Archive for the ‘Opinion’ Category
Of plastic and pot
The town recently held an event called “Wakefield 101,” an orientation session for new residents to give them a chance to talk to representatives of town departments, community organizations and local businesses. The idea was to help new residents get the lay of the land and to give them a heads up on how we […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 3 Comments
Tags: Bay State, business, fossil fuels, herb, legalization, marijuana, Mark Sardella Wakefield Daily Item, Massachusetts, petroleum, plastic bags, pot, Wakefield 101, Wakefield Massachusetts, weed
Hot fun in the summertime
As of this writing, we have eight people (and counting) running for Selectman in the July 19 Special Election to fill the nine months left on former selectman Betsy Sheeran’s term. This sudden surge of interest in public service is truly a wonderful thing to behold. My only question is, where were some of these […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 2 Comments
Tags: Betsy Sheeran, Board of Selectmen, candidates, election, July, Mark Sardella, Mass., Massachusetts, Phyllis Hull, Politics, selectman, special election, summer, Town Election, voting, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Walter Schofield
Special effects
If you are one of those who thought last week’s election meant that you could finally count Phyllis Hull out, a) You don’t know Phyllis Hull very well and, b) you might want to cork the Champagne, at least for now. Hull was defeated in her bid to be re-elected to the Board of Selectmen […]
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Tags: Board of Selectmen, campaign, candidate, debt exclusion, dissent, election, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, money, Opinion, override, Phyllis Hull, politicians, Politics, Proposition 2 1/2, special election, taxes, taxpayers, veterans, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, World War II
My Earth Day
Today is Earth Day, and observances are underway around the world and have been for several weeks because coincidentally, April also happens to be Earth Month! I find it outrageous that in 2016 we are so earth-centric as to focus only on the planet that we happen to inhabit out of the eight (formerly nine) […]
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Tags: Climate Change, Dr. S. Dillon Ripley, Earth Day, ecology, electricity, energy, environment, fossil fuels, fracking, gas, Global Warming, Holly Maddux, incandescent lightbulb, internal combustion, Ira Einhorn, Kenneth Watt, Mark Sardella, oil, Paul Ehrlich, Peter Gunter, planet, plastic bags, refrigeration, Steven Levy, sustainablity, The Unicorn's Secret, Wakefield Daily Itemcoal
Red and white blues
It’s happening everywhere. The forces of political correctness have been picking off one innocent tradition after another. It hit Wakefield this week. The School Department announced that for this year’s High School graduation ceremonies, graduates will wear “gender neutral” gowns instead of the traditional red for boys and white for girls. No, this is not […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, News, Opinion, Politics | 4 Comments
Tags: commencement, Core Values, gender, gender neutral, gender neutral graduation gowns, graduates, graduation, learning, Mark Sardella, political correctness, Richard Metropolis, School Department, senior class, students, teaching, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield High School, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Warriors
Debatable questions
The recent candidates debates at WCAT once again proved to be a valuable tool in informing the voters about the candidates and issues in advance of the April 26 Town Election. I was happy once again to have had the privilege of serving on the press panel that posed questions, in two separate debates, to […]
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Tags: Ann McGonigle Santos, Board of Selectmen, Bronwyn Della-Volpe, cable, candidates, Dan Benjamin, David Watts Jr., debate, election, Mark Sardella, Peter May, Phyllis Hull, Politics, Television, Tony Longo, Town Clerk, TV, Wakefield Civic League, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, WCAT, William Carroll
Make Main Street one-way
Sometimes the solutions to our problems are so close we overlook them. I am speaking of course of the new “Wakefield Walk” proposal that would make Main Street one-way heading north from the Melrose line to Lowell Street. The northbound lane would remain open to vehicular traffic with no changes. The southbound lane would become […]
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Tags: automobiles, bicycle path, bikes, business, carbon footprint, cars, Climate Change, earth, environment, Festival Italia, fossil fuels, Fred's Franks, Holliday Stroll, Lake Quannapowitt, Lynnfield, Main Street, Mark Sardella, Mother Earth, One-way, pedestrians, planet, rail trail, restaurants, sustainability, The Farmland, vendors, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Walk, walking trail
Identity crisis
Identity theft is big business – not only for the thieves but for a host of companies that have sprung up to help consumers thwart those who would steal the identities of others. But increasingly, identity theft is being committed in connection with other crimes, like drug trafficking. Police are all too aware of this […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 4 Comments
Tags: Americans, Boston, Channel 5, cocaine, drivers license, drugs, fake ID, fraud, heroin, identity theft, illiegal aliens, James Scott, Lakeside Inn, Lord Wakefield, Lowell, Luis De Jesus Castro, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, News, Puerto Rico, Saugus Police, social security number, TV, United States, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Police, WCVB
Mark Sardella 