New England Journal of Medicine: "Dying in a Leadership Vacuum"

 The New England Journal of Medicine writes the following editorial:

"COVID-19 has created a crisis throughout the world. This crisis has produced a test of leadership. With no good options to combat a novel pathogen, countries were forced to make hard choices about how to respond. Here in the United States, our leaders have failed that test. They have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy.

The magnitude of this failure is astonishing. According to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering,1 the United States leads the world in Covid-19 cases and in deaths due to the disease, far exceeding the numbers in much larger countries, such as China. The death rate in this country is more than double that of Canada, exceeds that of Japan, a country with a vulnerable and elderly population, by a factor of almost 50, and even dwarfs the rates in lower-middle-income countries, such as Vietnam, by a factor of almost 2000. Covid-19 is an overwhelming challenge, and many factors contribute to its severity. But the one we can control is how we behave. And in the United States we have consistently behaved poorly.

We know that we could have done better. China, faced with the first outbreak, chose strict quarantine and isolation after an initial delay. These measures were severe but effective, essentially eliminating transmission at the point where the outbreak began and reducing the death rate to a reported 3 per million, as compared with more than 500 per million in the United States. Countries that had far more exchange with China, such as Singapore and South Korea, began intensive testing early, along with aggressive contact tracing and appropriate isolation, and have had relatively small outbreaks. And New Zealand has used these same measures, together with its geographic advantages, to come close to eliminating the disease, something that has allowed that country to limit the time of closure and to largely reopen society to a prepandemic level. In general, not only have many democracies done better than the United States, but they have also outperformed us by orders of magnitude."

Continue reading the editorial online  https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2029812

New England Journal of Medicine: "Dying in a Leadership Vacuum"

Commonwealth Magazine: "Globe ed page editor grills House candidate the paper endorsed"

 From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:

"THE INTERVIEW Boston Globe editorial page editor Bina Venkataraman conducted with Jake Auchincloss had all the feel of a standard quizzing of a candidate as a newspaper weighs an endorsement, as she grilled him on past statements and asked him to explain aspects of his record. Except for one small detail: The Globe already endorsed the Newton city councilor in the nine-way Democratic primary for the Fourth Congressional District seat. 

The unusual spectacle that unfolded Monday afternoon on Zoom came after the paper’s July 31 endorsement drew fierce blowback from other candidates, Globe readers, and Newton residents who decried past comments Auchincloss made on race and religious issues as well campaign finance matters.  Last week, four days after the endorsement, Venkataraman announced that she would interview Auchincloss publicly as part of the Globe’s “Op-Talk” series in order to probe more deeply concerns that have been raised about his record and the paper’s endorsement.

“It is an unusual Globe Op-Talk,” Venkataraman said, kicking off a conversation in which she was far more skeptical inquisitor than cheerleading booster of the candidate she and her editorial board colleagues concluded rose to the top of a crowded field with impressive backgrounds. “Our readers have been raising all kinds of concerns about your candidacy, frankly, and a lot of those concerns are legitimate concerns,” she told Auchincloss in a tone that seemed to convey a hint of buyer’s remorse. "

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)  https://commonwealthmagazine.org/media/globe-ed-page-editor-grills-congressional-candidate-the-paper-endorsed/

Commonwealth Magazine: "Globe ed page editor grills House candidate the paper endorsed"

In the News: Franklin author at Library; MDN editor at Library

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The Franklin Public Library, 118 Main St., will host local author Arlyn Halpern on Tuesday, June 5 at 6:30 p.m. 

Halpern, a psychotherapist and writer, will give a talk about her new memoir, “Dancing into the Light.” It’s a heartwarming tale of her journey from a challenging childhood in suburban Chicago to self-discovery and greater wisdom through dance, living in three countries, and intensively studying mindfulness and meditation in India and the U.S. with a Buddhist master. It’s a compelling tale of love, loss, adventure, humor, and personal and spiritual growth. 

“There are many joyful and funny experiences (in the book) - dancing in a carnival at age 15 and falling in love to name a few,” says Halpern."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180604/franklin-author-to-talk-about-memoir-at-library-june-5

In the News: Franklin author at Library; MDN editor at Library

"We value our readers and those connected with the communities we cover; that’s why we would like to hear from you in person. 

Come share your thoughts and story tips at Coffee With The Editor events planned for Milford and Franklin this month. 

Milford Daily News Editor-In-Chief Anne Brennan and Multimedia Journalist Scott Calzolaio will be at the Franklin Public Library, 118 Main St., from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday, June 6. 

