If “blight” is municipal cancer, then Barnstable should see an oncologist post haste…..

In August President Bush allocated $3.92 billion to all states, and particularly hard-hit areas trying to respond to the effects of high foreclosures throughout the country.

HUD's new Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) provides targeted emergency assistance to state and local governments to acquire and redevelop foreclosed properties that might otherwise become sources of abandonment and

blight within their communities.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts received $54.8 million;

the City of Boston received $4,230,191;

the City of Springfield received $2,566,272;

the City of Worcester received $2,390,858; and

the City of Brockton received $2,152,979.

Fitchburg,

Haverhill,

Lawrence,

Lowell,

Lynn,

New Bedford,

Marlboro, and

BARNSTABLE

can also apply for $6.8 million direct assistance for eligible projects.

I have written many times recently that the current town council, the school committee, and John Klimm have turned Barnstable into “another urban city,” and it looks like I was right because the HUD folks in Washington, DC said so.

Blight?

Fitchburg, Haverhill, Lawrence Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Marlborough, Roxbury, Mattapan, Dorchester, East Boston, Springfield, Worcester, and Brockton….YES….

But All American City, Barnstable, the hub of the state’s primary industry; tourism? 

Mayors from all these cities were invited to Washington to learn about the program.

Barnstable doesn't have a mayor, so John might be hearing of this handout for the first time.

EXACTLY WHAT IS BLIGHT?

California enacted a 2004 statute that defines blight…

Abnormally high business vacancies, abnormally low lease rates, high turnover rates, abandoned buildings, or excessive vacant lots within an area developed for urban use and served by utilities.

Residential overcrowding or an excess of bars, liquor stores, or other businesses that cater exclusively to adults, that has led to problems of public safety and welfare.

A high crime rate that constitutes a serious threat to the public safety and welfare.

The existence of blighted areas characterized by any or all of such conditions constitutes a serious and growing menace which is condemned as injurious and inimical to the public health, safety,and welfare of the people of the communities in which they exist and of the people of the State.

Such blighted areas present difficulties and handicaps which are beyond remedy and control solely by regulatory processes in the exercise of police power.

They contribute substantially and increasingly to the problems of, and necessitate excessive and disproportionate expenditures for, crime prevention, correction, prosecution, and punishment, the treatment of juvenile delinquency, the preservation of the public health and safety, and the maintaining of adequate police, fire, and accident protection and other public services and facilities.

This menace is becoming increasingly direct and substantial in its significance and effect.

It is further found and declared that:

Such conditions of blight tend to further obsolescence, deterioration, and disuse because of the lack of incentive to the individual landowner and his inability to improve, modernize, or rehabilitate property.

As a consequence the process of deterioration of a blighted area frequently cannot be halted or corrected except by redeveloping the entire area, or substantial portions of it.

Such conditions of blight are chiefly found in areas subdivided into small parcels, held in divided and widely scattered ownerships, frequently under defective titles, and in many such instances the private assembly of the land in blighted areas for redevelopment is so difficult and costly that it is uneconomic and as a practical matter impossible for owners to undertake because of lack of the legal power and excessive costs.

The remedying of such conditions may require the public acquisition at fair prices of adequate areas, the clearance of the areas through demolition of existing obsolete, inadequate, unsafe, and unsanitary buildings, and the redevelopment of the areas suffering from such conditions under proper supervision, with appropriate planning, and continuing land use and construction policies.

Now that Hyannis is “officially” a blighted urban village within the city of Barnstable, John Klimm better get his ass up to Boston and make an application for $2 million as the town's share of the HUD handout.

Here’s a list of nine homes he can buy for $1.3 million or less, as the prices listed are the “asking” prices.

8 Natka Drive; $209,900 (assessed for $293,800), and with the home you get an influential neighbor as a bonus if you hurry. 

This year’s property tax bill = $758

543 Pitchers Way, a three-bedroom for $107,500 (assessed for $293,800). 

This year’s property tax bill = $52.

