Saturday, October 10, 2009
Signs ..Signs .. Everywhere a Sign
We've been receiving reports that in support of our efforts to bring you the facts, someone or perhaps it is several someones, have been putting up signs around town to send a message that we, the citizen's of Winchester are drawing a line in the sand .. enough is enough! We applaud these efforts and hope others too will let the town know just how they feel.
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87 comments:
I believe my question is unrelated to this subject and trust that the "Informer" will find a proper place for it..
Does anyone know the significance of, and the person or persons responsible, for the planted post signs that have appeared in the past couple days at various locations about town? They look like real estate post signs but have across the top arm, "NOT FOR SALE", and on the hanging portion, "OUR VALUES"?
It sounds like the person placing the posts is making a statement that they are fed up with what is happening with the town officials and all the corruption going on and their integrity and values cannot be bought at any price. If this so, KUDO's to the people posting the signs. Keep up the good work.
What a great idea! C'mom folks, what do you say we all follow this persons lead and send a message to town hall that we are fed up and are not going to take it anymore. A sign doesn't cost but a few bucks or make your own and send your own message, let them know we are watching and are angry and want a response to our concerns that their silence and unwillingness to act will not be tolerated any longer. Perhaps we can get some pictures in the paper and exposure to our problems.
I think its a committee trying to improve our town, some one involved will let us in on it i hope. Anyway its looks like a good idea. Something positive in Winchester, like the park, and according to the Sentinel, the ELM ctr. is refreshing.
Ahhhh...the beauty of FREE SPEECH and taking a stand. Keep the signs coming folks and boot out the inept, look he other way, keep your head in the sand, town leaders. Let's clean house.
I can assure you that the signs DO NOT in anyway support the Winchester Informer. You might want to attend a CAST meeting to found out the real meaning behind these signs.
Thank you, "Anonymous", for the bit of enlightenment re: CAST and the signs. Why not just let us in on the meaning of the signs?? Who's paying for them? They are very nice and can't be cheap...Maybe letting them have a dual purpose would be good for our town. On the other hand, from first glance, they are making our whole town look like it's for sale.
If you know what ALL of these signs are about, why not share it with everyone? And just how would you know that NONE of these signs popping up don't support the Informer? It's obvious many people do.
The signs were put up to create a dialogue about Winchester being a place where people care about each other.
You really need to attend a CAST meeting to understand what is being done to make Winchester a caring community. It might put a whole new light on what is really happening in Winchester as a community. It will also hopefully open peoples eyes to the level of involvement with different levels of Winchester Town Government that participates in the CAST meetings. This will be a more pro-active approach than anything this blog has done in the past. I also no that NONE of these signs does have anything to do with this particular blog site.
The meaning of CAST is Community and Schools Together. This is a very dedicated group of individuals who put the needs of the community of Winchester first without the blame game. I would encourage you all to attend. The meetings are held the second Thursday of the month at 9:00 at the ELLM Center. Really make a difference attend a meeting.
What does the sign mean to you?
To me it means that Winchester is gaining a better understanding on how they can all work together to make Winchester a better and more positive place to live. CAST Community and Schools Together. Check out the ELMM website concerning this organization.
CAST which has been discussing doing this for months, under the circumstances may have chosen a bad time to come out into the public, even if it is a worthwhile project.
Unfortunately, before you can have positive change in your community you need to deal with the negative problems and corruption.
For the town of Winchester that starts at the top.
Wow - Some of the same names that are part of this program are also the same names who have turned out to be less than honest and truthful relative to their responsiblity to the town and it's people.
No wonder why it sounds as if you want to sweep the towns problems under the carpet instead of finding out the truth and taking the appropriate measures.
Before anybody says anything, this isn't a slam to worthwhile effort but you have deal in reality.
To the person providing the information regarding this CAST thing, something I and others in my neighborhood never heard of; who started this, when was it started and just who from the town is involved on this committee? Is it also funded by us unknowing taxpayers, just like that RED program with that unneeded downtown park? It's just burns my butt to constantly read about all this spending going on in this town to present a false image of a community all together when there are so many issues, so many what appears to be not so honest people involved in running this town and such an attitude of entitlement and indifference to the rest of us who don't work at or hang out at the town hall.
I think we should start a sign campaign to let everyone know exactly how most of us feel about what's going on in town and show that we are really concerned about issues raised on the Informer and that our town officials are failing us by ignoring these problems and trying to put on a "happy face" with these committees promoting caring and unity. To me this is just false propaganda to provide a smoke screen that all is well in Winchester and a few ( word's from town hall ) malcontents are intent on starting trouble for the town. I am not a malcontent, I am a very concerned mother of four raising my children in what seems like a lawless and very poorly run town that cares more about image and the people in charge keeping their jobs than solving serious issues that affect all of us. Committees won't solve our problems unless it's a citizen's committee made up of people seeking answers and changes with strong backing from local law enforcement agencies and the AG's office. Take the signs down, they are meaningless and don't represent the feelings of those of us who are informed about what's really going on in our town
Gus Ruth and Gary Phillips are two of the people involved.
Nice image for the Community and the Schools.
Gus Ruth and Gary Phillips both have a high stake in pretending to the public nothing is going on.
It wouldn't surpirse me to find out they were involved in the push to get the signs out.Figuring they can fool the people into thinking they are all working together and everythig is hunky dory.
Well Mr Selectman and Mr Chief of Police you aren't going to fool us.
WE can see past your deceptions and can see your corrupt ways.
You do nothing except for return of personal gain.
Neither of you are geniune and both of you are corrupt.
The purpose of the first signs was to get people talking about Winchester. The signs are part of upcoming activities, and yes more signs/stickers etc. to have people be aware that it takes a community to raise our children in a safe, and healthy way. That as adults and parents, we need to be there for each other and work together. We can't sell out on our trust and value to care about each other. Although some are interpreting the signs differently, this is the purpose. CAST involves many different people from the community and from outside the community. Winchester is piloting this for the rest of the Monadnock Region because there is a group of concerned citizens and parents who wanted to do something positive in raising their children, and for their community. The financial support for this comes from a grant the monadnock region has. Each of us can choose how to interpret this message. However, you choose, just know that the real purpose is for everyone to begin to feel the spirit of these parents and other adults in the community that believe Winchester is a great place to live, play and work....and that they know that others are there to support them....
re: the CAST signs: Does not the "NOT FOR SALE" statement conversely imply that "something" has been for sale? What could that be?
