The Newburyport Blog

Kathleen O'Connor Ives for State Senate

On September 4, 2007, I met then candidate for Newburyport City Council at Large, Kathleen O’Connor Ives (Katy).

I found Katy to be delightful, smart, gutsy and energetic, someone who could be a real asset to Newburyport. But being a newcomer to Newburyport, I really and truly did not think she had a prayer in the upcoming elections.

It’s pretty gutsy to come into town and decide to get that involved in your new place of residence–to run for Newburyport City Councilor at Large.

And that she most probably didn’t stand a chance, but was running anyway, and against some pretty steep competition–a very accomplished incumbent and two former mayors no less.

That said a whole lot about Katy Ives.

And as I walked and talked around Newburyport, what I found was that everyone, once they had met Kathleen O’Connor Ives, wanted to see her on the Newburyport City Council (really, I’m not kidding).

And that’s no small accomplishment.

At first it was the more progressive folks and centrist folks that seemed to take a shine to Ms. Ives.

However, when I started to talk to more conservative folks, they had the same reaction. They liked her too.

And somehow Katy was overcoming the old Yankee suspicion about anyone “new,” combined with the old Yankee attitude of “you pay your dues.”

And Katy proved me wrong. She won. And Kathleen O’Connor Ives has turned out to be the Newburyport Councilor at Large everyone hoped she would be, winning two more terms handily for Newburyport City Councilor at Large.

Sound familiar.

Yup, Kathleen O’Connor Ives is now running for Massachusetts State Senate for the First Essex District. And as one of her supporters said, “In an old boy, old boy world, Katy may not be the most connected candidate, but she’s the smartest.”

And do not count Kathleen O’Connor Ives out in this election for Massachusetts State Senate on Thursday, September 6th. Once her voting constituency meets Katy Ives, they will have the same reaction that the people of Newburyport did in 2007, 2009 and 20011. And they will know she would be terrific as their state senator, and they will vote for Kathleen O’Connor Ives on Thursday, September 6, 2012.

Kathleen O'Connor Ives for State Senate

Katy’s website can be found here.

Katy’s Facebook page can be found here.

The Newburyport Council Public Safety Committee will be holding a street light meeting on this upcoming Wednesday:

Wednesday, July 21, 2010
City Hall Council Chambers
7PM

National Grid is invited. And the Energy Advisory Committee (EAC) has been invited to present their plan to shut off 501 street lights to the Newburyport City Council.

The chair of the Public Safety Committee, Bob Cronin, anticipates a presentation that includes maps as well as the criteria used in the EAC’s process.

There will be a general overview, without discussion of which particular lights would be shut off. That detailed discussion will happened at a later date, and will be scheduled by each of the 6 Newburyport Ward Councilors:

Ward 1 Allison Heartquist
Ward 2 Greg Earls
Ward 3 Bob Cronin
Ward 4 Ed Cameron
Ward 5 Brian Derrivan
Ward 6 Tom O’Brien

Newburyport City Councilors will be able to ask questions first, and then there will be a public input portion.

This is in effect a public hearing on shutting off Newburyport’s street lights.

From Newburyport City Councilor Bob Cronin on paid parking and Newburyport’s Waterfront Trust and the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority contributing to the citizens of Newburyport, MA.

The email and post can be read on Newburyport City Councilor Bob Cronin’s blog here.

“Dear friends and neighbors,

While I usually use this space to give updates and pass along information about the goings on and happenings in Ward 3 and the City, I’m changing course here just a bit today. This entry is about parking, the waterfront and a brief civics primer.

The Mayor has submitted a series of parking regulations to govern parking in the downtown and adjoining neighborhoods, which will contain a resident piece. There will be ample opportunity for input into the process as it moves forward.

The issue at hand is that in the Mayor’s plan the key component of the plan is paid parking in the surface lots. This includes the Waterfront Trust (WFT) lot, the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority (NRA) lots and of course city owned lots. The Mayor is working to get agreements in place with these quasi-governmental entities that manage these parcels and feel they are completely autonomous. Newburyport, like most of the other 350 cities and towns in Massachusetts is cash strapped.

