Posts Tagged ‘Lake Quannapowitt’
No time for townies
Whomever the Wakefield Town Council appointed this week as the next Town Administrator, it was sure to spark questions. Here’s one: Out of the 23 individuals who submitted resumes, was there really only one qualified male? A lot of people thought that local resident Ann Santos, having grown up in Wakefield, had the inside track […]
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Tags: Americal Civic Center, Ann McGonigle Santos, Bandstand, Dee Casey, Galvim Middle School, Gazebo, Greenwood, Hiker, Humor, Joseph Domelowicz, Junction, Junior High, Lake Quannapowitt, Mark Sardella, Montrose, native, North Avenue, North Ward, Opinion, Pagoda, Politics, Ristorante Molise, Rockery, selectmen, The Gulch, Tom Mullen, Town Administrator, Town Council, Town Counsel, townie, veteran, Wakefield Common, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, West Side, women
Idle thoughts
For sheer entertainment value, last week’s Wakefield Town Council meeting had it all: pathos, bathos, drama and farce. And they say there’s nothing good on TV anymore. Let’s dive right in with the most contentious issue of the evening. Chairman Jonathan Chines had ordered eight “NO IDLING” signs to be put up on Main Street […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 3 Comments
Tags: bathrooms, bicycle path, bike lanes, cars, Climate Change, climate equity, cultural, democracy, education, environmental justice, floating wetland island, historic, Honey Dew, Humor, Jonathan Chines, Lake Quannapowitt, MAPC, Mark Sardella, men women, No Idling, Opinion, parking, Politics, resilience, restrooms, Route 128, Route 95, signs, Town Council, transparency, Veteran's Field, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA
The new one percent
You probably remember the term “one percent” or “one-percenter,” which became popularized during the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. Theoretically, it referred to the richest one percent of the population, who are said to have most of the money, property, and power in society. In reality, it was used to demonize any productive individual who had the audacity to earn and accumulate any quantity of wealth. […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 8 Comments
Tags: 1 percent, 40A, automobiles, bicycle, Bicycle lane, bike, bike lanes, cars, Climate Change, commuting, cycle, cyclist, developers, driving, Erin Kokinda, housing, Humor, Julie Smith-Galvin, Lake Quannapowitt, MAPC, Mark Sardella, Marxism, Massachusetts, MBTA, one percent, one-percenter, Opinion, parking, pedestrian, Politics, Safe Streets Working Group, schools, spandex, SSWG, transit, transportation, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, walking, wealth, zoning
A revolting development
A Boston University study recently found that municipal zoning boards, planning boards and redevelopment boards are dominated by white male homeowners. Wait. Men are more interested in construction, development and zoning than women are? What’s the next bombshell revelation – male drivers won’t ask for directions? Fight the urban planning patriarchy! Speaking of zoning and […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 1 Comment
Tags: American Mutual, Board of Appeals, building, business, Comverse Technologies, construction, development Cabot Cabot & Forbes, elitism, Facebook, Humor, Lake Quannapowitt, Malden MA, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Opinion, Politics, public hearings, public transit, smart growth, social media, Town Meeting, urban planning, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, ZBA, zoning, Zoning Board, Zoning Bylaws
Walk this way
As we plunge headlong toward the apocalypse, I’ve had lots of time to reflect. One thing I’ve been thinking about is rules and regulations, and lately, I’ve had no shortage of new ones to ponder. One silver lining is the governor’s new ban on reusable cloth shopping bags. As it turns out, those of us […]
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Tags: basketball courts, coronavirus, COVID-19, Farmland, flu, gyms, hockey rinks, Humor, illness, Lake Quannapowitt, Mark Sardella, Opinion, plastic bags, playgrounds, Politics, quarantine, reusable bags, shaming, shopping, six feet, soccer fields, social distancing, Stop & Shop, tennis courts, Town Council, virus. pandemic, Wakefield Daily Item
Native tongue
As has oft been stated, Wakefield is a welcoming town, for both visitors and new residents — especially new residents, whom we have a habit of electing to public office before they’ve even finished unpacking. A couple times a year, Wakefield offers an orientation program for refugees from other communities. It’s called Wakefield 101, where […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 4 Comments
Tags: Americal Civic Center, Bandstand, Board of Selectmen, elections, Forest Glade Cemetery, Frist Parish Congregational Church, Galvin Middle School, Humor, Lake Quannapowitt, Lakeside Cemetery, language, Mark Sardella, natives, North Ave., Old Burial Ground, Opinion, Politics, Rockery, The Common, The Hiker, tourist, town hall, townies, vote, Wakefield 101, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, West Side
Take a hike
Throughout his decades as a steady presence on the local scene, he has cultivated an air of quiet reserve. But now, one of Wakefield’s most iconic figures has finally broken his silence. Some may find what he had to say shocking. In an exclusive interview with the Wakefield Daily Item, the character known affectionately as […]
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Tags: ableism, Artichokes, bronze, climate, goat yoga, gun, History, Humor, interview, Lake Quannapowitt, male, man, marble, Mark Sardella, men, minuteman, Opinion, parody, rifle, Rockery, satire, soldier, Spanish American War, statue, The Hiker, Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson, Toxic Masculinity, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA
‘Tis the season of giving…
It’s Christmastime and, if I may so boldly observe, it’s cold outside. Meanwhile, Rudolph has contacted the Reindeer Rights Commission to report bullying and harassment. Climate change has claimed the life of Frosty the Snowman and gender fluid Santa Claus is coming to town. Into this season of gloom, I bring a ray of light […]
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Tags: ATM, Bob McLaughlin, cat, Christmas, Climate Change, Daniel Lieber, electric car, famine, Fred Rich, Frosty the Snowman, gender fluid, holidays, homeless, Humor, Julie Smith-Galvin, Lake Quannapowitt, Mark Sardella, MSBA, Opinion, Paul DiNocco, pestilence, Peter May, plague, Politics, Public Safety Building, recycling, Robert Mitchell, Rudolph, Santa Claus, School Committee, Seth Moulton, Shaw's, solar panels, Town Council, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Fire Department, Wakefield High School, Wakefield MA, Walton School, Wayne Tarr, Wendy Dennis, William Carroll, windmill
Snowbound snowflakes
They don’t make snow days like they used to. I don’t know when everything changed. Maybe it was the Blizzard of ’78 that traumatized us to the point where we no longer take any chances. Way back in the 20th century, when I was a youth, we never had the luxury of knowing 24 hours […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, News, Opinion, Wakefield | 2 Comments
Tags: blizzard, bus stop, Climate Change, driveway, Internet, Lake Quannapowitt, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, radio, school, school bus, shoveling, sled, snow, snow blower, snow day, snowboard, snowflake, storm, technology, Television, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Public Schools, winter
Mark Sardella 