Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Board of Selectman's Meeting 12-23-15

Spending in Winchester, has no limits ... To enlarge to make reading easier.. click on the image to open another window .. then right click the image and choose "view image" .. click your mouse to enlarge print





20 comments:

?????? said...

New Line in the Budget,$780.00 for the executive cell phone, what's that about?

The jokes on me said...

Not usually against cost of living increases, but in a year when all our seniors are not getting one and in a town when our employees still cant seem to get to work on time or stay in the restraints of lunch and break times, and with some of the board that is not interested in saving construction and plowing money, I would have to vote NO, if I had a vote.

Anonymous said...

Since the BOS are trying to trim the budget and looking at cutting critical line items for the town why does it surprize me that they are ignoring the raises and employee benefits?????? Cushy jobs with great benefits and pensions while senior's medicare goes up and no cost of living raises, people are off the unemployment numbers still with no jobs and pensions are going away anywhere else ............. They should be ashamed to leave that line item in the budget. Executive cell phone, a must to take outside and smoke or ride around town or be anywhere but in the office.............

Anonymous said...

Rude awakening when I went to purchase my first prescription's of 2016, WOW. No cost of living for me and I worked 6 and 7 days a week my whole life. If I had my life to live over, guess I would apply in town and hope we had same, anything for friends and employees, crew we have in charge today.

Anonymous said...

They tax us all to death in this rotten little podunk town. That's how they can spend money like water. There is NOTHING in this town that justifies the high taxes we pay here. Winchester is just another small town with practically no large businesses and literally half the town out of work. What happened to Mr. Mike's/Dunkin Donuts? This town hates progress unless the board of thieves make tons of money off of it personally.

Anonymous said...

This town is dead, no jobs here and the businesses that come here are ones looking to get around regulations and restrictions from out of state where they can not operate.
The few that our boards have allowed have created no new jobs except for the Mitchell sand and gravel pit where Dean Beamons relatives got jobs. Is it any wonder why they are allowed to operate and do whatever they want. Right on top of our aquifer and an accident away from polluting the towns water source for years. Or that proposed wood burning plant that would have allowed then to cut down our forests and truck in tons of garbage from other states to pollute not only the river but our air quality as well, right downtown close to the school. These are the types of businesses this town attracts, jobless, smelly, noisy polluting operations that destroy the lives of those who live near them. Now we have a proposed natural gas pipeline about to be routed through town, destroying more folks lives. Why you ask.. well look at all the changes to our town's regulations that have taken place over the past several years .. new zoning and planning board regs, loosing up this town for more of these types and why? Go ask Margaret Sharra, she's in charge of overhauling all of these regulations, what's she up yo? This town is dead and will never amount to anything as long as the same people keep getting elected and appointed to boards and committees and having their way. You people who come on here and bitch about taxes and rising costs and yet you don't vote, you don't attend meetings and you don't unite against the corruptions and bullsheet that goes on daily. We don't need all of this new freaking equipment that keeps getting approved, nor do we need a lot of the other perks these town employees keep getting every year, it's ludicrous and wasteful spending an still you idiots keep voting these people into office. There has been no justifiable reason why these town employees have been given raises and bonuses for simply doing their jobs, which by the way is another topic for discussion. Enough already. You want lower taxes and a more responsible leadership, then do something about it besides bitch, vote these people out and keep them out. Vote no on spending warrants, submit warrants to curtail the actions of those who want to drive more good people out of town and put burdens on all of us especially our parents and elderly. it's time for change, past time really and it's all up to the people of this town to rise up and do something about the situation here. But sadly that won't happen will it? Time and time again, the people who run this blog have tried to rally the town and get people to vote.. it hasn't happened and probably won't again this year. I don't know what it takes to wake you people up but if it doesn't happen before election day then you will have more of the same and no one to blame but yourselves.

Linder said...

To anonymous, "Dead Town"! GOOD WORK!
Great essay with an attempt to accomplish something that is frustrating to most of us. Why educated voters (although many maybe misinformed) allow their town to be run like the Animal Farm Just like the book Animal Farm, Why are the pigs allowed to appoint themselves Kings at the town hall and allowed to bully the other town’s animals.

Why the Hell do voters elect a felon, a graduate of the Brattleboro Retread and a property tax delinquent who has the general opinion of being a promiscuous person who are allowed to make tax rules on good honest, God fearing, hard working citizens. This is beyond comprehension.

Daniel Webster was quoted as saying, he call it rat-a-tat like the drum "persistence pays off”! It is only something we can hope for.

Keep beating the drum it is making a difference, one person at a time!

Anonymous said...

I take exception to the accusation of not voting and not fighting the powers-that-be in Winchester. I DO attend meetings and I DO vote! But, our votes end up meaningless because the "Town Rulers" do what they want to do regardless of the vote! Remember the fiasco about the new Police Cruiser? We voted to DENY the department a new $10,000 cruiser and two selectmen (one who is STILL a selectman) allotted the PD $12,000 anyway!

Also, standing up to the powerful in this town will get you into a lot of legal trouble because this town is run by dictators with no accountability. I know, personally, of someone who fought the school system here because of the lack of supervision of the students. He was "silenced" pretty quickly by the legal system (with the help of the PD and the school system itself) and can never raise his voice of dissent again. All because he wanted to protect his child and try to improve the lives of other children in the school system by making it a safer place. He dared to stand up to a corrupt system and is paying the rest of his life for it.

