My family is grateful to Ms. CKK, both for her many years of service and for continuing to care about our community. That she continues to give her time and effort even knowing that she is likely to be confronted by the vicious types like "Makes Sense" is even more laudable.
The points raised in Ms. CK's piece are well-supported with facts that are entirely timely and and unfortunately very relevant. She articulates the many reasons those in my circle are uncomfortable with all the hyped OneMelrose propaganda and aggressive types knocking on doors around the city.
Melrose used to be a community worthy of pride. People like "Makes Sense" are an embarrassment and proof that this override is a giant whitewash of a very bad mess that is due for a serious reckoning. Maybe if there were more honesty and less viciousness from the Yes camp, we might consider paying more as a valid thing. The nastiness and obvious cover-up only prove that there is no reason to support the override.
Voting No!
Correct 2nd citation:
https://melrose.wickedlocal.com/news/20160629/melrose-school-committee-approves-teacher-contract
By Aaron Leibowitz
Old news but same patterns of mismanagement and it is nice to get an opinion from someone who was involved with the schools and school committee.
Vote.April 2 2019 Tuesday .
Melrose Taxpayers
How is it that the powers that be would not schedule or pay for a Special Election for something as critically important as replacing the mayor for two years, but suddenly the city can afford to do this for another override referendum?
Ask Donald Conn how that revolution worked out for him.
How about returning the central issue here, the truth?
All the pols and sycophants rushing in to defend the losing override want us to forget what's really at stake and go instead with what was accurately coined "Alternate Facts."
This is what is at stake:
"Treating the taxpayers this way is abusive of the public trust. The citizens of Melrose deserve much better. Perhaps the school system needs more funds, more space, and more highly qualified educators. Writing a Five-Million-Dollar annual check in the form of this tax override to the same individuals who have so thoroughly botched up the district with shameful illegal conduct, a revolving door of administrators and teachers, and incompetently managed district resources would only compound the foolishness. There needs to be a sea change towards more respectful treatment of the citizens and the truth. Only when there is meaningful accountability and transparency can a real discussion about our city’s finances and vision be held with any credibility."
Although I will be, of course, voting no, I will say that from what I see “around”, and on Patch, the yes people are pretty well organized!
Yes, they are impressively well-organized, as are many cabals and cartels.
Of course they are rushing to protect themselves and the status quo. Look at who is financing them:
https://www.cityofmelrose.org/elections/pages/campaign-finance-reports (and this is only up until 12/31/18!)--just a sampling....
$1000 from
Linda O'K
$500 from
Brodeur's campaign
Bob Bell
$250 from:
Eric Wildman
Allison Sarnoski
Jessica Dugan
Mark Garipay
Mike Zwirko
$200 from
Gail Infurna
Jenn McAndrew
Lisa Lewis
$100 from
Paul Brodeur
David Driscoll
Thank you Carrie for your perseverance. Your contributions have more value than the words of those opposed or any of those folks in the committees that think they're doing a "great" job.
No money for Mayoral election. Wait hey let’s have an interim Mayor and spend 40K for a special election so we can push this through. Let’s rush before elected Mayor might have other ideas. Also One Melrose please stop knocking on my door. Enough ! If this town did what they should have and waited my vote might have been different. Really 30/40 thousand on this. WOW. GI was used to push this. She is a nice person and she has nothing to gain or lose by pushing this. Sad. Voting NO
Better go in that voting booth alone and vote "No". Tell her there's not enough room. Avoid nasty "pillow talk" later. You're still King of the Castle.
To HaHaHaHaHa's revisionist history:
city solicitor: Couldn't hack the private sector, lost Everett Mayoral election to a bumbling idiot, so he came here to f---up Melrose.
superintendent: Made the City of Melrose a laughing stock of the State with her pervasive discrimination, retaliation and cover-ups hitting the headlines all over New England. Over a million dollars meant for student education squandered on settlements, legal fees, spin doctors and mandated ethics and civil rights training for all staff through December 2018 per Civil Rights Division settlement agreement.
former mayor: The writing was on the wall. Ran uncontested in 2015 yet over 30% of voters would not check the box for him in the voter booth. Successfully pushed for a city charter changes preventing future competition from running against him because he was afraid of losing. Lost his override initiative by a whopping 2 to 1 margin. Looks like the educated voters of Melrose got it right to me.
You forget perhaps the biggest dipwad of them all - Dello Russo. Ask the people of Plymouth what he did to them.
Thanks to Melrose Messages, Melrosians were able to get timely information and opinion on these big stories.April 2 2019 Tuesday
She is correct: There is absolutely NO REASON to TRUST any of the figures, data, statements, etc. of any Melrose official, elected or hired, except Ms. M on the BOA. The rest are fully in the tank, all yammering the same bogus talking points, and all arrogant in their assertions. The CONTEMPT demonstrated by our city officials for the citizens they are supposed to serve, for the law, for common sense and decency, for the children this override is supposedly about, permeates every word they say and every action they are taking. They should be ashamed, but apparently they are incapable of this. Their contempt is only rivaled by their juvenile attitudes and sanctimony.
How are they not going to allow seniors to not pay taxes if they need the money so badly? That’s thousands of dollars per pmyear per senior household they won’t be collecting.
Like our taxpayers, our leaders need a panoramic view before they make decisions that affect individuals so significantly.
Once again Melrose is enduring a divisive override campaign geared towards a large annual cash infusion for the schools in perpetuity. Those promoting this referendum are using the same kinds of fear-mongering tactics as they did in their previous failed attempt. Sadly, there is now even less reason to believe the claims as before.Facts Don’t Cut It