“Can Equity and Excellence co-exist?”
The answer lies in the definition of equity. Traditionally, we were thought to believe of equity as fair and impartial or in similar context as “equal opportunity” however, like most things these days, the meaning has been bastardized by the left. In Public education and now housing, equity is now determined by outcome. This word is regularly used by Public School administrators, and at every chance Parents and taxpayers should demand the definition they are using. One meaning is equal opportunity and the other is equal outcome and those are very different in practice. Pay attention Parents.
Equity of outcome is a political concept that is central to some political ideologies and is used regularly in political discourse1. It requires that individuals have some share of goods, not merely a chance to obtain them without the hindrance of some obstacles2. It is the opposite of equality of opportunity, which pertains to a theory that broadly illustrates “just competition” for significant positions and jobs in a way that competitors have fair opportunities to beat such positions3. Wikipedia
Belmont Skating rink update…
The Belmont Sports Complex committee wants more money. $1.3 million on top of their budgeted $29 million.
This amount would keep the complex on schedule and keeps the disputed Harris field locker rooms (an issue that the BHSMS building committee negligently excluded from the campus plans). It eliminates the Solar panels (although sources say there is State money available to add the panels next year) and uses a new technology that greatly reduces water usage and carbon emission.
Town meeting will vote on the request in a couple weeks. The request would be to take funds from a capital reserve fund. The most likely debate will be is this the best use of those funds. Some have already targeted those funds toward replacing the Chenery roof.
CVS Belmont Center Sold…?
TT Sources say the Belmont Center building fetched $2.8m… below its $3.5m ask. This building was targeted for expansion to 3 levels during prior development discussions. The new owners plan to build a on the site. Look for this to be addressed at September Town Meeting.
My home is now available for $1.71 million. Bidenflation and the override have upped the price. Also everything looks better in the late Spring and Townie Talk 02478 has more viewers than a Taylor Swift new song release.
Memorial Day 2024
On this day we honor and mourn the US military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is a day of remembrance, a reminder that freedom isn’t free, and that these people made the ultimate sacrifice for us. People like Army Spc. Jonathan Curtis, whose actions saved seven lives during Operation Enduring Freedom. This day is for them. It is the one day of the year that Americans can spend a few moments contemplating what the American flag truly represents…. Incredible sacrifice for freedom.
Throw them out.
Met up with some friends from Western Ma for dinner and Belmont came up in the conversation. Apparently, an acquaintance of theirs worked construction on the new BHSMS project and alleged that the Town ordered the wrong windows for the project and ended up just throwing them away. Is it true? My response would be… finding the truth in this Town is onerous as the closer you get the more roadblocks get in your way.
McKibben scandal???
When did the School Committee receive the McKibben enrollment projection report? The report was dated January 2024. The results were unfavorable to override proponents as it showed the school population shrinking further a decade out than the current enrollment which is close to 600 students shy of prior expectation. A ton of money has been allocated based on those projections and the override continued to assume a Covid recovery that has not and will not occur. Was the report intentionally delayed till after the election? FOIA requests have been made.
Hmnn… what’s going on here.
The Town IT Administrator and assistant have recently left or announced plans to leave. All communications between Town employees and elected and appointed committee members are considered public and can be requested by the Public through FOIA requests. Funny thing is the computer illiterate think they can delete emails and they are gone. Even Hillary Clinton knew she had to acid wash the server to make it harder to find her emails while in office. Stay tuned.
Lexington Brawl erupts….
In the last Townie Talk, it was pointed out that Governor Healey took over the National Guard Armory in Lexington to house dozens of illegal immigrants. We implied it may impact the schools but forgot to mention public safety. In the you can’t make this up category… within hours of opening a massive brawl broke out between illegal immigrant families fighting over free food as if they pay for anything anyways. The melee required not just Lexington Police but State Police and other nearby communities to respond. The very next day another melee broke out requiring the re-location of some of the disruptive illegal immigrant families. The only reason Belmont is so far immune to the violence and negative impact the open border Democratic policy is having is we don’t have hotels or empty buildings but is that going to change soon? Read between the lines people.
Airbnb and Rental properties put Belmont at risk?
Most read Townie Talk for the wit and wisdom and chuckle and others for the muckraking. Years back the Belmont Zoning Board was looking to take up Airbnb regulation to give neighbors avenues to fight against unsavory renters. It didn’t go anywhere. Now we have a new level of risk… Housing illegal immigrant families.
Recently, the Town of Westbrook Maine announced plans to subsidize private homeowners to house illegal immigrants (they Democrats call them new Mainers and future voters up there). It is just a matter of time before Massachusetts follows suit. You heard it here first.
BTW In case you are wondering… the shameless Massachusetts House Democrats rejected Amendment 1393 by a 130-27 roll call vote which would have prioritized Massachusetts residents over immigrants for emergency shelter. First, the Governor kicks out US veterans to house illegals and now Mass residents de-prioritized by the Democrats. So much for citizenship meaning anything in this soon to be cesspool of a State. Voting matters.
Board of Assessors recount
Yours truly petitioned the Town clerk for a recount of Question 2 which was the Board of Assessors appointment vs elected measure. The end count did not change the result but did reduce the margin to just 4 votes. Here is the rub…. Dozens of votes were rejected for missing signatures or conflicting signatures either on the mailing envelope and/or the ballot itself. Over a hundred were rejected as they arrived in the ballot box outside Town hall past 8pm. In total about 150 votes were not counted.
While Belmont should be proud of our Town Clerk and the team surrounding it as well as the volunteers who assisted in the recount… Let it be known that a mail in ballot is at higher risk for not being counted as it requires multiple checks and balances. The only way to guarantee your vote counts is in person or by absentee voting at the Clerk’s office. If the signatures don’t match (say a parent requested the ballot and the kid signed it) the vote is dismissed. Lesson learned.
If you dispute your home assessment, I know a guy recently dismissed from the Belmont BOA because of the vote who can probably help you win your appeal as he has intimate knowledge of the process and State rules. The Town will likely see a surge in appeals in part due to introducing bias into the Board (the newest hire is a salaried Town employee so talk about conflict of interest) and the new tax surge of a couple thousand dollars per home from the possibly tainted Override vote (McKibben report delay) will outrage many who don’t pay attention to local elections.
Karen Read
This is clearly a future TV mini-series. If I were on the jury, I would find her not guilty. I don’t know if she struck the boyfriend with her vehicle, but I am confident it wasn’t intentional and there is reasonable doubt. In the end a man is dead, and it seems no one cares about him. He is the least discussed person in the story. Very strange almost on the Charles Stuart level.
Anti Semitism re-appears…
It seemed like since the disturbance at Katherine Clark’s appearance in Belmont, that things had died down in Town. However, a recent resurgence occurred prior to College graduations in the area and at least a handful of Belmont students participated in the disturbing protests. Kids today don’t realize that social media lasts a lifetime and explaining what you thought was righteous at the time will fall on deaf ears in the professional world. It’s not the 80’s… smarten up.
Protesters say they are on the right side of history. Maybe if the Germans won WW2 that would be the case. The Germans did not win, and the right side of history is simply the winning side which has no interest in the elimination of Israel.