In regards to: "Winchester is a great place to live"
It could be if everyone of you would get your heads out of the sand and realize there are many serious problems plaguing your community and these problem, especially the ones raised here that you have been informed about and possibly more hidden from your town, are destroying Winchester's reputation as a good place to live and bring up your children. I am from Swanzey and am so glad that the issues we have in town are no where near what you people are going through over there. I would never consider moving to Winchester and raising my children in a town so out of touch and with so many troubling issues. That Winchester has been chosen to pilot this CAST program and be a model for all of us in the Monadnock region is a disgrace and puts a black on on this from the very start. Best to clean up your house before you invite guests in !
Please note that the CAST program has been around for a very long time. I do hope that this time it will support the school and the community. Right now it has three strikes against it 1. The Chief of Police 2. Gus Ruth and 3. The name that the town has recieved from the bad press.
I too am not a malcontent. I am and educated concerned citizen and resent the fact that because I believe that there is trouble in this town my ideas and thoughts are to be disbelieved. I think that all of our elected officials should resign as they have not lived up to their fiduciary responsiblity to the citizens of this town.
Thanks for the blog without it we all would have our heads in dark spaces.
It always amazes me how a good thing such as what CAST is trying to promote can be dragged through the mud by people who will not attend a meeting, or do anything else constructive to better the Town of Winchester. You need to get out behind your computer monitors and attend a CAST meeting. CAST has been around for at least the past ten years. If you do not know anything about it, then you have not been reading the newspapers, checking out the schools website or the ELMM website. It has also been discussed in many of the area churches as most of your pastors belong to CAST. Instead of degrading these people and what they are trying to do for the Town and the surrounding area get involved if you don’t you are part of the problem not part of the solution.
Thanks for the info on this CAST program; however not all of us have children or ours are all grown up and gone and therefore we don't know anything about this program as we don't attend PTA or other school meetings and my priest does not speak about school issues at church on Sunday. As for degrading people involved in this program, I don't see where anyone did other than to mention that Mr. Ruth and Mr. Phillips have issues that need answers to and by their very participation in this CAST program could bring the wrong kind of attention to it. As for getting involved, it would seem that this blog, the people running it and spending their unpaid time investigating issues which affect every one of us in Winchester with or without children and those that respond, send in information and support these people ARE involved in attempting to educate people like yourself who think things are just so rosey in town. Perhaps what that so-called RED committee should have done instead of wasting good money on a park no one but town employees and druggies will use is erect a statue of those 3 monkeys .. see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. That would represent most in this town. My 2 cents worth
Winchester is not piloting CAST. CAST has been part of the Winchester community for over 15 years. It is a group of concerned citizens that are trying to provide a networking forum for the societal issues every community faces-lack of transportation, drugs, violence, etc. CAST is a very successfull example of people coming together monthly to share information and network. CAST has been crucial to connecting people so that they can in turn help bring resources (programs, financial etc.) to Winchester to address these problems. Connecting people allows us to work together on an issue and to bring other people into the effort so that we can work towards solutions. Not every CAST member is involved in this parent focused effort to let parents know that other parents are there for them. Because a group of parents/adults want to do something they found the resources to pilot an effort around parents supporting each other in raising their children. I'm not quite sure why there is a small group so negative about this effort to unite parents so that they feel supported, and know quite simply that someone in the community is there for them. Just for the record, an attempt was made to have two other sites in the region pilot a project like this. Not enough interest was demonstrated to show that they would have the capacity or plan to carry out the effort. Winchester had over 35 parents involved in the planning of this...if you ask me, that is a caring group of people who are willing to work towards a goal together...something we don't find in every community anymore..... This group (with no name-just a group of parents/concerned adults) invites others to join in....CAST is simply the place you can meet some of them to find out what they are doing.
To the person posting about CAST;
Why don't you send us some information regarding this community effort; how many members are actually from Winchester, some of the programs and projects they are working on and some dialog on what this CAST has accomplished over the past 15 years here in town. We'd be glad to post a blog and help you inform others.
This CAST program is a great idea but even the people who know about it don't seem to know too much about it. Like how long it's been around and whether it's a pilot program or not, so don't get all over the people who are just hearing about it for the first time please. Programs are great but the reality is no matter how good they are they can't be effective when your government and police dept and any other officials in power are corrupt and have run amok. You need to take the blinders off, get your head out of the sand or wherever else it might be and face the facts. Not everbody this program but everybody has a right to a safe and protect us. That's the only way the problems get solved.
It sounds like the signs have gotten people inquiring about what is going on in Winchester. I take this as a positive because without concerns and open, honest conversations from everyone (including this blog) change may not occur. Awesome that Winchester was chosen as the pilot!
I've heard there is more to come on the signs. It definately peaked my interest and probably if someone handed me a flyer I might not read it.
I know that several have tried to explain the purpose, history and accomplishments of CAST. I am going to give it a shot as well. CAST is a network of resources. It is not a club or an "organization". There is no membership. Many that attend are leaders in Winchester and/or heads of area service agencies. Some are concerned (or just curious) citizens. It is open to any person who wants to make a difference in our community or maybe who wants to hear how organizations are helping each other in sustaining or supporting current programming. Some are most interested in sharing ideas about transportation issues within Winchester, some are concerned with the risky behaviors within Winchester, some are there to offer services and some are there to acquire them. Sometimes smaller "task forces" are developed to address a very specific concern. Someone out there correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that CAST is where the ideas of the Winchester Learning Center and the ACCESS (after school programming) programs blossomed from. Programs addressing early education and after school activity.
