Easton Lions TV Auction, this Sunday

The Easton Lions TV Auction is this Sunday from 2p - 8p on Comcast Channel 9; Verizon Channel 22. If you haven't seen one of these yet, they are a lot like the annual Channel 2 Auctions. Lots of good items and the proceeds go to a great cause.

CPC Meeting Location Change

Tomorrow night's CPC meeting has been relocated to the Simmons Lecture Hall at the OA High School. Please note the change and do try to attend.

Easton Selectmen to take Shovel Shop plan to CPC Board

The CPC will hear the BOS presentation on the Shovel Shop project THIS THURSDAY at 7:00 in the Selectmen's Room at Town Hall. I encourage anyone who hasn't seen the presentation yet to attend.

http://bit.ly/5PTfop

More bad news for the Massachusetts job market

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1227234&pos=breaking

Link to the Enterprise article

Vicki was able to get the story online; it can be found at http://bit.ly/5wmWKG. If you are new to visiting this blog, please scroll to the bottom or use the navigation links on the right side of the page to find my position statement.

Enterprise interview, take two

Last week I was interviewed over the phone for The Enterprise by their Easton-area reporter Vicki-Ann Downing. Vicki did her homework and compiled some personal facts about me, read this blog and my Facebook pages and came with a group of questions that would be interesting to Easton voters; all of which put me at ease in what might otherwise been a nerve wracking experience. We spent nearly 25 minutes talking about the issues facing the Town, and then she let me speak about my benefit portrait event “Pictures from Home”, which I really appreciated since that work is probably the best thing I get to do all year. Most of the information that was printed in the interview I have no quarrels with, but there are a few items I think need clarification. Whether it is because of the limitations of the available printed page space or a misunderstanding of some of my answers, some of the quotes are out of context and I’m glad I can address them here.

First off, I would like to make sure that people understand that I am serving as the President of the Friends of Frothingham Hall, along with a group of eight others. WE founded this group together; I certainly didn’t do it alone, and others on the board have done much more of the footwork than I have. The idea of establishing a friends group was born out my time serving on the Finance Committee. I was very excited that the Council on Aging (COA) and the Recreation Department (Rec) would be moving into a great new space that would let them offer terrific new programs to the community. The only problem? The Town may not be able to easily pay for the needed renovations to this town-owned building, certainly not in the near future, and program expansion is most likely impossible.

All town budgets are necessarily affected by the drop in local aid and Town receipts, and are likely to face cuts this coming fiscal year. Rec is facing a situation where they may be forced off the Town budget entirely. The COA, Rec and the Library are all targets for budget cuts this year, and as the article correctly states, I think we absolutely need to look to private fundraising for these groups instead of raising taxes when times are this tough. One thing in the article I did not appreciate, since it does not represent my views, is that the Library budget needs to be targeted “particularly” as stated by Vicki. Preliminary budgets are due at the end of the month and we will review them in FinCom in February, and hopefully any cuts will be minor.

Regarding the Shovel Shop’s redevelopment, I think you will get a far clearer view of my take on the Town’s portion of Beacon’s financing if you read my post below (“Shovel Shop plan gets support from selectmen”) than just relying on this Enterprise article. In short, I trust the CPC with making the critical decision of going forward with the project. They have the cash to fund their piece and should use it for this project if they see fit to. My argument is that no Town BONDING ought to be used in the financing. Again, read my post below for the long answer because the wording in the article is incorrect.

Finally, I don’t think any of my votes as a Selectman would merely be “a symbolic vote in the minority”, nor do I think that my votes will necessarily be contrary to the rest of the Board’s members on many issues. That particular statement came when talking about the Selectmen’s vote on the Shovel Shop plans at their meeting on 1/11/10.

I haven’t seen the article online yet, but you can find it in the Jan. 16 paper version of The Enterprise on page 3. If I see it pop up at www.enterprisenews.com, I’ll link to it here.

Thanks again Vicki for talking the time to interview me, and thank you all for reading this post and being active in my campaign!

Shovel Shop plan gets support from selectmen

Click to read the article from the Easton Journal today.

I would not support any plan that included bonding by the Town. We are going to need to address the many capital budget items the Town is facing, sooner rather than later, and any bond issuance to fund this CPA project will necessarily limit the town's ability to raise funds for those capital projects. We also cannot discount the possibility that Beacon will not repay the loan to the town. If you read the GLC report (available here; thanks Burt for hosting), the number of conditions that have to be met before the town is repaid is rather lengthy, and given the complexity of the proposed financing plan, presents a very real risk to CPA funds returning to the Town.

