Representative Auchincloss on New Congressional Map for District 4

 

 Auchincloss on New Congressional Map

"Our district has always been a powerhouse of talent, work ethic, and civic engagement. That tradition continues."

 

The following statement can be attributed to Congressman Jake Auchincloss in response to the release of the newly proposed Massachusetts Congressional map:

 

"I applaud the work of the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting and the leadership of Co-Chairs Senator Brownsberger and Representative Moran. They made certain this process was transparent and collaborative. The committee listened closely to constituents, tracked the letter and spirit of the law, and made thoughtful decisions."

"Representing a District like ours – rich in economic, geographic, and ideological diversity – gives me a valuable perspective in Washington. The new map preserves that vital diversity. The voters of the Fourth will continue to come from urban, suburban, and farmland communities. They will continue to vote both blue and red. They will continue to commute to both Boston and Providence. And they will continue to have a strong voice advocating for them in the halls of Congress during my tenure.

"Though the basic contours of the Fourth District persist, there is one major change. I am thrilled that all of Fall River will now be in the district. Through my strong partnership with Mayor Paul Coogan, Senator Mike Rodrigues, Representative Carole Fiola, Representative Paul Schmid, and Representative Alan Silvia, I have been working to ensure Fall River builds back better from the pandemic. That work will continue with full force in this Congress and beyond.

"It has been an honor to share representation of Fall River with my friend, Congressman Bill Keating, and I know he'll continue to fight for the new cities and towns he's taking on next term.

"I am excited to hit the campaign trail in the newly drawn Massachusetts Fourth this coming election cycle and I look forward to a continued partnership with state and local leaders in all of the cities and towns I represent. Our district has always been a powerhouse of talent, work ethic, and civic engagement. That tradition continues." 

You can view a copy of the proposed 4th Congressional District map
https://malegislature.gov/StateHouse/MediaGallery/Image/Proposed%20Congressional%20Statewide

New Congressional Map for District 4

CommonWealth Magazine coverage of the proposed map

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/politics/congressional-redistricting-map-unites-fall-river/

Boston Globe coverage of the proposed map

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/01/metro/lawmakers-propose-new-congressional-maps-mass/

Your Vote Matters! 2021 Biennial Town Election - Nov 2, 2021

Your Vote Matters! 2021 Biennial Town Election - Tomorrow November 2nd

The Biennial Town Election is tomorrow, November 2nd, 2021 at Franklin High School from 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM. Be sure to make your plan to vote. 

Additional election information is available here: https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/pages/2021-elections-voting

a pre-pandemic set up of voting in the FHS gym

Exploring Nantucket - Masquetuck Reservation with Ranger Allen Reinhard

Hello,

We look forward to seeing you all on zoom tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 2nd at 11:30am for our event: Exploring Nantucket - Masquetuck Reservation with Ranger Allen Reinhard.  

Please feel free to share this event with others who you think might be interested in this beautiful tour of Masquetuck.  The link to join tomorrow is below.

Thank you,

Ariel

Topic: Exploring Nantucket - Masquetuck Reservation
Time: Nov 2, 2021 11:30 AM Eastern Time 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81382497522?pwd=MUdnNVdaR1VWQ1dDdkRhUGJHOUFhQT09

Meeting ID: 813 8249 7522
Passcode: 909940

--

Ariel Doggett

Virtual Program Coordinator

Respite Coordinator

Supportive Day Coordinator

"We rise by lifting others" - Robert Ingersoll

There is no act of kindness too small

Exploring Nantucket - Masquetuck Reservation with Ranger Allen Reinhard

Franklin Public Radio: Election Night - This is big

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director, Franklin●TV & wfpr●fm 10/31/2021

It’s a big year for casting a big vote for a big field of candidates. Yes, big. We’ve been fortunate to bring the many candidates to the fore thanks to our tireless citizen media and information V.I.P.s, Frank Falvey, Steve Sherlock and Jim Derick. What they do for us – and for Franklin is big.

They are the engine of Local Access TV and Public Radio. They bring their wisdom, energies, and enthusiastic dedication to keep us informed. They believe in this grand experiment of America – in the democracy that we all idealize – that we all believe in – that we cherish and want.

To ‘want’ is a start. To get and keep that ‘want’ requires participation. Ben said it,  “Industry Need not Wish.”  A healthy democracy requires the industry of the many, and your vote matters. You can express your appreciation for our volunteer media V.I.P.’s – and for our candidates – many seeking volunteer positions. They put in their time and industry to make Franklin work. You can help. Vote.

Your vote is big – because it’s local. Local government is where your vote matters most. Your vote is a most joyful obligation and privilege. There are few private, sacred moments in life that are more satisfying than that pause, standing before the ballot box, completed ballot in hand, when you declare your wish and submit your considered choice. It’s a good time. It’s free. Don’t miss out.

