’s community meeting he stood on the stage and loudly accused the Observer of actively working with the Board of Selectmen. Despite repeated requests, he has never offered a shred of evidence to support such an irresponsible and completely false claim. And now suddenly he wants to run for election.     Winslow, who failed in her run for selectmen last year, was openly supported by Citizens for a Better Wareham (when they still used that name) last year. A link to her still-active campaign web site has remained prominently displayed on the hate site for more than a year.     DeFelice failed in his bid for selectmen two years ago when he told a “Candidate’s Night” audience in Onset that he was not involved in any litigation with the town. The Observer reported that he was, in fact, a party in a lawsuit against the Planning Board.     It is vitally important for residents in Wareham to register to vote. It is vitally important that they come out to the polls on April 6. But don’t do it because a group hiding in the shadows has created a disingenuous campaign to get you to vote for their candidates. Do it because you have an obligation as an American to make your voice be heard. Do it because you care deeply about the future of your community. Do it because there has to be a better path than one lined with shadows and secrecy.     Voting is a precious gift. Please don't squander it by being led to the voting booth on a leash.  Read More ... In This Corner - Robert Slager - 16 opinions posted

Stop clowning around and join us for Live Chat tonight! LIVE CHAT!         Observer Media's Live Chat on Jan. 31 will begin at 7 p.m. Please join in! All viewpoints are welcome, but please be civil. We will not allow personal attacks or any of the nastiness and defamation found on other web sites. This is a great opportunity to discuss issues concerning Wareham with other residents in a mature and responsible manner!  Read More ... 401 opinions posted

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News

Selectmen shop for new town counsel    Unsatisfied with the representation current Town Counsel Kopelman and Paige has provided, selectmen voted Tuesday night to send out bids to other law firms.     Town Counsel is retained on a yearly basis. That vote takes place each March. The town has used Kopelman and Page for many years.     "My personal opinion is that I haven’t been satisfied with our legal services," Sauvageau said. "It’s not just the cost but the quality. We are dealing with more complex issues."     Fellow selectman Jane Donahue echoed those sentiments.     "I agree whole-heartedly that now is the time to go forward," she said, adding that she has been growing increasingly concerned about the amount of time Kopelman and Paige spends on requests for legal services.     Kopelman and Paige currently serves as town counsel for 120 communities in Massachusetts, including Plymouth, Carver, Mattapoisett and Lakeville. Selectmen believe that with such a large number of clients, Kopelman and Paige hasn’t been as responsive to Wareham as the selectmen would like. Selectmen have previously voiced concern about the revolving door of attorneys Kopelman has provided in the past.     The possibility of hiring in-house counsel, which has been discussed in the past, is now officially on the table.     Selectman John Cronan broached that subject during the Board’s meeting Tuesday night. He asked if bids would include the possibility on in-house counsel.     Sauvageau said he’s "completely in favor" of the idea, but suggested the Board hold a workshop to discuss what having in-house counsel would entail.     "What would be the structure? Would (in-house) counsel be overseeing outside (legal) sources?" Sauvageau wondered aloud.     Selectman Brenda Eckstrom was in favor of including the possibility of in-house counsel.     "Make (bidders) sell the idea to us," she said.     Donahue suggested having Town Administrator Mark Andrews investigate the "Request for Proposals" other towns have issued in their own search for town counsel.     Sauvageau, who just graduated from law school, jokingly asked how long he would need to be out of office to apply for the job.     "Just kidding," he said with a grin.  Read More ... Robert Slager

