Concerned residents band 'Together' for override team
Published on April 14th, 2004
STONEHAM, MA - During times of difficulty and challenge, many find that the strongest bonds are forged in the effort to battle adversity. The minds and bodies behind Stoneham Together -- a grassroots lobbying group created to drum up support and votes for the local budget override initiative -- hope this to be the truth.
The group has been meeting on Mondays over the last several months, and held a large organizational meeting this past Monday at the Montvale Plaza. The group outlined a plan to raise funds and gather support for a yet-to-be-finalized mid-June Special Election for the Proposition 2 1/2 Override.
"I am here for a number of reasons, but there are two very big ones," said Together Chairman Lori Gordon-Sack. "Their names are Stephanie and Andrew, and they are both in the full-day kindergarten program at the South School."
"They are both enjoying their time at the South School, making friends and becoming part of the school community," added Gordon-Sack. "I want to do everything in my power to ensure that their future education is the best it can possibly be, and I want Stoneham to remain the great town that I moved to."
The Stoneham Together Board consists of Gordon-Sack, Jane DiGangi, David Gardner, and Michael Krasco, and the meeting on Monday brought out approximately 130-150 people, as well as Stoneham Fire Chief Lawrence Lamey, Police Chief Gregory O'Keefe, Stoneham Public Library Director Mary Todd, and Stoneham Schools Superintendent Dr. Joseph Connelly, as well as Citizens for Effective Government Representatives John DeGeorge and Matt Whooley.
The Together officials basically laid out a strategy plan that calls for approximately 3200 votes to secure an override victory.
The group encouraged any volunteers to go door-to-door and discuss the override with their neighbors, and Together member Judy Katz encouraged and actively asked for funds to buy signs, flyers and advertising in newspapers.
"If an override fails, the town will be forced to slash an additional $2.9 million from the FY2005 operating budget," reads a passage from Let's Keep Stoneham Together, an informational packet sent out by the group. "The character and element of the Stoneham you have come to love will be altered. Your personal safety and the safety of your property will be jeopardized."
"Your homeowners' insurance premiums may increase. The town's liability insurance may increase as we are exposed to additional lawsuits from a specific disregard for public safety," continues the section entitled Frequently Asked Questions about the Override. "The library could lose its accreditation. Classrooms will become overcrowded. MCAS performances will suffer. Property values may decrease."
The Together group then went through a role-playing exercise where a volunteer visited an override supporter, an opponent, and one that stands undecided.
Together Officer Michael Krasco pretended to be knocking on the door of a local resident who was "on the fence", and then introduced himself with a knowing smirk by saying "Hello Mrs. Ciccarello, I'm here to talk to you about the override."
The crowd laughed at the obvious lampooning of Selectman Cosmo Ciccarello's anti-override stance, but some in the audience thought the innocuous joke was in poor taste.
"I thought it was a little disrespectful to Cosmo," said Whooley. "I thought the point could have been made without using his or his wife's name."
The joke typified the loose nature of the meeting, and the energy that many of the concerned parents are bringing to the group.
"This was a town that we originally only intended on moving to for a couple of years before moving on," said Stoneham resident Joel Katz. "But we have really grown to love and care for this community. Stoneham is just a great place to live, and we're willing to work to keep it that way."
Lamey, O'Keefe, Connelly and Todd outlined the familiar list of $4.3 million in reductions on the town's cutting board if an override doesn't pass.
The Fire Department may lose membership in a mutual aid program that is vital to the safety of the town and its courageous firefighters, the police department will see staffing reductions and less officers on the street ("I don't want my officers to ever get to the point where they're reacting gun first and thinking second," said O'Keefe), and the library would certainly lose its accreditation as well as 14 part-time employees.
As has been stated in several articles, the school department would suffer greatly with 45.9 positions cut, including teachers, administrators, specialists, custodians and aides as well as most high school extracurricular activities including freshman sports, some varsity sports and many clubs and after school activities.
The group made a point to stress that the override wasn't simply about the schools, however, and that community's well-being was at stake during the May Town Meeting and subsequent special election.
The group -- which intends to gather signatures in order to gauge their support numbers -- also stressed that while it is too late to register for the town meeting, there is still time to vote in the proposed June election.
"We feel like if each of us can go out there and get 10-20 of our neighbors to support the override, then this can become a reality," said Together Officer David Gardner. "We don't want to end up being around 100 votes short like Winchester was in their override vote recently."
Not everyone felt equally welcome at the together meeting, however, as Stoneham resident John DeGeorge was reportedly told he "would not be allowed to speak" and "that it was a private meeting and there would be no debate."
"I came simply to gather information and I told them as much when someone came over to me," said DeGeorge. "They knew exactly who I was and I don't think they wanted me there. They are entitled to their opinion, but I think if people are getting pay raises across the board, then there shouldn't be an override."
For more information about Stoneham Together or their efforts to get an override passed, you can contact Stoneham Together at www.StonehamTogether.org
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