Please vote. It’s big.

Tune in to 102.9 wfpr.fm for the election results after the polls close.

And –  as always –
Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm. 
And, thank you for watching.

For the full TV and radio schedule -> http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf

Or go to http://franklin.tv/, Select "Past Shows" and then "Live", then "Play" and you'll view what is on the cable channel at that time.

Franklin Public Radio: Election Night - This is big

 

Town of Franklin, MA: new popup shops ribbon cutting held Friday

Town of Franklin, MA (@TOFranklinMA) tweeted  Sun, Oct 31, 2021:

"Take a quick stop by the two newest #PopUpShops in Franklin, @EscapeIntoFictn and #DoglioCoffee for some great treats! 

Thank you to @MassEOHED for the state grant! The coffee is delicious and we could all use some great fiction to take us away! 

Perfect time for the holidays! ☕️📚 https://t.co/WVjY7yw5Lg"

(https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1454814712915501064?t=OWCAlItlfYyHR3GhzdPsuQ&s=03)

Town of Franklin, MA: new popup shops ribbon cutting @TOFranklinMA photo

Doglio Coffee will open on Nov 10. In the meantime, you can check out their webpage and order online  https://dogliocoffee.com/

Escape into Fiction will be open everyday except for Monday. Peruse the books on the shelf, if you don't find one you want, they can order it for you.  https://escapeintofiction.com/ 

And don't forget that Greco Designs is operating as well in their location downtown  https://www.grecodesigncompany.com/

The Town of Franklin press release announcing their openings was shared here

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/10/franklin-pop-up-shops-expand.html

Franklin Interfaith Council schedules Thanksgiving Service - Nov 21

The Franklin Interfaith Council announces its annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service for the community. Everyone is welcome! Please join us on Sunday, November 21 at 7 PM at St Mary’s Catholic Parish, 1 Church Square (masks required) and live streamed at stmarysfranklin.org, then  click Live-stream Masses.

This year, the service features preacher Rev. Dr. Marylayna Schmidt, Interim Minister at Franklin Federated Church, and live performance by the Interfaith Choir, directed by Mary Diehl of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The collection will benefit Gilly’s House addiction treatment center in Wrentham (gillyshouse.com).

The Franklin Interfaith Council is an organization whose membership is composed of faith communities in the town of Franklin, Massachusetts. It addresses the various needs of its community by recognizing the power of faith as defined by the individual spiritual traditions.  However, it is these same traditions that unite us in the common goal to initiate and sponsor activities that enrich and challenge the citizens of Franklin. 

The intent of the council is to sensitize the Franklin community to issues of deprivation and social injustice, and to promote tolerance and understanding through shared worship, programs, performances, and publications, and to bring the understanding of our faith traditions to bear on these issues. Additionally, through these same devices, the council seeks to acknowledge and celebrate both the diversity and the common values existing within the community. The council is a nonprofit organization that has as its primary purpose the betterment of the community it serves.

Participating Houses of Worship :

●      First Universalist Society in Franklin

●      St. John’s Episcopal Church

●      Temple Etz Chaim

●      St. Mary’s Catholic Parish

●      Franklin Federated Church

●      Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

●       Franklin United Methodist Church

For more information, go to www.FranklinInterfaith.org or on Facebook:  Franklin Interfaith Council. 

Franklin Interfaith Council schedules Thanksgiving Service - Nov 21

Voices of Franklin: Karen Landers - Time for a change on the Planning Board

Boy, time sure does fly by!  Would you believe that Anthony Padula and Joseph Halligan, Jr. have been serving on the Planning Board for a total of 30 years between them.

Perhaps, it is time for a change!   We should thank each of them for giving their time and expertise to ensure that all residential and commercial projects that have come before the Planning Board have correctly followed the zoning, building, and town bylaws before being approved.  That has been no small task, considering all the growth that has occurred in all of those years.  

But now, the town has high hopes for the two new candidates who are currently seeking election to the Planning Board.

Jennifer Williams, who is currently an Associate Member of the Board, is a registered architect with  planning experience.  Jennifer has the correct skill set and expertise that will be needed when reviewing site plans, subdivision plans, by-law changes, and anything else that needs Planning Board approval or input.  

Beth Wierling, another great new candidate is very qualified to serve on the Franklin Planning Board, having worked for eight years as the Franklin Town Planner, beginning in 2007.  She has 20 years of experience in the field of economic development, construction management, planning, and land use.   She is a graduate  of UMass-Amherst and holds a graduate degree in Public Administration from Clark University.  

In addition, both Jennifer and Beth have no potential conflicts of interest that could detract from serving on the Planning Board and making decisions on all projects that need approval.  