I for one think that budgets must be examined for waste but this tactic only goes so far. Historical sources of local aid relied upon for generations are now a mere trickle from state government. New revenue sources have to be identified and put to use locally. Being against user fees on required services such as “pay as you throw trash”, I believe Newburyport should look more to the discretionary income side of the ledger.

The Mayor’s current paid parking proposal is in the Public Safety committee and I for one will be pushing hard for a significant portion of the net proceeds to go back to ALL neighborhoods in the form of vastly needed sidewalk repairs. We the residents of Newburyport have borne the brunt of poor ankle twisting sidewalks for much too long. This money will come from people visiting our downtown, many from other communities that make Newburyport their destination. When we visit other cities don’t we pay for parking? For the most part the answer is yes. This source can and will greatly benefit our infrastructure at little or no cost to the average resident.

But there is a problem; the WFT and NRA have not yet signed on with our City to make Newburyport better as a whole community. Rather the WFT and NRA continue to stare inwardly at their small outposts. Twenty plus years and there has been glacial movement on the NRA properties. It is time for them, the NRA to partner with the City to raise much needed cash for their properties and the City as a whole. Ditto for the WFT. They currently have paid parking but no enforcement. The City will provide that manpower and enforcement once they sign on.

Both these groups have been in attendance to the Mayor’s parking committee meetings but they have yet to climb onboard; why? What are they afraid of? Losing a grip on their domains?

It is time for these groups to stop being provincial and shortsighted and see the big picture. By signing on to the overall plan, not only will they be helping their City they will also help the areas and interests they supposedly represent. The residents of Newburyport should not only hope these appointed boards can finally represent the entire community and not their self interest, residents should demand it.”

Gillian Stewart in her recent blog post coined a phrase that I had never heard before, “Extreme Green.”

And that sort of sums it up for me. I find that I am unable to have a conversation with many of Newburyport’s Green community (not all), because I feel as if, if I don’t agree with them, I’m a bad person, uninformed, unaware, oblivious, uncaring. This does not work for me.

Newburyport’s Energy Advisory Committee (EAC) has come up with an audit of street lights that are proposed to be turned off. The list is extensive.

For more information and to download the list, which is on an Excel data sheet, press here.

And in my walks and talks with people about the issue of turning off street lights in Newburyport, someone told me about “Light Boston,” which I did not know about.

These are a few quotes from Light Boston’s website. All of these quotes could be applicable to Newburyport, another walkable, historic city, one that I also think of as “A city set on a hill.”

“By increasing lighting in Boston, we can extend our welcome to tourists and enhance the quality of life for all those who enjoy our walkable city. I hope you will support this important Light Boston, Inc. initiative to light up the city.” Thomas M. Menino, Mayor, City of Boston

“Many architecturally and historically significant public and private buildings, numerous monuments and parks, and lively streetscapes help define the City of Boston. However, many downtown and neighborhood areas of the city lack urban legibility at night which diminishes residents’ and visitors’ enjoyment of the social and aesthetic quality of the city, creates safety concerns and inhibits economic vitality.
Light Boston is the leading organization in the city working to address this issue through imaginative, effective, and environmentally responsible exterior lighting. Exterior lighting can be used as an effective urban planning tool to:

• Enhance social activity and economic growth by extending city life for residents and tourists into the evening and night
• Improve the aesthetics and urban legibility of the city
• Contribute to public safety
• Highlight and complement Boston’s unique urban environment

By advocating for illumination as a vital component of urban design, Light Boston seeks to encourage interest, understanding, and appreciation of the city’s unique historic and cultural heritage.”

“Improving nighttime environments benefits all of our residents and helps address safety concerns while increasing civic pride in local landmarks.”

The Energy Advisory Committee (EAC) has a list of proposed street lights to be turned off in Newburyport, MA. The list is extensive.

Some of those street lights, I do not know which ones, are already in the proposed city budget. This I did not know.

The complete Excel data sheet from the EAC of the proposed lights to be turned off can be downloaded here

A shorter version (shortened by me) of the Excel data sheet, that is easier to read and has basic information, can be downloaded here

(The criteria for keeping street lights on are 1) marked crosswalks (not places where streets intersect and people cross the street), actual painted lines, 2) Busy areas, 3) Speed limit over 30 mph, 4) Dangerous conditions. At the end of the data sheet you will see those 4 criteria and then a “Y”; (yes, shut off) or a “N”; (not shut off). The list of streets and some addresses are at the beginning of the data sheet.)

