Paul Is Holding a Meet and Greet and Will Attempt to Answer Your Questions

Paul Marasco is running for a full term seat as a Billerica Selectman. He is currently finishing out the term vacated by newly elected State Representative, Marc Lombardo. Paul is holding a meet and greet at the VFW Hall on Phinney Street on February 18^th, 2011. This event will be held between the hours of 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM.

Paul’s campaign will be serving light refreshments as he meets and discusses issues and concerns about Billerica to those in attendance. If you would like to know more about Paul, please plan on attending. Bring your friends to listen to Paul or to share their concerns and learn Paul’s position on such matters.

You can find information about Paul on his website: http://www.paulmarasco.com, or by e-mailing him at pmarasco@paulmarasco.com. Alternatively, you can try to contact his campaign manager, Cosmo Cavicchio.

Here is a Suggestion on How to Approach Q & A Session Before Choosing Your Next Selectman, School Committee Member, or Any Other Candidate for Office

The election is in April, but it is never too early to learn about candidates and where they stand on the issues. Times are fiscally tough in Billerica and we have lots of infrastructure needs that must be addressed. We have limited funds and a genuine need to know exactly how those funds are collected and how they are disbursed to the various elements of town government; including the School Department. The School Department receives in excess of $50 million dollars and is already signaling that this beast needs even more feeding, while simultaneously signaling that what they have is not being used efficiently.

The most recent example that cries out for an in-depth look at the Billerica School Committee and its component districts is the Ditson Elementary School’s plea for more money to pay for a “specially trained” reading teacher. In an environment that already has more reading specialty teachers than any other school in Billerica, how does one justify asking for more money with a 32% failure rate in their most basic teaching duties? Keep in mind that this is an elementary school and that there is nothing more elementary than reading, writing and basic arithmetic. This is just the tip of the School Department’s problems in Billerica.

Let Us Not Forget Those Already in Office

Generally, the Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager, who are charged with collecting revenue and seeing to it that funds disbursed are efficiently managed, tend to view the School Committee/School Department as some sort of alien entity separate and distinct from the rest of Billerica. Of course, we all know that is not true. Although the School District is somewhat shielded by State regulation, it is still locally funded, for the most part, with money collected from property owners. Can you recall an election where Selectmen candidates were grilled on the state of schools in our town? Can you recall an election where Selectmen were forced to justify their going along with funding recommendations for the School District without so much as a simple attempt to force the School Committee/School District to justify expenditures and to verify proper rules are in place to minimize fraud, theft or outright abuse of taxpayer funds? Can you recall any member or candidate for the Board of Selectmen suggesting that it may be beneficial to look in-depth, forensically, at revenue and spending on the corporate side of town?

So, Here We Are

Well, my friends, this could be your first chance to feel out a candidate. The other two announced candidates (Dave Gagliardi and Bob Accomando – no website) can and should be put to the same questions and their answers compared to whatever your view of reasonableness may be when it comes to asking for increased taxes or making demands for such, “because we have no other choice”. How do we know we have no other choice when no one asks or attempts to answer that question? The reason they can’t and will not answer is because they do not know if increased taxes are truly justified, and the reason they don’t know is because they have failed to look at the town books on both halves of spending forensically.

Until that is done, not a single member of town government can claim that there is no waste, fraud or abuse when it comes to tax monies. Just because we cannot eliminate all waste, fraud and abuse does not mean we should not try to keep it to a minimum Not a single member of town government can, truthfully, say that they have fought to do so, or that they will fight to minimize waste, fraud and abuse without pledging to require a full-scale forensic audit. Would you write a check without ever looking at your checking balance sheet? Would you retire without ever looking to see how much funding you have to support your until you pass away and your spouse beyond that? If not, then, why the hell do you accept such foolishness and carelessness from those you elect to help the town prosper, while also working to keep money in your pockets?

Of course, you can always wait until the week prior to the election for the robocalls to reach you at home telling you who to vote for and trust the judgment of groups that procrastinate or deliberately choose to remain silent until the last minute to avoid having their positions or due diligence methods scrutinized. One so called civic minded group’s last blog entry regarding Billerica (or any other topic for that matter) occurred in March 2010. Had I gotten pregnant back then, I’d be nursing my newborn now.

My advice is to meet the candidates, ask the hard questions, assess the answers, then make your decision. For the candidates and their advisers/managers, what issue could be more important than finance, the economy and fiscal responsibility as a platform plank? Like expecting elementary school teacher to teach young, eager and able minds to read, town finances are also elementary. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Watson? If you citizens see a candidate being fluent and responsible on this matter as too difficult, then, please do the rest of us a favor and consider staying at a 3D fantasy movie marathon on election day.