Voters head to primary polls
Few takers for town committee seats
By Douglas Farmer
Staff Writer
When voters in the towns of Palmer, Monson, Brimfield, Holland and Wales head to their respective primary polling locations next Tuesday, they will be greeted with identical selections for the presidential race and state committee man and woman, depending on whether they select the Republican, Democratic and Green-Rainbow Party ballots. The principal difference in choice will be those who are running for town committee – and often, it appears that very few have thrown their hats in the ring for those roles.
Only the Wales Republican Party ballot drew the full compliment of takers for its respective town committee, so presumably, all should be elected. Some slots for state and town committee were simply blank, leaving room for a write-in candidate.
But in the Republican presidential primary, voters in all towns will have the choice of Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, John Huntsman, Michelle Bachmann and Newt Gingrich, though a few of those candidates have officially withdrawn from the race. Meanwhile, Democratic voters will see incumbent President Barack Obama, while Green-Rainbow Party members will choose from Kent Mesplay, Jill Stein and Harley Mikkelson.
Choices in the towns for state committeeman and woman also mirror each other.
On the Republican ballot, for state committeeman representing the Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex District, Michael J. Valanzola of 68 McBride Road in Wales will compete for one seat with William J. Gillmeister of 8 Kimball St. in Brookfield and David P. Kopacz Sr. of 53 ½ Pulaski St. in Ware. For state committee woman, Janet E. Garon of 236 Roy Road in Sturbridge is running unopposed.
On the Democratic ticket covering the same district, William R. Shemeth III of 6 Dale St. in Spencer and Laura L. Jette of 30 Glendale Road in Sturbridge are running unopposed for committeeman and woman, respectively. The Green-Rainbow Party ballot indicates no official candidates for either state committeeman or woman.
Voting will be open on March 6 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in all locations.
Palmer voting
In Palmer, voters in the first and fourth precincts will vote at the Divine Mercy Parish Hall, 267 Main St. in Three Rivers, while precincts two and three will vote at Converse Middle School, 24 Converse St. in Palmer.
Running for the Republican Town Committee are Michael P. Strzemienski of 129 Sykes St., Diana M. Strzemienski of 129 Sykes St., William A. Coulter of 77 Squier St., Marion J. Johnson of 298 Boston Road, Harry H. Johnson of 298 Boston Road, S. Barbara Marcinkiewicz of 4113 Church St., Barbara J. Stone of 65 Breckenridge St., Michael D. Pajak of 4215 Main St., Diane N. Faulkner of 1014 Hillside Drive, Robert G. Faulkner of 1014 Hillside Drive, Rose C. Tyburski of 19 Commercial St. and John L. Sasur Jr. of 6 Three Rivers Road.
For both the Democratic and Green-Rainbow Party town committees, no candidates are listed on the ballot.
Monson voting
Monson primary voters will travel to Quarry Hill Community School at 43 Margaret St., where Town Clerk Nancy Morrell said they would be asked to park at the top of the parking lot and walk through the pool entrance.
For Republican Town Committee, Jennifer M. Silva of 8 Pease Ave. is joined on the ballot by Robert T. Margerison of 22 Beebe Road, David W. Sanborn of 124 Brimfield Road and Tamara L. Cabey of 45 Lakeside Drive.
Running for Democratic Town Committee will be Jeffrey D. Lord of 33 Green St., Edward A. Maia of 33 Green St., Rebecca A. Shorette of 13 Old Stafford Road, Edward S. Harrison of 7 Beebe Road, Margaret Harrison of 16 Hampden Ave., Jane R. Jacobs of 22 Betty Jean Drive, Russell A. Bressette Jr. of 10 Stewart Ave., Geraldine F. DePace of 60 Bumstead Road, Dorothy P. Jenkins of 46 Palmer Road, Mary W. Kology of 340 Main St., Thomas J. Faulkner Jr. of 23 Main St., Robert R. Jensen of 4 Betty Jean Drive, Betty A. Bouchard of 16 Lower Hampden Road, Robert A. Presho of 31 Lower Hampden Road, Phyllis A. Klick of 14 Robbins Road, Judith B. Bedell of 11 Stewart Ave, Peter J. Fimognari Jr. of 245 Wood Hill Road and Barbara A. Moran of 8 King Lane.
No one is listed for the Green-Rainbow Town Committee ticket.
Brimfield voting
Those going to the polls in Brimfield will vote at the reopened Brimfield Town Hall at 21 Main St.
And while no one is indicated on either the Democratic or Green-Rainbow Party ballots for town committee, Republicans Michael P. Miller of 66 Five Bridge Road, Sheila N. Noyes-Miller of 66 Five Bridge Road, Richard A. Morris of 36 East Hill Road, Sandra P. Morris of 36 East Hill Road and David R. Girouard of 85 East Hill Road will run for Republican Town Committee.
Holland voting
In Holland, voters will convene at the Town Hall at 27 Sturbridge Road.
