|
|
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Circle of Friends Coffeehouse: Mardi Gras in Franklin - March 14
Councilor Melanie Hamblen's remarks on the Civil Discourse Pledge
Thanks to Councilor Hamblen for sharing the copy of her remarks made at the Town Council meeting March 4, 2020:
"It is obvious that there has been a gross mis-understanding about the civil discourse pledge and I would like to say a few words:
The pledge is not a personal attack on anyone one of us (believe me I know what one is) It is a statement that the council as a whole, no matter who is on it - rejects discrimination and bullying and is committed to supporting an inclusive community.
The pledge does not, in any way take anyone’s rights away. It does not stop the council for taking concerns from employees and citizens, it states that we will do so with respect for all involved.
The pledge is NOT, I repeat, Not a waste of time or efforts. It is a statement to the community, whom we serve, that we want everyone to be treated with respect and feel welcomed.
Do not believe that this has been brought up because of ONE incident.
If you think that life in Franklin is perfect for everyone living here, then you are refusing to even think about other people’s reality - the people that we all represent.
I am going to ask you to do something for me- set aside yourself for a moment and let’s walk in someone else’s shoes:
It’s a beautiful day, like yesterday, you are getting ready to go to the playground and have fun with your family,
But you stop and think, what will I do if someone yet again yells “death to Muslims” at you.
Or your child comes home crying because his friends were laughing at him telling him at school that he is going to have to go back to Mexico, and he was BORN IN THIS COUNTRY!
Or maybe your child is called a “thing” to your face just because she has a learning disability.
Or you get spit at and have derogatory insults shouted at you, just because of the person you love.
Or you hesitate to go into your place of worship because you are afraid someone full of hate will hurt you and your family.
We are elected officials, we represent the town of Franklin 24/7 everywhere we go.
We represent everyone in this town and the fact that people are afraid and feel unsafe everyday is NOT OK.
It is not OK that our citizens are afraid to tell us how they feel, and afraid to live normal lives. This pledge can help people feel a little at ease.
It is a reminder to try to be kind, that other people experience different things than we do.
It reminds us to be the type of leader who will not sit idly by when people in our community feel unsafe.
This pledge will reassure our community that we stand with them and that we will protect them.
I could just bow to the pressure and give up and slide back into the community and hide, but there are people who cannot afford such comfort because of the color of their skin or who they love or where they worship and I will stand with them. And because it is the best thing to do for ALL of Franklin."
My notes reported live during the meeting
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/03/live-reporting-civil-discourse.html
"It is obvious that there has been a gross mis-understanding about the civil discourse pledge and I would like to say a few words:
The pledge is not a personal attack on anyone one of us (believe me I know what one is) It is a statement that the council as a whole, no matter who is on it - rejects discrimination and bullying and is committed to supporting an inclusive community.
The pledge does not, in any way take anyone’s rights away. It does not stop the council for taking concerns from employees and citizens, it states that we will do so with respect for all involved.
The pledge is NOT, I repeat, Not a waste of time or efforts. It is a statement to the community, whom we serve, that we want everyone to be treated with respect and feel welcomed.
Do not believe that this has been brought up because of ONE incident.
If you think that life in Franklin is perfect for everyone living here, then you are refusing to even think about other people’s reality - the people that we all represent.
I am going to ask you to do something for me- set aside yourself for a moment and let’s walk in someone else’s shoes:
It’s a beautiful day, like yesterday, you are getting ready to go to the playground and have fun with your family,
But you stop and think, what will I do if someone yet again yells “death to Muslims” at you.
Or your child comes home crying because his friends were laughing at him telling him at school that he is going to have to go back to Mexico, and he was BORN IN THIS COUNTRY!
Or maybe your child is called a “thing” to your face just because she has a learning disability.
Or you get spit at and have derogatory insults shouted at you, just because of the person you love.
Or you hesitate to go into your place of worship because you are afraid someone full of hate will hurt you and your family.
