Richardson opened her campaign office tonight with appearances and endorsements by Majority Whip Lida Harkins, Rep. Marie St. Fleur, Rep. Martin Walsh, and fellow Framingham Rep. Tom Sannicandro.
Richardson’s colleagues praised her as hard-working, tuned to the needs of the district, and savvy in getting things for her community on Beacon Hill. They called her instrumental in winning Framingham $3 million more in Chapter 70 education funding, as well as $12.9 million in funding for Framingham Technology Park to help Genzyme expand in town.
She also has the backing of former Framingham state Rep. John Stasik, who is co-hosting a coffee for her this weekend.
Richardson was the pick of a hastily called 2006 Democratic caucus after Blumer died of a heart attack just weeks before the election. Secretary of State William Galvin ruled that it was too late to print new ballots, so Blumer’s name was the only one appearing since she had no Republican challenger. Richardson ran a successful sticker campaign with the backing of the Democratic establishment, including Blumer’s family following the caucus vote.
Harkness was quoted recently as describing herself as a “liberal’s liberal” but also has characterized herself as a fiscal conservative.
Disclaimer: I support Pam Richardson. Several years ago, Harkness voted against funding renovation of Framingham’s branch library, a project that needed 2/3 approval and fell just three votes short. This defeat forced the town to forego 25% state matching funds and the library to have wasted tens of thousands of dollars on detailed engineering drawings and other specific plans for the building; earlier, Town Meeting had voted to back the plan. Rep. Deborah Blumer spoke in favor of the new branch library just before the final vote.
that the Blumer family won’t support Pam this time. I have heard that Pam’s attendance record on Beacon Hill has been pretty poor.
<
p>- Pam Richardson has not taken a stance on the hottest issue in Framingham, dealing with PILOT Payments for non-profit agencies, on a local level, offering only a bill that insults the voters in Framingham.
<
p>- Pam Richardson has proposed a bill to reimburse cities and towns for tax exempt land from the state budget – seemingly a good idea, but one that she has offered no explanation about payment for but would inflate the state budget by at least 1%, no small sum of money.
<
p>- Pam Richardson has a 75% voting record from the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters.
<
p>- Pam Richardson has missed among the highest level of roll-call votes in the legislature of any member.
<
p>- Pam Richardson is running on changing the Chapter 70 formula, which was actually adjusted in 2006 before she was elected by then-Rep Debby Blumer.
<
p>- Pam Richardson waited around 15 months before giving her maiden speech, a speech that began by thanking her colleagues for helping her through the difficult time she’s had since being elected in what was a crazy election.
<
p>- Pam Richardson actually may believe (which is actually quite scary) that she was responsible for securing an earmark for Genzyme, which actually originated in the executive branch, and was worked on by the Speaker, Senate President and Governor… not some freshman representative.
<
p>- Pam Richardson is not personable, and though was elected with broad support, has lost the support of many people who supported her in 2006 – both on the left, in the middle and on the right. She is clearly vulnerable.
<
p>- Pam Richardson’s campaign manager lives in Ludlow, Massachusetts where he is registered to vote. (No judgment, but why wasn’t anyone in Framingham willing to run the campaign?)
<
p>On the Race:
<
p>- Dawn Harkness has won the endorsement of the Blumer family AFTER they met with both candidates (Pam and Dawn) on at least one occasion. The Blumer family did support Pam in 2006.
<
p>- Dawn Harkness is a local attorney (higher level of education than Pam, clearly) and would be willing not simply to show up full time, but will be capable of accomplishing more during the time she shows up.
<
p>- Dawn Harkness has the support of a cross-section of voters, including more of Pam’s former School Committee colleagues than are endorsing Pam.
<
p>- Dawn Harkness has a perfect attendance rate as an elected official – and not only does she show up, but she participates as an active Town Meeting Member, Founder and Chairwoman of the “Greener Framingham Committee” and on a variety of other committees.
