My friend Chan over at WeekendPundit asked for a link:
I don't always read what others post here on Weekend Pundit.
... It's my blog and, in the end, it's my responsibility for what's posted here.
edited by: Bob DeMaura,
New Hampshire Editor
My friend Chan over at WeekendPundit asked for a link:
I don't always read what others post here on Weekend Pundit.
... It's my blog and, in the end, it's my responsibility for what's posted here.
Dear Editor:
I recently read an article where Paul DeMinico [Superintendent, Gilford, NH SAU -Skip] argued in favor of adopting the International Baccalaureate Program. He seemed to be arguing against the many controversial issues that plague this program. It's as if he simply cannot admit that this program comes with [...]
Here is the recording of the Budget Committee (before, during, and after):
Here is Doug Lambert's resignation letter:
Addressed to Richard Hickok, Chair, Gilford Budget Committee:
Please accept this letter as official notice of my resignation from the Municipal Budget Committee effective immediately. Given my recent inappropriate and hurtful remark [...]
This Bud Comm meeting tonite may have a few more attendees than normal - hopefully is will not turn into a circus. For that reason, I'll be live video streaming (provided the Town Hall WiFi system is up) as I have the last few meetings.
There has certainly been a lot' [...]
I believe that the Selectmen have done the correct thing in no longer plowing the Community Church parking lot for free. It is unfair for any town service be applied to any non-profit on a regular basis "just because it is there" or "we've always done it that way". It' [...]
The main philosophical engine of the International Baccalaureate program that results in a total deconstruction and questioning everything (and of questionable value) over learning and mastering the basics? One of the programs that has caused other School system from around the country to toss the IB program out the [...]
I ended my last post this way:
Now add in the $103,000 rise in health insurance that we just learned about, and I start getting antsy. Sure, the Town Administrator has assured us that no change to the bottom line of the budget will happen - that's nice to hear....but I [...]
From the Gilford Steamer (10/29/09) "Committee weighs where to spend and save":
Committee member Skip Murphy described this fund as “self-sustaining” and said that no town money has been placed in the fund since it was established.
I think my intent here was really to mean "and we have no visibility [...]
Well, if you've been watching, you know that I've been live streaming the Budget Committee main meetings on Thursday here on GilfordGrok. No, the quality may not be of this highest, but given that it is just a $100 webcam that's 3 years old, I'm not complaining. At some point,' [...]
Is it any wonder why I have a cynical view of government? In my review of the budget this year I am looking very closely at two areas of concern; merit raises and memberships & dues. Quite frankly I’m worried that the TA and Selectmen may have cut needed operating [...]
...for Blip.tv to finish processing last week's BudComm video....
Scott Dunn is floating an idea to spend $1 million dollars to rehab the Town Hall and Police Station. We discussed it during the Admin subcommittee meeting.
Once again! Delay, delay, and delay projects. Heck, if I think that shelving a mere $15,000 [...]
It looks we now own it (ok, technically, we're real close now but not quite).
Idea! Move the SAU to the Old Library!
Reaction! No!
Reason - back to my post here - "it's the timing economy, stupid".
Alternative: back to the Elementary School
Reaction! Yay!
Reason:
Dr. DiMinico himself put it well - "...although' [...]
Does anybody else feel just a little un-easy about idea that we could be sending a bad message to town employees if we were to cut merit raises for non union members. To clarify, there was a conversation at the Gilford budget committee meeting last Thursday between the Town Administrator [...]
OK, NOW we are into the budget seaon - and yes, I'm back. It's been a while; we've been a tad busy over at GraniteGrok and participating the politics that is NH. And yes - no where else in the country do folks take the topic of self-governance so [...]
The Gilford Superintendant of schools launched a brief investigation to learn why seven high school students left the district for an alternate private education. I applaud the Superintendant for making every effort to keep Gilford schools a competitive choice for all Gilford students. I would kindly suggest he look into [...]
It is such a pleasure to read the excellent Laconia Daily Sun responses to Ed Allard’s fictional editorial on the need for the proposed government provided health care initiative. I do give Mr. Allard and his liberal Democrat friends’ credit for consistently applying Aldous Huxley’s” Brave New World” theory of [...]
I said that I deeply respected Town Administrator Scott Dunn and it’s because he’s a stand up guy. He attempted to post his comment on the Grok but it simply wouldn’t fit so I thought I’d create an entire post of it. It doesn’t moot my point about the fact [...]