We are elected officials, we represent the town of Franklin 24/7 everywhere we go.
We represent everyone in this town and the fact that people are afraid and feel unsafe everyday is NOT OK.
It is not OK that our citizens are afraid to tell us how they feel, and afraid to live normal lives. This pledge can help people feel a little at ease.
It is a reminder to try to be kind, that other people experience different things than we do.
It reminds us to be the type of leader who will not sit idly by when people in our community feel unsafe.
This pledge will reassure our community that we stand with them and that we will protect them.
I could just bow to the pressure and give up and slide back into the community and hide, but there are people who cannot afford such comfort because of the color of their skin or who they love or where they worship and I will stand with them. And because it is the best thing to do for ALL of Franklin."
- The resolution ended up passing by a 6-2-1 vote with Councilors Chandler, Hamblen, Pellegri, Dellorco, Mercer and Jones YES; Earls, Bissanti NO, and Kelly abstained.
My notes reported live during the meeting
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/03/live-reporting-civil-discourse.html
 |
| Boy scouts from Troop 126 lead the overflow crowd at the Town Council meeting in the "Pledge of Allegiance" |
"We had the results, we just couldn’t get it on paper”
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200304/incorrect-spreadsheet-forumulating-to-blame-for-delayed-franklin-election-results
The unofficial results were shared here Wednesday morning
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/03/franklin-presidential-primary-results.html
"A technical issue caused by spreadsheet formulating problems caused election results to be delayed in town by nearly four hours on Tuesday night.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
When spreadsheets provided to the town by its election consulting service weren’t formulated properly, Town Clerk Teresa Burr said clerks didn’t have access to reformulate the spreadsheet to correctly total their data, resulting in the delayed results.
“The formulas just weren’t set up right,” she said, adding that nothing was wrong with the voting machines and that the problem was “nothing major.”
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200304/incorrect-spreadsheet-forumulating-to-blame-for-delayed-franklin-election-results
The unofficial results were shared here Wednesday morning
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/03/franklin-presidential-primary-results.html
 |
| after the polls closed the voting operation at Franklin HIgh School in process of shutting down |
FHS Mock Trail team ends run in Final 16; Cheerleaders are Hockomock Champions
Catching up to provide two other FHS updates:
https://twitter.com/MockWalsh/status/1234191235268694017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/MockWalsh/status/1234237835034669057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/FHScheer_/status/1234197191532728320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
- The Mock Trial team made it to the final 16 this year before ending their season
- The FHS Cheerleaders won the Hockomock League Championships
https://twitter.com/MockWalsh/status/1234191235268694017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/MockWalsh/status/1234237835034669057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/FHScheer_/status/1234197191532728320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
135 schools started out the year in Mock Trial. We’re still dancing in SWEET 16! Pocket constitution to captain Michaela Olah. Here’s our score sheet. pic.twitter.com/lNO2NbJ79B— Michael Walsh (@MockWalsh) March 1, 2020
And the 2020 FHS Mock Trial season ends with a loss in the Sweet 16 this afternoon. Heads held high, your coaches are so proud of you. In the loss, it was probably your best collective performance of the year. All 9s and 10s once again. Pocket constitution to Ava Farnan! pic.twitter.com/SBmvgor8zq— Michael Walsh (@MockWalsh) March 1, 2020
2020 Hockomock Champs!! pic.twitter.com/8DUAFl51kF— FHS CHEER (@FHScheer_) March 1, 2020
 |
| 2020 Hockomock Champs!! pic.twitter.com/8DUAFl51kF |
FM #215 Doug McPherson HMEA IncredABLE Day - May 17 (audio)
FM #215 This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 215 in the series.
Doug McPherson, Vice-President of Development and Public Relations for Horace Mann Education Association (HMEA), headquartered here in Franklin, sat with me at the studio recently to talk about the IncredABLE Day coming up May 17.
