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Dartmouth override fails
- By Ken Pittman
- Published 08/1/2007
- Massachusetts Politics
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Ken Pittman
Ken Pittman is the afternoon voice for Greater New Bedford's WBSM 1420.
From 2PM thru 6PM M-F..
Ken's Bio
I'll admit it. Despite my attempt to grasp all of the pros and cons of the override, I was basically relying on my gut instinct when I went in to the poll yesterday. Joe Michaud on one hand, Bob Michaud on the other. Shannon Jenkins saying some convincing things here, Barry Walker there. Mike Gagne made this point, Diane Gilbert made that one. In the end I was left to my fiscal conservative philosophy that whispered into my ear, " Hold onto Prop 2 1/2 tightly and with both arms as if a gator was dragging your child into a swamp."
I can put up with the crass attitudes at mass and the glares in the supermarket aisles. I can even handle the telephone calls while I'm on the air which try to make the issue about me. The question remains, can I take the fees and other costs that will now accost my home, vehicle and Dartmouth located restaurant bills? This question will only be answered in the future. Do we have choices to combat the measures the town will take? Dartmouth is saying they will now be forced to resort to the Meals Tax. Word of caution here to town officials; Please note the "Closed" signs on the front doors of Smokey Bones, TKO Malley's, The Outback and others right on the "can't miss" locations on Rte 6. Will I instead drive to Candleworks or Adega in New Bedford instead of The Black Bass or Opus of Dartmouth? Based on principle, I think I might. We can collectively force the changes required by doing what we did yesterday. We have to insist on staying focused and doing what is best for the town's future.
If Bob Michaud is right and the 4 percent growth pattern means a $54M deficit in 2020, then we have no choice but to go after smart choices and candidates who support them. Privatization, alternative energies, sue the state of Massachusetts for, inviting illegal aliens as opposed to deterring them and for diverting state funds these illegal aliens instead of the towns and cities that pay the bills . Or...we could a bit more like "Westport" and less like "Wellesly". Hey..I like Westport.
I can put up with the crass attitudes at mass and the glares in the supermarket aisles. I can even handle the telephone calls while I'm on the air which try to make the issue about me. The question remains, can I take the fees and other costs that will now accost my home, vehicle and Dartmouth located restaurant bills? This question will only be answered in the future. Do we have choices to combat the measures the town will take? Dartmouth is saying they will now be forced to resort to the Meals Tax. Word of caution here to town officials; Please note the "Closed" signs on the front doors of Smokey Bones, TKO Malley's, The Outback and others right on the "can't miss" locations on Rte 6. Will I instead drive to Candleworks or Adega in New Bedford instead of The Black Bass or Opus of Dartmouth? Based on principle, I think I might. We can collectively force the changes required by doing what we did yesterday. We have to insist on staying focused and doing what is best for the town's future.
If Bob Michaud is right and the 4 percent growth pattern means a $54M deficit in 2020, then we have no choice but to go after smart choices and candidates who support them. Privatization, alternative energies, sue the state of Massachusetts for, inviting illegal aliens as opposed to deterring them and for diverting state funds these illegal aliens instead of the towns and cities that pay the bills . Or...we could a bit more like "Westport" and less like "Wellesly". Hey..I like Westport.
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Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by Cupcake)
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This is a rare instance in which i agree somewhat with your conclusion. But i dont' live in Dartmouth, so....good luck sortigng out the mess! Out of curiosity, what was your "fiscal conservative philosophy" whispering in your ear for the last six years as America suffered under a GOP congress and president who doubled our national debt to nearly ten trillion dollars? My hunch is that it was whispering sweet nothings about the latest 'al Qaeda' Photoshop project and the 'dire necessity' of establishing huge, new, ineffective federal bureaucracies while dishing out billion after billion in no-bid contracts in which waste and mismanagement have been rampant and accountability practically zilch.
Comment #2 (Posted by Concerned Citizen)
Rating:
I believe it to be irresponsible to use your media position to further your opinion about an issue that affects 33,000 people without learning all of the facts. You cite conversations with 6 people; they are not enough to be informed. You have done the people of Dartmouth a grave disservice to enhance your media career and you should be ashamed of yourself!
You put your career and your fiscal conservative philosophy before the well being of a community and sadly the results you will see this coming year in the form of fees, school closings and structural changes (Greg Lyman’s nice name for the discontinuance of whole town departments and services like parks, beaches, Senior transportation services, etc.).
When you begin to finally learn the facts by living them over the next year I wonder how you will once again use Dartmouth and it’s residents to further your media career for in my opinion as meager as it may be you are no better then the Standard Times and SocCo magazine and I truly hope one day a more genuine to humankind media vehicle rises from your ash to take your misguided place.