30 Skating Rink Road, a three-bedroom for $149,000 (assessed for $249,000.) 

This year’s property tax bill = $344.

23 Woodland Ave, another three-bedroom for $159,900 (assessed for $290, 900).

This year’s property tax bill = $413

156 County Seat St. a three-bedroom for $144,900 (assessed for $318,500). 

This year’s property tax bill = $310.

55 Betty’s Pond Road, a four-bedroom for $154,900 (assessed for $263,300). 

This year’s property tax bill = $379

30 Brookshire Ave, a three-bedroom for $99,900 (assessed for $253,100.  

This year’s property tax bill = $0.00.

24 Brookshire Ave, another three-bedroom for $135,375 (assessed for $261,400). 

This year’s property tax bill = $241.50

18 Five Corners Road a three-bedroom for $189,900 (assessed for $350,700. 

This year’s property tax bill = $641.

With the extra $1 million, John should be able to pick up nine more houses before Christmas, as house values are dropping fast and furious.

John Klimm and the council can buy 18 houses for $2 million, and make a major dent in Barnstable’s affordable home quota. 

P.S. If anyone is on speaking terms with ASSessor Rudziak, advise him these homes may sell before January 1, 2009 which makes them categorically eligible for appraisal for the next tax bill.

When he tells you the homes are foreclosures, and don't count in his assessment, ask him if he doesn't think these sales will have a negative impact the value of other homes in the neighborhood. 

While Klimm twiddles his fingers and straightens his wig, should you have an interest in any of these homes, call John Julius at 508 237 2700, and remember these are "asking" prices.

Comments

Where are the good news boys when you need them?

If the Town had spent so much as a nickel in these areas rebuilding roads, installing sewers, and replacing water pipes, this meltdown in housing prices could have been avoided.

But, the Town chose instead to ignore their responsibilities to the residents and go on an extended spending spree buying marinas, golf courses,private air fields, gas stations, restaurants, and vacant motels.

If they keep this up much longer there will be no one left in Hyannis to pay their friggin taxes.

So much for the full faith and credit of their AAA bonds.

[John Julius]

Bottom line:

The town needs NEW LEADERSHIP! John Klimm needs to be removed. The school committee needs to be removed. The Growth Management Dep't needs to be eliminated. the entire Town Legal Dep't needs to be ELIMINATED!

The WASTE in this town is SICKENING! The town council is the WORST in the town's history. The school committee WASTED MILLIONS, like $ 12 MILLION in FREE CASH reserves since 2004! The town administration also WASTED close to $ 10 MILLION over the last fours, again, MORE FREE CASH and reserves!

Talk about waste. Talk about INCOMPETENCE! If people were to save a MILLION in their IRA and retirement accounts, SHOULD THEY JUST BLOW it all like the Klimm ADMINISTRATION and the school committee did?!

People here WONDER WHY things are this bad. Look at the waste. The school committee ALLOWED schools to continue to operate while ENROLLMENTS dropped to close to half in some cases! The Klimm administration continued to WASTE MILLIONS more paid to outside law firms while the town's legal dep't did NOTHING!

The Growth Management Dep't is FULL of John Klimm's pals and some of their PALS and pals of him and pals of her! In the meanwhile, the Dep't of PUBLIC WORKS has had CRUMBS to spend on our roads, our infrastructure!

INCOMPETENCE, MISMANAGEMENT, WASTE on top of waste and corruption! And what ever changes? NOTHING!

The HOMES in our town are GROSSLY OVERASSED and the business folks have seen their taxes GO DOWN!!!! I said DOWN! MOST business people paid the same or LESS in taxes to our town this year than they all did FIFTEEN YEARS AGO! I said, MOST business people paid the SAME or less in TAXES in 2008 than they did back in 1992!!!!

WHY? Because of idiots like Jim Crocker, like Hank Farnham, like Harold Tobey, like John Klimm, Ruth Weil, Ralph Cahoon, Tom MacDonald and the other MORONS who have run this town into the ground!

In the PRIVATE SECTOR NONE of these morons would last SIX months so why shoule WE allow this to continue?!