Democratic Caucus meeting scheduled for Feb. 13     Registered Democrats in Wareham will be holding their annual Caucus at the Wareham Free Library on Feb. 13, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. to elect eleven Delegates and three Alternates to the 2010 Massachusetts Democratic Convention.       Delegates will be equally divided between men and women in accordance with Democratic Party rules. Anyone, at least eighteen-years old and registered as a Massachusetts Democrat as of Dec. 31, 2009, is welcome to attend the Caucus and run for a Delegate position.     This year’s Convention will be held on Friday, June 4 and Saturday, June 5 at the DCU Center in Worcester. All Massachusetts Democrats chosen at their caucuses will gather to adopt a party platform and to develop a new Action Agenda outlining grassroots, party building initiatives to prepare us for future elections. This year’s Action Agenda will incorporate strategies that led to our overwhelming victory in the 2008 Presidential election and provide recommendations for attracting more people to the Democratic Party.     Candidates for Delegate and Alternate must be present at the Caucus and consent to nomination in writing. Candidates may make a one-minute statement and may distribute materials on their behalf. All ballots will be written, secret and recorded by the caucus teller. Those people not elected as Delegate or Alternate Delegate may apply to be “add-on” Delegates in the following categories: youth (35 and under), minority and disabled.     Discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, sexual orientation or economic status in the conduct of the Caucus is strictly prohibited.  Challenges to the Delegate-selection process must be filed with the Massachusetts Democratic Party, 56 Roland Street, Suite 203, Boston, MA 02129 within 10 days after the caucus.     For more information, please contact John Donahue, Chairman of the Wareham Democratic Town Committee, at (508) 295-1544.  Read More ...

Makepeace sells 245 acres to the state     Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Ian Bowles announced the purchase of 245 acres of land on Red Brook in Wareham and Plymouth that will protect one of the most diverse fish and wildlife habitats in the Commonwealth.     The Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and its Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) acquired the land, commonly known as Century Bog, from A.D. Makepeace Company for $3 million. The acquisition - through conservation and ongoing ecological restoration - will protect the Red Brook watershed and protect habitat for 11 rare species, several fish species and other wildlife.     "Under Governor Patrick, the Commonwealth has undertaken the largest land conservation initiative in state history, and this important partnership with A.D. Makepeace is our latest success," Bowles said. "This project will protect critical habitats, conserve coastal land and help to continue ongoing ecological restoration efforts, and is in line with our efforts to protect 54,000 acres of land across the Commonwealth in the past two years - the equivalent of 60 acres per day."     The property consists of about 176 acres in Wareham and 69 acres in Plymouth, beginning at the southern end of White Island Pond and linking to MassWildlife’s Red Brook Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The Red Brook WMA is 673 acres and adjacent to The Trustees of Reservations’ 210-acre Lyman Reserve. With the Century Bog acquisition completed, 883 acres of contiguous land are permanently protected, from the headwaters of Red Brook all the way to Buttermilk Bay, a shallow estuary located at the head of Buzzards Bay.     Funding for the acquisition comes from the $1.7 billion Energy and Environment Bond Bill signed by Governor Patrick in August 2008.     "This is the most important acquisition for the agency this year," said DFG Commissioner Mary Griffin, who added that DFG plans to develop a comprehensive restoration plan for the property that includes consideration of climate change adaptation strategies. "Conservation and restoration of the Red Brook watershed will ensure the protection of one of the remaining native sea-run brook trout streams in Massachusetts, as well as habitat for a variety of fish and 11 plants and insects recorded on MassWildlife’s list of endangered, threatened, and special concern species."     A.D. Makepeace - the world’s largest cranberry grower and the largest private landowner in eastern Massachusetts - has been an active participant in ongoing habitat restoration efforts on Red Brook. During the term of a six-year lease agreement, the company has agreed to provide further restoration services on the property such as removing culverts and berms, and excavating the main channel. Under that agreement, A.D. Makepeace has the right to continue its cranberry operations at the 70-acre Century Bog for five years.     "The A.D. Makepeace Company, and particularly the many avid anglers on our staff, have long recognized that the Century Bog property is a unique habitat," said A.D. Makepeace President and CEO Michael P. Hogan. "We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the Commonwealth as well as Trout Unlimited and the Trustees of Reservations to ensure the long-term protection of the many wildlife species which live in the area."     Red Brook is a small, spring-fed, cold water coastal stream that flows roughly 4.5 miles through several former cranberry bogs from its headwaters in Plymouth to the ocean. The Century Bog property contains habitat for common species such as white-tailed deer, wild turkey, eastern cottontail, and coyote; numerous fish species including sea-run brook trout, American eel, alewife, blueback herring, and white perch; and 11 rare plant and insect species.     The sea-run brook trout - or salters - live in fresh water from spring to fall, and spawn in the autumn before spending the winter in near-shore ocean waters. A variant of Massachusetts’ native brook trout, they are larger than typical brook trout due to feeding on abundant food resources in salt water during winter months.     Future restoration of the Century Bog area of Red Brook is expected to improve prospects for salter brook trout and other anadromous fish, particularly blueback herring and alewives. The entire run of Red Brook has been designated by MassWildlife as a catch and release only area due to the quality and unique nature of the fishery resource. MassWildlife, Trout Unlimited, and the U.S. Geological Service (USGS) are actively engaged in researching the native sea-run brook trout in Red Brook.     The acquired property also includes several run-of-river cranberry bogs and wooded pitch pine and scrub oak upland with some small, dispersed wetland areas. It also includes Bartlett Pond, an 11-acre coastal plain pond. Acquisition of Century Bog improves the previously limited public access to the Red Brook WMA.     The Theodore Lyman Reserve honors the naturalist who, in 1867, experienced Red Brook during a site visit for the Massachusetts Commissioners on Inland Fisheries. For the next 30 years, Theodore Lyman III (1833 - 1897) worked to protect Red Brook by purchasing parcels of land on both sides from source to mouth. He eventually acquired a total of 638 acres, and for six generations the Lyman family used the area as a fishing camp, drawn by salters that still run this course. In 2001, the Lyman family generously donated the entire Red Brook property to ensure its protection in perpetuity.     Lyman’s legacy is preserved in the form of the Red Brook Reserve, which is comprised of the 210-acre Trustees reservation and the Red Brook WMA. Management for the entire reserve is overseen by The Trustees of Reservations, MassWildlife and Trout Unlimited, who entered into a cooperative management agreement in 2001.  Read More ...