On the audit, not only are neighborhoods dark, but large areas of High Street, Water Street, Liberty Street, State Street. I counted 10 decorative historic street lights on State Street that are recommended to be turned off. And there is a question about whether (13 decorative historic lights/lamps around the Green Street Parking Lot and 18 decorative historic lights/lamps a around the Playground) a total of 31 historic lights/lamps on Inn Street should be turned off, and about whether 14 historic lights/lamps on Market Square should be turned off. It’s on the list, I’m not making this up.

If you have a problem with this audit, and a recommendation that is already in the budget about street lights in Newburyport being turned off, please contact Mayor Donna Holaday, Newburyport City Councilors and write a Letter to the Editor at the Newburyport Daily News.

Mayor Donna Holaday’s contact information:
mayor@cityofnewburyport.com
Newbuyrport City Hall
60 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA 01950
978-465-4413

Contact information for the Newburyport City Council can be found here.

If you are unsure of what your Newburyport City Councilor looks like, press here.

If you wish to email a Letter to the Editor at the Newburyport Daily News contact:
Merrily Buchs
mbuchs@newburyportnews.com

Yesterday I did some research on turning off street lights. What I found is that towns and cities all over America and in Europe are turning off street lights to save money. Sometimes environmental issues are sited, as in Newburyport’s proposal, often it seems citizens are given a choice between turning off street lights and higher taxes.

I had a long and constructive correspondence and conversation with one of Newburyport’s Energy Advisory Committee (EAC). They graciously emailed me a copy of the lights that are proposed to be shut off in Newburyport, MA (it is public record).

The complete Excel data sheet can be downloaded here.

A shorter version (shortened by me) of the Excel data sheet, that is easier to read and has basic information, can be downloaded here.

Seeing the list, which is extensive, my reaction was one of shock. Basically Newburyport’s neighborhoods would be dark.

When I called the member of the EAC, my concern to them was that when people understood the extent of the proposal, the reaction could be so strong and visceral, an instinct to protect family and property, that a constructive dialogue might not be possible. That the whole process could turn into a destructive experience, not unlike many in Newburyport that I have seen. They understood and agreed, and for that I give them a great deal of credit.

The criteria for keeping street lights on are 1) marked crosswalks (not places where streets intersect and people cross the street), actual painted lines, 2) Busy areas, 3) Speed limit over 30 mph, 4) Dangerous conditions (how this criteria was defined, I forgot to ask, from my experience, unfortunately, a great deal of Newburyport’s sidewalks are hazards). At the end of the data sheet you will see those 4 criteria and then a “Y” (yes, shut off) or a “N” (not shut off). The list of streets and some addresses are at the beginning of the data sheet.

As I understand it, the EAC has been working on this proposal to turn off Newburyport’s street lights for a year, working with volunteers, including Newburyport High School’s Environmental Club. My understanding is that this list is still a work in progress.

I watched the mayoral debate between Donna Holaday and James Shanley last night on Channel 9 (see earlier entries for other times, as well as the video and link below).

I came away thinking that we are lucky to have two really good candidates, who I think would both make good mayors.

I know both of the candidates, and they both have very knowledgeable and “geeky” sides, as well as relaxed and funny sides.

In the debate I saw the knowledgeable, thoughtful and “geeky” side of both candidates. What came across was Donna Holaday’s strength on the financial aspect of running our city, especially doing the budget, which is huge. And James Shanley’s strength on the planning and developing side, which is also huge.

In my conversations with James Shanley over the years, I’ve often been struck that he has gone to regional planning seminars-conferences, that none of the other Newburyport City Councilors had gone to. In the debate candidate Shanley referenced one of those conferences, with a comment, and this is not an exact quote, “It was kind of a ‘geeky’ thing to do,” which, it sounded like on tape, brought chuckles from the audience. James did manage in that debate to show the relaxed and humorous side of James Shanley, a side which is very appealing.

Gillian Swart in her post on the debate has her take, and she does point out the importance of Donna Holaday’s financial expertise, especially when it comes to the budget.