People need to start the taxpayer association and SOON! If the town council does not have the ###### to get a new manager, then the taxpayer association will do it for them!

I just heard on the news that Janet Joakim will not run for political office in November.

She says you guys wore her down.

It looks like you guys won after all. You didn't kill her, but you inflicted a mortal wound.

I just heard on the news that Janet Joakim will not run for political office in November.

She says you guys wore her down.

It looks like you guys won after all. You didn't kill her, but you inflicted a mortal wound.

I had WQRC on CCL just now searching for "Janet Joakim Accomplishments"

The results came up blank.

[J J]

WHO CARES? WHO CARES about Janet Joakim? Look, Janet thought she was Queen Janet a few weeks ao but deep down she KNOWS that all over this town people cannot STAND her and the manager as well. She also knows that she likely will COST US ALL A FEW MILLION when the Blanchard's lawsuit comes, and it will!

Funny how Janet accused us all od costing the town money when in FACT it will be HER and our own MANAGER who will cost us a few MILLION!

So WHO CARES? Janet KNOWS that she is done here as far as politics. I would LOVE to see her run in some TOWNWIDE election for anything! I would pay admission for it.

I would also LOVE to see the town go to an ELECTED MAYOR like MOST people here want and I would also pay admission to see john klimm run against ANYONE for the Mayor. DONAL DUCK coule win over this clown!

So let's move on. Janet Joakim is nothing but a born loser like the other 111 asswipe councilors, and like the Manager and HIS HACK Assistant Tom Lynch. Like I said, the answer is the TAXPAYER ASSOCIATION!

And Gary, as always, THANK YOU for doing all the work you do!

I only hope people realize the work Gary Lopez puts in. Funny how Klimm and most on the council always bash Gary and call his numbers and stats lies, when in FACT Gary gets his numbers and stats from the MASS Dep't of RENENUE and the MASS Dep't of EDUCATION!!!!

Too bad these morons couldn't do the same!

Keep it up Gary, and thanks for keeping this site going... HOPEFULLY in the future the taxpayer association can pick up the ball when it gets running.

I heard the National Civic League is suing Barnstable to take away its All American City Award.

They don't want their name linked to a failed school district, blight, the Supreme Court hearing a sexual assault case of a five-year-old girl on a school bus, and corrupt politicians.

I heard the National Civic League is suing Barnstable to take away its All American City Award. They don't want their name linked to a failed school district, blight, the Supreme Court hearing a sexual assault case of a five-year-old girl on a school bus, and corrupt politicians.

[Please Explain]

I don't get it. WHY don't sales of foreclosed properties count in assessed values of comparable homes?

Is that based on some statute, or is that at the whim of the assessor?

I live on a street where a house sold at half of its assessed value. I bought my house at the peak of the housing boom with an adjustable mortgage. Half of my monthly salary goes to pay for my house. IF I lose my job (which is in jeaopardy), my house will also go to foreclosure, as there is no way I could sell it for what I owe on it.

How would that NOT effect the rest of the home values on my street?

[home to roost]

Joakim will be a defendant in at least two separate lawsuits next year that will effectively kill any chance she might have at getting re-elected, and she knows it.

The sad part is, there will probably be some other Joakim or Atsalis clone to replace her on the council, since the proposed charter will fail miserably. We may even add two more idiot councilors to this hideous form of government.

Think Fred C. will reduce public comment to 30 seconds from now on?

When was The Freddie C. Horror Show begin?

[displacedkanaka]

Where are Klimm's grant writers?

Why isn't Laura Shufelt all over this?

Where's Lindsey Council?

Where's the Queen of the Homeless, Janice Barton?

Where's hose nose Joakim?

Where's the former housing guru, Tom Lynch on this money for more housing?

Is town hall on an early Christmas holiday.

The quickest path to this money is through Barney Frank. He arranged it.

Do you think Atsalis or O'Leary even know about it? Where's Klimm? Is he in Georgia for the holidays?

