Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

That’s it. I’m never going on vacation again. Last September, while I was in France for two weeks, the Board of Selectmen voted to end a 400-year tradition and start calling themselves the “Town Council.” Now, I come back on Tuesday from four days in Florida only to learn that town officials have completely changed […]


I’m glad the town didn’t shell out the $20,000 it cost for the expert consultant to tell us that power lines don’t cause cancer. To their credit, the selectmen stuck National Grid with the bill for Dr. Robert Kavet’s report. At a well-attended public hearing last November, many residents raised the old specter of electromagnetic […]


Marijuana has been back in the news lately, but really, when has it not been in the news over the last several years? The latest headlines have pot users in a panic – and not the kind that comes from ingesting one too many brownies. No, this time it’s like, real, man. The Feds are […]


It’s my favorite photo of Phyllis Hull. It’s Veterans Day, 2011, and she’s standing at the podium on Veterans Memorial Common, about to make her dedication speech in front of the just unveiled, brand new World War II Monument. She’s beaming, and she had every right to be proud. She was the first to say […]


Kudos to the Wakefield Independence Day Committee for deciding to go with the 150th birthday of the Town of Wakefield as the theme for the 2018 Fourth of July Parade. This was the decision I’ve been hoping for since I wrote a column about it last April. But I can’t claim credit for the idea. […]


It’s late December in Wakefield, and you know what that means. Santa has made his list and checked it twice. But it no longer matters if you’ve been naughty or nice, because it’s 2017 and Santa doesn’t make moral judgments. Who is Santa to determine bad or good for anyone else? That being said, and […]


Short and sweet

01Dec17

Dunkin’ Donuts announced recently that it is considering shortening the name on all of its stores to simply, “Dunkin’.” A few select stores around the country are now testing the truncated name, including one in Boston. This move could have serious implications for a town like Wakefield, which has a Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner […]


One thing that there’s no shortage of on social media is outrage. Democrats are outraged about Trump. Republicans are outraged about Hillary (and Trump). And apparently everybody’s outraged about underground power lines. Whether on social media or real life, sometimes it seems that there isn’t enough outrage where it’s truly warranted. That’s why it was […]


By about 11 p.m. Monday night, we should have a pretty good idea what Wakefield’s future will look like. Will the town retain a semblance of the working-class normalcy that has been its hallmark for generations? Or will it veer off in the direction of more genteel communities fond of banning everyday useful items like […]


It’s almost time for that biannual funfest known as Town Meeting, so start dusting off your excuses now. “Nobody told me about it.” “I have to work that day.” “I have kids.” Wow, with extenuating circumstances like those, it’s a wonder anyone ever shows up. All kidding aside, nobody gives a rodent’s hindquarters whether you […]