Please consider voting for both Jennifer and Beth on November 2nd.  For more information about these new candidates, please review their bio in the 2021 Voters Guide or on Franklin Matters.

Thank you, 

Karen Landers 

Franklin Resident

To add your voice to the discussion, please follow the guidelines

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/03/introducing-voices-of-franklin.html

Voices of Franklin: Karen Landers - Time for a change on the Planning Board

FHS Message from Principal Hanna to Students, Faculty, and Parents: Oct 29, 2021 (video)

Video message from Principal Hanna to Students, Faculty and Parents: October 29, 2021.  Direct link to video - https://youtu.be/rcJDyTdevag

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Knights of Columbus: 4th Annual Thanksgiving Day Pie Sale - orders accepted through Nov 14, 2021

Why bake when the Knights can do it for you?

The Knights of Columbus, Sacred Heart Council 1847 St. Mary Parish Franklin MA is running their 4th Annual Thanksgiving Pie Sale. Our famous bakery (same as last year) is the family owned Mann’s Orchards and Bakery. The flavors will remain the same as last year - Apple, Pecan, Pumpkin and Blueberry. 

These Pies are fantastic.... outstanding flavor, aroma, and taste. We held the price so we will still have the magnificent $15.00 price per Pie. As was last year you will be able to DONATE a pie. All donations will be donated to the Franklin Senior Center for distribution at Thanksgiving time.

We will be taking Pie orders in person on just one weekend this year November 13-14, after all the Masses at St Mary Franklin. We will be set up in the back of the Church to take your Pie orders. Cash, Check or Credit Card will be accepted. 

The order form is provided below. You can download, fill out and either mail or bring to the Church on the weekend of Nov 13-14.

You will be able to Pick Up your order of Thanksgiving Pies on Tuesday, November 23, from 3 PM – 8 PM at the CCD Offices at the old St. Mary's Franklin Parish Hall Center (previously the Charter School) on the 1st floor. You will see our Signs.

We are excited again this year to bring this quality product to St Mary Parish community and all our Franklin neighbors.

Please support this most worthy cause, help a senior and make your Thanksgiving Day special with a Pie (or2) from Mann’s Orchard on your dinner table this year.

Any questions, please call Jim Campbell at 508-848-8681 or Jim Lane at 774-571-9804 or Mike Swan 508-404-4792.

Thank You for your generosity and “giving back”...

Knights of Columbus, Sacred Heart Council 1847 Franklin, MA 02038 

Order form -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZdkjDtunKkAqpNpfoP7RrQ8F1CZ-MH9q/view?usp=sharing

4th Annual Thanksgiving Day Pie Sale - orders accepted through Nov 14, 2021

Good Deeds: IT Technology Report

GOOD DEEDS: IT TECHNOLOGY REPORT  A FLAWED PROCESS

By William P. O'Donnell – Norfolk Register of Deeds

The much-heralded by some individuals Abrahams Study was delivered to the Norfolk County Commissioners recently.  This paid consultant who has been working on this study since September 2020 never studied ANY Registry of Deeds in Massachusetts or anywhere else.  Mark Abrahams never visited the Norfolk Registry of Deeds yet he delivered a disastrous recommendation as it relates to the Registry operations and to all who rely and use Registry services.  Mark Abrahams recommended that the on-site permanent Registry Chief Information Officer (CIO) be eliminated. Furthermore, Mr. Abrahams is also recommending that the on-site Registry IT Technology Department that for decades has worked with and for Registry staff, Registry users, Norfolk county municipalities and the general public also be eliminated from the Norfolk Registry of Deeds.

As Register of Deeds, I strongly believe I have a fiduciary and statutory duty to protect each and every document recorded by and on behalf of the residents of Norfolk County, especially those land records evidencing the fundamental and constitutional right of property ownership.  In this digital age, access and protection of your land records are inextricably tied to a strong, secure and vigilantly maintained Registry IT Technology Infrastructure.

The Abrahams study concluded "We feel from a management perspective, the IT operations are being well run considering the limited staff."  That sentence alone should end any consideration of the paid consultant Mark Abrahams' recommendation to eliminate the permanent on-site Registry CIO and Registry IT Technology Department.  This essay will focus on some of the flaws in the process committed by Mark Abrahams as it relates to the Norfolk Registry of Deeds and its IT Technology Department.

One flagrant flaw is that Mark Abrahams nor anyone from his team came to visit the Norfolk Registry of Deeds as part of this study.  There was a report in a local newspaper, that this paid consultant engaged and hired by the Norfolk County Commissioners since September of 2020 was paid $175,000.00.  For that type of money I would expect some "due diligence" that would have included observing operations of the Norfolk Registry of Deeds.  There was no such observation nor visit.  What kind of consultant who recommends the total elimination of the on-site Registry IT Technology Department does not come by the Norfolk Registry of Deeds and the Registry IT Technology Department as part of that consultant's paid study?

