Why Barnstable voters should cancel their subscription to the Cape Cod Times, tune out WXTK, and boycott Barnstable businesses…

The Cape’s only daily newspaper, and the areas only public interest commercial radio station virtually never reported a single word about the issues or candidates in last week’s election.

Typically the Cape Cod Times runs 500-word profiles of political candidates that includes a terse bio, a photograph, and the candidate’s position on issues.

This year the paper printed zilch other than a cryptic reference to an on-line 100-word statement from each of the 22 charter commission candidates.

Many of those who buy the printed version of the Times, do so because they aren't connected to the internet.

On election day the paper only carried a small item offered by Town Clerk, Linda Hutchenrider, predicting a 25% turnout.

Because of the media blackout only 5,100 of the town’s 31,000 registered voters bothered to vote; a

16% turnout.

New Bedford, Fall River, and 33 other Massachusetts cities reported voter turnouts ranging from

33% in New Bedford,

44% in Fall River,

to 50% elsewhere.

The only local print newspapers that carried detailed stories on the election were the weekly Barnstable Patriot, and the bi-weekly Cape Cod Voice.

The School Committee race had a potential for 15,300 votes because three seats were open,

yet 22%

or 3,300 choices

 

were left blank.

There were 250 more blank than actual votes for the top vote-getter, Tommy MacDonald,

which is an embarrasing unintended consequence of the lack of media coverage in the recent election.

19,532 votes were left blank in the charter commission race for a 43% ratio.

In the seven other contested races/issues on the ballot the average number of blanks was 3.5%.

The primary reason for the disproportionate number of blanks on the charter commissioner, and school committee races was the virtual blackout imposed by the major local media, the Cape Cod Times, and WXTK.

Several months ago the Hyannis Area Chamber of Commerce announced the creation of its Political Action Committee (PAC) that specifically targeted candidates who were supporters of the split tax rate.

The Town Council annually votes whether to shift a greater portion of the property tax levy to commercial property owners to promote tax equity between the two tax classes.

The Council can adopt a commercial tax rate that is a half times greater than the residential tax rate, and effectively shift $4 million from business property owners to single family and condo owners.

Barnstable’s tax burden in 1991 was shared 80% by homeowners and 20% by commercial property owners.

In 2007 the ratio was 91.5% homeowner to 8.5% commercial property owners.

If the Council adopts the maximum 1.5 – 1 tax rate shift, the tax burden ration would be 86.5% homeowner, to 13.5% commercial property owners, or 6.5% less commercial property owners than 15 years ago.

The Cape Cod Times and Quantum Communications, owners of WXTK, were co-conspirators to keep pro-split tax candidates from being elected.

School Committee candidate, Tom Dolby, who is opposed to handing over $9 million in cash prior the start of the school year to the two Horace Mann Charter Schools, was also targeted by the business group.

Ironically in 2005 voters overwhelmingly (80% - 20%) approved the split tax rate in a non-binding referendum,

who astoundingly elected three Council candidates who are against homeowner tax relief.

The dichotomy in voter actions was made possible through the absence of media coverage.

Eight days prior to the election the PAC, through individual members, donated $12,500 to anti-split tax rate candidate Jim Munafo,

that doubled after the mandatory reporting date.

The conspirator's scheme was to keep voters in a vacuum via a blackout of the issues and candidates.

Voters were totally unfamiliar with most of the 22 charter commission candidates, and their positions.

Because of the lack of news coverage by the Times, and WXTK, the elected Charter Commissioners were either former councilors, or town appointees, whose names have been in the public arena for a number of years.

WXTK’s morning live talk show never interviewed or mentioned a single council, school committee, or charter candidate as part of their programming.

In the past WXTK typically invited political candidates to their studio for on-air interviews.

This year the station even refused to run paid political advertisements.

The other radio station owner typically doesn't run political ads.

For the first time in its history the Cape Cod Times, the newspaper never printed a single word on any of the candidates in the body of the paper, or endorsement editorials.

Last week the Barnstable Patriot printed the following;

We can’t close the election season without noting the nearly empty abyss of coverage. This entire election season, we at the Patriot have felt like lone voices in the wilderness among our media sisters and brothers covering the Town of Barnstable. We miss the competition that once existed for political coverage of town elections.

We have to think that the voters

looking for a marketplace of ideas and presentations miss it as well.
For better or worse, we’ve been the only media game in town for information outside of the campaigns and some local blogs.

