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Saturday, October 31, 2015
The latest from Mass Poetry
Friday, October 30, 2015
Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 10/30/15 - THU 11/5/15
12-6pm *LAST* of the season Franklin Farmers Market at The Town Common
6-8pm Pumpkins in the Park at the Sculpture Park (next to the Franklin Police Station)
7-10pm Halloween Middle School Dance at Tri-County HS (open to grades 5-8)
7:30pm FSPA presents “The Addams Family” at The Black Box
8-9:50pm Frozen Friday DJ Public Skate at Pirelli Arena
9pm Comedy Night at “3” featuring Louis Ramey
SATURDAY 10/31/15 - HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
8am-12pm Frankenstein 5K Run, Walk and Stomp at Bellingham HS
1pm-5pm Howl-O-Ween at Pour Richard’s - grab your four legged companion, have picture taken to support a good cause
2pm FSPA presents “The Addams Family” at The Black Box
8:30pm FSPA presents “The Addams Family” at The Black Box
***Don’t forget to set your clock 1 hour back before bed, DST ends at 2am on Nov 1st***
SUNDAY 11/1/15
7:30-10:30am Weekly Sunday morning breakfast at Franklin Rod and Gun Club, open to public.
TUESDAY 11/3/15 - ELECTION DAY!
6am-8pm Franklin MA Biennial Town Election, Franklin High School
Special offer from Elizabeth's Bagels! After you vote, show your "I Voted" sticker that day to get 20% off your meal or morning coffee!
WEDNESDAY 11/4/15
6:30pm Franklin Art Association Meeting, Palette Knife Demonstration by Ann Gorbett
THURSDAY 11/5/15
8:30am Franklin Downtown Partnership Meeting at Dean College (Golder Room), public welcome!
For all the Town of Franklin Public Meetings click HERE.
For event details click HERE.
*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email Renata@BetterLivingRE.com
Franklin Candidate for Town Council - Robert Dellorco
Robert Dellorco and I met recently at Panera to talk about his campaign for Town Council. This is the summary of our discussion.
FM - What do you bring to the position that would set you apart from the other candidates?
If you have any follow up questions for Robert, you can contact him via email at rddfranklintc@gmail.com
You can also visit his Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/Vote-for-Robert-Dellorco-893379717378433/?fref=ts
Noteworthy: This information is intended to help the Franklin voters when we all head to the ballot box on November 3rd. The interview candidates have had an opportunity to review the text before publishing to ensure the accuracy of our discussion.
FM - What is your Franklin story?
Dellorco – I grew up in Hyde Park but my father was born in Franklin in the same house as Horace Mann. And now I am on the Horace Mann Statue Committee. Interesting how things come around! I lived here most of my life, with my wife and three kids. They all went through the Franklin schools and on to college. My father had strong ties to Franklin. My mother was born in the same house as her mother in Hyde Park. It would have taken something really significant to get her out of Hyde Park. They made a pact, they would live in Hyde Park but my father would be buried in Franklin. So my father was coming out to Franklin every week. On Thursday nights. He worked in Walpole for 44 years. The one night he missed was during the blizzard of ’78. Other than that he was here.
In the Dellorco family, the cousins are like brothers. When it was time to move, there was really no other choice but to come to Franklin. When we first came here, I got involved coaching youth sports. Coaching my cousins, then my own kids. CYO basketball, Pop Warner. Some of those kids are always going to be my kids.
Sitting on the porch with a couple of kids talking about the opioid problem, we can’t be quiet about it anymore. We need to be talking and sharing together to tackle this problem.
Debbie Pellegri got me involved with the 225th Anniversary of Franklin. So I drove the bus around. Come to find out, that was what my father had done for one of the earlier ones. There was really no place for me to go but here. My brother moved out at the same time. I saw Chief Benedetto at Dunkin and he said, what’s with all the Dellorco’s coming to Franklin?
FM - What do you see as a challenge for the position of Town Council?
Dellorco – The budget obviously. Hopefully State aid won’t get cut or too badly. Our representatives at the State House will take care of us. I have made some connections too. I had worked for the first Tom Menino campaign for City Council. He taught me one of his favorite sayings: “People are going to come to you and ask for help. Some of the things you can do, some of the things, you won’t be able to do. But bottom-line, they asked you for help, so do the best you can.” I never forgot that. You learn to keep an open mind and listen to everyone. The biggest thing that bothered him was ‘It’s not in my backyard.’ It bothers me too.
