Posts Tagged ‘Open Meeting Law’
Retreat to paradise
One of your new Town Councilors wants Wakefield to be more like Lexington, Northampton and Georgetown. Another would like the Council to think about “scaling back” the public’s online access to meetings via Zoom. And although the “T” word was never uttered, most councilors are very worried about “what’s going on in Washington” and how […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 1 Comment
Tags: affordable housing, bicycle network, Disabilities Commission, economic development, Georgetown, goals, Housing Production Plan, John Crisley, Jonathan Chines, Lexington, marketplace, Massachusetts, Mehreen Butt, Michael McLane, mom and pop, Northampton, Open Meeting Law, priorites, public participation, retreat, selectmen, single-family home, Stephen Maio, Town Council, Town Planner, traffic, transportation, Wakefield MA, Wakefield School Committee, Washington DC, Zoom
Environmental justice
Monday’s Wakefield Town Council meeting felt like karma. And you know what they say about karma. On Monday, the Town Council pulled the plug on the “Decarbonization Roadmap.” Creating the Roadmap was key step in the process of joining the state’s “Climate Leader Communities” program. To appreciate why this is so delicious, return with me, […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 1 Comment
Tags: Attorney General, boondoggle, Climate Change, Climate Leader Communities, Decarbonization Roadmap, Ed Dombroski, electric cars, environmental justice, Environmental Sustainabilty Committee, Global Warming, Humor, Joe Wakefield, Jonathan Chines, Joseph Conway, Julie Smith-Galvin, karma, Mark Sardella, Mike McLane, net-zero, Open Meeting Law, Opinion, Politics, Scot McCauley, taxpayers, Town Council, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Town Council
Lean and green
It’s both humbling and gratifying when one’s advice is taken to heart, even if it’s for the wrong reasons and after the horse has left the barn. In this space last June, I wrote: “One of the Environmental Sustainability Committee’s Guiding Principles is, ‘Reduce, reuse, recycle and compost.’” I added, “They could start by reducing […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 4 Comments
Tags: advice, climate, compost, drill, education, electric vehicle, environmental, green business, Green Space, Humor, Mark Sardella, net-zero, Open Meeting Law, Opinion, policy, Politics, recycling, reduce, reuse, Scot McCauley, subcommittees, sustainability, Town Council, Town Meeting, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA
A simple plan
Ignorance of the law is no excuse, the old saying goes. And willful ignorance of the law combined with arrogance is inexcusable. Exhibit A: the recent ruling by the Attorney General’s Office that the Wakefield Planning Board violated the Open Meeting Law. The Planners convinced themselves that the superiority of their MBTA Multifamily Zoning compliance […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 3 Comments
Tags: activists, agenda, Attorney General, board, Climate Change, committee, commuter rail, housing, Humor, James Hogan, magical thinking, Mark Sardella, Masschusetts, Matthew Lowry, MBTA, MGL Chapter 40A, multifamily housing, open government, Open Meeting Law, Opinion, Politics, public transit, public transportation, secret, Theo Noell, Town Meeting, train, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Planning Board, walkable communities, zoning
Human rights or resources?
The Wakefield Human Rights Commission (WHRC) has decided how it will respond to future human rights atrocities such as the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 Israeli civilians, including infants and children. It will provide “resources.” This decision stemmed from questions raised in The Wakefield Daily Item regarding the absence of a […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Community, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 4 Comments
Tags: atrocities, Chabad of the North Shore, Gaza, Hamas, Hamas attacks, Holocaust, human rights, Israel, Jessica Sutich, Jewish, Jews, Mark Sardella, Menorah Lighting, New Zealand, Oct. 7, Open Meeting Law, Opinion, Palestine, Palestinians, Politics, resources, Sherri Oken, terrorist attack, Vigil for Peace & Solidarity, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Human Rights Commission, Wakefield Town Council, WHRC
Secret summer retreat
Only the most jaded cynic would question the School Committee’s decision to discuss the “next steps” in the process for the Wakefield Warrior logo at a Saturday morning meeting in the dead of summer that wasn’t being recorded on ZOOM or cable. So, when a reporter and two members of the public showed up at […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 7 Comments
Tags: Ami Wall, apology, Critical Race Theory, culturally responsive teaching, Dorothy Presser, Douglas Lyons, education, Galvin Middle School, Humor, Indians, Indigenous People, Mark Sardella, Mike Boudreau, Native Americans, Open Meeting Law, Opinion, Politics, professional development, public meetings, retreat, schools, teaching, Town Election, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield School Committee, Warrior logo
Meeting expectations
I’m starting a petition to ban petitions. Actually, I would never do that. First of all, I’m much too lazy and second, it would involve talking to people, which I try to avoid whenever possible. Saying that I want to start a petition against petitions is an attempt at irony. Not intended to be ironic […]
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Tags: agendas, Board of Selectmen, branding, digital, downtown, Favermann Design, government meetings, Humor, kiosk, Mark Favermann, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Open Meeting Law, Opinion, Politics, Town Council, transparency, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Main Streets, wayfinding, WCAT
How to vote
There are few responsibilities easier for citizens to fulfill than voting. Last week, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court agreed, at least when it comes to requiring voters to be registered before election day. It’s a safeguard that allows city and town clerks to verify the eligibility of each would-be voter. Why anyone would be against […]
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Tags: apathy, Attorney General, early voting, elections, Mark Sardella, notification, Open Meeting Law, public meetings, Public Safety Building, registration, SJC, Stephen P. Maio, Supreme Judicial Court, town hall, Town Meeting, Tpwn Clerk, voter fraud, voters, voting, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA
Mark Sardella 