<
p>- Dawn is not afraid to take controversial and not advantageous positions on local issues, like the PILOT issue that Pam has not yet (in 4 years or so) taken a position on.
<
p>On the Third Person in the Race:
<
p>- Chris Walsh is basically a fringe candidate, not much history working on behalf of Framingham, no accomplishments on behalf of the town etc. I think he needs health insurance or something.
<
p>Other Comments:
<
p>I make a lot of claims of which I haven’t provided links for and for that I apologize, but I don’t have the time to look for links to back up what I know – and if you don’t agree with something that’s ok, but I doubt you can find anything to substantiate a disagreement. As a life-long Framingham resident I have been around the community, have been active in Framingham’s politics and I am clearly supporting Dawn Harkness.
Looks like you guys are going to have an ugly campaign in Framingham.
This is one reason why the Watertown DTC didn’t want to select anyone via caucus for the 29th Middlesex ballot.
Before I reach for the Advil, cure for the common Migrane, let me refute three of these points.
Here’s an elitest statement if ever I read one. Are we saying that state representatives need advanced degrees from Harvard to be good legislators? Or perhaps a thoughtful woman who has mastered significant issues, including school finance, education reform, and the charter school funding formula is somehow less knowledgeable or less capable for lack of a formal education. Perhaps only people with college degrees should have the right to vote?
I have known Pam for five years, and she has always been personable and friendly. As a member of the Framingham School Committee, she quickly rose to a leadership position in the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. She made lots of friends, and gained lots of respect, statewide – long before she ran for state representative.
I have been involved in several campaigns for state rep and state senator, and the campaign manager has always been from well outside the district. Good campaign managers are not volunteers tangled in the local scene, they are experienced operatives who can look at the race objectively.
<
p>Harkness also ran against Richardson as an unenrolled candidate in the all-write-in 2006, and placed third (9% of the vote) behind Richardson (49%) and Republican Nicolas Sanchez (35%). According to the MetroWest Daily News:
<
p>Pam is a first rate progressive and a committed Democrat, and I hope the people in Framingham overwhelmingly return her to the legislature.
<
p>- As has already been said, an out-of-district campaign manager is a non-issue. If anything, it suggests that Richardson hired someone based on qualifications.
<
p>- So Harkness has a higher degree? I know plenty of dumbass lawyers.
<
p>- “Not personable”??? Seriously??? That’s your argument???
<
p>Look, if you want to make a case for your candidate, by all means go for it. I don’t live in the district or particularly care. But the few worthwhile points you bring up are completely buried by the BS you’ve padded them with.
<
p>If this is the campaign Harkness will be running, she’s going to turn off more voters than she brings in.
As another poster commented, I consider your remark about Pam Richardson’s associate degree uncalled for. It’s good that there are some attorneys in the Legislature, but I don’t think you need to have a law degree to represent your district or be a good public servant. Alberto Gonzales has a law degree. Clarence Thomas has a law degree. Alaska Sen. Ted “the Internet is a series of tubes” Stevens has a law degree. I wouldn’t vote for any of them for anything.
<
p>Her campaign manager is a recent graduate of Framingham State College, so he actually has some ties to the community. But even if he didn’t, for staff jobs, it’s fine to hire on competence as opposed to the local-buddies network.
<
p>I don’t know anything about Chris Walsh’s politics, but I do know the name from the Amazing Things Art Center, I know he donated a great deal of time and professional services in order to make the art center possible. It is possible to accomplish something for the town while not being an elected official.
<
p>I don’t consider Dawn Harkness’s vote against the new Christa McAuliffe library branch to be a positive thing for Framingham. This was a defining issue to me in terms of who has a vision for the future, is willing to invest prudently in public space, understood all that was involved in the issue, and understood the great need for people of all ages to have a decent (and not embarrassing) library in an area of town with exceptionally high demand for library services.
<
p>We all have an obligation to invest some money responsibly for the future, instead of living off investments from thh past and just letting our infrastructure crumble, so you as a public official can say you’re “cutting expenses.” As a homeowner, hey, I can “cut expenses” by not repairing my roof, but in the long run, it’s a bad idea.