Below is the video of the evening debate and a link to PortMedia, so you, reader of the Newburyport Blog, could make up your own mind about who you would like to vote for mayor of Newburyport, MA.

(Editor’s Note: The video is no longer available at PortMedia.org)

The Newburyport Mayoral Debate, Election 2009, video courtesy of PortMedia.
(Voting day is Tuesday, November 3, 2009.)

I’m still here you know.

I meet someone in the grocery store. Their face lights up with relief, huge hug, “You haven’t left,” they say. “You didn’t go to Minnesota.”

It’s nice to see their face light up.

Endomorphins from huge hugs are always appreciated.

But the “Minnesota” thing has me stumped. Maybe in the midst of yet another New England winter from hell, I might, might consider, possibly a stint in much warmer place like North Carolina, for instance. But Minnesota? As I recall from my vast readings of Laura Ingalls Wilder, winters in Minnesota are far worse than in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

I meet someone in CVS shortly after my very nice encounter in the grocery store. “You’re still here? We thought you’d left.” No, “How nice to see you.” Certainly no lighting up of any face. No, just a good old “Newburyport Yankee,” “You’re still here?”

Ah, what a relief. The “dichotomy” that is Newburyport appears to be very much around. The “dichotomy” that I’ve written about on the Newburyport Blog for now 3 years (good grief), poked at, mused over, tried to explain, is still very much part of the community in which I live. I find myself oddly relieved by this.

I like these “tough old birds.”

“Tough old bird,” was a “saying” that my Mother used to use. This was way before feminism was even quaintly fashionable. No one in their right mind would refer to any female these days as a “tough old bird.”

Where have I been? Obsessing over the sucky, let’s face it, yes, it’s beyond sucky, economy. Wondering (vast understatement) if anyone in their right mind would buy gorgeous paintings (I’m an artist), when even the very rich are losing their houses (or at least some of their houses).

So I’ve been designing “web stuff.” (Hopefully more on this later.) Thinking that it could be a good idea to expand “Mary Baker Art” to “web stuff.” I’ve been contemplating that websites could be works of art, launched into the universe by the World Wide Web, aka the Internet.

Yes, and what better project, I say to myself, than to design websites, during a sucky New England winter, that feels like something out of Narnia when that witch was in charge. It feels sometimes, like a frozen, perpetual “Ground Hog Day.”

One of my neighbors looks at me quizzically as I brush my front steps of snow (lots of snow) with a dainty, somewhat beat-up, broom. I tell them that it gives me hope that in the not too distant future, I will be complaining about wretchedly long hot summers (this is actually true).

They shrug (it’s a good thing that I’m an artist, I can pretty much get away with this kind of nonsense) and look at me as if I’m nuts.

I’ve been consumed by the national election for president. Nothing on the local level (at least as of today) seems to be as intriguing as what is happening on the presidential campaign front.

And, for me, there is so much that would effect us locally in Newburyport, MA, depending on the outcome of the presidential election.

At the moment, mayor John Moak is asking the citizens of Newburyport, MA to consider voting on a tax increase to help with, among other things, education in Newburyport, MA.

This is at a time when people are loosing their jobs, not getting pay increases, dealing with the high cost of gasoline, increased cost of groceries and other staples, getting ready for more expensive heating and electric bills for the winter. This would be a tough sell for our mayor at any time, and it is a particularly tough sell at this point in tough economic times.

And we need a lot more money to help educate our children.

And one of the things that we as a community in Newburyport, MA, have discovered during the ordeal of the Override for funding for our schools last year, is that there is little help from the State of Massachusetts, one of the reasons being, the Federal government is not helping the states, or at least our state, with money to adequately fund education.

So I want someone in the White House next January who is going to pay attention and help local education, as well as help the financial plight of small cities and towns all across America. And during the last eight years we certainly have not seen the local support that we in Newburyport, MA need so badly, from the current administration. And I doubt we would see an improvement in support for our small cities and towns from 4 more years of a Republican administration.

It is one of the many reasons that I would like to see a Democrat in the White House.

And to compare the candidates’ voting records and educational priorities, I found a helpful site here and here.

One of the things that I do have, is a very curious nature.