The town government here in this little burg has a vested financial interest in maintaining the status-quo and silencing dissenters. If you stand up to them, then you are standing between them and their money. They don't take lightly to that. So, keep that in mind. They WILL come after you with legal guns blazing (not real guns, mind you!) and you had best be prepared to defend your position.

So, before you go crowing about how people should be standing up to the town, PLEASE inform them NOT to do it alone because THIS town can ruin peoples' lives - and already have several times.

Legal Mind said...

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. I know several who have stood up to the so-called powerful in this town and some continue to do so every day. The people who run and post on this blog are an example. Those who cower and hide are what's keeping them in power along with their small group of supporters. Your story is intriguing, how about you send these people here some information they can check out and post as I for one would like to hear more about this and perhaps offer my legal assistance to the party you speak of. No one should fear their elected officials or the police inn the town they live in.

Anonymous said...

Today, we were visited by a person from the Bernie Sanders campaign. The lady told us that one of our neighbors is also a Bernie supporter but is afraid to put a Bernie sign on their lawn because the selectman neighbor we share is a Hillary supporter and would probably make trouble for them. He has made trouble for us as well in the past. The neighbors must know what he did to us.

These town council members act like a cabal of criminals and operate in just that way. People ARE afraid of them in this town because of what they did to Gary Chase and what they continue to do to others. They have the police as their attack dogs as well. How do you fight that?

As for my friend, he was coerced and forced to plead guilty on planted evidence. It was his word against the police and the school system. He didn't have a prayer because he's poor and the town/state has a bottomless legal wallet when they want to ruin someone. He was threatened with 20 years if he didn't plea out. Such is the case with 99% of the cases at Cheshire Superior Court if you're of modest means.

I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from fighting the powers-that-be in this town. I just would advise that they are prepared for the backlash and have enough of a stable support network to handle it.

Anonymous said...

I have called the state about particular people and doings and was told that it all was legal. Hmm-I wonder who was in who's back pocket? Although it was said that Sherm could not believe we did not want him any more. One step at a time. We shall prevail.

Civic-minded said...

Well, folks, if you don't like the way things are and want to make a change, here is your opportunity. There are over a dozen town offices open for new folks to fill.
According to the town's website, "FILING FOR TOWN OFFICES -starts Wednesday, January 20, 2016 and ends Friday, January 29, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. The Clerk’s office will be open on Friday, January 29, 2016 from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. (no other business will be transacted during this time).
Board of Selectmen – two (three year terms)
Planning Board – two (three year term)
Trustee of Trust Funds – one (three year term)
Conant Library Trustee – three (three year terms)
Conant Library Trustee – one (one year term)
Thayer Library Trustee – two (three year terms)
Thayer Library Trustee – one (one year term)
Supervisor of the Checklist – one (three year term)
Musterfield/Cemetery – one (three year term)
Moderator – one (two year term)
Town Clerk/Tax Collector – one (three year term)"

Let's take a stand and elect folks who care more about this town than lining their own pockets (or those of their relatives).

Anonymous said...

Civic minded said...Let's take a stand and elect folks who care more about this town than lining their own pockets (or those of their relatives).

"Well talking about lining your pockets"! Selectman Chan the Man Stephens is going to take control of the unsafe building A 1 Pizza building on the corner Rte 10 and 119 who the poor people got the run around from the town and couldn't acquire an occupancy permit from the town because it was structurally unsafe. Chan the Man as selectman thinks because he has some authority he will be able get around the permit and move several businesses in there. Now it is safe?????

Good reason to have Chan the Man tossed out along with Sepee.

nice to have friends said...

As long as Mr. Stephens is Buddies with the Sharra's he can probably do anything he wants with this building.

Anonymous said...

Just wait until they go forward with their plans to put a BAR on the old property that Gary Chase used to own. Just imagine the next Rhythm Ranch situation in the town. It makes absolutely no sense to me - other than they WANT the trouble so they can cry to the state that they need more policing and need a 2.5 Million Dollar Police Station like Hinsdale got. Just imagine this town with an even MORE oppressive Police presence!

Anonymous said...

My question is what plans does Margaret have for the site where her historic building is coming down???? Let's see have the building inspected............ Get it condemned..... get to hsve a parcel of land to sell for what now Margaret?????

WOW said...

Check out todays Sentinel and you will find out what happens if you cross a Sharra in the town of Winchester NH.

Anonymous said...

I saw Brooke in action. I do not know her but she definitely was not police officer material. Chief Phillips on the other hand has been to me a top notch officer. And we ALL know what happens when you cross a Sharra in this town.

Anonymous said...

Don't feel too bad for Brook, we take care of our people in the town hall. Word is they made a job for her at the school along with a former selectmen's wife. A few years ago we employed a town hall employees son at the hwy dept. The perks of town hall employment are pretty good in Winchester, some people spend more time on the road that they do in the office.

OTE VOTE VOTE said...

When you watch the national political news you get the feeling that Washington was patterned after the way we run Winchester. No knows when you are at work, you come and go as you please, and the perks for doing what you want when you want are darn good.