<
p>Do you know that the library spent tens of thousands of private grant money on engineering studies for that new building after Town Meeting gave an initial go-ahead to the project? Do you have any idea how irresponsible that was, to then turn around and decide, nah, we changed our minds?
Half that stuff is absurd… and the rest of it is completely anecdotal. Not personable? Says who? You? Who cares where her campaign manager lives! A campaign should hire the best available campaign manager for the price they can afford, not be focused on a local face that doesn’t have the skills to get the job done (not many people have those skills).
<
p>Changing the Chapter 70 to what? There’s huge problems with Chapter 70, so it’s probably a good thing to include what precise kind of changes she’d like to make. Furthermore, the level of Pam’s education is far less important than her personal experience: we already have enough lawyers on Beacon Hill, thank you very much.
<
p>I have absolutely NO horses in this race; I know practically nothing about either of these candidates. I only make this comment because your post is totally counterproductive to your cause. For all I know, you’re right on a lot of these things, but as of right now, your post just seems like a big smear job.
<
p>Also, you should make a full disclosure if you’re going to come out gunning like that, especially if you’re going to bring that kind of litany of complaints to the table. IE how you know those things, what particular building you work in, etc. (I say that as someone who knows the answer to at least one of those questions – and someone who thinks readers should know the answer too.)
If you will indulge the observations of an old liberal activist, these are my personal disclosures and observations about the three candidates.
<
p>I previously voted for Pam Richardson for both school committee and state rep. However, in my opinion, she has a primary race simply because she has remained extremely quiet and, despite her stint on the school committee and the state legislature, she is relatively unknown and undistinguished. It seems that she has shied away from all controversies and has demonstrated little leadership or moral authority within the town.
<
p>Dawn Harkness, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. She is definitely not afraid to speak up publicly even if she knows she will be a minority of one (something I admire), but her well-known support of the SMOC federal court action against the town and her tendency to berate those who disagree with her have alienated her from much of the town. Despite her many admirable qualities, including extraordinary intelligence, high-energy and leadership on many issues that liberals care about, in my opinion, she cannot and will not win. She is just considered too divisive and, if by some chance she wins, I’m guessing she will be considered just as divisive in the legislature.
<
p>Chris Walsh serves with me both as a town meeting member and a member of the Government Study Committee. It is absolutely absurd for my good friend, “Migraine” (who also served with me on the Government Study Committee, but who now lives out of the district) to describe Chris Walsh as a “fringe candidate”. In my opinion, Chris Walsh has a better opportunity to win the primary than does Dawn Harkness. Like Dawn, Chris Walsh is personable, bright and articulate. Like Dawn, he has taken a leadership role in town meeting and on town committees. Unlike Dawn, he is much less controversial; he does not come from the Menachan Began School of Diplomacy; and, most importantly, he considers the SMOC suit against the town and several private citizens both a costly mistake and a flagrant violation of first amendment protections.
<
p>Well, at this point in time, this is how I see it. Do note that I have not been involved in the campaign of any of the three candidates. It should be quite a race!
I would like to thank “migraine” for summing up my 18 years of personal and community service to Framingham as being nonexistant.
<
p>Eighteen years- it means that I was a community activist,town meeting member, on the Planning and Zoning Committee,Capital Budget committee, taught college architecture courses (several on downtown Framingham), instituted a professional design “charrette” in Framingham, was a board Member, then President of the Historical Society, started the Framingham Preservation Trust, was honored by the Historical Commission for a long list of accomplishments that ended with ” and projects to numerous to mention”, ran a five person architecture firm which won design awards, took on high school interns every year- worked with high school drama classes to teach them model making skills, coached soccer,was a board member of the FIA (which ran and cared for the Village Hall), instigated an expansion of the Historic District, is a registered architect in two states, is president elect of the Central Massachusetts American Institute of Architects , is on the New England AIA Legislative Affairs Committee, is a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, is on the Framingham Government Study committee, the Ways and Means Committee, is Chair of the Historic District Commission, was a graduate of the MetroWest Leadership academy, Board Member and probono Architect for the Amazing Things Arts Center, Regional Urban Design Committee Tour Guide for the AIA , Framingham Downtown Rail Crossing Committee, Open Space Committee, raised two excellent children, and is still in Love with my wife…. all in the time it took “migraine” to reach puberty.