I agree that the site needs to be preserved. The CPC has the money it needs to fund the Town's portion contribution to the project in cash. The CPC Board will need to determine if spending the $7.5m is a worthy project in light of the fact that it may threaten the purchase of their priority parcels. Either way, I don't think the CPC ought to be putting the Town in debt to help Beacon finance their development, and I certainly would not vote to support such a plan.

Keeping it all in perspective

In the very short time I have been working on this campaign, I have been caught up in the excitement of meeting new people and garnering support for my run from folks all over town. As is often the case, however, the world has a way of reminding us what is really important in our lives.

Yesterday afternoon a very dear friend of mine, and a new daddy for the third time just weeks ago, told me he is being redeployed to Iraq in the fall. While I am comforted by the knowledge that he is more than capable of taking care of himself over there, I am deeply saddened by the fact that he has to be away from the family he loves so much, and in harm’s way, for so long.

Then we get the news out of Haiti where some 3 million people have been affected by a devastating quake, and thousands are feared to be dead or will die as a result. We have the luxury of living in a relatively quiet part of the world and it is hard for us to imagine what devastation on this level would be like. Whenever we hear about victims of house fires or the like, folks around here are often comforted by the fact that their possessions can be replaced and their lives will eventually be returned to normal; for the majority of the people in Haiti affected by this quake, the reality is that neither is likely to be possible for them.

Today, please keep our deployed men and women, and the people of Haiti in your thoughts.

Great News...

72/75 signatures have been certified; we are on the Ballot!

The Race Begins in Earnest Today

I submitted my Nomination Papers today!  Thanks to all who signed and shared your issues with me.  Please invite your friends and family who either live or work in Easton to come here, leave your comments and let us all learn about your issues in town.  You can also follow the campaign on Twitter (@stnoonan), by joining the Facebook page "Sean T Noonan for Easton, MA Board of Selectmen, 2010 Campaign" and linking to me on LinkedIn! 

Selectmen Approve Tax Rate Increase

Excerpted from The Easton Journal, January 8, 2010; Paula Vogler reporting

Tax rates increase

Selectmen approved the board of assessors’ recommendation to increase the town’s single tax rate from $12.35 per $1,000 to $13.49 per $1,000. Home values were based on sales that occurred in 2008 and the total value base of the town has decreased.
While there has been a 3 percent decline in property values for three years in a row, residents should not be looking for a decrease in their tax bill.
“Generally your taxes are going to go up every year,” selectmen Chairman Colleen Corona said. “Do not expect your taxes to go down because we are allowed to collect an additional 2.5 percent (under Prop 2-1/2 each year).”

The signature drive rolls on!

We picked up a number of signatures at pond hockey, church and DD today; thanks to all who stopped by to say hi! I have many more signatures than I need and my plan right now is to turn in the nomination papers on Tuesday after my Meals on Wheels deliveries. For anyone who hasn’t signed yet and wants to, I will be at the Ames RPC and Selectmen's meetings tomorrow night (Monday the 11th), or I can always stop by your house, just let me know.

Position Paper

As the at-home parent in our family, I am lucky enough to be able to donate my time to a couple of really great organizations around town before I go to work in the evening.  During this time and in my campaigns for Finance Committee and the Board of Selectmen, I have had the pleasure of meeting literally hundreds of amazing people that I’m sure I wouldn’t have come across otherwise.  When people hear that I am running for office, I get asked a number of great questions and brief summary of my thoughts on those questions follow below.  If you’ve have something on your mind that hasn’t been addressed here, please do leave a note here or send me an email so we can talk about it! 

For those of you whom I have not yet had the pleasure to meet, I hope these answers give you a better idea of who I am and what I stand for.  Thanks for taking the time to read through this as I humbly ask you for your vote in April; but even if I haven’t earned your vote, I encourage you to get to the polls and make your voice heard! 

Why do you wish to serve on the Board of Selectmen and why should the constituents of Easton vote for you in April?