Makepiece Neighborhood Grants available     The A.D. Makepeace Company announced that application packages for grants from the Makepeace Neighborhood Fund are now available. Applications are due March 9, 2010.     The Makepeace Neighborhood Fund was established in 2005 as a way for the A.D. Makepeace Company to provide significant support to community groups providing services the company finds important. In the past five years, the company has awarded some $850,000 in grants for 130 local projects and programs.     To date, the Wareham Public Schools have been the greatest beneficiary of the program, receiving approximately $100,000 for special programs and equipment over five years. In 2009, grants also went to the Carver, Plymouth, and Old Rochester Regional school districts, as well as Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School.     Grants are available on a competitive basis to non-profit organizations and governmental agencies which provide services to residents of Wareham, Plymouth, Carver, Middleborough, and Rochester. Grants typically range from $5,000 to $10,000 and must be in one of the following disciplines: education, health care, community housing, historic preservation, or environmental protection.     Grants are not available to individuals.    Organizations seeking information about the grant program can visit the A.D. Makepeace web site, www.admakepeace.com, or contact Linda Burke at (508) 322-4103.  Read More ...

The Buzz      On Saturday, Feb. 6, there will be a Charter Review Committee public information meeting at Wareham Middle School from 1-3 p.m. All are invited to attend.  Read More ...

Obituaries       Richard Lamothe, 59, of East Wareham, died Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010 at his home.     Born in Woonsocket, RI, he was the son of the late Herve and Irene (Ayotte) Lamothe.     A previous resident of Woonsocket, he moved to Wareham 12 years ago.  Richard was employed for the Town of Wareham Municipal Maintenance Department.     He is survived by his sister, Suzanne Sorel of New Bedford.     A funeral service will be held on Friday, Feb. 5, 2010 at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 2599 Cranberry Highway (Rt. 28), Wareham at 1 p.m.     Visiting hours will be Friday from 11 a.m. until 12:45 p.m.  Interment will be in Agawam Cemetery, Wareham.     For directions and on-line guestbook visit: www.ccgfuneralhome.com  Read More ...