<
p>so….
Not that Rep. Richardson needs help from me (seeing that I am one of her challengers) but someone might just ask “migraine” just what is his level of academic achievement.
Answer: no where near as good as Ms. Richardson’s….
<
p>And despite her protestations Ms. Harkness should be absolutely held responsible for this shoddy, nasty bit of work. It is one thing to tout “inclusiveness and fairness” and a different thing to actually practice it. At this point Ms. Harkness and “migraine” talk-the-talk but don’t walk-the-walk.
Chris Walsh AIA, Candidate for State Representative
Chris,
<
p>I agree that some of Migraine’s comments are out of line. I have spoken with him about it and told him that it was wrong and counterproductive to add the personal attacks to what could have been an interesting and valid post.
<
p>However, I still maintain that I am no more responsible for Migraine’s post than Pam Richardson is for the first post that started this whole thread which made false and potentially damaging statements about my voting record on the McAuliffe branch library. I don’t see anyone chastising either the originator of the thread for her post, nor do I see anyone holding Pam responsible for the posts of her supporter. Should you be held responsible for what your supporters say about either of your opponents? I happen to know some of them are saying some nasty and untrue things about us around town. Is that your fault, or the responsibility of the speaker?
<
p>Dawn Harkness
http://www.DawnHarkness.com
Would you care to tell us which of Migrane’s comments you support, you disagree with, and you recant? It would certainly help to prevent any such nonsense from getting out into the public discourse. (McCain and Obama seem to be doing this on a daily basis.)
I have only heard positive things about this Rep. I don’t live in Framingham but I hear she really cares about the people who elected her and puts them first.
<
p>Discloser: I have no horse in this race.
Please present some facts.
Sharonmg, thanks for starting this thread. I’m glad of the opportunity to discuss my candidacy with you and other interested Blue Mass Group folk.
<
p>I am particularly glad to be able to discuss my voting record on the McAuliffe branch library. Sharon, I voted for the branch library on the third and final vote. That is because the two concerns I had, which were the size and cost of the project, and racial/cultural bias, were to a large extent resolved. Allow me to explain.
<
p>When the new branch library was first proposed not only was I a Town Meeting member, I was also a Commissioner on the Human Relations Commission, and in this role I was made aware that there was something of a racial and cultural disparity between the main library, located on the south side of town, and the branch library in the north side Saxonville neighborhood. The Saxonville library was viewed by many on the south side of town as the “white library” and was even referred to by some as the “Anglo-Saxonville” library. The main library was viewed by some as less desirable because more homeless people and people of color used it. When I toured the two libraries as I considered how I would vote, it was clear that there was some institutional support for these perceptions. For example, the south side library had a multi-cultural feel with welcome signs and informational brochures in a wide range of languages including Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese. On the north side all the same informational signs and brochures were in English only. Under the circumstances, I could not support expanding the library in Saxonville. My first vote against the renovations happened before these problems were addressed.
<
p>The Human Relations Commission invited the then director of the Library to discuss the branch library proposal, and I raised my concerns regarding the disparities between the two libraries. The director was surprised, but agreed that there was a problem and promised he would fix it. He also thanked us for pointing out these issues.
<
p>My second concern was that the projected cost of the renovations did not make fiscal sense based on my understanding of our budget. That was a concern many of us had. And even after my concerns regarding the cultural issues had been addressed, this project did not make fiscal sense to me. I raised my concerns on the floor of Town Meeting and I voted against the library for that reason on the second vote.