Gilford Town Administrator Scott Dunn’s comments regarding an island resident’s distain for the new parking pass policy, gave me a moment of pause. For those that might not have read the Laconia Daily Sun’s article, the Town Administrator claimed that the new fees to park at Glendale docks were a [...]
On June 15th the Gilford Planning Board held an informational meeting regarding the School district’s plans to develop an athletic field complex on the land known as the Meadows which is located behind Sawyer’s Dairy Bar. The Meadows Committee, appointed by the Gilford School Board, presented [...]
I had to chuckle while reading Mark Corry’s jab at John Goodhue in yesterday’s Laconia Daily Sun. He is obviously a new face on the political scene with no clue of the mine field he’s stepped into. Mr. Corry, having been soundly rejected at the polls, has been very quick [...]
I have been very critical of the School Board in the past. I speak out when I think they get it wrong and, to be fair, when they get it right they deserve praise. I applaud their recent stance on refusing to allow outside program advertisement flyers into the school. [...]
There is a Conservation Committee Meeting this evening at the Gilford Town Hall Conference room A at 7:00 PM.
The Standard Dredge and Fill Permit for the Meadows is on the agenda along with a discussion about the meadows later in the meeting.
I ask all concerned parties to go to this [...]
I am nearing the end of my two week journey in China. We have left the green pasture land of Liuzhou and landed in the city of Shenzhen, home to some six million Chinese. Shenzhen is just north of Hong Kong. I’ve been here twice before and each time I [...]
I thought I'd take a break from the China Diaries to opine on some local news.
Okay, imagine that you are preparing to fund your child’s college education. School policy requires your child to pay them directly and up front. You ask your child for a budget. Your child has been' [...]
Friday was a very busy work day. Looking for a sales office in one of the many Beijing high rise building can be quite a challenge. What’s this? Did Kevin Roy take a wrong turn? No, it’s just one of the many Western Icons that have arrived in China.
I am staying at a hotel in Beijing about 3 blocks from Tiananmen Square where the infamous protest event will celebrate its 20th anniversary in two weeks. Tiananmen Square would be equivalent to our nation’s capital. This is where the Chinese government officials meet. The Square also encompasses Chairman Mao’s [...]
For all you folks that are interested in keeping the Gilford Meadows just the way it is I have provided a copy of the letter I wrote to DES Commissioner Burack. He has already sent me a response letter that thanks me for my letter and states that my concerns will be heard during [...]
All due respect to Ms. Allan and Mr. Blandford but if we were talking about destroying the environment to build a Wal-Mart on the Meadows property, they’d be the first in line to “circumvent the process and cause a lot of heart burn”. Is it okay to destroy this environment [...]
I see Laconia’s Mayor, Matt Lahey, is going to seek help from the States legislators to get more State funds. Sorry Mayor, your legislators have been very busy on much more important things like a boating speed limit, smoking laws, seat belt laws, civil unions, same sex marriage, repealing capital [...]
Recalling that Gilford purchased its amphibious (??) vehicle-- the ARGO-- with homeland security money-- the last big governmental handout farce disguised as something it wasn't, I'm wondering if we'll be receiving "stimulus" dough to fix the thing, now that it has been wrecked?
[...]
Oy vay! From Science Daily:
Are Americans flunking science? A new national survey commissioned by the California Academy of Sciences and conducted by Harris Interactive® reveals that the U.S. public is unable to pass even a basic scientific literacy test.
Over the past few months, the American government [...]
Rather disturbing (emphasis mine):
From the Citizen:
Volunteers sought for Gilford town positions
GILFORD — The Gilford Board of Selectmen is seeking volunteers to serve on the following boards and committees:
Interested residents may complete an application and submit a letter of interest [...]
This past Monday night was Candidate night sponsored by the Student Council. Each of the municipal and school candidates that showed up had the chance to give a short speech and then participate in a Question and Answer time. I had brought my Edirol recording device and had left it [...]
To the Citizens of Gilford
The last three years at the Gilford Budget Committee have not always been, shall we say, “sedate” as line items and overall philosophies have been questioned and discussed as never before (e.g., starting with the Budget Committee Salary review posted on GilfordGrok.com). Thus, I [...]
