Voting for the override is over but the Override has just begun. We must stay vigilant to make sure the extra money doesn't disappear into the night 🌙. There will be a delay because the extra money 💰 won't start to roll into the coffers until August. By then, many citizens will have forgotten that Melrose has more money coming in and that results need to be demonstrated.
Although the override passed, the NO voters taking 45 % of the vote is a strong showing. That's is almost 1/2. Melrose needs to Remember This.
The yes side was managed by someone who recently ran a campaign, had professional election science training and something to prove. The one Melrose had many events and made it their mission to harass citizens and look for a yes Vote under every rock. The MTA was a quieter voice for the NO side and probably could have harnessed the NO community a little more. Even so, no votes came from almost 1/2 the city.
We need to remember this. Continue to question and demand accountability and answers. The points the NO voters made during the campaign season are more true now. The yes voters, outside the inner circle that directly benefits, will forget the promises and believe all is well. Like it or Not, the anti override no voters are the ones that need to keep the city on track.
We can also thank the MCG on FB, which was just an extension of the ONE Melrose campaign. The administrators of which worked actively with One Melrose (also their campaign) to silence any criticism of the override. Keep in mind that One Melrose also target the children of yes voters, from the high school who were old enough to vote. (which is their right) One Melrose also had an active group of key board commandos at their disposal to spread misinformation, malice, and harass people who were against the override.
You are correct in that we need to closely monitor the city to make sure these override funds are used for there intended purpose. Watch administrator pay raises, new teacher contracts, hiring, and investments in infrastructure. Time will tell if the City will be forth coming with the information. Watch the School committee meetings, Finance committee meetings, and of course the BOA meetings.
Agree with both prior postings!
"OneMelrose" was anything but an inclusive, welcoming organization. They behaved like a well-funded militia that had no manners or ethics. They were more like vigilantes than a group of caring, decent fellow citizens. Their aggressiveness and open hostility towards anyone with even a question, let alone an alternate viewpoint was startling, even in a town where bad conduct has been so normalized.
They had their set propaganda, and by gawd, they Hammered their message to all and sundry. They kept track precisely with their "Observers" and their apps at the polling places, obnoxiously phoning anyone who hadn't shown up to cast their promised votes. They thought nothing of screaming obscenities and/or giving the finger to anyone with a No sign, even when children (even their own!) were present! They thought nothing of trying to demean a senior citizen on his walker sitting for hours politely holding his No sign. It was disgusting and shameful. That OneMilitia insignia signifies disgusting conduct forever now.
Honestly the NRA would love to have such a militia getting its message out.
And Newsflash, there were a LOT of OneMelrose vigilantes who were actually card-carrying Republican "Deplorables" who carefully conceal their status in that group of pretend "progressives." Mostly these were parents of tremendous means who want to maintain their best buds in the mommy clubs and Bellevue country club families, but it's a fact that they are wolves in sheeps' clothing. They are well-educated for the most part, but totally gullible and bought the propaganda hook, line and sinker.
One thing that should be done immediately is get the campaign records of OneMelrose and identify all of the donors. Remember who they are and learn from the effective targeting of that organization. The rest of us need to organize better and figure out how to get the real information more broadly circulated.
Beyond watching school committee, BOA, water & sewer meetings, etc., it's critically important to start SHOWING UP, not just watching or waiting until an election is around the corner. There are nuances you can only learn by attending. There are materials online that need to be downloaded and then we need to do lots of public records requests for all the stuff they hide until forced to release it. It's free and isn't rocket science. Learn how to do this! Let's learn from the OneMilitia and do this better, but with humanity and humility (and humor!--another thing the OneMilitia side is devoid of!).
I indeed hope the vigilance of the previous posters can/will last, and that what you're espousing does occur. However, from a senior citizen's standpoint (and I fully admit that this is ONLY me) I'm afraid that I have done all I can do (time, energy, health and desirewise) and that was vote. I have never been a "defeatist", but things change, and I'm sorry to admit so has that. On a positive note, I have looked at some things, and unless the water/sewer hikes are immense (and god forbid there is another override!) I'm going to bite the bullet and stay, because it IS my home Town (I know, City, but hometown just sounds better) and I DO want to "finish out here". But as far as further involvement, I'll write my check, send it in, and hope that the money was as necessary, and will be as beneficial as they said, to someone!
Not me. I confess I suspected the override was going to pass, so I already had an exit plan in place, and honestly I most likely would have pulled the trigger even if No had won, because the same issues would have remained one way or another. For me it was never about the money.
So I called my agent and told her to go ahead and activate the listing as we planned. Then I'll pay off the place in NH, close for cash on the place in FL, put another $250K into the market, and the biggest decision I'll have to make every day will be which golf course I should play that day, or if I should just spend the day on one of the boats. The only thought I'll ever give Melrose will be at the end of every month when I see my tax free for life City of Melrose pension deposit show up in my account next to my tax free for life military pension check. No more snow storms, and no more dealing with the holier-than-thou ****tards that inhabit Melrose now. It's too bad - it used to be a nice little town.
