It would seem that our Selectmen are tired of butting heads with the Budget Committee over runaway spending and unnecessary purchases and instead of working with them to come up with a sound and fair town budget each year, they want full control and are going to attempt to get their way.
Article 16.
Are you in favor of rescinding the Municipal Budget Act as defined under RSA 32:14?
Our Town Selectmen are attempting to circumvent our system of checks and balances by removing the town budget committee process; asking the voters to pass a town warrant to do just that. By rescinding the Municipal Budget Act, it would allow allow the town's Moderator, Ken Harvey or Henry Parkhurst to appoint a so-called Finance Committee, the number of members at large and who these members would be. Can we trust our selectmen to oversee this committee and to pick trustworthy members that will look out for the best interest of the town? Stop and think for a minute, do you really want to give them that much more power to control all of the town's finance's with no option to hold them in check? You know darn right well they will appoint people from their inner circle of friends and supporters who will approve their every want and wish list, with no regard for the citizen's of Winchester. Do you really want to put these people on a committee to approve and oversee our budget? If this subdivision is adopted we will most certainly loose control of our town finances according to article IV.
The Budget Committee is far from perfect; but it takes the control away from the Selectmen.
and gives us hope that someone is watching out for our best interests.
32:14 Adoption. –
I. This subdivision may be adopted:
(a) By any town with a town meeting form of government, including those with a budgetary town meeting, official ballot town meeting, or representative town meeting
IV. If the vote is favorable, the town or district shall at that same meeting vote, by ballot or other means, determine the number of members-at-large, as provided in RSA 32:15, I, and whether they shall be elected or appointed by the moderator.
This is a dangerous petition for all of us and should be defeated with a resounding vote of NO. Don't be fooled by the propaganda they will spew about how passing this warrant will benefit the town and all of us, it most certainly will not.
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28 comments:
Nothing like putting the foxes in charge of the hen house. They must feel we're all pretty stupid to go along with something like this.
As a budget committee member I can see the anger on the faces of dept. heads that had to come before us to answer my tough question on the way our tax dollars are wasted. My approach has also angered fellow committee members. I wasn’t elected to a popularity contest nor do I care what they think. Debate and differences of opinion is healthy for checks and balances. It develops dialog. Voting for the municipal budget act will remove healthy debate. Do you think they will appoint a guy like me to debate them over every issue? I don’t think so! This is just what the group of the self interest people that run this town would like. We must defeat this warrant, it is a bad idea.
Whats next, maybe down the road we can do away with any voting in Winchester. When the selectmen representative to the budget committee tells them he will see that any cuts they make will be put back at deliberative, this move is not a surprise. If this gets voted in the fight for justice will be over.
Well they have shown us all their true colors, there's no doubt any more about their intentions to have complete control. Now it's time for all of us to send them all a strong message and vote those up for re-election out and defeat this warrant and show those left that they answer to us, or they can hit the road too.
This goes to show what arrogance this board has for anyone who would deny them their way. Our budget committee is our last line of defense against these spend happy fools. Giving them more power and allowing them to gain complete control is out of the question. I say we send them all packing !!
There is an old saying that goes."A fool and his money soon part". If the selectmen are allowed to abolish the budget committee , then we must be the fools in this deal. Get everyone that cherises our freedoms in NH, to get out that vote at deliberative session, and in the ballot box this year. We must remove the selectmen that are working against the taxpayers, and our rights.
Good Morning Blog,
It looks as though we have gotten under the BOS's skin.One might suspect that the information we have found out is true. Why else would they want to limit our knowledge. As for the person who has learned to cut and paste you still don't get it-we are smart enough to read and go find out for ourselves what the straight story is. I am certain that you and your cronies will find that out at the deliberative session.
Keep up the good work blog. We might be winning this battle. Have a great day!
What ever Mr Keenan is or isn't has nothing to do with the integrity of some of our selectmen and town employees.
To the childish imbecile who continues to be disruptive whose posts I have removed:
You are a very sick individual with an agenda to be disruptive. I have captured your IP address and contacted your service provider and have formally filed a complaint with the proper authorities.
Here's some facts for you;
You have been warned many times and yet you continue to be a nuisance on this blog. You continue to duplicate your posts in an effort to be just plain disruptive. You speak of facts; yet provide none. You're no longer welcome here. Your privilege to participate on this blog has been terminated.
Thnak you blog for exposing more of the corrupt thinking in this town.
This is ridiculous of the selectmen to cut off the people from their government and again shows their arrogance. They just don't care what the people think as to how our town should be run. There is no give and take from them, only take.
They want complete control with no transparency or accountability. They still lie to us and govern with a Bush era mentality of frighten the public when you have to and tell them nothing the rest of the time.
As with the Bush era of government, much was hidden from the public and many lies we were fed to us.
These selectmen want to control and want power because they have an agenda they need to hide and lies they need to protect.
Nothing more or less, because they aren’t trying to make this town better for the majority of people who live in it.
If the BOS ever got out of town and talked to their counterparts in Cheshire County they would soon realize that Winchester is a laughing stock in this county as well as the state and viewed as a town being run by a bunch of nitwits.
It is evident to most of us who can see between the lines that our elected officials are beginning to feel the heat. They continue to give us the same old line of bull whenever you question their actions; trouble is, they tell everyone a different version of their truth and it is all so obvious that they are lieing to you in order to hide the real truth. How sad that we as a town are being subjected to this kind of conduct from elected officials, some we have known for years and trusted without question. Perhaps that has been our problem all along, to accept whatever we were told instead of questioning why. It is time to take control, elect good and fair and just people with a conscience who will work to better Winchester for all of us.