CAST was originally founded almost 15 years ago by 4 or 5 long time Winchester and Ashuelot residents dedicated to the growth of Winchester. At each meeting, it is a positive atmosphere (with free coffee and baked goods!!) where everyone, no matter which website you blog to, leaves their personal differences at the door to make an honest, hard working effort to focus on what is most important...the physical, social, emotional and mental health of our community. That is why I attend.
You can't tell us that with all the garbage going on and the problems in the selectmen's office and the police department that having members from those departments doesn't have some sort of negative effect on your organization or will in time.
It's one thing to have political differences and quite another to have such moral and ethical differences that one's word and integrity are at issue. These are high-ranking officials and representatives of the community and as such it is required that they hold themselves to a higher expectation than average citizen in their behavior both in and out of the work arena.
They have chosen and showed full well that they do not agree with that philosophy, therefore until you lose these members you lose credibility as it appears you do have your heads in the sand and your rose colored glasses on. Until you realize your problem you can't have a proper solution. Demand that an investigation take place, demand the removal of these members and get the proper representatives involved with your organization so you don’t lose more credibility.
If the members like Gus Ruth and Gary Phillips of the CAST program really cared about their community they would one; Gus Ruth would work to cut our tax burden, stop this robbing of our tax dollars from currant land use tax money funneled into the conservation committee for his pet projects that represents no one but themselves. Two; Gary Phillips would work to make our neighborhood safer by making an effort to patrol our neighborhoods, or even take the time or effort to investigate calls to 911 or the police station for theft, speeders and disturbing the peace in the neighborhoods.
Their participation in groups is an attempt to bolsters their image as great pillars of the community and keeps their position among the small minded people who take the time to vote and keep these types of people in position of authority.
For years they have hidden the truth about the special deals and perks that cost us all tax dollars in our town and now it time for damage control, because their ship is sinking.
You dont seem to like some of the people attending C.A.S.T. meetings but unlike you, they come show their faces and use their names. They dont hide behind blogs complaining and doing nothing else but complaining. These people actually get together person to person and work on our Towns problems and put their names to it.
many wonderful things have grown out of these meetings, What have you done? bellyache and whine is what I'm seeing, but I cant see 1 thing this sight has acomplished except draw dividing lines in the town. If you think there is a problem come out from behind your keyboard and work on it, get out and vote draw people together and fix things,pointing fingers and whining isnt doing you any good. I am not saying you have not uncovered some wrong doings or problems but you dont seem to want to really change or fix it, you think if you cry hard enough some one else will do it for you....Not Happening...If you want change work for it. Thats what cast is all about, no one on that group sits behind a anonymous blog whining.
If Im wrong point out some of the things or at least one thing this sight has changed and acomplished
I think Cast is a good idea and the people that take the time to participate deserve a pat on the back. The Winchester Informer is also a good idea, except for the few people that get a little to nasty we get a lot of info that we would not get at the town hall or in the Keene Sentinel. Just because cast is good doesn't mean there aren't a lot of things in town that we need to change.
To the poster two comments above who posted anonymously.. why? If you are a member of this CAST, why hide behind the anonymous option, why not use your name if you are so proud of the work you and other CAST members have accomplished? Are you afraid, are you someone who just likes to cast stones, or just another whiner looking to make trouble posting on this blog. This blog has uncovered more graft and corruption, has brought things to light that have been covered up and going on for years and has brought people together in a common goal to make changes for the better. CAST may be a great program; but hardly anyone knows about it or can tell us what it has accomplished as far as straightening out the problems of this town. It has been pointed out that two well known members of this CAST group here in Winchester are at the root of a lot of unflattering and questionable issues and could by their association give CAST a black eye. It has been well documented that there are numerous issues with our police department, what has CAST done to solve these problems? Sounds to me like CAST has issues too. Not that the idea of forming a citizens group to look at and attempt to solve problems in town isn't a great idea; but for a group that's been around 15 years as someone said, looks like a lot of issues haven't been looked into or dealt with by anyone.
As for your comments that we are all a bunch of whining cry babies and that we should get involved instead of pecking away at our key boards pointing fingers and bellyaching you could not be further from the truth. We are organizing, we are doing something that CAST obviously for political reasons has looked the other way on. WE are going to make a difference thanks to this blog and the people who have stuck their necks out for all of us. That people come here and voice their contempt for this blog and blame it for dividing the town is a testament to the good that it is doing educating everyone on matters otherwise hidden from all of us. It provides a sounding board for both sides of the issues and allows you to voice your unfettered comments. You'll not succeed in discrediting these good people or their efforts to enlighten us. Oh and I know that many who comment here do vote and attend the deliberative session and even write warrant articles, can you say the same?
You mention all these wonderful things that CAST has accomplished here in Winchester, please tell us what these wonderful things are that you speak of.
To the last blogger: 10/13/2009 @ 5:09. Talk about "the pot calling the kettle black". Why do you not indentify yourself? You probably didn't for the same reason as others do not because they fear some form of retaliation. If this Winchester Informer/blog did not exist Winchester would still be in the same old corrupt “good old boy” boat. What has this blog done? It got your attention did it not? Also, as you have pointed out, a line has been drawn in the sand another byproduct of The Winchester Informer. If it was not for this blog, would the citizens of Winchester have known about Phillips, Jette, Roberts and their antics? NO!!! Why do you think Roberts applied to Winchester? Winchester’s hiring process "sucks" and at best it is inconsistent. Hell, even Chief Richie Pratt of Nelson who operates on a small budget stands by his guns and requires that his applicants, unlike Winchester's Kenny Smith to pass a physical testing process before they are hired. As far as this blog goes, it’s funny how people take a stand on a program near and dear to them such as the CA.S.T. who get their "panties in a twist" because someone speculated about the signs that were posted, yet you have the GALL to say people are whining and you could care less about the most powerful and influential department in the town that has brought nothing but embarrassment and ill-fame to its community. It's great to see community programs getting established for the greater good. However, you can't truly expect a lot from a community as small as Winchester to benefit when their reputation is an embarrassment to Cheshire County. Winchester has had a negative reputation not because of its people, not because of its town father’s' but because of its police department and its past and present practices. You want to stop the confusion and negativity? Clean up tour local PD. If it means exposing "dirty little secrets" from the past, oh well and so be it! The way it looks now, the people of Winchester have two choices, #1.Expose the corruption, clean up the town and start anew or #2. Keep the "status quo" and live with what has been happening for the last two decades. A group of people from within and outside Winchester have chosen to utilize the Winchester Informer as a forum to fight and expose the injustices and corruption going on in Winchester. Embrace those who want to help your community instead of shunning them away.