Mary Grabar, over at Pajamas Media, has an interesting piece on Barack Obama's pal (and former Weatherman) Bill Ayers:
In To Teach, Ayers lists a number of “myths” about teaching. Number four is “Good teachers always know the materials.” Such an assertion flies in the face of research [...]
People always ask me at this time of year how I plan on voting. Given that involvement in local politics can sometimes be a thankless task, I am always happy to hear that people think enough of me and my opinion to ask. In fact, I am HONORED that this [...]
I was pleasantly surprised when I read the following on page A4:
In making endorsements for the Budget Committee, our thought was to keep a good thing going. That’s why we’re endorsing incumbents Richard Hickok and Skip Murphy, who have worked tirelessly to keep Gilford’s budget as low as possible [...]
I'm puzzled by what Mrs. Corrigan wrote in Saturday's Laconia Daily Sun (p 4):
"As I read Terry Stewart's recent letter urging Gilford voters to re-elect two members of the Taxpayer's Coalition..."
Regular readers, having read Terry's post below responding to the whining demand in a letter published in Saturday's Daily Sun (page 4) by poor Phyllis Corrigan seeking an apology from him for "being sexist," should know that her plight doesn't end there. And by "plight," I' [...]
As the voters of Gilford head to the polls on Tuesday I would advise them to take a copy of their last tax bill with them. How much the next tax bill goes up will be a direct result of their voting choices. It was very disappointing to read the [...]
"Howe said that this was the first time in his 30-plus years at The Citizen that the paper had been kept away from the site of a major news story for so long."And THAT is the big story at the moment involving the flood damage at [...]
First, I want to say thanks to Terry for his kind words - they were unsolicited thus mean a lot more to me:
Skip is a strong conservative voice. Whether or not you like Skip’s style, there’s no denying that he studies every dime in the budget. Skip pushes very [...]
The voters of Gilford will be headed to the polls next week to vote for three Budget Committee candidates. Contrary to popular believe, the Committee did very little cutting from the budget this year. I believe the existence of a conservative Budget Committee contributed to the lean budgets that have [...]
As we head into the final week before the elections here in town, Skip and I will be giving our thoughts as to how we plan on voting (no doubt 'Grok contributor Terry Stewart will as well) , and, naturally, why you should follow suit. For the opening post, we'll [...]
The Meadows committee has full intentions of developing playing fields at the meadows. I attended a recent Conservation Commission meeting regarding the meadows. It was abundantly obvious that the committee has no intentions of debating the need for playing fields. They are simply moving forward with the process to do [...]
Kate Hamel, President of the Friends of the Gilford Public Library is asking Gilford voters to support the Selectmen’s recommendation for a slightly higher amount than the Budget Committee. Why the difference between the Selectmen and Budget Committee’s recommendation? It’s really quite simple. The Selectmen, at the request of the [...]
Debra Zimmerman is running for School board in Gilford. She cites the personnel cuts in the Elementary School budget as her reason for seeking a position on the board. In this economy it’s hard to imagine a candidate proposing wasteful spending with little evidence to support it. Ms. Zimmerman’s reasoning [...]
Just got off the phone with Denise Morrissette (Town Clerk) to see what the election lineups are going to be on the Town side:
Selectmen:John O'BrianChan EddyJoe HoffmanBudget Committee:Dick Hickock (Incumbent and current Chair), David "Skip" Murphy (Incumbent, yes, that would be me!) Joe HoffmanPhyllis Corrigan (used to be on the' [...]To qualify the above title, I'm referring to the old library site that was supposed to be the site of the new library until the Library Trustees decided to buy a new site for the new library. Anyways, the Selectmen have submitted a Warrant to sell that land again.
ARTICLE 33. ' [...]
There are going to be four Petition Warrant articles concerning the mandating town taxpayers to give charity to professional charitable organizations:
Article 26 - Laconia area of Community Action Program (you know, the folks that run the two Winnie buses that run around town, pretty much empty all the time?) [...]Over the course of my blog postings on this subject I have received comments from a number of people who I respect. Some respectfully agree to disagree and others are in complete agreement. I have softened my rhetoric on the issue regarding the GES cuts because I’ve come to learn [...]
So, what does that title mean? Simply, it seems to be that all one has to say "It's for the children" and all logic is to be thrown out to the playground. That one simple phrase covers all ills and reasoning (hey, stoopid, stop arguing' [...]
Hmm, things seem have changed, eh?
School Board members and the selectmen discussed the possibility of relocating the SAU offices that currently are in the Gilford Town Hall basement. The School Board has budgeted $74,000 for the upcoming year to move the offices.
Last year, the SAU had [...]
Well, there's lots of places to start. Why not with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the Police union? They are represented by Teamsters as Local 633, ...
Sidenote: Teamsters? The Teamsters? The same union that I believe is still under Federal watch mode for, shall we say, "hijinks"? I [...]
This past Saturday on MTNP radio, Doug unloaded on the Selectmen, questioning what exactly they based their original "yes" vote on the ridiculously expensive $500K-plus energy retrofit upon, and the teachers that continue to push-- through the use of breathless, weepy mothers-- for the restoration of the assistant principal & [...]
I didn’t want to disappoint those of you who are following the attempts to restore the budget and positions at the EMS. Please allow me to get a few disclaimers out of the way.
I’M NOT WRITING FOR THE BUDGET COMMITTEE. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and [...]
Jack Stephenson makes more good points. It's all about cost versus return.
To Gilford voters, Selectmen, and Police Facility Committee (FPC), 1-21-09.
I’ve been searching for information to justify using geothermal energy here in Gilford with the coldest ground in the USA. Can’t find any. The best data I can find says' [...]
After last week's excitement, I think it’s wise to move to another area of the town’s budget. Keep in mind we still have Deliberative sessions coming up and a Forum at the GES on the staff cuts. I am going to attempt to attend both events to see where it [...]
As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click [...]
A respected colleague asked me to recheck my facts regarding the flap over the Elementary School position “cuts”. According to my colleague, the teachers have nothing to do with this and if I bothered to check I’d clearly see that only three teachers have signed the Warrant Article that seeks [...]
Members of the Gilford Energy Committee invite all members of the public to attend an Energy Fair this Saturday, January 17 at the Town Hall. Featuring a number of renewable and alternative energy equipment dealers and experts, the event seeks to expose residents to the growing variety of offerings being [...]
During the public hearing on the school budget the School board (SB) and Budget Committee (Budcom) got an ear full from a small group of parents & teachers. The commotion was caused by a move to cut the budget by not replacing a teacher, assist. Principal and [...]
Selectmen Gus Benevides and Kevin Hayes, along with Town Administrator Scott Dunn joined Doug and Skip on the radio Saturday for an hour-long conversation about the budget, the process, and the buzzword moving forward: "Austerity." Click here to download the podcast, or simply use the handy player below:
Selectmen Gus Benevides and Kevin Hayes will appear on Meet the New Press radio at 9AM on 1490 WEMJ to discuss the issues of the day with Doug and Skip. Newly hired Town Administrator Scott Dunn will join them as well. Because 2 selectmen of 3 constitutes a quorum, the [...]
as the Citizen of Dec 8 made clear - and the Selectman are gearing up for a fight.
Good for them!
We have no idea of all of what the information might be. From what has been reported in the local media, I still think that this was a $ grab after [...]
Well, the Dec 5 Sun reported that the "old - new" library site did not sell - no bids at all. Hmm, so much for being a liquid asset - not even one to match the $150K purchase price. And in this economic time, I doubt that there will be [...]
Update: Gus emailed a correction:
Skip,
While reading the Grok today I noticed that you incorrectly stated that I used the analogy of turning your Chain saw into a race car. “Oh, back to my example - what I failed to say, however, when Gus said he turned the chainsaw I lent [...]
...especially what has been going on here in town. Certainly, with the exception of the Library budget (on which I have previously commented), the process of going through the Town's budget has fairly uncomplicated this time around. After all, when the overall budget is basically flat compared to last year, [...]
Filed under Appreciation.
At our last Town's Budget Committee this past Thursday, the BudComm Chair read a letter from our Town Clerk / Tax Collector that nearly had my jaw dropping onto my laptop keyboard:
“Recreation Center of New Hampshire”Telephone: (603) 524-4713 Denise Morrissette, NHCTC
47 Cherry Valley Rd. [...]
In these trying times of financial uncertainty we find ourselves struggling to realign our financial priorities. Have we become so accustom to getting what we want when we want it or have we become so bound to our own little thiefdoms? It appears the answer to that question may be [...]
It is well known that the number one facet of success in school is parental involvement. Looking at the story below, it does seem that the educational system has taken it to heart and enforcing it. From STACLU:
Your Governments Schools In Action….Actually, This Sorta Makes Sense
[...]
Timing can be everything, at times. Here's a cute story melding free market economy, the profit motive, and education in solving a classroom problem:
When his San Diego area school cut the printing budget, calculus teacher Tom Farber came up with a way to fund his tests and quizzes: [...]
From Joane Jacobs:
Banning sugar-sweetened drinks at Maine high schools didn’t affect students’ consumption, a study found.The study compared four high schools that eliminated soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks from cafeterias and vending machines with three schools that did not take such measures.
Researchers found that [...]
The Gunstock Village Water District (my neighborhood) appointed Richard Young to represent us on the Gilford Budget Committee. During last week’s debate on the library budget he made a very passionate plea to encourage support for the larger requested library budget. His statement proclaimed; “the excellent services provided by the [...]
During Election Day, it seems that a number of teachers brought their classes outside to see the folks that were politicking for their favorite candidates. I would assume that they were having a "teachable" moment in giving a first hand experience to the kids on how American democracy works. A [...]
Philosophy matters. Especially when their budget is up 7.5%, the town budget was up 0.36%, and inflation is around 3%.
Philosophy gives one a frame of reference, a world view; a lens on how things are perceived and interpreted. Are people basically good, or bad? Is morality absolute, or relative? [...]
During this past BudComm meeting, as we were wrapping up discussing the Library Budget, Richard Young had something to say. As you listen to it (he is not in the video), remember this phrase:
TANSTAAFL
There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. This is a basic, fundamental axiom of [...]
Well, the first meeting with the Library Administration and Trustees was here.
Our second meeting where the SubCommittee members discussed (Doug, Kevin Hayes, and I; Bill Philips had another committment) what we had learned and decided on what we were going to do. Bob Kammarand, Katherine Dormody, and Polly Sanfacon.
Dale [...]
From Greg Mankiw:
“President Summers asked me, didn’t I agree that, in general, economists are smarter than political scientists, and political scientists are smarter than sociologists?” [former dean Peter] Ellison told the Globe.
And the proof?
I believe this may be true: "Scores going in do not [...]
Well, today was the subcommittee for the Library to meet with the Library Trustees and Administration to review their budget. I expected that there would be some "discussion" as their budget increase, percentage wise at 7.46%, was the highest of all of the Town's departments.
I made a recording of the [...]
Planning and Land Use's budget was reviewed (with a discussion again on generating maps internally vs outsourcing on the maps) and the DPW budget was presented. As usual, the DPW review took up the majority of time - with nothing out of the ordinary. Upticks in the budget - mostly [...]
Yep... it was just as I suspected. After reading in the Citizen newspaper of the rather-crudely named play set to be performed by Gilford students, "Urinetown" that featured themes of
greed love and a "world without water"
I just knew it was yet another instance of leftist [...]
A non-partisan group called the VoterFraudSquad was going around the blogosphere during the run up to the election trying to gather reported instances of voter fraud from all over the country (given the publicity that ACORN generated for itself with fraudulent voter registrations). One of the folks that belong [...]
In no particular order (as I'm a bit behind here):
Once again, we met to go over the budget sub-committee results. In this meeting, it was pretty much the Town Clerk / Tax Collector and the Planning and Land use. Not a lot of controversy - no problem!
That said, I think that you will see in the below video that [...]
What happens when your local library promotes stupid things like the playing of video games? The Gilford Library wonders why it doesn’t get broad support from the community? Reading from the Library trustee minutes of recent, I see the trustees are in full marketing mode to repackage [...]
I guess Non-Profits no longer mean "low wages". From Instapundit (emphasis mine):
YESTERDAY I MENTIONED THE GROWTH OF THE NONPROFIT SECTOR, and reader Toren Smith sends this story as a followup: Bay Area nonprofit executives rack up big salary gains:
Laurance Hoagland, chief investment officer of the [...]
Once again, it is that time of the year here in Gilford - Budget season. The Town Administration (new Town Admin Scott Dunn and new Finance Director Geoff Ruggles), along with the Selectmen (Connie Grant, Gus Benevides, and Kevin Hays) have worked with the department heads for this year's budget. [...]
Just got the news from a VERY informed source (H/T: G) - Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, Senator McCain's Vice-President [...]
[...]