As a father of two young children in the public schools who intends to make Easton his life-long home, I care deeply about protecting and preserving our town for future generations.  I am running for a position on the Board of Selectmen because I believe that my views and those of like-minded Easton residents are not fully represented on the Board.  I have concerns about many of the proposed changes for our town, particularly in light of Beacon Hill’s exuberance in increasing taxes and fees while cutting local aid.  I am also a big believer in the power of the masses and feel like the Board can do much more to engage and mobilize the talents of the people in town to help make Easton an even better place to live. 

On the proposed restructuring of the Town government format from a Town Meeting to a Town Manager/Town Council format:

Although the Town Meeting format is at times unwieldy, I believe that the people should have as much participation in town development as possible.  Democracy need not be sacrificed in the name of expediency.  I don’t think the issues facing our town are “too complicated” for town meeting attendees to understand and vote on, as has been suggested repeatedly by proponents of the change. 

On the proposed commuter rail extension to Fall River and New Bedford routing through Easton:

I am absolutely opposed to the extension of the Commuter Rail through Easton.   I think that the Board should fight the proposal far more vigorously, and should reach out to the public for help in the fight.  The impact of commuter trains regularly passing through Easton and the attendant parking complications and traffic congestion would be dramatic.  It doesn’t take a vivid imagination to foresee the negative consequences of dozens of train trips a day passing through our town, all in the name of a Beacon Hill campaign promise. 

On the potential of another Prop 2 ½ Override:

Despite the financial issues the town is facing, I am vehemently opposed to the idea of another override.  Dramatically raising property taxes during what is being called the worst recession since the Great Depression is unconscionable.  My family is intimately aware of what it is like to struggle to cover the bills.  We have already been hit with increases in the sales tax, MBTA fare hikes, toll increases and surcharges on our energy bills; the taxpayer has done more than their fair share in my opinion.    Does this mean we may have to live with fewer town services?  Possibly so, but I think most people can appreciate that you shouldn’t buy a new car if you can’t pay your mortgage. 

On financing improvements in the Easton public schools:

We are very fortunate to have terrific groups like the FEEE, PACs and booster clubs in town that help fill in the gaps and underwrite special projects and programs.    We should explore even more options outside of the town budget to creatively finance necessary improvements in our schools.  I am a big proponent of corporate sponsorship in schools—everything from book sponsors to advertising on buses-- because I believe that our local businesses have as much stake in the education of our kids as we do, they are their future employees after all.  I was very pleased to see that my oldest son’s take-home folder this year was sponsored by many small businesses around town and I hope this trend continues.  Kudos to the schools and the School Board for their working hard in this area. 

On ensuring Easton’s public safety:

We need to minimize the further depletion of public safety personnel in our town and ensure that any future budget cuts that may be necessary do not come from eliminating staff.  We have a critically low number of patrols on the streets and we face firehouse closures if the number of firefighters per shift decreases. 

I would also like to make note of the proposed traffic plan for the Foundry/Prospect Street intersection, and the “See The Light” campaign in general.  Anyone who has ever driven through, and particularly those who must use it every day, knows how treacherous that intersection is.  The work of the STL group and the St. John family may be the finest example of what a grass-roots public campaign for can do to prompt action by government to address a public safety concern I have ever seen.  I would support nearly every conceivable method of town funding to get this project completed, immediately. 

On the proposed partnership with Beacon Communities for repurposing the Shovel Shops:

I would like to see this important historic site preserved, but the terms of the current financing plan places far too much risk on town.  As it stands, $4.5m of the $7.5m CPA dollars provided to Beacon would come in the form of a 2^nd mortgage on the property, and an additional $1.5m of town funds would be required to build a waste water treatment plant.  The terms of the 2^nd mortgage repayment would not require Beacon to pay back on the loan until all of Beacon’s costs and management fees were covered by the sale of converted condo units, after a hold period of five years, and their first mortgage is repaid in full.  

I wasn’t living in Easton when the town voted to adopt the CPA in 2001, but I really wonder how tying up these funds, for this duration and purpose, would have meshed with the original intentions of the voters.  While I don’t oppose the $3m portion of the funding to be provided by the CPAC to purchase the historic preservation easement (if that is what the committee ultimately votes to approve), I would not support any proposal that included the need for any of the $7.5m to be bonded by the CPAC.  As I write this, that has yet to be announced. 

So there you have it in a nutshell.  Now let’s hear what you have to say.  My only request would be to keep it G-rated as we have more than a couple younger readers out here; other than that, feel free to disagree!