Commentary by Frank Schroth
The Globe ran a story last Thursday about a “looming battle” regarding a possible Prop 2 1/2 override. The lede said that “town leaders” and the members of the Warrant Committee (WC) “may be headed for a showdown.” Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The first question that might pop into your head is: Town leaders? We have town leaders? Presumably that refers to the Selectmen (BoS). Regardless, before we assume that the WC is going to invite the BoS to “take it outside,” we should review who actually does what.
As commenters have pointed out, putting the issue of an override before the voters is a decision for the selectmen not the Warrant Committee. (Note: Mr. Innes and Mr. Matthews have both served on the Warrant Committee). That said, the members of the Warrant Committee is usually the first to see the early storm warnings. The BoS has been silent on this issue despite the WC’s voicing on several occasions its belief that an override might be necessary if the current level of town services are to be maintained. Mr. Hays (now chair) and Mr. Turner are two members who have been vocal on this.
Our flippant comment regarding town leaders made at the start is not so much a criticism as an observation. Our elected officials behave more often as stewards rather than leaders. In general, they react and deal with issues as they arise and attempt to keep any tempests in their respective teapots. But social trends, economic realities, and shifting demographics don’t always cooperate.
The Selectmen recently implemented a good idea: having department heads appear on a periodic basis to give a status update. They have recently heard from the Building Inspector, Police Chief, and Town Accountant. This is good but that net needs to be cast further. Close communication with the Warrant Committee, Schools, and other “sovereign” town boards (Cemetery, CoA, Library) are to be embraced and encouraged. The WC needs to be independent but the selectmen should not be afraid to invite their counsel (or attend some of their meetings) on what they are seeing and hearing that is informing their opinion on the need for an override. The WC is the only committee or board in town that possesses a comprehensive understanding of municipal finance – all of Milton’s costs, revenue, and long term obligations. Whether this is as it should be is a debate for another day; but right now it is a fact.
While a showdown between the BoS and WC is unlikely, the silence of the former may be frustrating to the latter. That can be fixed. We expect an override will be requested and the input of the Warrant Committee regarding the case to be made will be tremendously helpful. The Selectmen should reach out.
— an accident
Many publications, both online and print, will publish a piece from time to time on how much they love their readers and “we’re here for you” and all that sort of thing.
A recent news item gives us an opportunity to speak to our overarching goal.
The item involved a driver who recently crossed the yellow line on Centre Street and drove his car into an oncoming car. A couple other cars were involved. Citations are or will be issued. No one was seriously hurt.(Find news coverage here). This minor mishap would likely have been completely overlooked if the driver who caused the accident had not been the Norfolk County DA Michael Morrissey. He was given a breathalizer test – no issue. Morrissey states that he succumbed to the heat and lost control of the vehicle. You know what this sounds like? An accident. Honestly, this doesn’t really matter that much, and we’re very glad that everyone was OK.
We understand this sort of thing is of interest to readers and consequently link to police blotters from Boston.com as they become available, but it is not core to our editorial mission. A recent post from a software developer who works for a large news organization sums up what we strive to do:
Communities don’t start to make good decisions until individuals understand the place where they live.- Ryan Pitts, Writing code for journalism: why I love what I do
Providing timely, accurate information and commentary that helps citizens understand the town they live in is what we try to do.