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Commentary

Cheers and Jeers     The Plymouth Country District Attorney’s office - OK, we just want to make sure we have this straight. The DA took possession of 84 disks from the town’s computer audit last July without a court order. They sat on those disks for more than seven months despite repeated requests from town officials and citizens alike to turn those disks over to their rightful owner. They convened a Special Grand Jury to find out the scope and purpose of the audit. Then they dissolved that Grand Jury without a finding.     Even after all that they still wouldn’t turn over the disks until the Inspector General’s office stepped in. Now copies will be provided to the IG as well as the town and the State Ethics Commission. That’s not even the worst part. According to Bruce Sauvageau, the DA’s office never even looked at most of the disks. They only reviewed and imaged the disks pertaining to the police department.     The digital forensic company the town hired last summer to analyze the data on those computer disks was supposed to have a report done within a month. After seven months the DA’s office didn’t even bother to look at 69 of the disks? Are you kidding me?     The Observer has long maintained that the DA’s office was actively trying to cover up the town’s investigation into alleged corruption for political reasons.     Nothing that has occurred recently alters that perception in the slighiest.  Read More ...

Crystal Ball Read More ...

In This Corner - Robert Slager Cutting through the library lobby rhetoric    UPDATED WITH GLEASON COMMENT    As expected, the Friends of the Wareham Free Library are now in full spin mode. They’re playing the victim card they know so well, the one they use whenever somebody tries to hold them accountable for their words and actions.     Once again the group has come under fire for the ethics of its fund-raising activities. Town Counsel is investigating the legality of using what appears to be a town-sanctioned Facebook page called “Wareham Free Library” to raise funds for the Friends, a group that has reminded Wareham time and time again that it’s a private corporation that doesn’t need to share its financial information with the public.     The Friends, of course, are baffled why anyone would object to this. Their spokesperson – Nora Bicki – is once again accusing the selectmen, the town administrator and the Observer of having an evil agenda to destroy the library and anyone who supports it.     Personally I’m getting tired of the empty rhetoric the Friends employ whenever somebody questions their fund-raising methods. They constantly distort the actual issues by playing the victim and accusing everyone who questions them of hating the library. It’s a cheap and easy rhetorical device that only serves to divide people when this community should unite in support of the library.     This has nothing to do with “hating” the library or philosophically opposing non-profit organizations. That’s just nonsense. This is about trust. It’s about faith in the leadership of the Friends. It has nothing to do with the concept of the organization itself.     Here’s the problem: A few years ago the Friends changed their mission statement. No longer would they just be making donations to the Wareham Free Library. Now they could donate to a “library system.”     That meant donations made to them could also be used for the Spinney Memorial Library Project. As most of you know, the Friends want to turn the long-dormant Spinney Library in Onset into a branch of the Wareham Free Library. But until Town Meeting voters accept that plan Spinney is a private project with no tie to the Town of Wareham.     The Friends never told the general public they changed their mission statement. Bicki has repeatedly refused to answer a very direct question – if money is donated to the Friends and isn’t specifically requested to be used for the Wareham Free Library, where does that money go? Can all of it go to Spinney, which is not yet connected to the town?     That seems like fair question. But the Friends will not answer it, and they will not open their financial records to the public.     That’s why people don’t trust them. They won’t give a straight answer to a direct question. That’s why people who truly want to support the Wareham Free Library should make their donations directly to the town. That’s the only way to be certain that such donations will be used in the way they were intended.     Right now the Friends have nearly $1 million in the bank. The former board of library trustees (who formed the private Wareham Library Foundation in 2007) has nearly $400,000 under its control. They constantly complain about the financial state of Wareham Free Library but they have more than enough money at their disposal to solve that problem immediately. What are they waiting for? Even if they keep $600,000 for the Spinney project they could turn over $500,000 to the Wareham Free Library and still have $300,000 left over. Can you imagine what $500,000 would mean to the Wareham Free Library right now? All the problems would be solved.     Here’s the straight truth: The Friends are just playing politics. That’s all it is. As long as the library struggles they can blame the town’s current administration for it. Bicki is actively campaigning for Take Back Wareham. She openly insults the selectmen, the town administrator and the acting library director on a local hate web site and wonders why people are reluctant to donate money to the organization she represents. She doesn’t realize she’s alienating thousands of potential donors by calling people things like “dumbass” next to a Swastika on a hate web site.      On Sunday Friends president Kathy Gleason made the following post on the Wareham Free Library Facebook page:     "Please request your friends to become a Fan of Wareham Free Library. We need 48 more fans by midnight tonight to reach our goal of 1500. Reach our to your friends. Thanks! Bur (cq) remember to block Wareham Observer."     Block the Wareham Observer? What does that have to do with raising money for the library? Apparently Gleason is referring to the Observer's Facebook page, which is intended to raise awareness for local events, businessess and charities. Why would the president of the Friends of the Wareham Free Library use a Facebook page called "Wareham Free Library" to thwart fund-raising efforts for other groups in Wareham? That's how crazy this has become now.     There are so many questions the Friends refuse to answer. Why hasn’t the Spinney project broken ground yet? The Friends have had enough money for nearly two years. How much have they lost by investing donations? Why wouldn’t they turn over financial documents when investigators from the state’s Inspector General’s office came to the library a few weeks ago? Why would they ban somebody from a “Wareham Free Library” Facebook page for simply asking who was operating it?     Again, that’s why people don’t trust them. They’ve surrounded themselves in a cloak of secrecy and deception.     On Friday morning I sent this e-mail to Nora Bicki: "Please answer one direct question, Ms. Bicki. If somebody writes a check to the Friends of the Wareham Free Library and puts nothing in the note line that specifies where that money should go, does that money always go directly to the Wareham Free Library? It's a yes or no question. "     Bicki did not repond directly. Instead she made the following post on the local web site: "This message goes directly to the bathroom in Halifax. I have no doubt that it will be read in under 5 minutes!! Tacky Tabloid Writer--stop sending me emails. Don't waste your time as you have been permanently blocked from my email site."     That, ladies and gentlemen, is what Bicki and the Friends of the Wareham Free Library think about accountability. I didn't ask the questions on my behalf. I asked it on behalf of the people of Wareham.     The Friends claim they are a private board when it suits them to do so. But when people questioned them for creating a Facebook page that used the name “Wareham Free Library” instead of “Friends of the Wareham Free Library” they claim they are officially “sanctioned” by the town. They can’t have it both ways. Either they are officially a part of the library or they are not.     During the litigation between the town and library support groups one former library trustee said that because the trustees belonged to a private organization called Wareham Free Library Inc. all checks made out to the Wareham Free Library were, in effect, made out to the private organization. These people apparently have no issue co-opting the name “Wareham Free Library” when they can use it to raise funds for their own private corporations. But when somebody asks to take a peak at their financial records they refuse.     This isn’t about hating the library or engaging in personal vendettas against library supporters. It’s about demanding these people start telling the truth and stop their divisive attacks against anyone with the temerity to question them.     The Wareham Free Library deserves better than that.  Read More ... In This Corner - Robert Slager - 14 opinions posted