We don’t consider this healthy and would urge our counterparts in print and electronic media to rethink their coverage in the future.

The media’s failure to inform the public of the issues, and candidates in the November 6th election is more than irresponsible journalism.

The media’s action was more than irresponsible. 

It was a slap in the face to everyone in the city, and a sell-out.

A year hence will see 80% of Barnstable’s registered voters turnout to elect the President of the United States,

despite the fact that all Republican candidate votes will be a complete waste.

I predict that only the Democrat candidate will get the state's Electoral College votes.

All others will be tossed into the garbage can.

The high voter turn-out next year will be the result of media coverage.

The 16% voter turnout was because most voters were unaware of the candidates and the issues that directly influence their lives; education, police, road repair, public health, etc.

Other than grocery shopping, my wife and I will spend no money for goods and services from Barnstable businessmen.

We travel over the bridge to the malls in Kingston or Dartmouth, or shop on-line for our major purchases.

I’ve already canceled my subscription to the Cape Cod Times, and rarely listen to WXTK.

Barnstable voters should boycott Barnstable businesses.

Within a few months Rupert Murdoch will dump both the Cape Cod Times and the Barnstable Patriot.

Unfortunately, unless there's another Rob Sennet around, the only REAL newspaper in town will cease to exist. 

Local businesses will jointly buy the Times to continue to control the news and elections for years to come.

I plan to author one more post which will be an in-depth analysis of the election once the voter list is updated at the end of the month.

Comments

[Bradley G Ouimette]

The Media let us down. the reason is simple, they have the local business in their pockets. Even the Patriot could of done more non-biased coverage.

With any luck the Patriot will be to someone that cares, and it will be a great alternative like it was years before. It will be "An Independent Voice" again.

[Prissy]

To KJD...This is Gary's blog,he can do what he wants to do. I pray he stays with us because we need him now more than ever. The papers won't give us the truth but Gary does. Hank Farnham's Barnstable Patriot article is like a baby.."Gary's mean to me" but not once does he respond with any specificity about the water company, the airport, the golf courses. Everything is wonderful in Happyville is all we hear. Well, when the property taxes increase, when the kids can't read, when the value of your home has decreased because of all the building being allowed don't blame Gary, look in the mirror.

[John Julius]

Gary, GREAT JOB in opening this back up to comments! And to KJD, get used to this! We won't let Gary shut down COG and come next Tuesday Eric Schwaab will SHUT DOWN that site, BUT!!!

STAY TUNED!

Look, the two incumbants who got back in to the council were both BOUGHT back in by a few selfish local BUSINESS clowns.... and as for Jim Tinsley, he too, was BOUGHT in to get onto the counci. NONE OF THEM "WON" anything! There is a DIFFERENCE in winning anything in life!

Sort of like the PHONY so called "All American City" award that Klimm and the clowns BOUGHT! It reminds me of some small child who WHINES because his friends WON a TROPHY for little league baseball for really WINNING the championship. So the crying whiner has his father go BUY him a trophy to calm him and quie him down....

THAT is what happened here. The business folk BOUGHT Hank Farnham back in. The business folk BOUGHT Jim MUnafo back in. The business folk BOUGHT James Tinsley onto the council with the help of one Demitrius Atsalis. So is anyone 'impressed"? I am surely NOT!

As Gary and I have continued to say, soon the REALITY will hit and these IDIOTS will HAVE to come BEGGING for an override... WAIT. Just wait.

And as I have also continued to predict, John Klimm will not stay through this. As a truly great 'politician', he will call it a day and leave, as quietly as possible. THEN wait and see what happens.

So KJD, if you on't like all Gary's truth, mind telling us all why you continue to log in here so much?

Like I said, come Tuesday Cape Cod Living will shut down BUT!!!! Wait. Something BETTER is coming!

And last, as I will continue to say, the following people RAN for the GOOD of our town and tried to HELP:

1.. TOM DOLBY

2... ERIC SCHWAAB

3... JASON COX

4... JOHN BRENNAN

5... JOHN ALDEN

6... OLIVER CIPOLLINI

7. BILL CRONIN

8... PETER DOIRON

9. MARCY DUGAS

10.... GREG MILNE

11... BRADLEY OUIMETTE

12. TARYN THOMAN

These people ALL ran to HELP the people in our town and they ALL did a damn great job. While only Greg Milne and John Alden were the only 2 to be elected, that is okay...These other 10 people all deserve a ton of credit for what they did!

