Brimfield Town Meeting to Get Formally Involved in Casino Debate

From our neighbors to the West......

Click HERE to read an interesting article from Brimfield, MA, the site of a proposed casino.

Citizens there have gathered enough signatures to get an article on the upcoming Brimfield town meeting. According to the article by Kim Ring of the Telegram & Gazette, "enough signatures have been certified on the petition that will force the town to place a casino article on the May 21 annual town meeting warrant. It will ask voters if they will “support a resort casino development, accessible from the Massachusetts Turnpike, and located in the secluded northwest corner of Town (north of the Turnpike), which will generate millions of dollars annually in tax revenues for the town.”

        The question is nonbinding and will be voted on less than six months after MGM Resorts International revealed it hopes to build a casino in Brimfield. As of now, MGM has not revealed any drawings depicting what the development might look like, and an ad hoc group called Preserve Brimfield says more details are needed if voters are to make an informed choice.

As I stated in an earlier post, I am going to keep my eyes open for stories of how other town meetings are dealing with the casino issues in their communities.  Just thought this might be an interesting read.

Have a nice weekend!

Y'all come back now, y'hear?

Please pardon the Beverly Hillbillies reference, but this would express my sentiment in light of the fact that all 150 Town Meeting members must "run" to represent their precincts this year. There is an informative article about this subject by Veronica Hamlett, which I have attached. I enjoy working with and for the current Town Meeting, so I hope all of you will return.  Since the requirement for everyone to run again is based on recent restructuing of our eight precincts, I have often wondered if there is an affinity for one's precinct. For many people it makes very little difference, but are other people disappointed when their precinct number changes? I am also fascinated by the geography of the precincts, and the Town Clerk's page on the Town of Walpole website has a cool map to show each precinct. 

Click HERE to read Veronica Hamlett's Article.

2012 Spring Annual Town Meeting Warrant is Available

The Spring Town Meeting Warrant is available to review by cliking HERE     In the same way I read the newspaper, my first read-through of the Warrant begins at the end and works back to the beginning. The interesting articles are always at the end. There are 33 articles this year. Some highlights include Article 30, which involves Sunnyrock Farm; Article 28 asks whether drinking establishements can begin pouring at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays (instead of noon); and Articles 23 and 24 raise the issues of the old Library Building - whether we fund its demolition, and whether to empower the Selectment to sell or otherwise dispose of the land.

More information on Town Meeting to come. Enjoy the long weekend, and if you are going away during the upcoming school vacation week, enjoy and be safe!

Condolences

I want to express my sincerest condolences to Senator Jim Timilty and his family upon the passing of his sister Kelly Timilty. Having lost my father in October, I can relate to the profound sadness and grief that the Timilty family is experiencing. The thoughts and prayers of the Rockwood family are with you at this difficult time.

Sound Familiar?

I came across a short editorial about town meeting the other day that was pretty amusing. It begins . . . "I have always been envious of people who take the floor at town meeting, announce that they are a native, and flash their birth certificate as if it were currency." Read the rest of the piece here. If it was ever this bad in Walpole, it's not the case anymore. Go Pats!