Disfunctional Wrentham Selectman

[Michael Collins]

The Selectmen meeting of May 19 was the best show on TV. Mr. Cohen, who repeats the mantra of transparency all the time, was doing his best to suppress comments from his fellow Selectmen, receiving instructions on his cell phone from his "masters", and at one stage called a recess so he could discuss the issue off the camera. The camera was actually turned off until Mr. Langley objected.

What was the fuss about? It seems that Mr. Cohen's friend, Patrick Moore feels he was unjustly criticized by Town Administrator John McFeeley and wants an apology. McFeeley told the truth at the town meeting when he said that Patrick Moore did not attend a single meeting of the second Stormwater committee to which he was appointed by the Moderator. For Patrick, telling the truth is so unusual that he wants an apology. McFeeley has refused and Mr. Cohen tried to put a letter in his personnel file criticizing McFeeley for his attitude. The other selectmen challenged Cohen's actions since it requires a vote from the majority of the Selectmen and said that Cohen should not act by himself on such an important matter.

There is also a separate attack against McFeeley from Mr. Capone, another of Mr. Cohen's sponsors.

Will the games never end? Be sure to tune in to the next Selectmen's meeting for Chapter 2.

[Purple Bag]

This is the result of electing inexperienced, one track-minded people to the lead Board. All residents will pay dearly for allowing three clowns on this Board. If the minority who bother to vote really cared about this community, and were weary of the incumbants, they could have encouraged intelligent, insightful, forward-thinking individuals with a background of service to run for office.

As for Cohen's insanity, it's a toss-up between his behavior at this meeting and his pathetic duplicity during the May 5th meeting. On May 5th, he shut down discussion when Selectman Goddard questioned Selectman Langley's reason for voting against increasing the retiree's contribution to health insurance to bring it in line with active employees. Goddard wanted to know if Langley knew of undisclosed but available funds. Cohen stated that discussing this matter belongs at the Eagle Brook Saloon.

Presently, Wrentham's primary crisis is financial. For Cohen to state that Selectmen should be discussiing financial reasoning for decisions at an out of town bar, rather than in the public view, debases the community, bars honest government, and constitutes a fraud perpetuated on his oath.

So much for transparency.

.

[Albert B Collins]

The Wrentham Board of Selectmen must do their elected duty and vote to remove Bob Cohen as their chairman. It should be transparent enough by now to any thinking person that Cohen does not represent the interests of Wrentham. First, he signs an unlawful petition to violate the 1st amendment rights of the hosts of The Grapevine, a local cable talk show, by bringing to town meeting an article to remove the show from cable TeeVee. Why? Because his boy Billian, our Town Moderator, can't handle the truth about himself as conveyed on said cable show. Billian supressed the stormwater report produced by a committee that he appointed, was called on it, and got his butt handed to him. And Cohen thought that defending his cohort was such a great idea that he signed a petition that Town Counsel and the ACLU said was illegal.
Then, after the April election where the Prop 2 1/2 override was soundly rejected, Cohen starts blubbering in the press how maybe it ought to be brought back. He must have missed the cell phone message: NO means NO!
But his antics surrounding the Town Administrator at the May 19 BOS meeting really require disciplinary action be taken against him by the board. A staunch defender of his scumbag friends, Cohen this time took up the cause of Planning Board Chairman Pat Moore (known only to Cohen as the Chief Justice of the Planning Board) for whom lying comes as easily as breathing, and who lied at Town Meeting when he said he attended the 2nd Stormwater Committee meetings. The Town Administrator set the record straight by stating that he was there but Moore was not. Moore, always one to be confused by the facts, found this truthful remark unpleasant and has demanded an apology from the TA. It gets better! Since Cohen, Moore, Capone and a few others around here have been gunnin' for McFeeley (TA), Cohen decides to intimidate him in private by berating his job performance and entering a document in the TA's file, which as Selectman Goddard noted, makes this a disciplinary action against a town employee. Cohen did this on his own, without the board's knowledge or assent. Cohen then tries to say it was a "counseling session" and there is no mechanism for documenting such sessions. The only counseling Cohen ever did was in the Mens Room, documented in the paper and in front of a magistrate!
This friends, his how bad government gets entrenched. Selectmen - do your duty, remove Cohen as chairman. The voters will do the rest.

[Michael Collins]

Bob Cohen has more tricks than the working girls of Times Square in New York. At the last Selectmen meeting, he came up with the theory that because a citizen might object to matters being discussed in an open session and then sue the Board of Selectmen, he wanted to discuss complaints about Mr. McFeeley in executive session. Could this have been about the mischief created by Mr. Capone that I mentioned in my earlier blog? Do anonymous complainers have the same rights as employees?