I’ll wake up one morning, and go, “Oh, I don’t know anything at all about ‘X,’ how can I find out or learn about ‘X’ (short of going and getting a degree on the subject).”

And bless the Internet, because, if I feel like it, I can learn a whole lot about a whole lot of stuff, and it’s really fun for me.

One of the things that I’ve decided that I know “nada” about is business and finance, and it’s high time I learned something about the subject. (Maybe it’s Mr. Karp coming to town. Maybe it’s the continuous municipal mess so many cities and towns, including Newburyport, find ourselves in. Whatever it is, I got real curious.)

So I have several neophyte sources that I go to, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch and the Huffington Post. They all have links to various articles on various subjects on the subject.

People get MBA’s in this stuff, so (yes, I know) without an MBA I’ll be in kindergarten on this subject for the rest of my life, the “fluff” of Yahoo Finance sound-bites being my teacher.

BUT, I’ve come across a Yahoo Finance person that I really like a lot–Laura Rowley, who writes articles on how money affects people psychologically. And her latest article “Money & Happiness” I like a lot, a whole lot.

“The study (you’ll have to read the article) underscores the importance of separating temporary euphoria from genuine happiness. I subscribe to Aristotle’s notion of eudaimonia — which is translated from the Greek as “happiness,” but is probably closer to the word “flourishing.” And long-term flourishing requires discipline, persistence, hard work, faith, and, most important, pursuing goals that are close to your heart and based on your personal gifts.

This isn’t the smiley-face, instant-gratification kind of “happiness” that popular culture promotes. As Thomas Carlyle once said, ‘There is something higher than happiness, and that is blessedness.’ ”

And after reading that again, maybe it’s my frustration with our “Paris Hilton world” (see lots of other posts). And in reading this, it’s nice to see happiness equated with “discipline,” faith,” “persistence” and “blessedness.”

Love that. Love that a lot.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

My father (see previous post) was a realist. He knew change could be inspirational, and although daily, informal encounters could change people’s lives (and his did), he also believed that inspirational change could cost money. Often lots and lots of money.

My dad was a Roosevelt Democrat, and felt quite strongly that for people who had money, paying taxes was a patriotic act. And if people didn’t want to pay taxes, that provisions should be made to either compliment what the government could do, or create an entity that undertook a project that the government should, but refused to do.

And as a tax lawyer (way before being a “lawyer” became not such a good attribute, when lawyers, in general, believed in service, not how much money can I make) he persuaded his clients to do things like fund research for mental illness, at a time when no one talked about mental illness, or look for a cure for cancer, and fund stem cell research, when, for example, the present administration had “reservations” about such things.

And face it, one of the reasons Newburyport’s downtown is so inspirational, is that it was funded by lots and lots of federal dollars.

My father also understood the stresses of poverty. He fought for a compassionate solution to homelessness in New York City, and believed that the criminal justice system in New York City had the potential to be humane. And he raised the money (a talent my father had, and a gene his daughter did not receive) to attempt to make these goals attainable.

To make the educational system for our children “inspirational,” it would not only take the guardian angles that inhabit it, but also lots and lots of money to restore all the cuts that have been made over so many years. My father would have understood this. But he also would have believed that it would not be right to raise money on the backs of the struggling poor and middle class.

The same would go for such things as creating a senior center, and for funding the Council on Aging to an “inspirational” level.

And what to do at budget time with dealing and coping with the myriad of valuable projects and issues, all of which need to be funded, but where funds are lacking, I have no idea.

I do know, that to make many of them “inspirational,” lots and lots of money, would go a long, long way. I also believe that to raise taxes in Newburyport, MA that would put the less fortunate and middle class in crisis, would be a huge mistake.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

I miss my Dad.

One of the things that my Dad and I would always do, is talk about politics, national and local. And I want to ask him so many things.

One of my Dad’s great gifts, and I’ve heard this over and over from so many people who knew him, was his ability to listen to an issue or problem, business or personal, and in one or two sentences get to the kernel of the what would be at stake, but always with an optimistic twist.

I remember when I talked to my Dad about the override for our schools, and his wonderful remark, that folks were afraid that if an override passed, that they would “lose their town.” Bingo. It was always a “bingo.” It might not be a “bingo” I might want to hear, but it was a “bingo,” nevertheless.