Mark Abrahams was hired back in September 2020 so there was plenty of time to gather facts, visit the Norfolk Registry of Deeds and make certain assessments.  Mark Abrahams never spoke with me prior to his recommendation not to fill the Registry CIO which was conveyed to and influenced county decision makers.  I wrote a letter to Mark Abrahams on July 14, 2021 seeking to discuss at the time his recommendation not to fill the Registry CIO budgeted position even though he had not spoken to me about any Registry of Deeds operations. Also, in this letter is the following sentence.  "This lack of communication, poor process and lack of insight into Registry operations make the decision not to fill the Registry CIO position more perplexing, troubling and frustrating."  Nothing that has taken place since July of 2021 as to the process used by Mark Abrahams has changed since that sentence was written. I wrote still another letter dated July 29, 2021 to Mark Abrahams that again expressed my frustration with the flawed process and lack of transparency of the study by Mr. Abrahams that was taking place as it related to the Norfolk Registry of Deeds.  Do you know when I got my next telephone call from Mark Abrahams?  It was on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. less than 24 hours before Mr. Abrahams delivered his report on the Norfolk Registry of Deeds to the Norfolk County Commissioners on Wednesday, October 6, 2021.

The lack of transparency, flaws in process and mistaken methodology did not get better between the summer of 2021 and when the Abrahams study reports were recently delivered.  I specifically wrote to Mr. Abrahams on September 20, 2021 pointing out once again the many operational reasons as well as concerns about cybersecurity risks of not having an on-site Registry CIO.  I specifically asked for any reports, preliminary or otherwise, involving or affecting the Registry IT Department and/or the Registry CIO position.  I am still waiting for Mark Abrahams to send me that report.  Certainly, it would have been courteous and should be part of any process to have a copy of this report sent because it means so much to the Registry of Deeds and its users.  This paid consultant and his team had never studied a Registry of Deeds in Massachusetts or anywhere else.  To not visit the Norfolk Registry of Deeds since being hired in September of 2020 is inexcusable.  The above flaws in this study are matched by Mr. Abrahams not specifically listing within his scope of analysis Massachusetts State Law M.G.L. Chapter 36.  This is a failure of Mark Abrahams that should call into question his recommendations as it relates to the Norfolk Registry of Deeds and the Registry IT Technology Department.  This state law deals with Registries of Deeds and the laws that govern their operations.  This lack of familiarity and knowledge with recording law and Registry of Deeds operations by the paid consultant is due to a terrible process, lack of transparency, little or no communication and poor methodology on the part of the recommending consultant.

Most individuals who have dealt with the Norfolk Registry of Deeds would find it incredibly shortsighted for Mark Abrahams nor his team not to speak to former First Assistant Register of Deeds Richard Kennedy.  This long time 36 year employee who graduated from Boston University Law School started working at the Norfolk Registry of Deeds in 1985 and retired during this study but still works part time at the Registry of Deeds today.  His tenure as First Assistant Register of Deeds begin in 1991 long before I became Norfolk Register of Deeds.  It is incredibly arrogant for the well paid consultant not to seek information, advice and perspectives on Registry operations especially when that consultant does not know anything about Registry operations.

The Norfolk Registry of Deeds has had 2 persons working on its IT infrastructure for 20 years.  There has been a Registry IT Technical Assistance Administrator at the Norfolk Registry of Deeds for 11 years.  Dan Caparrotta who is the Registry IT Technical Assistance Administrator and he was not spoken to by Mark Abrahams.  Neither Mr. Abrahams nor his assistant spoke to Dan Caparrotta of the Registry IT Technology Department prior to making this reckless decision to "consolidate" which is code to eliminate the on-site Registry CIO position and the on-site Registry IT Technology Department that plays such a key role in delivering innovative and modern services to Registry users.

A faulty or flawed process leads to poor conclusions and outcomes.  Mark Abrahams and his team as it relates to the Norfolk Registry of Deeds and the Registry IT Technology Department in the Abrahams study oversaw a flawed process.  Out of this flawed process and poor methodology comes at best a sloppy report and at worst an unprofessional report as it relates to the Norfolk Registry of Deeds and the Registry IT Technology Department.  The recommendations to eliminate the on-site CIO and eliminate the on-site Registry IT Technology Department will be an absolute disaster.

If you are as concerned about this matter as I am or have received good service from the Norfolk Registry of Deeds, please feel free to sign the on-line petition linked here https://chng.it/YY9MvxNqcq .  This IT recommendation should not be and cannot be implemented.

Thank you.