Did you know HMEA provides services to over 5,000 individuals in more than 110 communities in MA? The IncredABLE Day is their major fundraising event and a great family day. A 5K run, a walk, and plenty of food and activities are scheduled for Sunday, May 17.
In a future session, Doug will spend some time reviewing some programs that HMEA provides.
In the meantime, a link to the HMEA page to learn more about the services they offer is included in the show notes https://www.hmea.org/
A link to the registration page for the IncredABLE day is also included. You can volunteer, sign up to run the race, or take part in the walk all in one place.
https://www.hmea.org/incredable-5k/
Without further ado, let’s listen in to my conversation with Doug. The conversation runs about 20 minutes. https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HBRCJxBX
We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
Doug McPherson, Vice-President of Development and Public Relations for Horace Mann Education Association (HMEA), headquartered here in Franklin, sat with me at the studio recently to talk about the IncredABLE Day coming up May 17.
Did you know HMEA provides services to over 5,000 individuals in more than 110 communities in MA? The IncredABLE Day is their major fundraising event and a great family day. A 5K run, a walk, and plenty of food and activities are scheduled for Sunday, May 17.
In a future session, Doug will spend some time reviewing some programs that HMEA provides.
In the meantime, a link to the HMEA page to learn more about the services they offer is included in the show notes https://www.hmea.org/
A link to the registration page for the IncredABLE day is also included. You can volunteer, sign up to run the race, or take part in the walk all in one place.
https://www.hmea.org/incredable-5k/
Without further ado, let’s listen in to my conversation with Doug. The conversation runs about 20 minutes. https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HBRCJxBX
We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
- If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
- If you don't like something, please let me know
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
 |
| FM #215 Doug McPherson HMEA IncredABLE Day - May 17 |
MassBudget: How the state budget and state revenues can improve health equity
 |
| MassBudget: How the state budget and state revenues can improve health equity |
How the state budget, state revenues
can improve health equity
The state budget and the revenues that support it are key tools in helping to improve the health of people in Massachusetts. It also can help improve health equity, in which every person - regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, zip code, age, or other factor - has an equal chance to thrive. To this effect, the state budget funds public schools, housing, transportation, and other supports that are essential to our well-being.
In our latest report, Going Upstream: How our State Budget, Revenue, and Policies can Improve Health, we use the analogy that "upstream" conditions affect health outcomes "downstream." Lawmakers can create laws that address some of these social needs and social conditions. Recent examples of this include passage of the Student Opportunity Act - the state's landmark law to overhaul its school funding formula - and recent increases to the state's minimum wage.
In our latest report, Going Upstream: How our State Budget, Revenue, and Policies can Improve Health, we use the analogy that "upstream" conditions affect health outcomes "downstream." Lawmakers can create laws that address some of these social needs and social conditions. Recent examples of this include passage of the Student Opportunity Act - the state's landmark law to overhaul its school funding formula - and recent increases to the state's minimum wage.
Education, socioeconomic status, and well-being are cyclically linked. Education tends to pave the way to better jobs, higher wages, and higher socioeconomic status. Those tend to give people better access to healthy foods, green space, and other resources that foster health. Healthier children, in turn, are better able to focus at school.
But meaningful investment in public programs requires a healthy stream of revenue. Lawmakers can do this by raising revenues that ask people with higher incomes to contribute taxes at levels that are closer to what other households pay.
Read the full Going Upstream report
The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts.
Looking Forward to 2020 Strawberry Stroll
"Enjoy strawberry shortcake, great vendors, activities and lots of family fun at the Strawberry Stroll on June 12 (rain date June 13) from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Vendor registration will open in April. Thank you to this year's events coordinator - Chris Peterson!"
Shared from the Franklin Downtown Partnership page
https://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/
Consider joining as a business or resident (only $25/yr)
https://www.franklindowntownpartnership.org/p/membership-info.html
 |
| Looking Forward to 2020 Strawberry Stroll |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)