Letters to the Editor Read More ... 3 opinions posted

Down the Road - Andrea Smith Still loving the old ball game    The minute I notice daylight beginning to linger later into the afternoon I start hearing the strains of Take Me Out To The Ball Game sung by my grandfather. Fifty-three years have passed since his death and still I hear his love for baseball singing in my memory.     My grandmother loved baseball too. Nearly deaf and owning a hearing aid that didn’t really work, she’d sit watching baseball on a TV with the volume turned off while my mother took an afternoon nap one floor away. Nana didn’t need the sound. The joy of watching was enough. Three feet from the TV she’d sit literally on the edge of her seat, back held ridged by her corset, hands held tight in anticipation of the next great play.     Three generations later hands were held tight in anticipation again, this time by my son Frank as he sat on benches waiting for his turn to play in Little League games.     From the moment he was born Frank loved to play with balls. Open the door to Toy’s R Us and he’d head for a display of balls while big brother Bob stood transfixed in an isle of Star Wars action figures. Bob went from Star Wars to G.I. Joe action figures. Frank transitioned from bouncy beach balls to balls the size of grapefruits and then to Wiffle Balls and plastic bats. In the early spring, in puddles and mud of a well-shaded back yard, Frank and I would be play. He was the left hander. I was the right hander. Somehow he would always win.     Frank loved baseball and lived for the moment that he could belong to one of Needham’s Little League teams. He was good at it. He wasn’t an All-Star, but he was one of the better players, and he certainly loved the game.     Then came the year that he came home crushed after learning he had been assigned to the worst team in the league.      The coaches and manger for that "worst team" turned out to be extraordinary. Twenty-two years have passed and I still haven’t quite figured out what happened that year. Maybe the coaches, knowing they had the "worst team," decided to just let the kids have fun. Maybe it was more than that. Maybe they were just gifted in the way that all coaches should be. In the entire season I never heard impatience shouted into the air. I never saw Frank or one of his teammates embarrassed by criticism. What I heard was praise, over and over again, not just for big things, but for little things as well.     What I saw was a transformation for the record books. The "worst team" became the best team and won first place in its division. Left-handed Frank pitched a lot that year and he loved every minute of it.      I wish Frank’s Little League experience ended with that year, but it didn’t. Encouraged, enthused, and loving baseball more than ever he progressed to a new team and different coaches the next year. The coaches would unleash ridicule on players that carried beyond the field and into the bleachers. Team moral hit bottom. Practices and games became things to dread.      An outfielder watched a ball that seemed destined to go over the fence. Staring into the sun the outfielder jumped and pulled the ball from the air. It was a spectacular catch, one that stunned the crowd. It stunned the outfielder too, just long enough to make his throw to second base too late to double-up a runner.     "How could you be so stupid?" the outfielder’s father screamed from the bleachers.     Little League should be fun for kids. It shouldn’t become something to dread. Criticism from coaches should be constructive, not delivered as public ridicule. Parents shouldn’t call their children stupid.     Wareham Little League president John Kelley summed up a coach’s job during an interview.     Coaches should be "mentors, roll models, people to look up to."     That’s the kind of coach Kelley had all through his years playing in Wareham Little League. Kelley not only admired his coaches; he chose to emulate them as well, becoming one even before his children reached an age which qualified them to participate.     "Coaches should instill in kids to get involved with your community and to give back to the program," Kelley said.     Little League is so much more than a schedule of practices and games. It’s an opportunity to be part of a community learning to pull together. It’s about more than winning or losing. It’s about respect for rules and each other. It should always be fun.     Coaches and managers are needed for Wareham’s Little League. Anyone interested should send a letter of intent to Wareham Little League, P.O. Box 614, Wareham, MA. 02571 Attention: John Kelley.     All positions will be filled in February.  Read More ... Down the Road - Andrea Smith

2009 - The Year in Cheers Read More ...

2009 - The Year in Jeers Read More ...

Sports

Having a ball after all these years     It’s official. Opening day for Wareham Little League will be April 25.     "There are two big things the kids enjoy a lot: walking in the opening day parade and playing their night game under the lights. They feel like they are in Fenway Park," said John Kelley, president of Wareham’s Little League program.     Between now and opening day Kelley has a lot of work ahead of him, especially recruiting additional coaches and managers. Kelley said every year some coaches and managers move on because their children move up to older leagues.     Kelley’s son Matthew, 13, is moving on to Babe Ruth baseball this spring. Kelley’s staying with Little League, in part because his other children, Samantha and Cameron, will be playing on teams. But mostly it’s because he can’t part with his passion for Little League. This is Kelley’s 11th as a volunteer and third year as president.     He played in Wareham Little League when he was a boy. He vividly remembers his coaches and managers. They were the center of his attention, the people he really listened to, the ones who took an entire team out for ice cream regardless of their record on the field.     "Coaches are mentors, roll models, people to look up to," Kelley said. "I still remember all of the coaches I had as a kid. I still respect all of them to this day."     More than 300 boys and girls ages 5-12 are expected to sign up for Wareham’s 28 Little League teams this year. Kelley will need to recruit up to 10 new coaches and managers. No special skills are required for the positions. Training clinics are held. Among topics covered in the clinics are how to work with players, various aspects of the game, and safety clinics.     "Coaches and managers are very fortunate because the kids really listen to them," Kelley said. "The kids want to excel. They want to succeed. You want them to have positive experiences, something they won’t forget, to be a team, to be a team player. You strive for those qualities when you are there."     There’s a reward for those who volunteer, Kelley said.     "You see a sense of accomplishment in how (the players) have developed and grown over a time frame. You see them respect the game and the individuals they are with."     There are life lessons to be learned as well, Kelly said. Learning how to deal with defeat can be equally important as learning how to be successful.     There has definitely been success in the program. Last year the an all-star team of eight year olds played its way to Rhode Island in a national tournament.     Time commitments for coaches and managers depend upon the age level to which they are assigned and range from three to five evenings per week beginning in late April and ending either in late June, late August, or October, depending on whether the person wishes to continue through summer and/or fall baseball.     Those who are interested should send a letter of intent to Wareham Little League, P.O. Box 614, Wareham, MA, 02571, Attention: John Kelley.     All positions will be filled in February. CORI checks will be required.     Volunteers are also needed to assist with care of the Little League complex, score keeping, and fund raising.     Sign up dates for players (as yet not determined) will be posted at www.warehamlittleleague.com.  Read More ... Andrea Smith