[J J]

First, to answer the commenter from 11:06 who wants an explanation of foreclosure properties and how those affect values. I believe this is in the laws regarding values and assessments, etc. HOWEVER.... THIS CAN BE FOUGHT and it CAN BE CHANGED!

Here is what people need to do:

1. Call Jeff Perry, the state rep from Sandwich. Call Demitrius Atsalis and call every LEGISLATOR on the Cape. EVERY ONE. And also call State Senator Rob O'Leary. Tell them all that you are taxpayers and these foreclosures ARE impacting people's VALUES and TAXES!

Let's see if EVEN ONE legislator or Mr. O'Leary will CARE enough about their constituents enough to propose CHANGING this old age practice! BECAUSE these DO affect values and the TRUTH is that MOST taxpayers all over the Cape are getting screwed on all this! You are absolutely right!

Here is their dilemma. IF a state rep, legislator or any state Senator DOES propose any change, it will be tough to get others to follow... WHY? Simple. because this will mean LESS of OUR money going into THEIR pockets so they will have less of OUR money to WASTE!

Just like John Klimm. This is exactly WHY he and the idiots on the council have NO INTENTION of FIXING the corrupt tax assessments in town! If the tax assessor here ever FIXED the GROSSLY OVERASSESSED tax assessments, our town would rake in MILLIONS LESS that homeowners would have in their pockets instead! Does anyone think that our wastaholic town manager and his band of THIEVES will ever allow this to happen?!

Not happening. So my suggestion is to call people. In the meantime, perhaps the Cape Cod & Islands Board of Realtors could lobby to have this fixed, and changed. And maybe the MASS ASSOC of Realtors, and on a national level, the NAR, or the Nat'l Assoc of Realtors. IF these people would get involved and get this into a court before a JUDGE, ANY HONEST Judge would say, "absolutely, change this! NOW! Of course these foreclosure properties AFFECT the value, just like ANY other sale does. I KNOW SOME streets where maybe HALF the homes on a street are foreclosures! Look at Brookshire Road in Hyannis. I have sold ONE there, have three more there now for sale, and another THREE on the street are BANK-OWNED and are listed by other agents. So on this ONE street only there are 8 BANK-owned homes, and at least one more that is a "short sale" which means that the bank will SOON own it! So imagine you owning a home on that street. THINK those NINE sales might have an 'impact on your home's value??!!

Call the state reps and call the so called leaders on Beacon Hill. DEMAND that they CHANGE this old age practice! I bet if some JUDGE had his home for sale and there were foreclosures in HIS or HER neighborhood, this would get FIXED!

Guys, if people want change, we need to BAND together and make NOISE! If Demitrius wants to do some real GOOD, now is his chance. Sponsor a bill to get this FIXED! Call him. His # is in the book. If enough people do call, he might at least try!

Gary, your practice of personally attacking people turns them into victims. That is why Joakim retained her seat. Stick to the issues. Don't give them the edge. Keep up the good work!

[Not Mike]

Joakim retained her seat because she slithered away from the recall election dates of the primary and presidential elections with help from Weily Coyote and Cockeyed Crocker. Had the clerk acted reasonably with the fist affidavit or the charter been properly adhered to when the council set the date, Joakim would be gone.

Lopez's characterization of these clowns is only funny because there is some truth in what he says. If we did have an official position for "Queen of the Homeless", Barton would nominate herself!
Joakim has shown her ugliness inside and out for seven years, and Klimm makes enough money to buy a decent toupe.

These pigs are personally attacking you every time they vote against the split tax, approve a crappy school budget for your kids, and limit you to two minutes at public comment. Victims my ass!

[fact checker]

55 Betty's Pond Sold last year for nearly 400K. Assessment of 264K does not seem unreasonable.

DE MACEDO, JOSUE LISBOA Apr 6 2007 12:00AM 21921/ 183 $ 380,000

[looking]

The house at 18 Five Corners looks like a good deal.

MCLACHLAN, JOAN E & Feb 17 2006 12:00AM C179300 $ 1
MCLACHLAN, JOAN E & Jun 11 2004 12:00AM C173335 $ 382,500

Have you seen the condition of this one, John?