Well said, "My Name is Sam", (7:08 pm) and "Crusader" (7:31pm) .....well said. Thank you for taking your time to speak out.
To anonymous said – for your edification, on the Winchester blog page please refer to the right hand side for past blog information about the WPD starting on July 30, 2009, What’s going on with our Police Department? blog. Just remember there is information out there, names, phones, people who are willing to take the risk and talk.
Anonymous needs to get the head out of the sand and realize there are big problems going on.
To anonymous – It’s easy for some to believe the BS they are fed when they can’t look past their own noses. Some have shown their faces. FACTS:
Dan R filed a lawsuit against the town. He got fired for bringing to Gary Phillips attention problems going on in the WPD. Dan was a threat to Phillips & his regime. Dan didn’t get fired for leaking info, as Phillips states. There isn’t a date, name or place mentioned in his letter. At best a reader could only guess what was going on.
What was exposed was an opinion of Phillips inability to lead & inability to follow through on his own policies.
It’s about a chaotic & hostile work environment created by Phillips & his denial of that fact, just as he denies it today & continues to say it’s just a couple of malcontents.
Phillips created a nonsensical story of Dan stealing back his letter & releasing confidential info. It could be argued Dan was releasing personnel information but that information would have been about Phillips, his lack of control & his lack of concern for the members of the WPD & the public.
Phillips decided to have a formal investigation conducted by the Sheriff’s Dept, for the purpose of neutrality & that investigation didn’t follow his own policies.
Phillips accused Dan of not cooperating in an investigation & refusing to answer questions. Contrary to the story being told, Phillips was told through Dan’s attorney that he was more than willing to cooperate & to schedule a time & place for the investigation to continue. Phillips never told the Sheriff’s dept. about this detail. Why not? They were led to believe Dan refused to cooperate. A way for Phillips to discredit Dan, right in front of the entire county & for stealing & lying?
Phillips didn’t want the Sheriff’s dept involved any more because they would have been on to him. Instead Phillips conducted his own lame investigation with the help of Chris Roberts. Among other things Roberts finds Dan emailed to his email account at his “HOME ADDRESS” emails. Dan was a supervisor & often did work at home & had been for years & Phillips knew that. Perhaps if Roberts had been able to supervise people in Hinsdale he would have known supervisors often do work at home.
Mike Towne & Cope Holman have been fighting a court battle for 2 years because of Margaret Sharra, the planning board & Van Dyke. Again, it’s because the rules aren’t followed. The case has gone to the Supreme Court. They have been forced to spend their own money, money that they don’t have just to fight for their rights.
Sharra has continued to make the rules up as she sees fit & she has the support of most of the Planning Board. Sharra disregarded the judge’s ruling as she is just anotehr crooked public official. That’s what your righteous elected & appointed officials have done in this debacle.
To which town members is this project going to be the “Crown Jewel of Winchester”, as Sharra states? The people who move in & hear the race track every Saturday? The school system because of all the kids that will move into them?
Who’s kidding whom? It’s going to be more Section 8 housing because Van Dyke won’t be able to sell these units. Nobody with the money is going to want to buy a house or a condo off Route 10 & near the racetrack at that. The higher up on the mountain you go the nosier it is.
So here are a couple of examples of how people are making themselves known to the public & are fighting back, trying to make changes & trying to let the town know that the rules aren’t’ made for some & not others, but are made for all.
So while you are working on your committees to decide which pickle to use on the flyer for the Pickle Festival or which message should be on the sign so as to promote peace & harmony in the community, there are others in the trenches fighting just as hard so your kids & grandkids can have some pride in their town when they grow up
Taking a Stand and Making a Difference...How about you?
Why are some of the more recent blogs here being stated under the "Signs - Signs" topic and not under the Police related blogs...since they are "police related"...It is becoming tedious and time consuming to plow through and read all this duplication. I'd bet all reading the "blogs" read through all or most topics. Please help us trying to follow by sticking to the subject matter. Thank you.
Kudos to "Taking a Stand". People need to also understand that the two gentlemen who are fighting for their rights are also paying for this debacle twice once out of their right pocket (their own money) and then out of their left pocket (their tax money). All any of us want is a Winchester that has integrity that you can be proud to live in.
The comments about the police department have been moved to the proper topics.
Please, people keep your comments on the subject at hand, as stated above it gets confusing reading about something that is not about the subject being discussed.
Thank you to sticking to the subject matter under the Signs post. I've seen the signs have moved to different properies. It seems like there are a lot more supporters that are looking to make a difference. Whwn will we know what we can do?
To the above poster –That’s good that you want to support the signs post – but the signs post was about making a community better and before that can happen you have to identify your problems.
Sometimes it’s good when we expand our horizons and reach out for knowledge we don’t necessarily want to hear about.
In this case, it seems some of the posts that were removed were about the corruption in Winchester.
You can’t help to solve the town’s problems if you hide your head under the blankets. You can ignore them that way, you can pretend they don’t exist, but you can’t help to solve them.
The post removed showed the corruption in several offices of this town, the BOS, the police dept and the planning board.
If you want to help, why not write to your Selectmen and ask them, other than keeping their heads under the blankets dreaming their fair town is run smoothly, efficiently, fairly and with pride, what they are going to do after they wake up from their dream and are in reality and dealing with all the corruption that is going on?
Especially, in the police dept, the dept that has the ability to abuse citizens and to also hurt investigations when evidence isn’t handled properly?
Honesty and transparency must come from our elected officials first and these kinds of articles help to give the false impression that wrongdoing pays off. We need to send a clear message this is not acceptable.