I want to ask him about Mr. Karp’s visit. He would have some wise insight that eludes me. I want to ask him about Newburyport’s critical need for funding, which is at odds with people’s often desperate personal financial struggles. He would have ideas. Lots and lots of ideas. And very wise ideas at that.

He always taught me that change was an organic part of life. And one of his many gifts, was not only to make change acceptable, but almost always to make change inspiring.

Change is and has and will happen to Newburyport, MA. And how do we as citizens and residents of this small New England city, make that change, not just acceptable, but how do we make change an inspiration?

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Money.

Nothing quite divides a community quite like money, or the lack thereof.

One of the places that I check out on the World Wide Web is the “Around the North Shore Forums” (you have to become a member to participate in any way). And Around the North Shore gives me an understanding about how many people feel about the many things that are going on in the community, which are not voiced in other places.

The sentiment expressed on Around the North Shore thus far appears, almost unanimously, that the expenses in Newburyport, MA are already high enough, and there could be great resistance to any attempt to increase taxes or fees.

And what I am also hearing is a tremendous amount of resentment to those who might propose a raise in city taxes and fees.

This is not exactly a surprise. In fact, it’s pretty much by the book.

As the gentrification of Newburyport continues, the opposition to gentrification is not only inevitable, but understandable. It appears to be the process in almost every community that I know about, that is going through this kind of transition.

Raised taxes and fees means that less and less of the “less well to do” would be able to live in Newburyport, MA, and of course this would create a great deal of anxiety and conflict. How could it not?

I am quite sure that the “less well to do” would not “go gentle into that good night.” And I am sure that the leaders and politicians in Newburyport, MA are well aware of that reality.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Back on November 7, 2007 there was an article by Gillian Swart in the Newburyport Current about the Newburyport Rupert A. Nock Middle School which said,

“One grade 7 phys. ed. class has 104 students… “There is no way to fit 104 students comfortably or safely in the gym,” Hopping (Rupert A. Nock Middle School, Principal Barry Hopping) noted, adding that so far, the weather has cooperated and the classes have been held outdoors.”

Well, honey, the weather is no longer cooperating, and it’s cold outside. Real cold out side.

I don’t know what the situation would be now, December 2007, I have not called the Nock Middle School, but I sure am curious.

I mean, that’s crazy, 104 kids in the Middle School gym.

I’d like to see a photograph of what in the world that would look like.

In fact, I’d like to see some footage of that unimaginable gym class with 104 students on YouTube.

If anybody put footage of that gym class on YouTube, I would, at the very least, like to link to it. And with proper permission, I would put the video on the Newburyport Blog.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

This one is going to make me real popular too.

Newburyport City Councilors Tom O’Brien and Erford Fowler have been criticized over the years for having their children work for the city of Newburyport, MA. Nepotism and a conflict of interest has been sighted on various occasions.

When Councilor O’Brien came “under fire” for salary increases for city employees that would have affected his daughter, believe it or not, although, yes, I thought it could be a conflict of interest, no doubt about that one, I was real sympathetic to Councilor O’Brien.

Having a 20 something offspring, if there was a job available that paid halfway decently, with benefits, and I could be instrumental in helping securing that employment, as a parent, as a mom, I’d be tempted to do it in a New York minute.

I thought that parenthood would get easier as my child got older.

Nope. Not easier, just different.

And as a parent, the same ferocious protectiveness that was there when my child was a newborn, is still there, at the same magnitude, in his 20’s.

So when folks were dumping on Councilor O’Brien when he was hoping for the best for his daughter, I got it.

If I had been in the same position, it would have taken people literally holding me back, and having them cover my mouth, to stop me beseeching them to “do right” by my kid.

Mamas and Papas have always wanted to help their children. At a younger age, “nepotism” used to be a “dirty word.” At a more “mature” age, I now definitely “get it” on a whole different, ferociously protective, parental level.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

It must have been about 4 or 5 years ago during one of the winters from Hell that we had, I called the DPW (Department of Public Works) and asked if there could be anyway that they could send a plow to re-plow our small street.

In a very short time a big plow appeared and did one heck of a spectacular job.

I wrote the DPW a thank you note, saying how much I appreciated their extra care and consideration.