<
p>However the third time the library came up for a vote, the library project had been scaled down and the cost was more in line with what I thought we could afford. I then voted in support of the McAuliffe Library project. Debby Blumer (who in this matter was my constituent as she lived in my precinct) called me before the vote to voice her support for the library. We had a good talk about it, and I was glad that, in the end, we were on the same page.
<
p>Unfortunately, the vote still fell short of the necessary 2/3 vote of Town Meeting. I too was disappointed that this project did not go forward, because I think once it was scaled back in size and cost, and once it was clear that the library would endeavor to be welcoming to all people, I think it would have been an asset to the town.
<
p>Dawn Harkness
<
p>www.DawnHarkness.com
In other words, you were against the library before you were for it.
<
p>You voted against the library twice, and at the last minute switched your vote in a too little, too-late show of support. You tangled a policy issue (that is truly independent of the facility needs) with the decision to go forward with a state-supported construction plan.
<
p>Doesn’t sound like real leadership to me. A real leader would have separated the policy and operations problems from the capital planning. And now, with Debby Blumer gone, nobody is around to talk some sense at the last minute.
Ms. Harkness, thank you for clarifying this issue and for taking the time to engage in this conversation here on BlueMassGroup. I hope we see more of you, Pam Richardson, and Chris Walsh over the course of the campaign.
<
p>Now for the question: Do you and your campaign support the tone and personal nature of the attacks against Ms. Richardson that have appeared in this thread? Do you think that Ms. Richardson is less qualified to serve based on her level of formal education or that she is not “personable” enough to be a Representative?
<
p>Okay, and I have a follow-up question for you and the other candidates: Will you run a campaign that focuses on the issues that are important to your district and refrain from attacking the other candidates on personal qualities that have no bearing on their ability to serve? And will you instruct your supporters to do the same?
<
p>Once again, I appreciate your willingness to run for office and hope to continue discussing your candidacy on BMG.
I agree that the tone and the personal attacks should be considered out of bounds in this political discussion. I’ve tried to run a campaign that is based on the issues and I will continue to do so. I have spoken to my supporters about keeping this campaign on the high road, but at the end of the day, the only comments I take responsibility for are the ones I make myself. Eury13, I hope you’ll point it out if I slip in that regard, but I also hope you’ll be as vigilant when folks attack me or make false claims about my record. I don’t mind taking responsibility for votes I have taken, but I don’t appreciate my opponents’ supporters distorting my record or claiming I voted differently than I did.
Migraine took some really uncalled-for, cheap shots at Ms. Richardson. Given that he’s actively working on the Harkness campaign his comments only repel me from Ms. Harkness and make me not want to have anything to do with her. She may have written, “. . . at the end of the day, the only comments I take responsibility for are the ones I make myself” but that’s a cop-out. She is a good friend of Migraine so, of course, she sanctions what he wrote and she didn’t refute his mean words.
<
p>Any candidate that I (and many other voters) will support should accept responsibility for the comments that his or her campaign workers make. Ms. Harkness’s refusal to retract the mean comments only makes me want to run from the Harkness campaign and seek out one of the other two more mainstream, more kind-hearted people.
<
p>MORAL OF THE STORY: There’s a lot to be said for saying nothing, especially when what was said is mean-spirited, divisive, condescending, and cruel.
Maybe I wasn’t clear enough in my first post. When the branch library project was first proposed, I had 2 problems with it. 1) was the racial/cultural bias issues 2) was how big and expensive the proposal was.
<
p>I was able to get my concerns on the racial/cultural issues resolved first. Had those who were proposing the branch library project refused to scale back the project and make it more affordable, I would have continued to oppose it. I only changed my vote when the library changed their plans to make it more affordable and within Framingham’s financial means. That doesn’t make me a flip flopper. That makes me someone who can listen to a new proposal and decide on it based its merits.
I really don’t care about local issues in Framingham since its not my town, it seems that Ms. Richardson has voted the right way on state issues including marriage equality and casionos that I see no reason from a state level to depose her, but certainly if her own constituents disagree than that is all the more reason for an open debate and a rigorous primary contest and I welcome Ms. Harkness both for her willingness to engage in that debate and for shunning the ad hominem attacks we have heard from Migraine and others on these threads.