The opioid problem really concerns me. You know how involved I am with that. It is a terrible problem. I am doing what I can to help. Ben Waters is helping connect some of the high school kids with a program we are going to do with Franklin TV. Ben is a good kid.
What also concerns me is the roads, we have to do something. We had the override for the roads and it didn’t pass. Maybe we didn’t do enough for it to spread the word. We need to do something. The folks that came to the Council to complain about their roads, like the roads off Northgate, or Uncas Road, the roads are horrible. Uncas is getting fixed now. As well as the other roads in that area, Crocker and Lewis Sts.
I am concerned about the Medway power plant. I am not sure why we haven’t done much with that. It seems to be a Sitting Commission issue rather than a Medway decision. We should find out what we can do. That and the Spectra pipeline, it was off, and now it’s on again. Some are saying we can’t do anything about it. I think if we get enough people to send a message then we should be able to do something.
FM - What do you bring to the position that would set you apart from the other candidates?
Dellorco – Obviously, I have voted the other way on some issues. I am not just going with the flow. I have an open mind. Because I have been a union steward, and have negotiated contracts, I can be an advantage for the Council in negotiating contracts with our unions. What I do at MassPort, we are in charge of all the vehicles. Purchase, maintenance, etc. So I have some connections with spec’ing out the new ambulance, fire truck when it comes to it.
When this is a new council, we need to work as a team. I’d rely on Tom Mercer if there is a building question. Or Brett on something with power or solar. Or Steve Williams on something in public safety. Or Andy on something with zoning. We need to work together to leverage each of our specialties. At the end of the day we are a team. We have to operate as a team.
The hardest thing, sometimes are hands are tied. Somethings we can do, somethings we can’t (like Mayor Menino’s comment). We can do better by letting the folks know the difference. That we need to do.
Right after football, I am going to start working with Sidwell on getting additional JV teams for lacrosse both girls and boys. They have enough kids in the youth programs coming up but the high school teams are limited. I also heard that they are trying to get a gymnastics team at the high school. And it is not just sports for me, if someone were to say we are cutting the band, I’d be involved. Anything we can do to keep the kids busy and off the streets is good.
If you have any follow up questions for Robert, you can contact him via email at rddfranklintc@gmail.com
You can also visit his Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/Vote-for-Robert-Dellorco-893379717378433/?fref=ts
Noteworthy: This information is intended to help the Franklin voters when we all head to the ballot box on November 3rd. The interview candidates have had an opportunity to review the text before publishing to ensure the accuracy of our discussion.
Franklin Candidate for Town Council - Sean Slater
Sean Slater and I met recently via phone call to talk about his campaign for Town Council. This is the summary of our discussion.
If you have any follow up questions for Sean, you can contact him via email at seanp.slater_pmp@yahoo.com
Noteworthy: This information is intended to help the Franklin voters when we all head to the ballot box on November 3rd. The interview candidates have had an opportunity to review the text before publishing to ensure the accuracy of our discussion.
FM - What is your Franklin story?
Slater – I am a first time candidate running for Town Council. I have an amazing wife Kerry and an adorable son, Devin. I have a deep commitment to my family and my Catholic faith. Kerry and I consider ourselves very fortunate to be living in a great town like Franklin. After searching for a house on the North Shore and in neighboring towns around Franklin we came to the conclusion that Franklin was the best choice. The small New England town charm and character combined with all Franklin has to offer convinced us that this is where we wanted to be.
I want to work with people who want to keep Franklin one of the most sought after towns in the state to live in. The collective voice of the Franklin citizens is more important than anything else in terms of how Franklin’s future should be planned out. I am fiscally conservative when it comes to my own household spending. I think it is reasonable for the average Franklin resident to expect that same fiscal discipline from their town officials.
I believe our town officials should not lose sight of the fact that they are spending the public’s money. I am running for this seat so Devin can grow up in a community that is as safe and affordable tomorrow as it is today. I want the current generation of Franklin citizens to have peace of mind knowing that their children and grandchildren decide to stay in Franklin for the same reasons that we all chose to move here.