When I talked to whoever at the then DPW a little bit later, they said, I believe, that my “thank you” note was the only one that they had ever received, and that they put it up on the bulletin board as a morale booster for the folks that had been working so hard.

Wow.

Apparently, Newburyport city employees often do not get thanked for a job well done.

And recently I got a very kind email from our Newburyport City Clerk, Richard Jones, thanking me for my “kind words” about the excellent job that the Newburyport City Clerk’s office did on election night, that was briefly mentioned on the Newburyport Blog. (See earlier entry.)

To be able to witness that process unfold was an incredibly moving and inspiring experience for me. It was a privilege for me to watch “Democracy” in action on election night at Newburyport City Hall.

That night, I couldn’t help thinking back to a national election that had gotten pretty muddled over election stuff. And I thought that we in Newburyport, MA, were so lucky to have such a professional and thoughtful approach by the Newburyport City Clerk’s office, that I wanted the readers of the Newburyport Blog to know just how luck we are.

And I know I’m not going to be real popular with this next thought. But there have been a lot of folks who are upset with the Newburyport City Unions, that they did not embrace the “new” health insurance plan (right away) and thereby saving the City of Newburyport, MA some major dough.

My take on the salaries of the folks that work for Newburyport, MA, is that with a few exceptions, they are pretty low, but the benefits have been good.

And that it is my understanding (and I can’t site the exact source for this one) that it is getting harder and harder to get folks (especially younger folks) to work on a municipal level.

And it takes a lot of money just to live to get by these days.

And as a city, I think we need to take a long look to make sure people might be inspired to work for municipalities. And appreciation for a job well done, in my book, always seems to go a long way.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

When Al Lavender became mayor, “they” (whoever “they” were) put me on Al Lavender’s transition team.

I later figured it was to shut me up. If that was the case, it obviously didn’t work very well.

I walked into my first meeting and thought, “Oh, my goodness” (or a stronger version of that phrase), “What in the world am I going to do?” The room was full of “conservative good old boys,” for lack of a better phrase (not the usual political folks I hung out with).

But you know what, it turned out to be an incredibly positive experience. I came away with such admiration for everyone on that transition team. They taught me a ton. And they gave Al Lavender terrific advice. And I think it was, believe it or not, basically the same advice that I imagine a progressive would have given him. I was stunned.

And at the very end of the process, member’s of the group went around the table and gave verbal summaries of various areas of the city (police, fire, schools, etc) to the newly elected mayor. And I remember my jaw just dropping.

Basically, to be very simplistic, there was $8,000 for $80 Million dollars worth of things, that need to be done not yesterday, but often needed to be done 20 years ago. Just like the fire trucks we still don’t have today. Same issues 8 years ago.

So anyone who thinks they are going to find extra money somewhere in this city. There is no money.

And folks ask me why I don’t run for Newburyport City Council. That’s a big reason why. I like to have a shot at paying the bills, and with that kind of financial weight, I just could not sleep at night.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

I’ve been talking to all sorts of folks about the “mystery” to me of why Gary Roberts was not re-elected to the Newburyport City Council.

Let me say that during the last almost 2 years, Gary Roberts has been one of the kindest Newburyport Councilors to the Newburyport Blog.

Gary Roberts often calls to see if I’m doing Ok, because he has a concept of how difficult it is to be the “editor” of the Newburyport Blog.

I can’t tell you how much this has meant to me. It has meant the world to me.

And I have often called Gary Roberts for a “reality check.” He has always been straight forward and to the point, and I always feel much more calm and much more centered (and believe me, it hasn’t always been what I’ve wanted to hear).

And this is what it seems to me. The more conservative folks voted for Al Lavender and Mary Carrier, along with Steve Hutcheson, Robert Kelleher and William Deans.

For the more progressive folks, it appears that Tom Jones and Steve Hutcheson would be perceived to be more “liberal,” along with Donna Holaday, Barry Connell and Kathleen Ives.

And I think that there was a little bit of the “shooting the messenger” thing here as well. Gary Roberts has always been real upfront about, guess what folks, you think there’s money, well I gotta tell you, you’re wrong, there is no money.

Mr. Roberts seems to feel that it might not be a good idea to spend money on stuff, if the money would not be there.