The Milford Daily News staff will be on hand from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, June 13 at the Daily News office, 197 Main St. for a second Coffee With The Editor event."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180604/join-us-for-coffee-with-daily-news-editor-in-june

What will Franklin be like in 2028?

What should Franklin look like in 2028?

Why 2028? 

That would be the 250 year anniversary of the creation of Franklin separating from Wrentham. You likely recall the story that it was originally to be called Exeter but on the way to Boston, they changed the name to Franklin to honor the work of Benjamin Franklin. When the founding fathers asked Ben for a bell to toll in his name, he responded with a bunch of books and hence our library, the first public library in the nation was formed.

We have this legacy to live with and keep up. 

2028 is only 10 years away. It will be here before we know it. Hence, there is no time like the present to start thinking about what the town should look like. How it should operate?

The new school superintendent, Sara Ahern is embarking on a process to update the mission, vision and strategic plan for the schools. The Town or municipal side should do the same thing.

We have a current Master Plan. We have a current Open Space Plan, We also have budget challenges. 
How are we going to deal with our OPEB obligation? 
How are we going to repair our roads? 
How are we going to maintain or advance our fire, police, and DPW services?
How are we going to provide services to our growing community? 
And of course, how are we going to fund the schools to give our children the best they can get to prepare them for the world of 2028 and beyond?

We can do something now. The biennial Town Election is coming up November 7, we should make sure to select those with the vision and or the willingness to work on where we need to be in 2028.

The Fiscal Year budget for 2019 is supposed to be a challenge. That should give us all the more reason to select the proper folks to lead us forward. Starting now.

Talk to the candidates. They are your neighbors. Find out what they want to do. Find out how they are going to get us to 2028.

And then vote on November 7. 
It is the one thing you need to do right now!


Steve Sherlock, volunteer Community Information Director, Franklin Matters

an empty sign is a missed opportunity

#Franklin2028

Editorial: Dirty politics in Franklin? Is it possible?

With the appearance of the ad with no attribution in the Franklin Town News, this election could get really interesting. Dirty politics in a town election? In Franklin? Is it possible?

photo of the full page ad with typo on top

What do we know?

1. The photos were taken from the Town Council page on the official Town of Franklin website. 
2. Town Council Chair Robert Vallee has been touting his leadership of the Council and its accomplishments taking time to read from the listing during a Town Council meeting and at the Candidates Night. The text could have been rewritten from the broadcast.
3. The ad was submitted by the middle of October. I know as I had contributed to the paper when it first started and the cut off for the printing of the paper and set up for mailing to the individual Franklin households was usually the middle of the month.

Who would gain from such an ad?

Let’s attempt to “follow the money” and see. Maybe we’ll find out who paid for the ad. That can take time, so it is not likely to be resolved before the polls open on Tuesday.

What do you do in the meantime?

You, the Franklin voters have enough information to make your decisions based upon what has been shared about the individual candidates here and by the Milford Daily News.

With my three questions, I wanted to provide some depth to the candidate. Many of the issues are not easy yes/no answers. The issues are usually more nuanced. Hence I think we should know more about where the candidates are coming from rather than their answer on a specific issue. The answer on the issue today is not an indicator of their answer on a different issue tomorrow. Knowing more about the candidate as a person, their life here in Franklin, etc. I believe is important.

For example, that a Board of Health candidate actually has either a public health certification or nursing degree should provide some insights over someone who does not have that background.

That some candidates tout their openness and yet say definitively they’ll do something tells me that are not really that ‘open’ minded as they claim to be.
So in preparation for Tuesday, review the interviews that have been shared. 

Make up your mind, and get out to vote. All voters (no matter what precinct you are in) are served by the one location at Franklin High School.

You get to cast seven votes for the School Committee and nine votes for the Town Council. You have a small choice for School Committee (one is left standing in this round of musical chairs). You have a bigger choice for the Town Council where 5 are left standing.

I have heard many claim that they will only vote for 3 or 4 but given the information that has been shared you should be able to vote for a full slate for both the School Committee and Town Council. Doing anything less than casting your full set of votes will allow someone else to get in that you may come to regret.


Stephen Sherlock

Community Information Director (volunteer) for FranklinMAtters.org/ 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephensherlock

The Election Collection can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/08/election-collection-nov-3-2015.html


You can also view the one page ad in the PDF online at Franklin Town News (page 34)
http://www.localtownpages.com/sites/default/files/newspaperpdf/2015_11_franklin.pdf

The link is broken, the Archives only cover the past 17 issues. not nearly enough to go back to 2015

https://www.franklintownnews.com/archives  (updated 10/05/21)