I made this suggestion in 2010. Never heard another word. No comment. No feedback. Instead we continue to hold Special meetings every June to get the budget process done. We are fast approaching another Fiscal whirlwind. Anticipation grows for the Special meetings called in June, each year. Already we have seen the Council try to […]
I have written before about this subject. Then I learned more. Here is what I have learned since my first post. CONSTITUTION OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Article II. Section 1. Right of Local Self-Government. – It is the intention of this article to reaffirm the customary and traditional liberties of the people with respect […]
I take this from my published testimony before the Methuen CHARTER COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2009. Jack Burke, 49 Canobieola Road, spoke about the free petition and initiative petition in our current Charter. He began by quoting from a sitting Councilor who once said “who is he to write laws?†because he […]
I noticed a discussion, which I recreate below, on Mayor Manzi’s Blog. Under the title Methuen Primary Results, scroll down to the comments and read; Tina Conway on September 15, 2010 3:19 am Mayor, do you agree that it’s time for us to look at the money we spend on elections? It just seems like […]
The Methuen charter is now on-line as an HTML document. Look under maintained Sites on this blog. You can always review this document here. There is a link at that site to allow you to open and or download the Charter in PDF format from the City website.
Last Night, the Charter Commision held a public hearing and live broadcast. The topic was public input on the current proposed changes to Methuen’s charter. Here is the story in the Eagle Tribune. [ Methuen Residents call for stronger term limits] Let me note that Mr. Robert Leblanc gave a wonderful presentation of his feelings. […]
The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government. Patrick Henry excerpt from Henry David Thoreau’s essay’s “Resistance to Civil Government.†I HEARTILY ACCEPT the motto, — “That government is best which governs least”; and I should like to see […]
The list is my recommendations for Charter Commission members. I generated this list by speaking to all these individuals at various times over the past few months. They appear to be 9 persons without to much political baggage and who are sincere at looking at our charter. I avoided the NAME candidates. They don’t need […]
Browsing through the Home Rule Charter as it exists today, I noted that there are two types of free petition. They are Action Discretionary and Action Required. Methuen has had 4 charters in it’s history. I reviewed them all. The first one in 1917 didn’t have this distinction. This is the current from the City website. […]
Some of you may recall the older commercials on television, I believe they were sponsored by the NAACP. The gist was that “a mind is a terrible thing to waste”. So much truth in that. I ask that you not waste your mind on innuendo and seek the facts behind what politocos and others tell you. Case […]