And it appears that some folks sometimes seemed puzzled about Gary Roberts’ passion about the fact that it could be a good idea to try and stay within the city’s actual budget.

In a credit-card world, from much that I read, this could possibly be perceived as somewhat of a “quaint” sort notion. One that might not seem overly popular with our debt-ridden, larger society. Instant gratification, you can have it now. (Disclaimer: And, no, this would not apply to all people.)

And the stuff about the money not being there, he’s right. But that’s another entry altogether.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

I became a “Liberal Democrat,” real quick, when I became a single mother. (That was a couple of decades ago.)

It was a no brainer.

Democrats “seem to” or are “supposed to” have some empathy for those who are going through a “rough patch.”

The Harbor School for Girls is my neighbor.

People asked me, “How could you do that?”

Easy. So far (one decade later) they’ve been great neighbors. And two, I know, under different circumstances, I would have welcomed to be welcomed in a place like “that.”

I hate the phrase “but for the grace of god go I” (like what about the other folks, no “grace” for them??), but how many times have I said to myself, “but for the grace of god go I.” I can tell you a whole LOT of times I’ve said “but for the grace of god go I,” during the last 2 decades.

And, just as a btw, if we had had a Democrat for president for the last 6+ years, I bet there would be a whole lot more money for cities and towns across America for things like education and other important municipal stuff.

And we, Newburyport, MA, along with a whole lot of other cities and towns might NOT be in the fiscal crisis we are now. There might be some sort of balance between national security and making sure that while we were taking care of national security, financially, cities and towns across the USA weren’t slowly or fastly drowning.

And, Liberal Democrats seem to like the “arts” more. (I am a artist/painter) It seems as if they do NOT want to slash the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

It appears that they realize that artists are good for the economy.

When artists “discover” a community and embrace it whole heartedly, miraculously other people think it’s “cool” too, and that community or place gets a “rebirth.” Witness, the Village, Soho and Chelsea in NYC (my home town), and yes, even Newburyport and now Amesbury in good old Massachusetts.

Seems artists have a good “eye” for real estate, before most of them promptly get “priced out” of the market that they created. Only to move on like nomads in search of yet other “suitable space.”

And, I like the idea of living within one’s budget and paying one’s bills on time, and not being terrifyingly in debt. (We now have a gargantuan national debt.) This is called being a “fiscal conservative.” One can be a social Democrat and a fiscal conservative. It seems as if the fiscal conservative thing has been a bit of an “enigma” to the Republican regime that is in power, at the moment. (Even some Republicans think this.)

I have no idea why I decided to blog on this topic(s) today, but I did. It’s been percolating in my brain for quite a while, so there it is.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Bruce Menin has a pretty interesting blog. I’m a pretty tough blog critic, and Mr. Menin seems to have the blogging thing down so far. Factual, easy to read, half info, half campaign… a very interesting approach… so far… and with a couple of pretty funny pictures (which I like a lot).

On the blog Bruce Menin reports that Mayor John Moak has appointed a “task force” to analyze the city of Newburyport’s revenue sources (i.e. money for schools).

“The Mayor has invited William Heenahan, Dr. Ralph Orlando, Brenda Reffett, Jay Iannini and Ellen Supple from the Community; Deidre Farrell will represent the School Administration, Ari Herzog will represent the mayor, Mark Wright and I (Menin) will represent the School Committee, and a member of the City Council will have the opportunity to volunteer next Monday.” newburyportschools.blogspot.com, August 21, 2007.

I’d say I’m pretty impressed by that list of folks. Ellen Supple has been a very helpful reader of the Newburyport Blog, and I am relieved to see Brenda Reffett on there and my very bright young neighbor, Jay Iannini on there as well.

These are all passionate folks and passionate from different points of view, and not afraid to speak up or speak their minds.

This is working for me.

Mr. Menin has all kinds of information about the task force on his blog. So if this is a passion of yours, go check it out.

(And as a btw, the list at the side of the Newburyport Blog listing candidates for the Newburyport 2007 election, Newburyport City Council, Newburyport Mayor and Newburyport School Committee is growing, so be sure to check the side of the Newburyport Blog as the list gets added onto.)

Mary Eaton
Newburyport