<
p>That said and I know others have attacked it but attacking someones level of education is an incredibly low blow and in my view, and I say this as a BA candidate at an elite university, degrees are merely pieces of paper certifying that someone has taken classes somewhere. George Bush has incredibly high levels of education compared to the average population, but I would so most Americans, and my parents especially who have only high school educations, are much smarter than he is. So it is by no means any indication that they would be a great politician or do a great job. Ed McCormack, James Michael Curley at the MA level were great politicians with little formal education. Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, and Harry Truman all lacked any formal higher education and were probably some of the most effective Presidents you had.
<
p>I would not be the intelligent person capable of being a BA candidate at an elite institution were it not for the intelligence and love of learning my parents instilled in me. I would say these are two people who even now surprise me on a daily basis with how much more they know-so wisdom and intelligence by no means are conveyed by a piece of paper and I strongly resent that-even if I myself am qualified by that poor standard when I get my BA from U Chicago. My parents even though they will have had less education than I would be far more qualified for public office in two years when I graduate simply because of their life experience and innate wisdom. So that is a terrible qualification and I honestly dont give a s–t about Framingham politics but that was just simply uncalled for.
By Dan McDonald/Daily News staff
<
p>The MetroWest Daily News
<
p>Posted Jun 23, 2008 @ 12:04 AM
<
p>______________________________________
<
p>FRAMINGHAM –
<
p>The town, through a federal district court subpoena, has ordered SMOC supporter Dawn Harkness to hand over video and audio recordings, e-mails and other correspondence as part of an ongoing legal battle.
<
p>In its suit filed last fall, the South Middlesex Opportunity Council – a social service organization – asserted town officials made a concerted effort to block expansion of the agency’s programs.
<
p>Specifically, an attempt to open Larry’s Place, a veterans shelter, and plans to move Sage House, a residential drug treatment program, were delayed, according to court documents.
<
p>Now a subpoena issued in federal district court in Boston commands Harkness, a former SMOC shelter worker and a lawyer to produce several pieces of information related to the case.
<
p>Specifically requested in the subpoena are all audio and video recordings or transcripts relating to the town’s PILOT Impact Comparative Study Committee, on which Harkness was a dissenting voice.
<
p>Town Meeting charged that committee with studying the impact of social services in town. Its final report was released in May 2006 and described a local increase in social service agencies, but Harkness supported a minority report that questioned the committee’s conclusions.
<
p>The subpoena also calls for Harkness to offer any e-mails or other correspondence regarding the PILOT Committee, including communication between fellow supporters of the group’s minority report.
<
p>The subpoena also requests Harkness produce any written communication between herself and SMOC officials, as well as SMOC legal counsel, relating to the organization’s lawsuit with the town.
<
p>In addition, the subpoena seeks any documents in Harkness’ possession that mention an October 2005 visit by Town Meeting member Steven Orr to a 105 Irving St. SMOC-operated “wet shelter.”
<
p>Orr is a defendant in the SMOC case.
<
p>Harkness had the PILOT Committee’s meetings taped and aired on local cable. Last fall, she said in a post on the Framingham Neighbors e-mail group that she did not want to release them unless ordered to do so by a court.
<
p>The subpoena requests the information be presented to the law offices of Pierce, Davis and Perritano on July 8. That law firm represents multiple town officials in the suit, including selectmen Vice Chairwoman Ginger Esty, Selectman Dennis Giombetti and Town Manager Julian Suso.
<
p>Attempts to reach Harkness yesterday were unsuccessful.
<
p>In Town Meeting this past May, Harkness rose to speak on a warrant article that asked how much money the town had spent in the suit.
<
p>At the time, responding to Town Meeting member Robert Snider’s remark that she was “so well-identified with SMOC,” Harkness said she had no conflict of interest in the matter.