[better days are coming]

There is substantial notation on an alternate blog site that indicates that the removal of President Janet Swain Joakim is about to be removed from office. The RECALL effort came guaranteed. It had my signature on it.

I appreciate the words and encouragement from those who had the sense to know something needed to be done. I mean specifically John Julius, Rob Anderson, and yes, you, Lopez.

You were in the right on this one, had the moral highground, and John Julius and Tony Pelletier's call on the homeless guarantees a group effort in play for the removal of Janet Joakim for substantial reasons. High crimes and misdemeanors are compelling grounds for her removal.

You gave her a break by focusing on split-tax, and yes, the ZBA.

COG, I have your back.

yea..right, Mary.

Next time, leave Gary Lopez out of the political dirt. You dragged him into court to testify for you after he backed you up, Taryn. You have no loyalties at all. No money, no clout, and you would betray your own mother.

Get a job!

[Move On!]

Please stop, Mary. Nobody cares what happens to Joakim now. It is unlikely she would be elected to another term after all the trouble she has caused the town.

You betrayed the trust given to you by supporters of this blog, especially Gary. Nobody wants your support, because it will ultimately end with another knife in the back.

Joakim's term as president is about to end, and so is her influence on the council. We have new and larger issues to address.
Get over it.

[J J]

Like I said, WHO CARES about Janet Joakim anymore! She is a LAME DUCK! Quack quack!

All this waste corruption, mismanagement and incompetence is way bigger than Janet... It is also only a small part of her fault.

Look if this town is ever going to get real SERIOUS about real change, then the council is going to have to get some ##### and find a NEW Manager, for now. What does ANY corporation do when they are failing? They get a NEW manager, a NEW boss. A new leader....

When a professional sports team is failing, what do they do?! They find a new manager, they hire a NEW leader. They change faces. They change direction. They get new leadership. They hire new vision....

This is SO SIMPLE yet we have a bunch of clueless morons on the council who don't have the IQ of ten year olds.....

And over on the school committee, it is REPREHENSIBLE what Ralph Cahoon has done to this town's SCHOOL SYSTEM! Ralph, you are also another SPINELESS maggot and coward. Ralph recently wrote an article in the Patriot. He called us what was it? CAVE men is what he called us....

Nice try Ralphie.... Ralph says this stands for Citizens Against Virtually Everything!

Ralphie, you spineless moron: Consider this Ralph. Take ME personally. Let me tell you Ralphie.... Here is what I want for Xmas:

1. A NEW Town Manager.

2. 12 NEW town councilors. Get rid of the 12 clueless morons who THINK they have done a service for us all. Greg milne is the ONLY councilor of the 13 who has ANY integrity at all. Greg ALSO KNOWS that we need a MAYOR to straighten out this town!

3. Get a NEW Asst Town Manager. Sorry Mr. Tom Lynch, present Ass't but you are nothing but yet another lifetime HACK like the current manager John Klimm. Most people don't know this but: Manager Klimm COULD NOT and WOULD NOT qualify to be the Manager in the Town of Falmouth. Anyone know WHY? because the Town of Falmouth has ceertain QUALIFICATIONS that mr. Klimm DOES NOT POSSESS. Nice eh? At least the Town of Falmouth demands SOME accountability, unlike here in HACKStable.

4. Get RID of the entire school committee. Look, no offense to the people there. I don't know them but I DO KNOW that Mr. Murphy, Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Cahoon have ALL FAILED MISERABLY! Perhaps keep Debra Dagwan on board but get RID of Mrsrs Murphy, MacDonald and Cahoon.

5. Get this town an ELECTED MAYOR, who could come in and clean house!

Most people in this town know full well that it all starts at the top.... So in order for CHANGE, we need to start at the head, where the fish rots from....

Will this ever happen? Who knows?

But we ARE GOING TO START A TAXPAYER ASSOCIATION, despite what happens.