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Wareham Free Library Opening a whole new chapter at the Wareham Free Library     Interim Library Director Marsha Griswold said she is "thrilled" by the response to a recent appeal for volunteers.     Sixteen new volunteers stepped forward, bringing the library’s volunteer staff to 26. Volunteers will be working throughout the library and its grounds, helping with everything from shelving books to exterior landscaping.     "I love (the influx of volunteers). I think it adds a dimension to the library. I think it’s wonderful. I hope this will take on a new enthusiasm and a life of its own," Griswold said.     Griswold said the first volunteer group meeting, which was held two weeks ago, went very well. Volunteer meetings will be held monthly.     Asked what she wants the library’s volunteers to experience, Griswold said, "I hope they feel Wareham belongs to them; that not only are they contributing to the town but that they are part of the town as well. When you roll up your sleeves you get to know people. You get a sense of what the town is and of being part of the town and really making a difference."     Kate Furler is assisting Griswold with coordinating the program and training volunteers. Formerly an educator in an alternative school (one of three responsible for managing 95 teenagers), Furler she said she knows how to think on her feet and keep people moving. Furler has volunteered at the library for a year and is delighted to see the list of volunteers growing.     "When you volunteer there’s a sense of giving back to the universe. There’s a feeling of doing something productive," Furler said. "This is not something people have to do; it’s something they are giving. It’s an act of generosity. There’s a satisfaction that comes from the work. This is a finite task and you can see the product immediately. There aren’t a whole lot of things you can do in the community where you can see the beginning and the end. You can complete a task in the two hours you are there."     The library’s good news extends far beyond new volunteers. Two staff members have been added through state grants as well as through federally funded Citizens for Citizens programs, which assists those age 55 and over who wish to return to the work force within non-profit and government entities. The new staff additions will provide 40 hours of labor at no cost to the town.     An intern from U-MASS Dartmouth will also join the library this week. This individual will work along with the Wareham Historical Society archiving photos and documents in the Stone Research Room. Griswold said she’s looking forward to some of the photos being released to local media so that readers can help identify them.     The library will also be premiering its own newsletter this month. Available at the front desk, it will contain book reviews and recommendations written by library patrons and staff. Submissions for the newsletter from children and adults are encouraged.     While excited to have so much good news to share, Griswold is hoping they’ll be even more in upcoming weeks. There is still plenty of room for volunteers at the library. Specialized skills are not required. Training will be provided. Volunteers can commit to as few as two hours per week. All that is asked is that volunteers plan to commit to the same time slot each week. CORI checks and an application are required.     Those interested should call (508) 291-3130.     Read More ... Andrea Smith