No candidates for town committee will appear on the Republican, Democratic or Green-Rainbow ballots, leaving plenty of space for write-ins.
Wales voting
Those journeying to the polls in Wales will travel to the Wales Senior Center at 85 Main St.
For Democratic Town Committee, only Crystal L. Pearlman of 4 Monson Road will appear, while the Green-Rainbow space is again, blank.
But for Republican Town Committee, Edward J. Morrow of 13 Walker Road, Roy A. Lainson of 111 Monson Road, Sandra M. Szlachetka of 149 Monson Road, Carol A. Goodspeed of 16 Woodland Heights, Linda M. Valanzola of 68 McBride Road, Jean P. Charette of 12 Reed Hill Road, Michael J. Valanzola of 68 McBride Road, Michael Louis LaPlante of 45 Monson Road, Rosemary D. Burdick of 18 Ash Lane, and Gary A. Burdick of 18 Ash Lane will all be in the running.
Palmer schools take aim at dropout rate
Examining programmatic causes
By Douglas Farmer
Staff Writer
PALMER — When a student arrives in the 9th grade, he or she should be satisfied enough with the courses and programs available to not want to leave until graduation, said Palmer Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Charko. But all to often that is not the case.
Responding to concerns expressed over dropout and graduation numbers recently disseminated by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), he said there are many factors that enter into the final figure – whether it be those who leave for other districts who don’t report the student’s arrival, a family that moves out of state, or a student who arrives for specialized services for a limited time. However, he also acknowledged that the actual rate is too high for the administration and faculty to accept.
According to data available from the Student Information Management System (SIMS), Charko told the Palmer School Committee at their Thursday, Feb. 16 meeting held at Palmer High School, of the students that entered grade 9 at the high school in 2007, about 7.1 percent (31 out of 438) did not graduate in 2011. That number became skewed, however, based upon additional data made available by the DESE, which pointed to a 15.5 percent dropout rate, which accounted for students that had entered and left in between those years for a variety of reasons.
“This information gets updated, and our data has changed in a matter of hours,” he told the school committee. “There are so many factors that go into this, and unfortunately, data is reported before they are all considered. Sometimes, when a student goes out of district to attend another, especially out of state, that student is not reported to the SIMS database and gets labeled as a dropout.”
But school committee member Gary Blanchette said that beneath the statistical explanations, there was still a problem to consider.
“To me, that 7.1 percent number is still too high,” he said.
Charko said he agreed, and that in his research, he found that the dropout rate at Palmer High School began to spike in the 2006-2007 school year. Perhaps not coincidentally, that was a year that the district began to make serious cuts in programming such as technical education, home economics and health, along with the faculty positions that supported those classes.
“We have added rigor in classes for those students that do well, as we have brought in some additional Advanced Placement courses,” he said. “But what we cut were programs that helped keep some others in the school. The programs that we’ve had for struggling kids have steadily been eliminated.”
While students – and their families – that have already left the district are something of a lost cause, Charko said that initiative is being taken on the parts of both the administration and guidance department to communicate with students that miss school on a regular basis. And he said that while additional budget cuts in the near future are a distinct possibility, there are steps that can be taken within the school curriculum that don’t require an additional classroom, teacher and desk.
And he said several students in intensive special education programs have left the district, though he was unwilling to count on all that money in next year’s budget.
“There are some programs we have taken advantage of, such as ‘Gateway to College’ wherein seven students are attending courses at Holyoke Community College, and there are after-school programs and school-to-career choices we are trying to add,” he said. “We have to think outside the box and realize that even if we’re only helping three kids with a stipend to an individual teacher, that’s 10 percent of our dropout rate.”
Palmer School Committee Vice Chairman James St. Amand said that with new directions on which the school district has embarked, such as the aforementioned AP courses and block scheduling, the dropout rate could conceivably grow for those that slip through the cracks.
“Not everyone is an honor student,” he said.
Charko agreed, saying that the key focus needed to be on giving each student as much attention as possible.
“My focus for 13 years, including when I was the business manager, has always been the same, though this may differ from previous superintendents,” he said. “I would rather discretionary spending be at zero than lose faculty. Because they’re the ones that are making things happen.”
Selectman’s post only contested race
By Douglas Farmer
Staff Writer
MONSON — A former Monson selectmen will be opposed by two rivals in the upcoming race for a three-year term on that board at the April 2 town election.
The deadline to return nomination papers to the town clerk’s office was Monday, Feb. 13 for inclusion on the April ballot, though write-in candidates are possible.
The election will be held on Tuesday, April 2 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Quarry Hill Community School. Assistant Town Clerk Mary Watson said town officials will ask residents to park at the top of the parking lot and enter through the pool entrance of the school for voting.
Former Selectman Edward Harrison of 7 Beebe Road, who did not run for re-election last year, will compete with Charles P. Cournoyer of 172 Silver St. and Steven O’Neill of 90 Main St.