The Mass General Laws are clear on the employee's rights. Mr. MCFeeley is a full-time employee. The employee has the right to choose between an executive session or an open session, he/she can bring a lawyer, he/she needs 48 hour notice and finally, he/she has the right to confront the accuser as stated in the U.S. Constitution. The accuser can't make anonymous charges and then have Bob Cohen carry out the punishment.

At the meeting of May 19, Bob Cohen was trying to carry out Patrick Moore's instructions to get McFeeley to apologize for telling the truth. Moore also wanted a strong letter put in his personnel file which Transparent Bob carried out. But he was forced to withdraw it after his fellow board members (other than the fool Leclair) objected.

What next?

Cohen's personal blog provides clues. No layoffs of town employees - oops Bob supporters; no communications tower - sorry Bob, it has already been built; more cuts at the schools - they will vote for whatever they are told so Bob has no more use for them; more zoning changes to help his pals; sell off town-owned land to his pals - see if Capone will get a special deal on the Marra property; and so on.

[John]

I hope all Wrenthamites see the new parking regulations for what they are - the end of Wrentham Center as we know it. These new rules are so transparent as to their desired outcome it is comical. Hand the keys to Wrentham to the developers- period.

Please get out the word to vote this down 6/15. This is potentially the most important vote in years.

[Albert B Collins]

Cohen is utterly incapable of performing as a public servant, primarily because he's a follower, not a leader. Now he's spending more money with town counsel in the futile hope that TC will say, "its OK Bob, do whatever you want. You're the Chairman!"
Apparently Cohen thinks he is Sinatra.
The Wrentham BOS must remove this creep, he is dangerous. Signing illegal petitions, violating town employees rights... he is the lapdog of the few crapping all over the many. And again he is doing the bidding of the head puke at the planning board - the trash expert on everyone else's trash but his (bagorbarrel?bagorbarrel?). What a dope. Now we have to unwind this parking article if for no other reason than that it came out of the planning board so you know right away it stinks.
Time to get busy.

[John]

The meat of the parking article is that it gives a 2000- foot radius around the center (South, Dedham, East, Depot, Minot, Randall, Franklin Streets etc. where there will be NO parking regulations. Planning Board discretion- guess what that means.

The 2000 foot radius is no arbitrary number, reaching "to the CVS" (Paige Duncan's own words at a Selectmen/Planning meeting). Notice how this is buried in a Special Town meeting within a seemingly innoculous bylaw change? Priceless- a page right out of the Stimulous Package.

Apparently they want the light at Randall Rd so that a developer can purchase the property across the street on South and make a 4 way intersection, accessing all of the property from Creek to Franklin Street (Crosby and many, many acres of undeveloped woodland).

With no parking regs to deal with, guess what Wrentham Center will look like? Wal Mart anyone?

Everyone who cares a ounce about Wrentham should show up in force as they need 2/3 vote to pass this joke. This could come down to a single vote.

Rally the troops or live with the consequences.

[Albert B Collins]

Sure thing John. How about lobbying to get rid of Cohen while we're at it? You can be sure he is involved - after all, he does plenty of dirty work for the Chief Justice of the Planning Board.

[John]

I agree 100%. I think Mr. Cohen is doing a great job of lobbying against himself every time he opens his mouth.

[Albert B Collins]

Agreed.

[Michael Collins]

John and my cousin Albert are right on target. The Planning Board right now issues a Special Permit for parking and can create exceptions on a case by case basis as was pointed out by George Smith last week. This started a shouting match by Transparent Bob Cohen in the local coffee shop last Monday.

The parking regulation declares open season on downtown development. The sale of Crosby property is the trigger for this "gold rush". People should not forget the close ties between Jimmy Lorusso, the main landlord of most of the downtown buildings and Patrick Moore. Patrick was the President and sole spokesman for Wrentham Business Association, Lorusso's first attempt to rally the town's people for the greater prosperity of his company. Nothing ever changes.

About my comment regarding "the fool Leclair" in my earlier posting. With all the serious issues being discussed at the Selectmen meeting, he was only concerned about why members of the public had heard about a public document. Well Wrentham, you voted for him; now you have him for 3 years. He will not even do the minor job of Clerk.

[Albert B Collins]

Anyone see the Grapevine for June? Pretty good expose on exactly what an incompent, cowardly, dishonest pair of jerks we have chairing the BOS and Planning Board.

[John]

FYI, just got an email. The proposed 2000 foot radius around town center that will not have any parking requirements equals 228 acres of land that can be developed commercially at the whim of the Planning Board. No appeal, No checks and balances re: parking.

That is 2/3 of the area of the Wrentham State School.

Hello Home Depot/Walmart.