I have worked in the financial services industry for over 22 years; specifically at State St Bank, Bank of America and Fidelity. I have a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Stonehill College. I have an MBA from the Sawyer School of Management. I am employed as a Senior Project Manager with Fidelity Investments responsible for coordinating and delivering multimillion dollar IT projects on-time and on-budget. While at Fidelity, I received my Six Sigma Black Belt certification in 2006 and my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in 2008.
FM - What do you see as a challenge for the position of Town Council?
Slater – I think the biggest challenge is the lack of transparency and the relentless pursuit of overdevelopment.
The perception, right or wrong is that there is a groupthink mentality to how decisions are made and how public information is or is not shared with residents. There are too many unanimous votes on the Council. Let’s try to bring some critical thinking and fact based analysis into the Chambers. I want to know how the town is defining a “growth” strategy. I will not be a rubber stamp for every real estate development that comes across the desk but I will not vote down every proposal either.
The accountability is on the interested party proving to me how this will benefit the entire Franklin community, not the selective few, in the short term and long term. Proposals need to be vetted with as much deep dive analysis as required in order for us, as Council members to make better informed decisions. Those proposals over a certain dollar amount should require another level of scrutiny.
Any growth or five year investment plan regarding Franklin’s future needs to be balanced and conservative and requires full disclosure on how it will impact not only the industrial, commercial, residential portfolio mix but more importantly how that mix impacts the taxpayer’s wallet.
I certainly understand the need to bring in more revenue, especially as a resident tax payer but we need to tap the breaks a little until unknowns becomes knowns. Trust, then verify.
Traffic studies are great but they are almost irrelevant in the big picture. You need a comprehensive infrastructure analysis that deals with the demand and supply side. This needs to be done before any voting or fast tracking of decisions. Full disclosure on what the financial burden of the development will demand upon the existing town resources, this is your baseline.
What is the demand on future or net new services? That gap between current state and future state is what needs to be solved for from a revenue as well as an expense perspective. You take that current state and the future state assessment, document and validate it and hold people accountable to it.
This is not mind blowing stuff here, this is about transparency and accountability. I do not know if this is happening already or if all of the relevant decision makers are part of the process but we owe it to our residents to ensure that it is. Too many times, the most common knee jerk reaction is to identify a single source of revenue to solve for some or all of that gap; the residential taxpayer.
Another significant challenge will be the $93M unfunded liability for Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB). This is a non-pension guaranteed benefit entitlement. We are accounting for it, it is on the books and we are allocating dollars to it each year. What we need to be doing is solving for how we control the costs that are not only inevitable but will ultimately be unsustainable if we have to write that check someday.
Those that have contributed and are entitled to that benefit should have peace of mind knowing that those dollars will be there when they need it. The taxpayers should equally have peace of mind knowing well in advance that we as a Council are accountable for coming up with solutions to reduce that tax burden, by reducing (not eliminating) those interest costs within the scope of our town charter and bylaws.
I mention costs going up as inevitable because health care costs will move in one direction for the foreseeable future. It is like paying only the interest on a credit card or mortgage, the principal balance isn’t going anywhere but the total loan balance only gets bigger.
We are limited on what we can do because of state regulations and reporting requirements but what we are not limited to is thinking outside the box. We should address this and not ignore it. We have to find a way to make this sustainable. If it needs to funded and fully on the books for 2028, according to the current accounting rules, it will be a big challenge to deal with.
FM - What do you bring to the position that would set you apart from the other candidates?
Slater – First thing I want to get on the record is that for me there is no conflict of interest in my motivation to run for this position. I am not looking to gain any political favors by getting elected. I am not looking to gain financially or grow my business from the votes that I would take on the town’s behalf. I am running with a clear understanding that my first priority is the resident of Franklin. I would not compromise my integrity in achieving that goal.
What I bring to the table is 22 years of problem solving expertise in the private sector. I am bringing a relentless effort to improve the transparency which is suspect as of today. I am dedicated to ensure that I and my fellow Councilors are proactively engaged in really keeping our community more informed, not just on votes and decisions, but on the overall process leading up to those votes and decisions. I am by default, trained to understand, reject and revise budget items that look questionable at best and completely unreasonable at worst.
At my current job I demand accountability from people I work with and they demand the same of me. I do not have the luxury of throwing money at a problem to solve for it. I will not get into the override debate here because I could write endlessly on that topic. Know this, to ask the Franklin resident for more taxes in the form of an override is to insult their intelligence. The inconsistent and sky is falling override rhetoric would not change whether we had a $113M budget or a $213M budget.