Current Selectman John Goodrich II is not running for re-election.
Harrison said that both his own battle with prostate cancer and the health problems of other family members had dominated his time in recent months; but he said he feels well enough to run again now.
“At the Democratic Town Committee meeting, we were decrying the lack of people running for town offices, and I had been thinking about it for a few months now,” he said. “There is still plenty more work to be done in Monson, including the issue of the fate of the former town offices [damaged by the June 1 tornado] as well as other restoration questions, and of course, the budget is always the number one issue.”
Neither Cournoyer nor O’Neill could be reached for comment as of presstime.
Unopposed three-year hopefuls include incumbents, Highway Surveyor John R. Morrell of 15 East Hill Road; Allan Curtis of 11 Heritage Lane for Board of Assessors; Jeffrey Lord of 33 Green St. and Joshua Farber of 30 Old Wales Road for Monson School Committee; Water & Sewer Commissioner Joseph M. Prior of 6 Cedar Swamp Road; James Duggan of 5 Wayne Road for Cemetery Commission; and Michael J. Arbour of 11 Silva St. for Parks and Recreation Commission.
Newcomer Shirley B. Bagg of 31 State St. will also run unopposed on the April 2 ballot for a five-year seat on the Housing Authority.
More in-depth coverage of the Monson town election will be appearing in the coming weeks.
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Taking casino debate to digital level
By Douglas Farmer
Staff Writer
PALMER — Every day after work as a home-based bookkeeping consultant, Palmer resident Jennifer Baruffaldi heads back to her computer. During this time, she checks the Internet for stories related to the ongoing casino question – i.e. where one might ultimately be sited – in this and other communities in the state.
Then, she distributes them via email to members of a pro-casino group she helped found, Citizens for Jobs and Growth in Palmer, as well as others on her email list, totaling over 100. She also recently began a Facebook page, on which she has posted photos of a December rally for the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority’s efforts to gain a state license to build a casino in Palmer, and she has hopes to further use social media resources in the new future.
“I’ve found Google and other online searches to be a powerful resource for keeping up on what’s in the news,” she said. “To be in the forefront, you have to pay attention to the email and social media to alert everyone about events, I think I am reaching a lot of people with our message.
“Once you post something, it spreads like wildfire.”
Baruffaldi’s daily journey onto the web is but a small piece of an ongoing trend to bring the casino debate into the digital realm. Organizations like Baruffaldi’s group as well as Palmer Businesses for a Palmer Casino (spearheaded by fellow Palmer resident and Bondsville Fire and Water District Committee Chairman Robert Young) have established Facebook pages, as has the Quaboag Valley Against Casinos, which regularly posts information on a volunteer website called “CasinoFacts.org.” That site also highlighted key milestones in the fight against a casino in Middleboro, as well.
Of course, before any of these began, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority made its plans for “Mohegan Sun Palmer” (a resort casino of the MassPike with shops, restaurants and a small events center) known through its website at mohegansun.com/sitelet/palmer, which posts the corporate newsletter and releases about discussions the organization has had with various groups and organizations.
“I can tell you that we have a lot of unique hits,” said Paul Brody, vice president of development for Mohegan. “Our consulting firm O’Neill and Associates has tracked contacts through the social media, but the website is handled internally at our company through a webmaster at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, and it has proven to be a great way to connect with local people, in addition to our storefront in Palmer.”
The Facebook page for Mohegan Sun Palmer boasts over 1,300 “likes” and information related to announcements by the company are posted regularly.
Krista Robinson, a representative of O’Neill and Associates, reported that according to the data they have tracked, nearly 6,500 people have requested to receive information via the Mohegan Sun Palmer website, which was visited 20,000 times last year. A recently established Twitter account is followed by 185 people.
“This has proven to be an excellent vehicle,” said Brody.
The anti-casino movement, that often lacks full-time marketing, is struggling to keep up in places. Certainly, groups such as United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts (for which former Monson Selectman Kathleen Norbut was a charter member) have established websites – much of which decries the effects “predatory gambling” can have on local residents and tax bases, as well as key reports and votes of legislators on gambling legislation. But at the same time, Monson resident EmmaLadd Shepherd said that efforts to reach the surrounding region through the Quaboag Valley Against Casinos Facebook page (called “Palmer Against Casinos”) have just begun. The organization is led by co-presidents and Palmer residents Charlotte Burns and Iris Cardin.
“We’d like to educate as many people as possible through this page, though you do have to request to become a member,” said Shepherd, the page’s administrator. “But we do have an extensive email list, and we are sending out links all the time to items of interest and when our meetings are coming up.”
To be sure, the casino debate is far from over, as the not-yet-fully-named state gaming commission sets rules and begins to accept applications for a license for one Western Massachusetts casino, as well as two in the eastern part of the state and a slot parlor allowed by last fall’s casino gambling bill. But it seems apparent that as developments break, those with strong feelings on the subject will have it sent right to their screens, large and small.
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