Still here…

It’s been quite a while since my last post, the election had me quite distracted, and I couldn’t get fired up about much of the local issues, with so much going on nationally. Originally my post was going to be about this letter to the editor in the Newburyport Daily News on Friday, November 7, 2008 by Patty Spaulding and how I couldn’t agree more with her assertion that our elected officials have put the citizens best interests on ice as they move ahead their agenda. I was going to cite the recent debacle that is the solar panel project at the middle school, something I can’t even fathom as to how it was approved and allowed to happen, or how our city council sat idly by and did nothing. And of course I was going to cite the senior center and how it is be forced upon a neighborhood that doesn’t want it by a city councilor that doesn’t even live in that ward.

But then I saw this story in today’s Daily News about local developer Great Woods trying to build 20 homes, each worth over a million dollars, on Toppans Lane. This, city council, is your time to prove that you have the best interests of this city at heart. This is your chance to prove that the local government isn’t in the back pocket of the developers. This is your chance to protect and preserve the city you live in and the city I hope you love as much as the citizens you represent. This project is too much, and we as a city have suffered as much over development as we are willing to handle. It was refreshing to see Councilor Cameron speak out with concerns over the development (as he was the aforementioned councilor pushing the senior center), and I hope the other council members have similar fears. Again, this is your chance to defend Newburyport from a potentially devastating development, and for the sake of us that care about this place, people like Patty Spaulding, please stand up and say no.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere are Signs…

With all the recent hub-bub about A-frames as well as the new story about the city adding a stop sign to Spofford Street, you would think we’d just about milked signs for all their worth. But a regular emailer sent me this photo today of a sign on the corner of Buck and Washington Streets, on the grass at Cushing Park. He asked a very simple question, one I could not answer, so I’m sending it out on the internet, perhaps one of the local city councilors (Ed Cameron or James Shanley, one with an interest in taking Cushing Park and making it a senior center, the other the ward representative) could answer this for us.

Does this sign have the necessary permits or city council approval to be placed on city property? After all, how would it look to all those downtown businesses who can’t have an A-frame down the street, if we as a city don’t obey our very own rules!

Further, i would imagine a permit must also be obtained to hold a yard sale on city property, so let’s pray that all our ducks are in a row!

September 11th

It’s the 7 year anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history. Thankfully, we haven’t had another attack since that day, let’s all pray something like that doesn’t ever happen again.

Tangent

I generally avoid posting about national politics, but i was reading the Newburyport Blog this morning and saw Mary’s post about Rep. Barney Franks take on Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin. I think Frank should be the last person questioning someone else’s family issues, after all, he is the same Rep. whose boyfriend was running a prostitution ring out of Frank’s D.C. home. If we were to judge Palin based on the mistakes her daughter has made, then Frank deserves equal judgment. People in glass houses….

Regarding Mr. McCavitt

I thought I’d take a minute and commend Councilor McCavitt. While the comments attached to the article on the Daily News Website are overwhelmingly (as in 100%) against the Councilor’s decision to file suit against the owner of the clam shack, I have to say that if there was indeed a shady deal, or if that land is public property, then he has a duty to make sure that the law is followed and that the best interests of the city is upheld. Now many say that it’s a waste of money, and it could very well turn out to be so, but much of that rests with the ZBA, the City and the owner, who didn’t fully investigate the claims that the city owned the land. I personally am glad to have at least one councilor who is looking out for the city first, and developers second. How many times has this city been taken advantage of, simply because no one bothered to look into the deals? I’m sick of it, and I know most citizens are. Further, the statements made by the owner of the property and his lawyer seem very unprofessional, trying to degrade Mr. McCavitt’s points by attacking him personally. I’ve met the councilor a few times and he may be a strange fellow, but from the brief conversation I’ve had with him, he is out to protect the waterfront and the city of Newburyport, putting our best interests before those that would profit off of us. I can’t say I have a problem with that, I only wish more of our council acted similarly.

Also, as far as the comments go, it seems pretty clear that most of those people have an axe to grind with the councilor in the first place, especially the first comment by the owner of Licorice and Sloe, who recently had to close down his shop. Calling him a menace is a bit much.

ps. I think we’ll all be glad Mr. McCavitt and his Chapter 91 committee are around when Karp brings his plans to Newburyport.

Very Interesting…

As of 9am Tuesday, McCain/Pallin seems to be leading the voting on the Newburyport Daily News website, who’d have guessed!

Clarification

I was emailed today by one of my readers asking if I had posted something on the Daily News website regarding the bike lanes. It was not me, it’s imposter, I’ve actually yet to post on that site, but I may in the future.  Just setting the record straight.

Also, the bike accident story is quite interesting, i may need to post on it soon…

Restore

A recent bout of comments on Tom Salemi’s Newburyport Posts has left me a bit disheartened at the state of our city. Believe it or not, and I would wager most of you won’t (but that’s ok), I do try to avoid the whole local vs. newbie argument, however, in some cases it just seems unavoidable.

This may be one of those cases, no matter how hard it is for me to believe. The issue at the crux of the discussion was the new Clipper City Rail Trail, and was quickly diverted (probably by myself) down a path towards the state of our beloved World War Memorial Stadium.

I thought for sure this would be one issue that old and new could agree on, that it was high time for the renovation to repair the aging and condemned structure. But surprisingly, it seems there is some opposition to it. I understand that those who have moved here recently probably haven’t been to the stadium, and certainly never played in it, but most have children that someday, will most likely be in the high school, and be playing on that field, in that stadium. And to think that these same parents don’t care about the state of that stadium little shocking, because in this case, I gave the newbies the benefit of the doubt.

To be honest, I didn’t expect them to know there was a memorial there to a local citizen killed in World War II, because I don’t expect most newcomers to know any real history of the town. This is one of the many pet peeves we natives have, but I don’t find it unreasonable, they are new. If I moved to a new town, i certainly wouldn’t know the rich history of it right away either, and I think we all understand that. But I guess the problem we natives see, rightly or wrongly, is that there seems to be a lack of respect for that history. Whether tearing down a historical building, building a development virtually on top of the grave of one of the most prominent men in the cities history, or letting the stadium decay beyond hope of repair or renovation, it seems that the people that move here nowadays just don’t care that there is a history that they don’t understand. Its seems to be out with the old, in with the new, and that is what bothers most natives. People are more concerned about building a bike path than giving our students a proper facility to play sports, and honoring the memories of the veterans who died in World War One, to which the stadium was named a memorial. It seems we have become a city that is less concerned with its history and civic pride, and more concerned about what new restaurant or shoe store is coming to town. I’m biting my tongue not to drop the “Y” word is this post, but it rhymes with puppies.

As for the stadium, I implore all of those that read this to donate whatever they can spare to the RESTORE project. It is a part of the fabric of our city and for those looking to make Newburyport their home, they should, at the very least, respect the history and traditions of the city they chose to live in.

A little birdie told me…

that the Kent St. Parking lot was full to the brim again for the road race. I didn’t see it myself, as i was holed up in the X cave, but i trust this particular birdie. Another mark against Ed Cameron’s plan.

You know it’s Yankee Homecoming when…

you see more than one car a day drive the wrong way down State St.

And you can really tell the difference between natives and newbies when that happens, newbies desperately try to stop the person and explain to them that it is a one way street, natives just laugh at them and hope they get a ticket.