On transparency, we need to do better than allowing 3 minutes for residents to express their concerns. Right now it does not do anything to inspire confidence when meetings are a one way conversation after a three minute allowance. We can do better than that. The Town Council does abide by the open meeting law, lead time rule or whatever we call it next month, which is 48 hours but we as TC, accountable to about 33,000 residents should aspire to a higher standard.
For “special business” or something that has a sweeping impact to the community, those notifications should be done with significantly more lead time notice. I know we are not able to force people to show up but what I am talking about is engaging the public well beyond the Town Council meetings. The citizens need to have a Town Hall style format or at least a forum where there is a more collaborative model with the Town Council. The TC still drives the meeting, agenda and the majority of content in order to keep the meetings efficient but the opportunity for the collective citizen voice to engage requires a reset. I think that open collaboration is vital to getting where we need to be.
One of the other things that I would suggest; our names should be attached to everything we vote on and posted publicly. Reading 9-0 or 8-1 really provides no insight into who is doing what. We should have our names on each of the votes. It builds trust, period. It will allow citizens to focus on who to engage, who to compliment, who to voice concerns with during meetings or in informal interactions.
The voters have a pretty clear choice to make with the 14 of us. With the level of engagement between us the last three weeks, it should be clear by now where I stand on issues that I introduced or issues that were introduced to me. I have no problem speaking my mind on anything.
What I will do is bring a taxpayer focused mindset to the Council. I will bring an objective and common sense approach to every decision I make on the resident’s behalf. I will not accept something as validated based on assumptions.
Lastly, I will reinforce that crazy idea that fiscal discipline is not optional when the dollars are coming from the taxpayer’s wallet. I will work closely and reasonably with fellow Town Councilors in keeping Franklin a town we will always be proud of calling home.
I humbly ask for your vote on 11/3.
If you have any follow up questions for Sean, you can contact him via email at seanp.slater_pmp@yahoo.com
Noteworthy: This information is intended to help the Franklin voters when we all head to the ballot box on November 3rd. The interview candidates have had an opportunity to review the text before publishing to ensure the accuracy of our discussion.
Against King Philip, FHS boys soccer tied, the girls won, and the volleyball team lost
In matches against King Philip, FHS boys soccer tied, the girls won, and the volleyball team lost. Thanks to Hockomock Sports we share the results here
For other results around the Hockomock League on Thursday
http://www.hockomocksports.com/thursdays-schedule-scoreboard-102915/
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| FHS Panthers |
Boys Soccer
King Philip, 1 @ Franklin, 1 – Final– King Philip sophomore Tyler Mann put the Warriors up a goal with just over 10 minutes left to play but just a minute later Nick Parent headed home a service from Austin Kent to knot the game at one.
Girls Soccer
Franklin, 3 @ King Philip, 0 – Final– Alexis Stowell opened the scoring off an assist by her sister Victoria. Jess Kroushl added a second off an assist by Alexis Stowell and Halle Atkinson scored an unassisted third.
Volleyball
King Philip, 3 @ Franklin, 1 – Final– With the match tied 1-1, KP picked up the a vital win in game three and walked away with a 25-11, 16-25, 27-25, 25-21 win. Josie Rowean led the way with 16 kills, Gwen Uyrus added six kill, Amelia Murphy and Emma Lopez each had four kills and Micaela Murray had seven digs. Franklin’s Aubrie Kutil had 10 kills, Beth Neal had 19 assists, seven kills and two blocks and Alyssa Shea had seven kills.
For other results around the Hockomock League on Thursday
http://www.hockomocksports.com/thursdays-schedule-scoreboard-102915/
In the News: Candidate profiles - Schultz, Padula-O'Neill, Jewell
Town Council candidate James Schultz said he hopes to increase the town's transparency and willingness to take resident input if elected.
Schultz is one of 14 candidates seeking the nine council seats. He said he was driven to run for Town Council because he felt the body was not listening to citizens.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151029/NEWS/151024964/1994/NEWS
Diane Padula-O'Neill, a town clerk candidate in the upcoming election, said she would like to see more clerk services move online.