10/15 Keene Sentinel Not Accurate?
State probe clears Winchester police by Sarah Palermo
Interestingly there is an article about the police department in today’s Keene Sentinel. The headline reads “State probe clears Winchester police”. Like many articles that come out of the Sentinel this too is biased and inaccurate.
I don’t see anywhere that it states the Attorney General’s office “cleared” anybody of any wrongdoing except in the determination made by Sentinel reporter Sarah Palermo. In fact all Attorney Generals office states is that the claims don’t warrant a criminal investigation and that the things they investigated, which they do not tell us what they are or who they spoke to, don’t rise to the level of criminal charges. They don’t say a thing about them not being criminal – perhaps they don’t have enough evidence and they don’t say anything about things not being wrong.
So the Sentinel basically wrote a story based on either there version of things or perhaps they got the scoop from the WPD personnel who are doing everything in their power to deflect the truth. The AG’s office and the Sentinel don’t live with these people nor have they worked with them, so unless they want to do a real investigation they should keep their opinions to themselves, else they will look just as foolish as the cops in the Winchester police Dept. The following is from the Keene Sentinel article. Did the Sentinel report this news accurately?
Late last month, officials determined the claims do not warrant a criminal investigation, according to Assistant Attorney General James T. Boffetti, who works in the criminal bureau.
The office investigated complaints from at least two people, but none will lead to criminal charges, he said.
Investigators interviewed “many individuals involved directly or indirectly with the issues,” Boffetti said.
“Our task is to look to see if there is anything that rises to the level of criminal charges ... I don’t anticipate (the criminal bureau) taking any further action,” he said.
As far as which accusations his office investigated, and who was interviewed, Boffetti would not say.
To anyone wondering how they can learn more about being part of the parent network-parents are invited to a planning session at 1p.m. at the Ford Building behind the school, or 6 p.m. at the building where the Mobile Supply used to be on Tuesday Oct. 20. This is a chance for us to network as parents and decide how we can continue to support each other. We will be talking about the history and meaning of the signs, activities and planning some other things we would like to do. This is about us building a parent network to support each other and will be focused on the plan and activities specific to that. Pizza will be provided at both sessions. If you are, or ever have been a parent or guardian, please come find out more about the signs and be part of this effort to build a support network for parents.
I for one am very grateful to have this blog.
It gives our community the opportunity to check in and see what is going on in town. Not everyone takes the time to attend meetings, nor do they take the time to visit with their neighbors. And we all know how easily rumors get started. So, this venue allows us a way to check the pulse of the town. And get accurate information.
We can't always rely on the bloggers, but the website does it's best to present the truth.
Thank you - Winchester Informer!
Thank you Danielle for your response, hope you get some takers.
Question for Danielle. Yes, thank you for responding, but I thought CAST (if that is the group you are speaking of) also stood for "community", and what you have posted speaks only of "parents or guardians", past or present, as interested persons to be involved. Also, a 9:00am meeting time is NOT convenient for many in our town??
Why do they have one of their signs on the corner of the police department property implying the police department's integrity isn't for sale? I thought you aren't allowed to solicit and put signs on town property?
Some would disagree about the integrity of the police but I guess we can all put signs up now. Freedom of Speech.
That will be good, at least then we can have different points of view.
Thanks for getting the permission to do that because the BOS probably wouldn't let differing opinions put their comments on town property without some kind of retaliation, at least now they have to be fair.
The signs are cute but many of us find them to be fake under the circumstances.
Signs making it look like there are morals and principles in our town makes us look even more foolish than you realize or think.
I'm getting tired of going to work and hearing we are riduculed by the towns and people around us. Signs aren't going to help our image if the town fathers don't start acting like they should.
They are responsible for making sure our money is spent wisely and our departments are under control.
So far they aren't doing either.
If they ever had to work and deal with people outside Winchester they would know exactly how stupdid they look and we look.
Get out of your fairyland and do what we hired you to do.
To Puzzled,
You are correct, C.A.S.T. is the acronym for "community and schools together". This is the forum in which we created our "Actuality Committee", a sub committee of C.A.S.T. Many of our community's officials (selectman, police, budget committee members, ect.), area agencies (HCS, MVP, Dartmouth Hitchcock, Cheshire Mediation, Keene Youth Services, etc), representatives of our local social, non profit and civic groups (Kiwanis, Winchester Woman's Club, VFW, etc.) along with school officials attend this meeting. With so many of these people already committed to standing evening meetings it would be impossible to have the attendance that we have if we were to have meetings during the evening. The Actuality Committee realizes that this is not the best time for most of our parents and that is why we scheduled focus groups at 1pm (Ford Building@Winchester School)) and 6pm (the old mobile home supply store, Rte. 10) on Oct. 20. Hope to see you at one of these scheduled meetings or hope that you will contact the Actuality Committee so we can provide you with information regarding upcoming meetings and events.
The signs developed for this campaign are not politically driven. The idea for these signs was parent inspired during the first set of focus groups back in June. In effort to motivate our community's parents to begin (or continue) thinking (and talking) about our values and how to be honest with each other as parents about our children. This kind of communication could prevent underage parties and the onset of drug and alcohol abuse. This campaign is attacking the unhealthy choices we see our kids making.
To the last anonymous poster,
I'd like to think I am doing my job. I am the director for a community center that heavily focuses on healthy recreation and athletics for youth. Healthier kids make healthier adults. Healthier adults become working adults, tax payers, law abiding citizens and parents we can trust and rely on to raise our future generations with values and integrity. I don't think this is a fairyland.
I am not a town employee. The E.L.M.M.C.C., the organization that employed me, is contracted by the town to provide youth recreation to the children of Ashuelot and Winchester. The E.L.M.M.C.C. is governed by it's own mission, policies and regulations set forth by Gov. Francis P. Murphy. I report directly to the Board of Trustees and they are accepting nominations for potential new board members. Feel free to contact a volunteer board member to express your interest.
Thank you,
Danielle Borges
great job Danielle!!!