<
p>The PILOT Committee’s final report indicated social service organizations multiplied from 14 to 40 between 1996 and 2006.
<
p>The number of sites under social service management increased 600 percent during that 10-year period, the report said.
<
p>However, critics of the report say those statistics may have been twisted, resulting in inaccurate conclusions about social service sector. Harkness was one of four members who did not vote for that final report.
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p>The minority report states, “When statistical data that proved a direct connection between social services and impact to Framingham was not available, the majority of the committee felt it wise to include data that may lead one to a certain conclusion that is not statistically proven.”
<
p>Dan McDonald can be reached at 508-626-4416 or at dmcdonal@cnc.com.
FRAMINGHAM –
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p>Last week, Chris Walsh, jockeying for position in the race for 6th Middlesex District state representative, painted himself as a staunch advocate of open government, a champion of transparency.
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p>More than two months after a Town Meeting article had some Framingham luminaries crying conflict of interest, some recent criticism suggests Walsh would do well to heed his own advice.
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p>The kerfuffle centers around a land-use initiative that gave the owners of historic homes more development options. Article 28 allowed such structures in single-family home zones to be turned into condominiums or bed and breakfasts.
<
p>One of the properties that could be affected by the proposal is a Pleasant Street home where Chris Walsh lives, said Town Meeting member Karl Thober. The property is owned by Walsh’s father.
<
p>Thober recalls Walsh rising to speak in favor of the article without disclosing that he lives in a property that could be affected.
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p>Whether Walsh, or anyone in his family could have benefited from the proposal is moot, for Thober.
<
p>Rather, he said, the mere appearance of conflict of interest should have been vetted.
<
p>Article 28 passed on May 6. The next night, Town Meeting member Tom O’Neil filed for reconsideration of the measure.
<
p>O’Neil cited a different potential conflict of interest: The list of properties also featured a property owned by former Planning Board Chairwoman Anne Welles. The board sponsored the article.
<
p>That night, after O’Neil introduced his proposal for reconsideration, Thober was about to speak about potential conflict of interest when fellow Town Meeting member David Marks rose on a point of order, saying no specific names should be referenced in the discussion for reconsideration.
<
p>Thober proceeded without naming names.
<
p>”Although I did not get to mention Chris Walsh by name, I was going to bring both those appearances of conflict of interest to everyone’s attention,” Thober said yesterday. “I don’t have an agenda.”
<
p>At last week’s state representative debate, Walsh articulated his desire for open government, saying “transparency is one of the most important things in government.”
<
p>”I think we need to always err on the side of public discourse to make sure our population knows what we’re doing and why we’re doing it all the time,” said Walsh. “I’m for as open a government as possible.”
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p>Yesterday, asked about the Article 28, Walsh said he had spoken with an attorney and is satisfied that no conflict exists. He stressed that while he lives at the house, he does not own it.
<
p>The Board of Assessors’ office says Sheila and John Walsh own the house. At the state rep meeting, Walsh said he lives with his mother and father, whom he referred to as “Admiral Walsh.”
<
p>Walsh also questions whether the house could qualify for the measure.
<
p>The house has 4,365 feet of “livable space,” he said.
<
p>Only when an unheated outhouse attached to the building is accounted for does the structure qualify for the 4,500-square-foot requirement outlined in the measure, said Walsh.
<
p>The house, he said, is not structured to be split up into condos and would not make a successful bed and breakfast.
<
p>Town Meeting member Yaakov Cohn thought the mere appearance of conflict of interest is sufficient enough to reopen the matter.
<
p>”Clearly Chris and Anne should have been identified before we voted. I think it was an error,” said Cohn. “It should have been brought up to clear the air. I don’t mean to cast dispersions.”
<
p>Ultimately, O’Neil’s push for reconsideration failed, as 63 voted in favor of consideration, with 51 opposed. The measure needed 76 votes.
<
p>(Dan McDonald can be reached at 508-626-4416 or dmcdonal@cnc.com.)
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p>__________________
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p>