Padula-O'Neill is one of four candidates seeking the clerk position in the Nov. 3 election.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151029/NEWS/151024965/1994/NEWS
School Committee member John Jewell, running for re-election this fall, is looking to help the district's students compete in the worldwide economy.
Jewell is one of eight candidates running for seven seats on the committee in the Nov. 3 election. Jewell, an Army veteran and former professor at the U.S. Military Academy, is seeking his third term.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151029/NEWS/151024966/1994/NEWS
"told they shouldn't have any expectations of privacy at all"
"Students currently sign forms saying they consent to being monitored," Crockford said. "But should students be forced to give up the right to privacy in order to access new technology?"
According to the report, several local school districts, including Franklin, Hopkinton and Sudbury, gave the ACLU documents stating that students should have "no expectations of privacy" in their school-owned devices, while Millis and West Springfield allow for random and periodic searches of student computers. Of the 35 school districts included in the study, which also included Franklin and Wayland, only Uxbridge has a clear policy limiting searches to "when a problem is brought to the attention of the building administration."
According to Crockford, the ACLU of Massachusetts feels that schools should have a right to search student devices when there is reason to believe the student has done something against the rules, but until there is probable cause of a crime or infraction, students' rights to privacy should be protected. Student privacy regulations in Massachusetts were last updated in 2006, Crockford said, which is far too long given how fast technology is growing.
Read the full article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151029/NEWS/151025059/1994/NEWS
In the News: OSHA training, cheerleaders fund raising, expand music program
Four employees from Franklin completed a comprehensive “OSHA-10” training program, held at Town Hall in Walpole.
The interactive 10-hour hazard awareness training session was designed to enhance the skills, productivity and general safety of municipal employees who work in construction zones. The Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, property and casualty insurance provider for the six participating municipalities, presented the program free of charge as a membership benefit.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151030/NEWS/151039977/1994/NEWS
Cheerleaders from Medway and Franklin are participating in the third annual Cheer for Dana-Farber fundraiser, which supports adult and pediatric cancer care and research at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The Medway High School Varsity cheerleaders and Franklin High School JV and Varsity cheerleaders are fundraising until Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26.
To participate in Cheer for Dana-Farber, cheerleading teams fundraise in their local communities through car washes, bake sales, canister collections and more. There is no minimum fundraising requirement, but teams are required to register.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151029/NEWS/151025037/1994/NEWS
The Center for Adult Education and Community Learning, a program of the Franklin Public School’s Lifelong Learning Institute, will expand its private music lesson program.
The program is now available Monday through Thursday, after school and during early evenings at Franklin High School, 218 Oak St.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151029/NEWS/151025048/1994/NEWS
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Franklin Candidate for Town Council - Matt Kelly
Our schedules did not align to meet in person so Matt Kelly and I conducted our discussion about his campaign for Town Council via email. The results are shared here.
If you have any follow up questions for Matt, you can contact him via email at matt@kellycolombogroup.com
Noteworthy: This information is intended to help the Franklin voters when we all head to the ballot box on November 3rd. The interview candidates have had an opportunity to review the text before publishing to ensure the accuracy of our discussion.
FM - What is your Franklin story?
Kelly - I relocated to Franklin in 1993 with my parents and brother where I attended Franklin High School and married my high school sweetheart Lesley Douglas. My wife Lesley and I never thought twice about where to raise our family. Lesley is a 3rd generation Franklin resident and I am a Franklin business owner so living here in town was the obvious choice.
Today I live on Crescent Street near the Franklin Common with my wife and 2 daughters, Madison and Abigail. As a member of the Franklin Town Council and a Franklin Rotarian I feel privileged to live in and give back to the community that offers so much to its citizens.
FM - What do you see as a challenge for the position of Town Council?
Kelly - I feel like the issues for the incoming Town Council is to insure that we as a council continue to balance the budget and the upcoming growth of Franklin. As the economy improves, we will see tremendous growth and demand for new homes and businesses in Franklin.
While we need to balance the demand for new homes and industry that want to come into Franklin, at the same time we need to maximize the amount of revenue while preserving the unique small town feel that Franklin offers.
FM - What do you bring to the position that would set you apart from the other candidates?
Kelly - The most important thing I bring to the position is experience. I have been on the council for three terms so far and have become very familiar with the town processes. I also bring extensive local knowledge and am willing to ask questions.