That's right all the mayors were invited to a meeting. Barnstable a very large town, that does not have a mayor was not at the table that day. Barnstable will never be at the table as long as we continue with the stacked deck charter commssion. This phoney committee is the ipitimy of Barnstable.

They really think we are all stupid. They even broadcast this crap.

We need a mayor, we need change.

We need someone with integrity to step up on that council and ask averyone "What the hell are we doing"

[John Julius]

You are right. Yes, we do need someone BIG to step up and do this but don't hold your breath. Know what frustrates me the most? How MANY LAWYERS live in our town? MANY right? I happen to KNOW many, and yet, most are afraid. Most here are afraid. Of what? I wish I knew.

My thinking is that many people here are scared to death of RETALLIATION. WHY? Gary is still here. I am still here. Eric Schwaab is here. THESE ASSWIPE idiots are nothing to be afraid of! THIS IS OUR GD town! Why be afraid? WHY let these CLUELESS MAGGOTS drag us all down?

John Klimm is nothing but a HACK MAGGOT! There now. See, it is not hard. With ALL the LAWYERS who LIVE here, there is not EVEN ONE who wants to HELP GARY LOPEZ and myself take the GD airport lease into COURT! We are going to have to do this by ourselves! Talk about a bunch of ball less clan!

Get some balls. Everyone. Strat standing up to these clueless maggots who have dragged our town into the ground! Barnstable is the FIFTH wealthiest town in the Commonwealth! And what do we have to SHOW for it?! Try nothing. Try one of the WORST school systems in this state. TRY a town that offers almost NO services. Try a town with OVER ONE THOUSAND and FOUR HUNDRED lawsuits against us, the TAXPAYERS!

Try a town with businesses who pay GOD D###### LESS in taxes each year, only to HAVE THE HOMEOWNERS pick up their TAXES!

We have a town that USES fear tactics and RETALLIATION practices. Look at the ZONING BOARD fiasco. We lost some of the BEST KNOWLEDGEABLE people in the state. WHY? Because of John Klimm and his BS! And because Janet Joakim is also another maggot who ABUSED her GD power as the concil President!

The WASTE. The MISMANAGEMENT. The INCOMPETENCE. THE CORRUPTION!!!!

And NOW what happened? MANY of us did the GD dirty work to get seven thousand signatures to have a MAYOR in this town..... and what did MANAGER KLIMM DO? He was able to get FIVE of the NINE PHONY BASTARDS ontpo the charter commission and guess what folks? NOT A DAMN thing is going to change! NOTHING!

So I have no clue about whet people here intend to do, but MY idea is for a TAXPAYER ASSOCIATION to evolve. The way I see this is that THIS TOWN IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO GO INTO THE TOILET UNTIL people here get really pissed off!

DO not any of the MANY lawyers in our town NOT CARE enough to stand up with us? We have these LYING cheating bastards running this town into the toilet and NO ONE CARES?!

TRUST ME ON THIS:

Having sold more than THREE THOUSAND HOMES in my almost 30 years of selling real estate, BANK ON THIS! UNTIL someone changes the SCHOOL SYSTEM here, OUR HOME VALUES are going to continue to go DOWN into the toilet! Don't believe me? Wait. Watch.

Do you all remember HOW HARD it is when water is contaminated? Some years back when I was in the building business we biult condo's in Holbrook. There had been a CONTAMINATED site there some years earlier. WE STILL had trouble selling brand new condo's!

Anyone KNOW the # ONE QUESTION people, BUYERS ask when they come INTO ANY TOWN? They ask about the schools! Does anyone here think JOHN KLIMM is qualified to FIX this? How about Ralph Cahoon? Janet Joakim? Tom Lynch? The town legal dep't? How about the grand town council? The school committee??!!

Look guys, NONE of these people could care less. MOST are TOO STUPID to even KNOW this, what I just said, let alone FIX it! And John Klimm DOES NOT EVEN OWN A HOME IN BARNSTABLE ANYMORE! HE ALSO DOES NOT LIVE IN THE TOWN ANYMORE, at least this is the word I got! And Mr. Klimm has BOUGHT himself a wonderful home I heard, in Georgia!