Someone took his or her shot at me yesterday on Eric's site... the anonymous person asked me if I was 'embarrassed or ashamed' because I was not 'elected"?!!!

Now really.... ME? Ashamed? Embarrassed? For what? AT what?!

Look, try this. Roy Richardson....FORMER LIFER as a town council 'member'.
DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW MANY TIMES ROY RICHARDSON WALKED IN AND OUT OF THE CENTERVILLE POST OFFICE AND REFUSED TO SIGN THE CHARTER PETITION???!!!

JIM WALSH ASKED HIM MANY TIMES AND SO DID I! HE ASKED US BOTH "WHY WE WERE WASTING OUR TIME"!!!

SO HERE WE HAVE a lifer who REFUSED to even sign the charter petition and NOW he is in charge of 'helping' write it! Boy, I CANNOT WAIT to stand before my old PAL Roy when the public hearings come up on the charter!!!

Other than that, as we have said and will continue to say, this is not over, and as a matter of fact, we haven't even warmed up yet, HANK FARNHAM and Janet Joakim!

See you all on the countryside...

And as for my pal KJD, stop your whining. No one likes a whiner!

Too funny, Gary can do what he wants with his site anytime. But why does he keep saying he's closing it down and then never does? You guy's got your butts spanked hard. Who did you get elected? Just one of your candidates. WOW yeah you really have peoples attention. Pathetic. you guy's are loser and thwe voter obviously agree. Give it up you woill never win.

And you are correct for once Julius. NO ONE LIKES A WHINER. So stop whining!!

[John Julius]

No one here is whining... the facts are the facts, and the business folks BOUGHT the candidates that you said got 'elected'. No, they were BOUGHT in, NOT elected. There IS a difference.

In the meantime, us, give up? You say we will never win? Think again. For now, the people here LOST, but this WILL change! NONE of the candidates who you said were OURS lost anything!

And by the way, you forgot a few things. I SUPPORTED Lucien Poyant AND RICHARD CLARK, something perhaps YOU may not have known! THOSE guys are good guys who KNOW the town needs REFORM! Like me! I know it too! Along with MANY others, and that is why people LIKE anonymous always have to REMAIN ANONYMOUS!

So anon, it is YOU who have NO credibility! ME? I ran TOWNWIDE and got over 800 votes! I guarantee you some things: IF I ran against JUST Hank the loser Farnham or Jim Munafo in a TOWN WIDE election for anything, and it was just ME running townwide, I would win. Those two were BOUGHT back in. I said BOUGHT!

People like Taryn Thoman and Bradley and Peter Doiron ALL GOT GENUINE VOTES. And ALL their VOTES came in TOWNWIDE!

Have a good night there little fella.....

[John Julius]

By the way, just so everyone HERE knows also: Roy Richardson. Yes, Roy was 'elected' to help the other 8 people rewrite the new town charter.

Here, have the TRUTH on Mr. Richardson, something you never got to READ in any local newspaper. ROY RICHARDSON REFUSED to even sign the charter petition that Jim Walsh and I asked him to sign on MULTIPLE occasions. And in fact he said to us, "Why are you wasting your time on this? You will never get the signatures."

Funny how things work out isn't it Mr. Richardson. I wish Roy luck and I WILL be there once the public hearings come up to INVOLVE concerned citizens. I might even be tempted to 'remind' Mr. Richardson that he never signed the petition, although I am willing to bet that later in time I am sure he likely changed his mind.....

Like I said, that, you never got to read in the local papers..... gee, any wonder WHY?!

A bunch of candy ass whiners!

JJ you already said that in the above post. Lets not change the subject by talking about what Roy said to you. You all lost in a big way. and you were so confident that you had Sooooo much support. guess again. Just another example of "not getting it done".

[Prissy]

Yes, COG lost and all you "kind" "civil" people want to rub our faces in it. How nice you really are. Hank got 351 votes. 35l people in this town wanted Hank to be town councilor - big deal!Hank, the crank, wants us to climb telephone poles and cut down tree limbs (read his Barnstable Patriot article.)and then, the landfill won't take limbs (why won't they?) Why doesn't mister big deal Hank do something positive and arrange for the landfill to take the limbs? Now wouldn't that be positive?

JJ. your list of people that ran for the good of the town and it's people is missing a very important name. YOURS. thank you for trying.