To the person who posted this:
"I'm getting tired of going to work and hearing we are riduculed by the towns and people around us. Signs aren't going to help our image if the town fathers don't start acting like they should."
Have you every thought that one of the main reasons might be this blog as to why people are ridiculing the Town of Winchester?
Want to really make a differnce get involved, volunteer at one of the many organizations that a truly making the Town of Winchester a better place to be.
Ah yes, attack this blog for creating all of the problems in the town, keep your head in the sand and keep those rose colored glasses on and everything will be just hunky dorey in Winchester. That's exactly what is wrong with our town. Way too many of you swallow everything that comes out of town hall and what you are told by the very people attributing to our main problems and quickly point the finger at this blog and the people who post comments on it. Grow up, open your eyes and start looking at the big picture. The very people who take part in these meetings are the ones responsible for the division in town; not this blog. This blog has shown the light on a number of serious issues in our town and yet you sit there and ignore these facts and say it's the cause of Winchester's growing divide, how foolish you are. CAST is/was a great idea; however after all this time, all these meetings, you still don't have a handle on anything and until CAST looks at the bigger picture, gets involved with solving the bigger issues; you'll never accomplish your goals, you'll just continue to tread water and be faced with the same issues that have gone on for years. Image is nice, of course the very same people shown to be untrustworthy are going to join organizations such as CAST, makes them look good; in everyone's eyes; however accomplishments are much better. You can't solve the problem until you acknowledge there's a bigger issue in town that needs to be addressed first. Until you clean house, no matter how many pictures you hang on your walls or how many flowers you place around the room, the smell and the dirt is still there. Until things change, they will remain the same.
One more thing, this town has had it's negative reputation for many years, long before this blog was started. The old Winchester-Informed-Citizen website attempted to do the same thing many years ago, by showing us the problems in our town that are still here today. These problems won't go away by themselves, it will take a combined effort of everyone. You build a strong house by starting at the bottom and working your way up; not by starting at the top and working your way down. Put the blame where it belongs, not on this blog; but on the people who are giving our town the bad reputation it is getting, actions speak louder than words, sitting around drinking tea and eating pizza isn't going to solve a thing.
To the above poster:
You nailed it, you're exactly right. The same inner circle of people who are the root of many of our town's problems are on all of these so-called betterment committees. It's all about image, smoke and mirrors. Wasted time and money and no results.
To Danielle, would you post a list of the members of your committee and explain how you came up with the name "Actuality Committee" and what your goals are, please?
To anonymous - your response is insulting to those us who can read between the lines.
The blog isn’t the problem it’s the people in charge who are the problem. Many of us who know different and have to be the butt of jokes because of coming from Winchester.
There are big problems in this town and they aren’t coming from most of us.
You have a BOS who run the gamut of incompetence and lie to us at every opportunity.
They don’t want us to know that: one of them doesn’t pay taxes the way the rest of us have to, who gets arrested for going after her husband with a knife, we have another one who had to have State Police officer tell him they weren’t going to have a double standard arrest and if he wanted the citizen arrested his wife was going with the one getting arrested too, and for doing the same thing plus an extra charge, State Police didn’t play favorites and Ruth backed down, another one was the town drunk until he got a job as a corrupt police officer who now covers for the corrupt police officers we employ, another one pals around with the corrupt ex-cop and then we have a pharmacist who it appears to some is enjoying what he sells and off in la la land somewhere with the rest of the jokesters.
You have a police chief and lt. who he doesn’t even trust, both fired from their last police gigs and now doing bank fraud together?
How could anybody with any intelligence even suggest that the truth is the problem with this town? People who think things are hunky dory for the rest of us just don’t live in the real world.
This town has many good people living in it who do want things to change for the better but they never will be able to as long we have incompetent leadership and groups of people like you who want to entertain the incompetence.
You are part of the problem when you look the other way no matter how good your intentions are.
If you are sincere about the town demand the BOS do something before they totally ruin this town if that is even possible anymore.
Outside looking in says that the people in charge are on a wishful thinking magic carpet ride.
They wish they could afford champagne but instead have to drink beer.
People on the 15 year old committee that nobody in your town has ever seemed to hear about, Winchester is never gonna be fixed if you keep pretending you don’t have problems.
Champagne taste and a beer budget ….to an outsider ….probably explains the sad group called your BOS and lets not forget your departments with troubles.
CAST is just a left-leaning organization aiming to spread the propaganda introduced into the schools to the surrounding "community." It promotes "social programs" to manipulate people. You can count on them to come up with lots of things that will cost a lot of money from the many and benefit a few elite little projects and groups. Surely we will need to do live up to our "community responsibility" to save the earth, save the children and clear the streets of all the people who are lying in them from "lack of health care." (Government monopoly has done such a good job of delivering high quality education at cheap costs that we should surely give it a monopoly on medicine too! NOT!)
The socialists are really good with the double-speak. "Values" can mean anything. To most of us they mean individual things like morality and integrity, but to that crew you can be sure they mean collective things like "fairness, social justice and wealth redistribution."
What we need are signs that say, "Not for Sale: Our FREEDOM."
Let's hope the budget committee continues to draw down the life's blood of the users, i.e. tax dollars.
Yes, the BUDGET COMMITTEE is crucial to our survival as a community in this economy, but beware the Deliberative session when budgets and warrant articles will have their meanings changed and dollars added. EVERY VOTE THERE SHOULD BE ON PAPER BALLOT.
Any organization that claims to have been around in Winchester for the past 15 years, that so few people in town know about, is just another group of agenda driven people driving straight through without every looking to see what they are driving past.
That’s why we have the problems we do.
Nobody stops and looks around to see what the real issues are, they are too busy window dressing.
Just another frivolous use of GRANT money. We could have come up with better uses than signs that make our town look like it's in forclosure!
Is the old trailer supply store becoming another subsidised property? It looks like the agenda is another program on the back of the tax payers, correct me if I'm wrong.
Plans for the old Mobile HOme Supply Shop on Route 10 include an alternative learning center for teenagers. It sounds like the program (not using any Winchester tax payor dollars) will encourage teens to enhance their learning with workshops and virtual learning sites. I'm excited that our town will finally have a good safe place for our teens to hang out.