I thought I'd be upset, but surprisingly all I feel is relief. A mai più rivederci. I'm out, but I am sorry for those who don't have my options.
Oh, yeah - and as one final bird flip, my agent is in Wakefield, and I gave her strict instructions NOT to deal with any Melrose agent.
I like Dave's style. The new "yes parents" are making me want to sell also. They are complete a$$holes and people fell for it. Gaetano's, LA Qchara and Wholefoods were with the "yes people" and allowing them to use their place of work to help out. Some owners were asking customers which way they were voting.
Why not be concerned that two of CT hires needed vice principals added to payroll. Or all the damage the principal's have done at the middle school, Lincoln and Horace Mann. Guess what, they have left or in the process of leaving.
Nothing will change with this school committee they have NO ba11s.
I want to be friends with everyone who posted here. Actually we could already be friends but we’ll never know. You all get it.
Link for the first One Melrose campaign financials
https://www.cityofmelrose.org/sites/melrosema/files/pages/one_melrose.pdf
Interesting, thanks!
Alright alright, the “yes” signs that are still up, I get, it’s just to bust balls, but the few “no” signs, what’s that, refusal to accept? The fat lady has sung, it’s over, time to move on! 😀
I'm disappointed that the override passed and our property taxes are getting raised more than the usual. The yes people kept asking rhetorically, in their minds, for 'other' solutions. This was misleading campaign mantra because it you don't see a problem as I didn't, you don't need a solution.
The visual budgets,all the dire predictions and the other nonsense promoted by city hall and one Melrose didn't stand up to scrutiny if you really looked at them. Some changes do need to be made but these aren't changes that are going to happen. The extra money will be absorbed without a trace.
Have said it before, and will say it one more time. The first, and perhaps the most crucial step, it to divest ourselves from this administration, from Taymore all the way down through the inept principals, and carrying through to the SC. Until that happens, absolutely nothing will change, and it will keep getting more and more expensive. How the majority still have not realized where the real problem lies is simply astonishing to me.
I unfortunately doubt that ANY of that is going to happen, but then again I was sure that the override would fail, so stranger things have happened. Maybe there IS hope!
Nah
The good news is the elementary school principal who thought she was so clever filing false police reports (a felony offense) against parents right after they have filed complaints with the district is on her way out. Too bad, the damage has been done to several families. The State's recent Swatting Legislation makes this criminal harassment tactic of making knowingly false statements to law enforcement in order to deceive police into sending a police response to another person's address punishable by jail time and stiff monetary penalties. Never mind that your tax dollars were wasted by the city's police department responding to these false emergency calls about a child at risk, there must be plenty of money for this expense now that the override has passed. And wouldn't you know the superintendent of schools was well aware of her clever little swatting trick? Did the super teach this little trick to the principals under her tutelage?
The override passed 55-45. That's pretty close especially when you consider how hard one Melrose campaigned signing up high schoolers and getting students living at college to vote.
With the override's passage it's now time to make sure the city keeps its promises to use the EXTRA money for education, as promised. This means making sure the General Fund education budget increases by the same amount as the override, not some portion of it. It means making sure future budgets don't start taking that money and putting it to other uses. We'll know if the education budget increases less than others, meaning the override money is being syphoned away. From what I know, there is no mandate to spend it on education.
We also need to make sure the City is doing whatever it can to tamp down personnel costs, especially pensions and OPEB. This means automation where possible and personnel consolidation where feasible.
Nobody seriously wants to take away the pensions and benefits current public employees have earned - that's not fair. BUT that doesn't mean that as current employees depart through attrition we can't reduce headcount and current/future obligations to new hires.
Congratulations to the "Yes" folks, they ran a solid campaign. Now we all get to pay for it.
I would like to know who pays for the campaign manager hired for the "yes campaign" to get the results? Is it the"far left" that paid for...Hillary's lies,FBI,DOJ,Caravans,Kavanaugh,Hollywood,Covington Catholic School,Jussie Smollett and the HATE for a president and his family.
If there is NO collusion then there is NO obstruction. Move on congress and dems.
I did not know if the yes campaign money is part of our increase taxes?
"Parent" seems to be saying that they are unhappy 😡 that the Melrose parents who voted for the override appear to not see some of the fundamental problems in the school system. Some of these issues are the actions of the superintendent and having a convicted thief who has not made restitution to his elderly crime victims in charge of the school committee.
The voters themselves aren't the very worst of Melrose.
Rewarding the superintendent and the school committee that supports her actions with new money is rewarding the worst of Melrose when the the voters should be questioning the continued support of her.
My interpretation of the post. YMMV.
It was in fact rewarding an administration (paid and elected) that has no respect for the law or ethics. No, was not saying 6,000 melrose voters were the worst, but rather that the values voted in were supporting the very worst, and that a lot of gullible people apparently chose to ignore that or did not understand it. Not saying that the other side was the "best" either, but that at least they did not reward horrible conduct and lack of ethical values by a corrupt administration. It is fair to question the terrible conduct of those who chose to bully others during this campaign, and that was rampant on the Yes side. That is definitely a "worst" part of Melrose culture. So shame on yourself if you think that was okay.