So does anyone here REALLY think that our own MANAGER, JOHN KLIMM really cares what the HELL HAPPENS here anymore? WHY should he? He has NO STAKE here anymore!

ALL our Manager cares about, IN MY OPINION, is filling out a few more years to get his NICE LITTLE GOLDEN $$$$$ parachute, and there is not one councilor SMART enough to figure this out!!!!

Talk about a bunch of complete MORONS!

We have a bunch of elected IDIOTS for a council and an APPOINTED town manager who COULD NOT EVEN QUALIFY to run the Town of Falmouth because there, THEY HAVE QUALIFICATIONS!

And now we have a charter commission PACKED with KLIMMITES. Like TERMITES. Only these KLIMMITES are there to protect his ass!

What a shame! People, wake up. If our only hope left is the taxpayer association, then WHEN we start this, you had better all go recruit as many people as possible, because our home values will only go DOWN more! Trust me!

[political strategist with proven track record for success]

Agree wholeheartedly with above commenters. It's time we moved on with more substantial issues in Barnstable and we need a solid strategy for acheivement. Of course, if President Janet Swain Joakim is forced to step down there will be a shake-up in the political status quo. A dent in the political infrastructure puts a limit on nepotism and cronyism. Representative Demetrius Atsalis will be damaged politically and Rob O'Leary has been called upon to explain his actions in regard to the political deception spewed Janet Swain Joakim. A good number of policies protected by the current political standards are unfriendly to business in these uncertain economic times.

In addition, the charter commission and COG's mission to accomplish a pervasive standard for accountability and responsibility in municipal politics. There may not be a mayor in the works, but there certainly is substantial discussion over the advancement of an elected party by the people to oversee town operations and coordination of said town council.

This may not be germane to the matters of consequence. If Joakim is effectively removed from office, Joe Pino will have a wide open ticket to seek the council seat of Precinct Six. This may not be best for COG, as he may be pro-split tax, but not necessarily pro Taryn. Not that he wouldn't be willing to lend a kind ear to a genuinely altrustic person now and then, but he has no understanding of the relevance of collateral damages.

Or maybe he does.

[leveling the playing field in pursuit of open government]

COG has had a long history of spilling the beans. You must have something clearly in the works to dare to be quite this open, huh?

[Santa Baby]

Yep, I've already started lining up replacements. It helps to stay ahead of the game in these uncertain economic times. If I had no self-confidence and faith in something bigger than I am, I wouldn't be in a position to speak, now would I? Pino, you're looking good!

Getting my presents out to Barnstable voters well in time for Christmas!

[Ho Ho Hum]

Mary, you are a poliical genius. Why don't you move somewhere bigger and better than this one horse town? Considering your long list of accomplishments, you could make a big name for yourself just about anywhere.

You should go back to Georgetown and hit the scene as the political big hitter you have become. You would get great recommendations from the hundreds of authorities to whom you have written thousands of letters.

Barnstable is not worthy of your classy style and societal muscle!

This comment has been deleted.

I shut comments down on October 31 to get away from the cat fight.

If these comments continue, I'll have to close comments again.

Anybody figure out what's going on?

[Hussein around here?]

Mr. Gary Lopez,

Aren't you interested in reporting the news?

Your blog site has long been a forum for controversial comments and postings and an outlet for many who have no others means of expressing their opinions. This includes crazy people, the chronically retarded and shut-ins. There are a number of derogatory comments posted onto your site in regard to one specific person. This party has no credibility anyway.

At this point, we are unsure as to how this incompetent, paranoid, receipt saving, "high maintenance broad" is capable of being in several different places at the same time. Some interests in regard to municipal interests and constituents need to be considered expendable. How this maniac is able to be seen shopping in downtown stores, eating in restaurants, speaking with her employer today as these "cat fight" comments continue remain and enigma.

One of the accused parties is walking on the town green under supervision of "Big Brother" and I reassure you, we don't mean Jesus.