Uh, oh...was that a bash on the ELMC center?
I completely support the new ideas that are coming up in "Edventures" and the "Gathering Net". Teens use the center during the warmer months to play basketball, ride bikes and skateboards, walk the trails or just to hang out. Currently there is no place in Winchester that teens can go and "hang out" with supervision during the winter months. I was honored when I was asked to be on their Board of Directors. Thank you Pastor Allison for all your hard work with this new project.
Here are some upcoming events that you all may interested in:
Halloween Parade, Costume Judging Contest and "Trick or Treat"
October 31, 2009, 4-6pm, at the ELMM Community Center located at 21 Durkee St., Winchester, NH
Parade begins at the ELMMCC, 20-21 Parker Street, at 4 pm and returns to the ELMMCC for the costume judging contest. Cash prizes and candy will be awarded to all participants. Free refreshments will be available .
Sponsored by the Kiwanis of Winchester, Winchester Fire Department and ELMM Community Center
Winchester's Trick or Treat time is 5-8 pm
Soccer Jamboree
November 7, 2009, 10 am to 1 pm at the ELMMCC athletic fields on Durkee St., Winchester, NH
Everyone is welcome to join in the fun and celebrate our soccer player's season success. Tournament style games will be held from 10 am-1 pm. Free activities include pony rides, "needle in a haystack" face painting and a jumpy house. The "King of Silly" will come with all of his silly balloon tricks, unicycle, juggling act and more. The ELMMCC concession stand will be open from 10 am to 1 pm.
Christmas Bazaar
November 14, 2009, 9 am-3 pm, at the ELMM Community Center located at 21 Durkee St., Winchester, NH
Jewelry, crafts, baked goods, Noah's Ark Stuffed animal workshop and so much more. Breakfast and lunch items will be available to both vendors and patrons, provided by Cub Scout Pack #340.
Mrs. Claus and her elves will be there to accept names of Winchester and Ashuelot's children for the "nice list". Santa and Mrs. Claus will return to Ashuelot Village on Dec. 20 to bring every child on the "nice list" a gift. Gifts provided by the Ashuelot Village and Children's Fund.
2010-2011 Community calendars will be available for purchase.
Vendor space is available. Registration fee is $15.00 per table. Registration deadline is Nov. 8th or when space is unavailable.
Vendor applications are available at www.elmmcenter.net or call 603/239-4316
Speaking of the Village...did anyone see the Court Logs in Saturday's paper?
Just one more person to add to your list of people on C.A.S.T. trying to make their image something more than it is.
What was in the court logs? Not all of us get the Sentinel. Please share your information to help us understand. Thank you.
Wow, I had no idea there is so much good stuff happening in Winchester..
I heard someone from Keene say they come to Winchester for Halloween because they love our family friendly atmosphere. Way to go Danielle!
Keep your rose colored glasses on and tell the real truth about Saturday's court log. As to the family atmosphere it is probably due to close intermingling of the immediate family structure.
That someone from Keene would actually come all the way to Winchester just to go trick or treating on Halloween because thy love the family friendly atmosphere,in a town that they don't live in, is so far fetched it's comical. Keep trying to promote the all is well, Mr. Rodger's neighborhood bs and perhaps you'll convince yourself to believe your own lies. There surely is a lot going on in Winchester and none of it is good stuff.
Wasting grant money to purchase signs to promote one's self shows just what kind of values you people really have. How does self promotion do anything to rectify serious problems in our town. While it is a nice idea to provide our kids with a safe place to go and hang out, that grant money might have been better spent by providing notification on this effort with details about who, what, where and when don't you think?
Get off your high horses, all is not well in our town and your efforts to come on this blog to crow about unity and what great things are going on is ludicrous and just another effort to bury the truth as to what is really going on in town.
I'm not sure what grant money purchased any signs. People do share things in this town (besides negativity)Maybe you should get your facts straight. In fact it sounds like there are more people on this blog that are willing to help and start to make a difference than complain about how "they" weren't notified. Consider yourself notified. Maybe you should become more involved or does misery want to stay disgusted?
If you weren't sure than you really shouldn't have commented on something you obviously, by your own admittance don't know about. As for negativity, put the blame where it belongs. When the people in charge refuse to acknowledge there are issues and attempt to discredit those who not only see the light but know the truth and because things aren't right and people are hurting then there are problems that need to be addressed and changes that need to be made. Coming to this blog, that has provided enough information on a diversity of different subjects that plague our town and attempting to gloss over everything by making silly statements that you have no facts to back yourself up with is pretty lame. May I also say that being a smartass to someone who asked why no notifications are posted anywhere or in the newspaper shows exactly the type of arrogance and unfeeling attitudes that are ruining this town.
people are getting way of track here. The signs and the groups in charge of them are about helping our children and parents. they are not about Planning boards,Police departments ,Taxes or selectmen.
you guys seem to have that all covered.It seems that you want to be miserable, you have a group or groups of people trying to make a better envirement for our children and you want to attack them also?
This is the part that upsets me. if you want to divide the town and help with the self destruction of the town, why also try to hurt our Children or the people trying to make things better for them.
These kids are our future Police, Selectmen, Planning board members.
People reading these blogs are thinking you guys hate everything including our Children, do you think this will help your cause or just make you look like a bunch of people who dont care about community and our future generations.
First off, this blog and the people who run it are NOT against helping our children or in any way are attempting to hurt them, just the opposite. What we are trying to do is educate others to the real problems in town that need to be addressed and take the blinders off of those who think as they are being told that there is nothing going on. There most certainly is and it's deplorable that people continue to be fed a line of bull and believe it.
We are not responsible for the opinions of the people posting their comments on this blog nor their anger, it is being directed towards those responsible for the sad shape this town is in. That the town is divided over what is really going on, with the supporters of those who are being called out for their wrongdoings and those who wish to see change and a better tomorrow for everyone is expected. There are always two sides to every issue.