Enough with the sour grapes and whining. Personal observation was that outside of the confines of social media every person on both sides was respectful. It was a campaign where the Yes side had the better argument, more passion and a much better organized campaign. No was divided into three camps. 1) People who truly felts the increase in taxes would be a financial burden. 2) The historical no votes that are philosophically opposed to any increase in taxes for City services they do not value or use. 3) The individuals so bitter about their personal experience with school department they want to see the place collapse. Yes crowd was an energized group of parents who wanted to see a continued level of service ie: no layoffs or cuts, to the school system that their children attend. They were able to take more of the "undecideds" than the no's. They cared more, and invested more, and they won. That's politics. No won 2 out of the last 3. That's politics as well. I hope the One Melrose crowd sticks together. They will be formidable in the years to come if they do. Maybe they should form their own Tax Payers Alliance that encourages sound investments in the community.
Funny, people coming to this forum to complain that people who were against the override are "sour grapes" but yet they are here complaining about the complainers...ironic, and pathetic
Well said. That was spot on.
As Melrose becomes more expensive to live in, our home owning senior citizens will downsize quicker than in earlier times. Selling your house right now makes moving attractive due to the high prices that are not because Melrose is special but as part of a larger regional trend. New families with children will replace them.
This will appear to empower one Melrose because the truth is, they only care about the schools because that's what impacts them. It's pretty obvious. Any newcomer with a child is prime pickings for one Melrose.
Putting a smile on my face it how the mayor's race will divide them. As our "friends and neighbors" throw their hats in the ring, I can see a fight for the Democratic primary. Their sanctimonious campaign for the override has met it's match. Themselves.
Agree strongly with both prior posters. And Sanctimony wins as the perfect word to fit the stench coming from too many in Melrose today. Most will have to look it up, especially if it's written in cursive.
The “best you’ve got” is something that makes no sense whatsoever?
The actions of the new Melrose are now standard operating procedure. For example, changing the name Board of Alderman. Someone unintentionally summed it up on Facebook. If we don't get our way the 1st time, we are going to keep coming back until it's 'right'. The BOA voted in 2016 to keep the name but the drive to change it was going to keep coming back until certain people got what they wanted.
The override strategy was used again. Attack on social media anyone who had a differing opinion. Act superior in your knowledge implying that if you don't agree with the change, you're a backwards idiot. Disregard and disrespect dissenters. Repeat the same statements again and again. Argue that other cities in Mass do it this way so we should too.
It has become clear to me that Melrose was unique and that's what made it a special place to live. Now we are pushed to be the same as everywhere else and that is not automatically a good thing. There is a new vocal group in town whose tactics feel overwhelming.
I am not opposed to making what could have been called the Board of Alders less gender specific but this is a freight train running over anyone who doesn't agree immediately with the party line.
@BB I bet
My comment was about the process but since you brought it up, here's my opinion. Alder and board feels quaint and old timey in a good way to me. We are an old New England town and it's ok to have traditions that date before the Boston magazine article brought everyone here. The "if you can't afford Arlington, try Melrose" best places to live feature.
City council and councillor feels impersonal, cold and distant from the people. Melrose has a city form of government but it is more natural to think of us as a town. Why? Because a town is a homey accessible type of place.
I'm not BB but his feelings should tell you something about what the name meant to people. He's a Melrose supporter through and through, and although I disagree with him on some issues, I recognize and respect the long standing love he has for this city.
Melrose is not a town. These "quaint" names lead people to confuse aldermen with selectmen. Maybe then they would assume there is a town meeting or a town form of government in place. It is better to be clear than quaint. What is the purpose of adding pointless barriers to comprehension? Your enjoyment of how a word "feels" isn't enough.
The name is changed now and that's fine but it wasn't because people confused alderman with selectman???? I hope not. Melrose has a mayor so it wouldn't be a town. If you live here it's easy to learn the difference.
If you have to be told it's a CITY council to know it's a CITY then you need to do some more research.
The most important thing going on in this city is to make sure nobody is confused? Hilarious....Of course to Lemmerman, and most of the BOA being non gender specific was the biggest concern....again....hilarious
Did you even watch the meeting? Of course you didn't. I did and I know that FOUR orders were debated last night. Most people can address more than one task at a time. But maybe you can't.
Work on a different complaint. This one is lame.
The one Melrose campaign was paid for by donations. The election was paid for by the city.
The BOA isn't from Cambridge. Many people who are hell bent on making these changes have lived in Somerville or Cambridge directly before moving here. Camberville they call it. Most grew up elsewhere but started their adult lives there and would have moved to Arlington or Lexington if they could have afforded it.
The gender issue and wanting to be like all the other Mass cities drove the BOA name change.
Don't recall much being said on here that most could afford the override. It was more that some could but many others could not and that there's a myriad of reasons why the override is a bad idea. Remember 45% of voters were against it.
Keep drinking the calm!