Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
Downtown’s Upside
Despite the insistence of the local online Fellowship of the Miserable that the revitalization of downtown Wakefield should happen overnight, in the real world things don’t happen that fast. But in the past week alone, we saw several hopeful signs that things may be heading in the right direction. Dare we say the word “momentum?”
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Tags: Artichokes, business, Caffe Italia, Caryn's, Duck Walk, economic development, Galvin Middle School, Main Street, Mark Sardella, Sabatinos, Ski & Sport Shack, Sky City, Stephen P. Maio, Sweet Kiwi, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Zoning Board of Appeals
The Right Stuff
Wakefield’s long human rights nightmare is over. No more need to tell your stockbroker to divest from companies doing business in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Last week, the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee voted to endorse the establishment of a “Wakefield Human Rights Commission.” You didn’t know that human rights abuses were rampant in Wakefield? […]
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Tags: anthropocentric, Bill of Rights, blue-green algae, Board of Selectmen, Canada geese, Human Rights Commission, Lake Quannapowitt, Massachusetts, patriarchy, privilege, rights, School Committee, United States Constitution, Wakefield MA, Zoning Board of Appeals
Dunk Tank Diplomacy
The newest addition to last weekend’s Festival Italia was by far the best part of the event and should immediately be made a permanent fixture of this annual celebration. No, I’m not talking about the Wakefield Civic League booth.
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Tags: dunk tank, Evan Kenney, Festival Italia, Gerard Leeman, Gregory Liakos, Jason Lewis, Jay Ash, Joseph Tringale, Mark Sardella, Paul Brodeur, politicians, Politics, Stephen P. Maio, Thomas Markham, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Interfaith Foof Pantry, Wakefield MA. Massachusetts
Not Cool
Last week, a drunk Lynnfield woman was spotted driving the wrong way on Route 128, heading south on the northbound side of the highway. Luckily, Wakefield Police were able to stop and arrest her before she killed herself or anyone else. She was wasted on a legal drug, alcohol, not (as far as we know) […]
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Tags: addiction, alcohol, Charlie Baker, drugs, legalization, marijuana, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, medical marijuana, pot, prohibition, Route 128, smoking, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Police, weed
In Wakefield, Massachusetts After 10 long months of public hearings, dozens of letters to the editor, lawsuits and even protests in Wakefield Square, the Zoning Board of Appeals on July 29 approved three Special Permits that will allow Shelter Development to construct a 130-unit Brightview Senior Living facility on Crescent Street in Wakefield, MA. The […]
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Tags: Ami Wall, architecture, Assisted Living, Brian McGrail, Brightview Senior Living, Charles Tarbell, David Hatfield, Eric Anderson, Fraen Corporation, John Kennedy, John Ogren, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Michael Pierce, parking, Shelter Development, Special Permit, Town Meeting, traffic, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, ZBA, zoning, Zoning Board of Appeals
What “Giving Back” Looks Like
If anyone wants an example of a civic group having a positive impact on the town, they need look no further than last July 4. After more than a year of determined, hard work, the new Wakefield Independence Day Committee and its team of volunteers resurrected the largest Independence Day Parade in the state and […]
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Tags: 2015, Fourth of July, Independence Day, July 4th, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Parade, parades, Patrick Sullivan, patriotism, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Independence Day Committee, Wakefield Independence Day Parade, Wakefield MA
Fear Factor
“Your decision will decide if Wakefield becomes more like Medford or more like Lynnfield,” attorney Alan Grenier warned the Zoning Board of Appeals last week. Grenier had asked for and was granted an opportunity to present to the Zoning Board the opposition case against building the 130-unit Brightview Senior Living facility proposed on Crescent Street. […]
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Tags: Alan Grenier, Assisted Living, Brightview Senior Living, CVS, Dollar Tree, elderly, Galvin Middle School, Lynnfield, Malden, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Medford, Melrose, Shelter Group, Topsfield, urbanization, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Zoning Board of Appeals
A League of Their Own
As you may have noticed, protesting is back in vogue. Beyond the immediate complaints, it’s hard to know exactly what has spawned the recent resurgence in this trend of seeking redress of grievances by “singing songs and carrying signs,” as The Buffalo Springfield once sneered. Maybe part of it is aging Baby Boomers and their […]
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Tags: Assisted Living, Baby Boomers, Brightview Senior Living, Buffalo Springfield, demonstration, Koch Brothers, Mark Sardella, protest, Shelter Development, social justice, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Zoning Board of Appeals
The Simple Art of Voting
Every time there’s a low-turnout local election or Town Meeting (or both, as we recently had in Wakefield) talk inevitably turns to ways to improve voter turnout and participation. On the surface, it seems like a noble idea. “How can we make voting easier?” people wonder, as if voting were a task akin to climbing […]
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Tags: apathy, elections, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Politics, Town Meeting, vote, voting, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA
Size Matters
Does size matter? Yes, it does. But if you’re a member of the Wakefield Zoning Board of Appeals, there’s a limit to the number of hours you want to spend talking about it. Size is the biggest issue for many opponents of the Brightview Senior Living facility that Shelter Development is proposing to build on […]
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Tags: Assisted Living, Brightview Senior Living, Charles Tarbell, David Hatfield, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Shelter Development, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, ZBA, Zoning Board of Appeals
Mark Sardella 