Gwalia Moulton (left), Carol Bradley and Barbara Fitzgerald enjoy both knitting and good company at the YMCA each Wednesday. Crafting hope for the homeless in Wareham    Twenty women have joined together to turn their love for crafts into gifts of love.     Knitting and crocheting in their free time, they are creating Afghans, hats, sweaters, and mittens to donate to Turning Point and Baby Point for the homeless and near homeless.     "We are very grateful to them," Lee MacDonald of Turning Point said. "They are a Godsend. We praise them to the heavens. They are a very special group of people. You can tell they are doing this with love. The things they give us are beautifully made. The people we give the items too, their eyes just light up. They are thrilled to get them."     Some of the women craft their items entirely in their homes. Others enjoy working together, gathering each Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the comfort of the community room at The Gleason Family YMCA in Wareham. They are grateful to the YMCA for allowing them use of the room at no charge.     YMCA membership is not required in order to participate.     "We’re a social group," Pat Lockhart said. "It’s a get-together with other people to share pointers, patterns and conversation. It’s like a drop-in center. It’s not something you have to sign up for."     Lockhart said the group enjoys seeing each other’s projects and progress. New people, even those without advanced skills are always welcome. Experienced crafters in the group are happy to help beginners learn knitting and crochet techniques. Those who wish to start a project don’t need to invest in yarn. Stories of the group’s efforts have inspired generous yarn donations.     "I got a call from a woman in Norwood last summer. They had a huge amount of yarn. I said to her ‘You want to come all this way down here isn’t there someone closer to give it to?’ The woman just said she liked our story and brought the yarn," Lockhart said.     The death of a Wareham resident also brought a donation of yarn. Lockhart said the woman’s son discovered volumes of stored yarn in her home.     "She had a stash of yarn like you wouldn’t believe," Lockhart said. "Her son called and asked if we wanted the yarn - nine huge trash bags of yarn, I’m talking trash bags. Slowly but surely it’s being used."     Wednesday, with conversation, yarn, knitting needles and crochet hooks bonding them, the crafters spoke of the good feelings that arise from their work.     "I can’t imagine not knitting," Gwalia Moulton said.     "It gives you such a wonderful feeling. I crochet hundreds of hats each year," Cecelia Smith said.     "I think she crochets in her sleep," Rosemary Lackie added, bringing laughter from everyone.     Lackie, who volunteers at Damien’s Pantry, often sees the heartache of a tough economy first hand.     "When you think about the homeless, when they are outside and cold, I think about them every night when I get into a warm bed," Lackie said.     "When I was making a baby blanket I envisioned the baby that would receive it," Helen Cicoria said.     "Everybody in life should do something for someone else," Lynda Smith said as she formed mittens from yarn. "Pay it forward. You need to take care of people. If there weren’t people to care for people we’d never get through the difficult times."     Just one thing is missing from the group - men who knit and crochet.     "I’d love to have some men join us," Lockhart said.     Those who wish more information about the group should call Lockhart (508) 295-1128.  Read More ... Andrea Smith

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Tri-Town Observer

Little Neck Village in $tate of grace   Thirty-six seniors on the waiting list for affordable housing in Marion have just moved a lot closer to having an affordable rental unit to call their own.     Gov. Devall Patrick announced on Jan. 8 that Marion’s Little Neck Village is among 26 projects which will benefit from $153.9 million in resources leveraged from various affordable housing programs, American Recovery and Reinvestment funds, and private investment support.     Funds made available for Little Neck Village will make possible the demolition of 12 aged existing units of senior housing and the construction of 48 new units. Demolition of the current units will not take place until the first phase of construction is completed, allowing current residents to remain on-site.     Both consultant Dick Heaton (H&H Associates/LLP Bolton) and Dana Angelo (senior project manager for developer EA Fish) attributed Little Neck’s successful progression through planning stages and assignment of funding to the overwhelming support given the proposal by Marion’s town government and residents, as well as congressman Barney Frank, state senator Marc Pacheco and Rep. Bill Strauss.     "This is very representative of a community getting behind an idea and making it happen," Angelo said.     According to Heaton, approval of Little Neck for funding was based upon a ranking system for which points were given. Among the many aspects considered were financial, environmental and community support issues and market demand.  Read More ... Andrea Smith

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