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Health & Fitness

Board of Selectmen Meeting February12,2014 My Comments

Board of Selectmen February 12, 2014

At the last Board of Selectmen meeting on January 27, 2014, this board and the public were witness to a verbal assault on Mr. Kalechman by First Selectman Mary Glassman and Selectman Lisa Heavner pertaining to his comments stating that he was told a grant was being used to support the creation of Community for Care Committee lead by Pastor Woody Eddins. When I received a phone call from Mr. Kalechman pertaining to this committee and how it would be financed, I told him that I would call the town to find out if there was a grant for this project. I called Tom Cooke, First Selectman’s high maintenance psudo town manager to receive the information. I asked and was told there was a grant for this project. He stated that there was one but he couldn’t tell me the amount of the grant because he was too busy to look up that information. I was satisfied that the town taxpayers were not paying for this redundant committee. I transmitted the information to Mr. Kalechman who stood up at the meeting during public audience and questioned why other people in authority did not know of this grant although he was assured that Mr. Cooke transmitted through me that a grant was received for this project. After Mr. Kalechman finished his remarks both First Selectman Mary Glassman and Selectman Lisa Heavner publicly humiliated and bullied Mr. Kalechman  asserting  he was transmitting incorrect information.  Tom Cooke, Mary Glassman’s psudo town manager, was sitting silent in the front row listening to this tirade challenging  Mr. Kalechman’s veracity and did nothing to correct the record. After this public thrashing by First Selectman Mary Glassman and Selectman Lisa Heavner, I questioned Tom Cooke on his silence knowing that the incorrect information came from him; he stated that he couldn’t say anything to correct the record until First Selectman Mary Glassman vetted his remarks . Tom Cooke sat silent.  What is going on in Town Hall? How can we the taxpayers trust our highly paid officials when they give us incorrect information and are unwilling to admit a mistake?  In a Courant article,” Panel To Address Mental Health, Drugs,” First Selectman Mary Glassman stated, “The program will have no cost to the town….there was some confusion about a grant funding the program.” Mr. Kalechman deserves an public apology from First Selectman Mary Glassman and Selectman Lisa Heavner for their brutal attack on his public comments.  Sending a lawyereze letter from Tom Cooke to me and Mr. Kalechman, placing the blame on us for transmitting the incorrect information that he transmitted does not meet the muster. We the people who pay the highest taxes in the Valley should expect the highest standards from our employees. Mr. Cooke receives an “F” on all counts.

Recently there was an article in the Farmington Valley Times with the heading, “ Will Simsbury become known as “Pot City”? First Selectman Mary Glassman was quoted as saying that, “ In addition to being known for its wholesome, small town New England image, Simsbury is reputed for support of innovativeness…which was pointed out as an asset in recent marketing study of the town She went on to say this new medical marijuana endeavor fits the category of “cutting edge” business and will facilitate “innovative economic development” in town. What is cutting edge is the process for trimming the plant to use the seeds.  How can First Selectman Mary Glassman think that this facility is economic development when all the property values in town will be devalued?  Who wants to send their children to a High School in close proximity to a Marijuana factory?  Why does First Selectman Mary Glassman   continually state that the Republicans voted for the marijuana factory when the two dissenting votes came from the Republicans?   Does First Selectman Mary Glassman want to be known as the Queen of Pot? What is First Selectman Mary Glassman smoking?

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First Selectman Mary Glassman  recently introduced our new Town Engineer, Jim Shea with a salary of $103,500 who came from Canton. In a recent Courant article it was stated that Canton was reorganizing staff and Shea’s  position of projects Engineer salary was being reduced from $90,203 to $70,000.  Why should the taxpayers support a salary of $103,500 when we could have negotiated this salary at a lower cost and having retired Town Engineer Rich Sawitske on a part-time basis adds additional costs to this Department?

While reviewing town files I saw that Hiram Peck, Director of Community Planning & Development, submitted an invoice on September 4, 2013,  to be paid for 22 miles of travel to distribute in Tariffville posters and other materials pertaining to a Charrette. Why is the town using Hiram Peck to distribute materials, how could he travel 22 miles and why is he not using a town vehicle?

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 According to town records, Dave Richman has not paid the taxes on his property at 730 Hopmeadow Street and  continues to be in violation of the zoning regulations with fines being imposed on a daily basis.

Since the Common Core imitative has been imposed on all the school systems and there has been time to evaluate the results, teachers and Superintendents are finally speaking out on the failures. The premise that both teachers and students are Common and one size fits all is a fallacy. We should not have a one size fits all mentality in education. Teachers are not Common, nor do we want our teachers to be Common in delivering information to our children. One size does not fit all. Many educators and businesses are asking the education systems to generate students who think out-of box and are problem solvers not good at filling in bubbles with a #2 pencil. Teaching to the test is teaching to failure.   Teachers should be evaluated on their ability to engage their students not just regurgitate the Common Core curriculum.  Anyone thinking that both children and teachers are Common does not understand the value of individuality. We need leaders who can produce children to guide us into the future, not produce initiatives that produce robots with Common Core standards.

Simsbury needs professional management to guide using into an uncertain economic climate. We the taxpayers cannot continually pay for ineffective management and costly initiatives.

 

 

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