My work ethic sets me apart from a lot of the other candidates and even though it is a volunteer position I take it extremely seriously and I always open my doors to any resident. You can come in to my office, call, or email me anytime. I am also a frequent contributor to the social media sites.
If you have any follow up questions for Matt, you can contact him via email at matt@kellycolombogroup.com
Noteworthy: This information is intended to help the Franklin voters when we all head to the ballot box on November 3rd. The interview candidates have had an opportunity to review the text before publishing to ensure the accuracy of our discussion.
Franklin Candidate for Town Council - Jim Gianotti
Our schedules did not align to meet in person so Jim Gianotti and I conducted our discussion via email. The results are shared here.
If you have any questions or inquires you can reach Jim at jimgianotti@yahoo.com
Noteworthy: This information is intended to help the Franklin voters when we all head to the ballot box on November 3rd. The interview candidates have had an opportunity to review the text before publishing to ensure the accuracy of our discussion.
FM - What is your Franklin Story?
Gianotti - My Franklin story started 20 years ago this month when I was offered a job by IBM to work in its Waltham facility. Being the first of a large family to pick up our roots and move away from the homestead was frightening at first. Jeannette, my wife for over 32 years and I turned it into an adventure with our young children James III and Sean.
This was going to be a family decision, so the boys came to every house we looked at. We could have moved anywhere east of I-495 and even southern New Hampshire. In total we looked at dozens of homes in dozens of towns. Although we made it as fun as possible for the boys, Jeannette and I knew we were making the most important decision in our lives to find the best community to bring up our boys.
The last town we visited was Franklin. As we drove through for the first time on Main Street we noticed the brick school house, St Mary’s with the school, Dean College, Franklin Library and the downtown movie theater. The house we looked at was perfect but was out of our budget.
We decided to stay in a hotel for a couple of days to learn more about Franklin. One of the first things I wanted to learn was the culture of the town. I was told that Franklin had a very high Italian population. Being of Italian descent for both Jeannette and I, it was very important to keep our family traditions, culture and fit right in. With no computer in hand back then I investigated the old fashion way, I opened up the Franklin phone book and to my surprise I saw lots of Italians. The next question was can they cook Italian?
The next couple of days we had our own taste of Franklin. We got subs from De Vitas, went to The Rome for dinner, and then went to see a movie downtown. The next day we went to Church at St. Mary’s before leaving, we picked up a couple subs from Ferrara’s.
We decided on our way home that Franklin was the best place to bring up our boys. With the new school almost finished, taxes very low back then, a great downtown and magnificent church, we decided to tighten our belts for a couple of years and buy the home of our dreams. For 20 years now Franklin has been our home.
FM - What do you see as the challenge for the position that you are campaigning for?
Gianotti - I think the biggest challenge is going to be rebuilding the trust with the Franklin residents and their local government. I have talked to hundreds of Franklin residents and their biggest complaint is lack of transparency and openness with the current town council. What I concluded from further discussion was that it’s not that all the decisions that the town council were making were all bad, but the speed, lack of dialogue and lack of timely communications with their constituents is paramount on their minds.
Franklin residents clearly want to be involved in the bigger decisions, in some cases directly with their vote. Examples I have heard are the marijuana factory, buying the building on Beaver Street for the recreation department, and most recently the Franklin Library. These types of decisions should be brought to the people for a vote. This council has no problem bringing forth a prop 2 ½ override for basic road repairs but refuses to engage its citizens fully on other items of most concern to them. Yes, this council for most items goes through the minimum processes to get approvals, but residents expect and deserve more than the minimum.
The citizens of Franklin also expect that their fundamental services such as roads be prioritized over nonessential projects in budgeting. I have driven many miles on Franklin roads in the past couple of weeks putting up almost 100 signs, and the roads are atrocious. This isn’t a problem that came overnight, for many years now the problem was well known, but the current and past councils have pushed the proverbial can down the road. With a budget now exceeding $1oo million and a budget that has grown 28% since 2007, one would think they could find resources to keep the roads up to standards.
FM - What do you bring to the position that would set you apart from the other candidates?