I don't believe that anyone who has posted a comment is attacking or attempting to hurt any child in town, again, their anger is being directed at a specific group. How can you make this a better town for our children, a better environment as you say, when the people in town will not look at the bigger picture and come to realize until changes are made the environment of wasteful, runaway spending, lies, deceit and pure arrogance in not following the laws, rules, regulations and ordinances of our State and Town can or will provide a good and wholesome foundation for our children and coming generations.
Just what kind of future will they have if they are being brought up and being taught to look the other way when there are tough issues facing their parents and they do nothing, don't want to rock the boat or out of fear keep their mouths shut? Is that what they should be taught? Ignoring a problem never solves that problem, nor does it ever go away.
That there is a group or groups attempting to do something for them is a great endeavor and I for one commend them for their efforts; but until you remove the cancer that is eating away our town, those efforts will be forever wasted and like cancer the problems will just continue to grow and the divide will grow even larger.
Agree with me or disagree with me, that is your right, just like the people who have commented here. It is their right to express their opinions.
C.A.S.T. Members for September's meeting - Duncan Fletcher, Gus Ruth, Gail Merrill, Amanda Gaspard, Elisha Jackson, Ted Whippie, Robert Royce, Jason Ethridge, Jeremy Miller, Mark Schofield, Kelly McMillan Steiner, Kate Kerman, Paty Michaelson, Eileen Fernandas, Kate McNally, LB Brown, Matt Worrall, Ed Lake, Maryanne Keating, Linda Page, Dennis DeLine, Marcia Amman, Jim Lewis, Allison Jacobs, Penny Vaine,Holly Gowdy, Danielle Borges
Now tell me, how many of them do we help support with TAX dollars? Or better yet, they don't pay taxes in this town - but live here? Community and Students Together - but not one student...why? Because they are in SCHOOL! Call it what it really is - SOCIAL NETWORKING!
No different than a social after hours networking event held by the Chamber of Commerce, except that gee, it's while most of you are at "work" and being paid to socialize....
The only thing that came out of this meeting is grant money signs that look like FOR SALE signs with a message that implies that something was for sale, but isn't????
This is a JOKE right?
Some of us think that the issues are being confused also.
Why not let the people who believe political change is needed in order to better the community deal with those issues and those who want to continue the social networking side do that?
Some members of CAST seem to be agitated that there are those who believe transparency in this town is a good thing and are trying to educate in a different direction. The common ground seems to be education, does it really matter who gets smarter, why they get smarter and how they get smarter?
I think the people that are donating there time to CAST are looking to improve the town and help the kids. We all know there is no free lunch, so who is paying the rent on the n main st property and how long are they committed to pay before it becomes a line item on the town budget? How long is the staff going to be paid by someone besides Winchester tax payers? Most of these things have a time limit before the outside funding stops. I am not against this project just curious.
What are you talking about?
I would add to the questions of ????????? above blogger if referencing the Mobile Supply property....does this project in the future become a NON-PROFIT and OFF our tax base?
I'm talking about some of the subsidized projects that have a time limit just to get them started. I think its a legitimate question, i don't usually go for subsided projects that have a time limit, and then it becomes a line item, and this may not be, i don't like surprises.
From the lack of response i would suspect that the taxpayers of Winchester will need to fund this project sooner or later. If this is true it would be nice to know up front. Not knocking CAST, just want the big picture.
Do you really think a liberal democrat would tell you the whole truth let alone any truth at all?
Speaking of the "signs" - we have had a great time coming up with the possible acronyms for the additional signage added last week.
W.G.Y.B.
White, Green, Yellow, Blue
Winchester Girls Yawn Boldly
Will Gus Yell Back?
What Gives You Bananas
These of course are the kosher ones!
We'd love to hear yours....
How about W G Y B
Winchester gives you bull...?
or perhaps,
Winchester gives you bills?
If you stop and think about it this is really sad, that there are those in town thinking that spending money on signs is really going to make a difference in how people feel about the real problems going on in town. This is nothing more than another attempt at smoke and mirrors because of the sign out on highway 10 promoting the WinchesterInformer.com website and a link to this blog. How silly to think doing something like that is an answer to all of our problems. How childish can you be? It is nothing more than self promotion, "look at me, I'm doing something for the town", yeah, what are you doing to solve our budget issues and the problems with the police department, board of selectmen and others that are serious?
We don't need more signage in town, there's already enough For Sale signs up showing exactly what kind of town we have. Outrageous salaries and perks for incompetence, bonuses and raises for people so ineffective that they can not stay within their bloated budgets, wasteful spending on new toys for the police and ambulance and a new "look what we have", pavilion for a town beach less than 200 use all summer ( when it's even open ), new computers and copiers, just to have the latest gadgets and on and on it goes at the expense of the taxpayers struggling to stay afloat. All over the state and country, businesses and towns are cutting back, laying off and doing whatever it takes to save a dime; but not here in Winchester. Our selectmen, department heads and others keep stepping up to the trough and filling their pockets with our tax dollars and spending them like there's no tomorrow and still they cry for more. Sadly because of this there is no tomorrow for some of our neighbors, friends and family members who just can't keep up with the demand for more and more taxes, and soon there will be more signs popping up in town and they too will not be C.A.S.T signs; but more signs showing ours is a dieing town, spiraling downward because of the lack of leadership and response to the economic times we all face.
C.A.S.T. should really stand for;
Citizens Against Squandering Tax-dollars ...
and painted red, white and blue, to remind everyone that this is still America and the people have the last word. Show them how you feel come March and send a strong message to those who ignore the plight of the working people here in town and those of us who will not take it anymore.
You go girl ! Connie you have summed it up perfectly.
CAST is a group of concerned citizens who desire to improve Winchester.. We live in town, work in town, play in town and like to get together to hear what our nieghbors in town are working on. This blog does that too. It is good to hear what others are doing in town. Please come and share at the next CAST meeting. Sometimes people jump on board a project when they hear about it. The "signs" group are parents who want to support other parents to reduce underage drinking... nothing malicious or ill- intented about that.
Thanks
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