Thank you Informer for providing us a place to learn the truth and thanks to those who are helping to educate us all.
talk about an oxymoron...to the blogger commenting about The Bush Administration...the town fathers are Democrats...use commonsense before you speak and stay on point. This is not about political parties, it is about serious corruption,coverup,deception and playing favorites.
You know if stupidity hurt, we'd hear screaming coming from the town hall daily !
When you have a town where its OK to commit a felony on Co time with a CO vehicle, come to work late, extend lunch and breaks, leave town vehicles running when parked, have a water dept sup that doesn't like work, a police dept in disarray, and a town hall that dances to there own drummer, its going to take more than the budget comm. to put things right.
Well, that crap earlier sounded just like Ed Lake and he's probably just on another tirade about John Keenan, because John has been vocal around town about the blinders people put on in regards to an individual who mentally & physically abused his wife for years. Who continues to mentally abuse and manipulate her.
An individual who takes pride in spouting off rumors without any FACTS about his estranged wife. He's a real pip he is, he stands in the Ashuelot Post Office and "informs" everyone slanderous statements about her and how she is ""ruining Christmas for the children".
The past four months, he has NOT lived at the Thayer Library. He has had four months to come up with a different location for "his" Christmas celebration. Instead, he has had the town post his gathering on their website, the ELMCC website, set up a FACEBOOK website, sat with the radio station, held fundraisers - knowing all the while that he was NOT allowed within 100 YARDS of the building. He even elicited the police department to throw his estranged wife out for the day so that he could look like a wonderful human being to the community.
FACT - he has a restraining order against him and four criminal charges pending. Yet he is allowed to spend his days hanging out at the ELMCC as a board member and "run" a town library, and mentor the Cub Scouts. Another example of our town's inability to see the true criminal.
We are talking about a manic personality who is willing to terrorize the community in order to make himself look better. What's wrong with this picture? He has a real hatred for John Keenan and it wouldn't surprise me one bit that you'll find out that it has been him posting all this nonsense. He'll find out now that people in glass houses should not cast stones.
He loves to talk - so ask him when was the last time he read a book. Pretty pathetic for a librarian. Ask him why he hasn't bothered to maintain the building he is living in for FREE (no taxes, rent and half of his utilities paid for). Pretty pathetic!
Another town secret revealed. How many more skeletons are going to pop up in the backgrounds of town do-gooders and officials to reveal their true sides to the public /
If this is true, Ed Lake should be ashamed of himself and remove himself from the committees and boards he sits on. His conduct casts doubts on those who would condone his continued participation and past actions. Is this the kind of person we want representing our town at public events? I think not !!
The absolute greatest, happiest, bubbly, golden retriever was about one year old, just leaving puppyhood when she was killed on Route 10 due to the gross negligence of her owner.
R.I.P. - Martha - you were the BEST!!
Why doesn't the ELM do back ground checks on people? When you have people working around kids, why aren't there background checks done?
No one goes to the library anyway. You go in there once and there isn't any books and the guy talks your leg off. Why bother?
they teach library etiquette in elementary school. silence is golden! so, does that mean the library has become a section 8 house? because its obvious he doesn't know how to paint either.
That is a VERY good question - why doesn't the center do back ground checks on it's volunteers? You would think that Danielle / The Town would require them on ALL individuals. They should not be allowing individuals with criminal records, emotional problems, or out-of-work vagabonds to hang out with the children.
Is there any official, committee member or board member in this town that is honest, hasn't got a police record or is not under suspicion for doing something underhanded or breaking the law? What a bunch of misfits you people have elected and appointed to run your town. No wonder you have so many problems, try electing some honest, hardworking, fresh blood to straighten out your problems if you can find some people willing to take over that mess you call Winchester.
Very curious as to why blogs with FACTS about John Keenan get deleted then you allow people to blog about someones divorce on your sight.And put it under-"Selectmen Attempting To Remove All Checks and Balances" this sight seems to have no order or reason.
To anonymous above;
No one has provided us with any facts in regards to accusations about John Keenan .. therefore innuendos and accusations have been removed, as we have done with other blogs for your information. As we have stated many times, provide facts to us first if you are going to blog in a manner that could be consider slander or libel. Secondly, John Keenan is NOT a town official or an appointed board or committee member, he has nothing to do with the town or subjects on this blog; therefore you and your friends should find someplace else to attack him personally if you feel you must. We don't know how much clearer we can make this to you. This blog is about the lack of accountability and the excessive spending of taxpayer dollars. It's not about airing your personal grievances about someone you and your friends don't like.
I personally did not see any info about anyone's divorce posted on this site and as far as people posting off subject, that's expected on a blog even though we have asked everyone to stay on subject and submit a new topic for discussion if they have something else to say. Several of us have been ill these past few weeks and haven't been healthy enough to keep up with the main page or this blog; but rest assured blogs and topics will be straightened out soon. Thanks for your concerns.
We are curious - what attorney and for what reason is he being sued? Would love that FACT!
There has been a lot of talk about the hwy and there long lunches, what about the morning brake. Went to recycle a couple of time this am, as near as i can see the morning break, at least for one employee, was at least 45 min. At least the truck wasn't running. Maybe this was the day the employees were voting on uniforms. Remember guys if you don't vote jeans you will have to buy your weekend wear. heaven forbid
ANOTHER 10 hour holiday pay day, and Another 3 day work week for the boys and girls at the town hall. We should all have jobs like this.
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