Gianotti - First of all, I know the biggest differential factor is I am against all operation prop 2 ½ overrides. I have fought against every one of them. To me it’s just poor financial planning. Like most Franklin residents, I see through the rhetoric and scare mongering. You all remember the rhetoric from past overrides, where it was said we’re going to have to close the library, our services are going to be decimated, and classrooms sizes are going to be unmanageable. Today Franklin is one of the best places to live along with one of the safest without all the overrides and because of you, the Franklin voter, saying NO to overrides.
With this present sitting Council the Annual Update list potential issues for 2015 and the future such as Balancing the budget, Roads, Water improvements, pensions and health insurance and the list goes on, If elected I will fight against any overrides, tax increases and work for a better budget and solutions to these issues. So that we can keep Franklin Affordable to live in.
If you are wondering why I continue to be so vehement against overrides I will tell you. I got a call one year from an elderly woman. She had found out I was the guy making the homemade signs to vote no on the override. She explained to me, in a crying voice that she had lived in Franklin all her life and if the override passed she and her husband would just have to sell their home because they couldn’t afford to live in Franklin anymore. After paying taxes all her life in Franklin she couldn’t believe this was happening to her and her husband. She thanked me profusely for my efforts. The day after the override failed she called me again. This time with tears of joy. As a Council Member I want to continue to help any resident not be in fear of a council over spending over building or an override.
Second, as a candidate I have no personal or business vested interest except to all the citizens of Franklin. I won’t need to abstain from voting, so I can be fully engaged in all the decisions the council will have to make without the fear of conflict of interest.
Third, I would bring in true private industry fiscal experience into the mix. You would think working for a $100 billion corporation for 20 years you would have all the money you need. That’s just not the case. Most departments in any company would be ecstatic with the thought that their overall budget would go up a minimum of 2 1/2% every year. The reality is we are asked to do more with the same or even less. My experience would bring in a breadth of programmatic skills to budget decision solutions to a mindset that continues to depend on prop 2 ½ overrides for their solutions.
Last but not least, I would bring much needed change. However, it will be difficult to do it alone. If you are looking for real change on the council I ask for your vote, but also I ask for your vote for the other brand new candidates. Please remember there are 9 seats up for election for town council and that doesn’t mean you have to vote for all 9. If you are truly looking for a new way forward for Franklin just vote for the new candidates. Voting for just the new candidates like me will give the council the needed new blood, while maintain enough experience so that everyone combined will bring a fresh new start so that we can all work together towards these goals.
So back to the question can Franklin Italians cook, well the 20lbs I gained in the last 20 years is a testament to the fine Italian meals I have had over the years.Thank you all for supporting me and I humbly ask for your vote on Election Day.
If you have any questions or inquires you can reach Jim at jimgianotti@yahoo.com
Noteworthy: This information is intended to help the Franklin voters when we all head to the ballot box on November 3rd. The interview candidates have had an opportunity to review the text before publishing to ensure the accuracy of our discussion.
In the News: Candidate profiles - Vallee, Kelly, Cheli
Longtime Town Council member Robert Vallee said he hopes to complete a number of local projects if re-elected in November.
Vallee is one of 14 candidates seeking nine seats on the council. He is the current chairman of the council, and has served on it for 15 terms.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151028/NEWS/151025485/1994/NEWS
Town Council member Matt Kelly hopes to encourage smart development in town if re-elected this fall.
Kelly is one of 14 candidates seeking the council's nine seats in the Nov. 3 election. A Franklin resident for about 22 years, he is the vice chairman of the council.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151028/NEWS/151025463/1994/NEWS
Paul Cheli said he believed his long history of work in the public and private sectors would serve him if he is elected town clerk this fall.
Cheli is one of four candidates running for the clerk position in the Nov. 3 election. He is looking to replacing longtime Town Clerk Deborah Pellegri, who is retiring.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151028/NEWS/151025459/1994/NEWS
Franklin Youth Hockey - Try Hockey For Free
On Sat. Nov. 7 @ 1:00 PM in Franklin at Veterans Arena, Franklin Youth Hockey is holding a Try Hockey For Free Day as we participate in USA Hockey's Come Play Hockey Month.
For additional information visit the Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/events/454164111435706/
For additional information about the Franklin Flyers Youth Hockey visit them on the web http://franklinflyers.org/
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| Try Hockey for Free on Saturday, Nov 7 |
For additional information visit the Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/events/454164111435706/
For additional information about the Franklin Flyers Youth Hockey visit them on the web http://franklinflyers.org/
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