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Opinion
LETTERS: Election endorsements
Top Headlines ALTo the editor: When asked if he thought the town of Rehoboth was divided, Selectman Christopher Morra has said, “I wouldn’t say it’s divided. I think there’s a group of people causing a division. They ran the town for nearly four decades.” Who are the people he’s speaking of? Many that oppose Mr. Morra were not old enough to vote 40 years ago or didn’t live here. My family has lived here since the 1970’s and 40 years ago I was only 16 years old and so were the people Morra talks about. I don’t know how he can say the town isn’t divided when the difference in the number of votes cast in the election between those supporting a recall and those that didn’t was less than 400. That sounds like a division to me. When you have 1,800 people sign a petition to recall and you only receive less than 400 more votes than were cast to support a recall that’s a division. Morra and his supporters claim the recall group cost the town money. I’d like to point out that Morra didn’t take the recall group to court. He took the town to court. I want town officials who are honest, sincere, financial, realistic and loyal to the people of Rehoboth. That’s why I’m casting my vote for Gerry Schwall for selectman. Richard Barrett Rehoboth Choice clear in race for Rehoboth board To the editor: With the upcoming April 7 Rehoboth election I have been hearing people say they want a debate between the candidates and some people not wanting one. Personally I believe that if you want to make a good decision on who to vote for you have two ways of doing it. The first option: Call the candidates and talk to them one on one. The second: Watch them in their public roles, to get a sense of where they stand on the issues they are dealing with. I see and hear finance committee member Gerry Schwall making decisions that are not in the best interest of the town. Why vote in favor of buying a gas guzzling SUV for the police department when they have received five new vehicles in the past 14 months? He also voted not to fully fund the preservation article and originally voted not to support the 63-acre preservation of land on Pond Street. Gerry also supports a budget for needless overtime. All of this unnecessary funding clearly contradicts what Gerry says he is for. I see Ken Foley on the gravel committee and conservation commission making good judgment calls, being fair and upholding the laws that he was sworn to abide. Ken has preserved a town landmark from development, Francis Farm, and has turned it into a facility we should all be proud of. In addition, Ken ran a successful business for many years, making good and honest decisions. Now that he is semi-retired he will have the time to devote to the job of selectman, which has become a fulltime job. You watch them and you call them and decide. I have. Check out www.keeprehobothours.com. Don Leffort Rehoboth Reject candidate who wastes town’s money To the editor: A vote for Rehoboth selectman candidate Gerald Schwall and his backers is equal to having a third recall. The special recall election was held on Jan. 7. Mr. Schwall and his backers couldn’t wait for the scheduled election date, April 7 (three months’ time) and by not waiting, they cost the town approximately $25,000. Mr. Schwall is a member of the town’s Finance Committee. He recently voted to approve an expenditure of $32,000 for an SUV for the town. If we take the $25,000 spent on the recall, and the $32,000 for the SUV, we could hire a new K-8 teacher with money to spare. How many residents received any benefit from the recall? How many residents will benefit from the SUV? How many residents will benefit from a new K-8 teacher? Right! Let’s go with the reformers. Vote for Ken Foley. He has many years of operational experience. He has been successful in a varied range of businesses. He has been totally responsible for the bottom line and that experience is exactly what our town needs. Pamela Christman Rehoboth Remember how they voted on tax rate To the editor: The voters of North Attleboro should consider the facts when it comes to voting for members of the board of selectmen. Selectmen Marge Kraskouskas and Bill Moffitt voted to increase taxes of single family residential property home owners this year. The town is in the midst of a mortgage foreclosure crisis, and with record high heating oil at $3.60 per gallon, Marge and Bill were the key swing votes on the board to raise taxes on hard-working families. The town voters should consider a change on Tuesday April 1, when choosing its leaders. Daniel Ricci North Attleboro It’s hard to believe they’re not acquainted ALTo the editor: Your March 16 story was informative and a reasonably fair reporting of the political scene in our town. The most questionable statement made to the reporter was selectman candidate Kenneth Foley’s comment regarding his alliance with Selectman Christopher Morra. How can two people quoted in dozens of news stories in East Providence regarding Mr. Foley’s Pond View Recycling hardly know each other? Manny Saraiva Rehoboth Choose NA candidate who does homework ALTo the editor: I was born in this town and after more than 80 years I am still here. I thank those responsible for Channel 98, as it allows me to sit in on all town meetings, including all selectmen meetings. Marge Kraskouskas does her homework and comes prepared to all meetings. Her decisions are always based on what’s good for the taxpayer. Whatever reason you think you might have, just remember you will not agree 100 percent of the time with any politician. Cast your vote for Marge Kraskouskas or be sorry later. Claire McQuade North Attleboro It’s time for shakeup of Wrentham system To the editor: I am amazed at the decision by Wrentham selectmen Mary Dunn, Jennifer Firth and John Zizza to offer the fire chief position to an outside candidate. Jay McMorrow has the qualifications, expertise, and leadership skills to lead the Wrentham Fire Department and we are lucky to have him. The three fire chiefs on the screening committee clearly saw this and recommended that McMorrow be the next chief. Why then would Dunn, Firth, and Zizza vote for someone else? They have no expertise in this area, yet they ignored the experts’ recommendation. I can only surmise that these three have personal agendas and biases that have impacted their ability to make sound decisions that are in the best interest of the citizens of Wrentham. The citizens of Wrentham have been deprived of the leadership of a true professional. In addition to his qualifications, Jay McMorrow is a leader who has earned the respect of the members of his department, those who have had the opportunity to work with him, and many of the citizens of Wrentham. This poor decision by these three members clearly demonstrates the need to change our current form of government. The board of selectmen/executive secretary form of government is no longer viable for a town of our size. We need professional management by qualified individuals to deal with the serious issues that face us currently and in the future. We can no longer afford to allow individuals to bring their personal agendas into decision-making processes that have a profound impact on the citizens of Wrentham. Edward Fitzgerald Wrentham Will it pass smell test for socialized med? To the editor: Socialism, according to my dictionary: 1. any of various theories or systems of the ownership and operation of the means of production and distribution by society or the cummunity rather than by private individuals, with all memebers of society or the community sharing in the work and the products. Socialized medicine, from the same dictionary: any system supplying complete medical and hospital care, through public funds, for all the people in a commmunity, district, or nation. My question to Mr. Kenneth Watson is whether or not both Barack Obama, or Hillary Clinton advocate socialized medicine in part or in total should either one of them become president? If not, then I admit my error. If so, then he has called me a liar (by falsely charging Clinton or Obama....) and I would appreciate his public apology. Apart from that issue, if Mr. Watson would point out either the article, or the amendment of the U.S constitution which permits, much less mandates, that the federal government provide medical care for anyone using public funds, that too, would be appreciated. Bear in mind, this isn’t to decide whether or not the federal government does practice a multitude of benificent acts using public moneys; we know it does. Nor is it a discussion about whether I am a good person, or not. It is about what we can expect from the candidates who are competing for our votes for the highest office in the land. Henry V. Soldat Norton
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Spamalot01 wrote on Mar 24, 2008 4:56 PM: