Author Archives: dunster

Finance Committee Organizational Meeting

Attention non-Arlington readers: Please do not panic! No more FinComm posts until January. I have a few blog posts perking in the back of my head, ranging from the Senate race to the Superintendent to presidential date qualifications. Riveting stuff, I tell you. Oh, and Red Sox angst. Lots of Red Sox angst.

Tonight was the organizational meeting of the Finance Committee.

First up was the Manager (and Deputy Manager) who ran through the latest revision of the 5-year plan. The latest revision had more good news than bad. Some of the good news included more unencumbered funds (free cash) in unspent budget returns from last year than anticipated, and more new building than anticipated. Bad news included a lowering of projected state aid going forward. In the past, FY09 was projected to require use of the override stabilization fund – to spend down the cushion we’ve been creating since FY06. The current projection is that we can continue to save money in FY09, and maybe even make the 5-year plan into a 6-year plan. The 6th year, FY11, is currently projected to have a $1.7M deficit. The deficit grows to $6.2M in FY12 and $7.9M in FY13.

I take this positive budget projection with a grain of salt. Last year we started the budget process thinking we had a big surplus. Then we learned of Minuteman’s increase and lower state aid, and the surplus shrank to $100,000. I have a theory that the same sort of cycle will appear this year. The good news comes in early, and the bad news rolls in later.

The manager gave a non-report of sorts on Pierce field – there have been no developments in the negotiations between the industrial parties on the costs of capping Pierce field.

The manager reported no progress on regionalization, fire or otherwise.

Charlie Foskett reported that the Symmes property was sold, to applause from the board. He ran through the final terms of the deal. I don’t have exact notes, but the town received $6+ million in cash. If the medical property is developed, the town receives $1.5 million more. If the property is not developed, the town receives that portion of the property back, and $500,000. There was an additional payment to the town of $600,000 for some sort of compensation of anticipated lower property taxes in the early years of the project. That leaves the town owing approximately $6 million that needs to be bonded.

The bad news is that because of the current residential housing market, the property will be initially developed as a rental property. That means a much lower property tax stream to the town. The current calculation is that if the bonds are structured properly, this revenue stream is enough to pay down the $6 million without impacting the tax rate. This will take much longer than had been previously hoped. The lawsuit by the abutters cost the town millions – millions in interest, hundreds of thousands in permitting, and millions more in property tax that could have been reaped off a larger settlement.

In the long term, the town will get a 1.25% on each of the apartments as they are sold as condos in the long run, and 1.25% on each condo sale thereafter. Also, once the developer clears a 20% profit, the town gets 90% of the profits thereafter, up to $10 million.

Next up was the new Superintendent at Minuteman, Dr. Ed Bouquillon.  He politely asked what committee thought, and he got an earful.  People asked for more controlled increases in assessments.  There were several suggestions about areas he could consider including cutting the number of programs and carefully evaluating how much was being charged for non-core programs.  He talked about the work he was doing to increase in-district enrollment and revise certain business processes.  He said several things that I found encouraging.  He was up front about needing to cut costs, focus the school’s mission, and be more transparent in budgeting.  I hope that he comes through.

Al Tosti was re-elected chair, and the vice-chairs and secretary were similarly re-elected.  It was announced that Walter Fey and Dan O’Neill were resigning from the board.  We’re recruiting new members from precincts 6, 16, and 17.

The next meeting will be in January, unless a need arises in the interim.

The Globe Drops Opus Again

For the second time, the Globe declined to run Opus in the Sunday comic pages.  No explanation.  No comic.  The good news is that through the magic of the internet, we all can see what the Globe was so loathe to put on our doorsteps..

Admit it.  You can’t figure out what the problem is.  Me either.

Fox has an article about the dropped photos. “Lago said she flagged some of the syndicate’s newspaper clients for two reasons: because of the possibility that the jokes about Islam would be misconstrued and because of the sexual innuendo in the punchline.”  Jokes about Jerry Falwell or Hare Krishnas are  OK, but jokes about Muslims are not?

Here’s my post about the first dropped comic.  I found out about the second one from Squaring the Globe.

Five Injured on the Charles – MIT Prank?

First the Universal Hub told me that the Charles was flammable and I wondered what was going on. Later I read that the fire might be the result of MIT students and the annual sodium drop.

In this post-9/11, post-Aqua-Teen-Hunger-Force world, how long can it be until Mayor Menino demands vengeance?  How soon until he demands the closing of the fraternities and their irresponsible hijinks?

And what will he say when he finds out that it was actually a dorm?

Paul F. Lawler November 12, 1913 – August 27, 2007

My grandfather died on Monday. I’ve had a couple of draft posts about his illness, his care, and the way it has affected me and my family. I may publish them later, who knows.

Below is the text of the pamphlet at his wake. Read it, please, and see what an amazing life he had. The wake was today, and the funeral is tomorrow. Also, my uncle collected and scanned dozens of photos of my grandfather. The best of them are printed on three different tabblos you can see here, here, and here.

Paul F. Lawler was born on November 12, 1913, shortly before the outbreak of World War 1. He was the son of John Frederick Lawler and Anna E. Krim Lawler, who later had two more children, Richard and Anna.

Paul was brought up in Dorchester, Massachusetts, at a time when the area was full of 1st- and 2nd-generation Irish, Russians, and Germans. He loved to tell stories about happy summers at the beach at Nantasket and about camp on Sunset Lake in New Hampshire.

Paul won a place at the competitive Boston Latin School and was an enthusiastic participant in Latin School affairs for the rest of his life. Like many of his classmates, he went on to Harvard, where he majored in math and graduated cum laude in 1935. He spent two years at the Harvard Business School, earning his MBA in 1937.

Later Paul was a member of the faculty at the Harvard Business School. During World War II, he worked there on classified military research projects and on planning for the transition to a post-war economy.

Paul was a fine athlete, who treasured the trophies he won at track, gymnastics, and swimming. He kept fit all his life. During the 1950s and 1960s, long before jogging was popular; he ran the half-mile to the train station each day. He did push­ups each day, sometimes in the office, until he was in his 90s.

Paul and Mary Alberta Collins were introduced by mutual friends and married in 1941. They were a devoted couple for nearly 66 years, and their family and friends loved watching them laugh together. They had six children: Frances, Ellen, Elizabeth, Mary, Philip, and John. The children remember Paul telling stories, leading Sunday afternoon trips to the Museum of Fine Arts or the beach, helping with Latin home­work . . . and always insisting that the Christmas tree not be put up until Christmas Eve.

Paul’s business career emphasized financing commercial real estate. For many years he worked at Cardinal Realty, deploying investors’ funds in hotels, office buildings, and some of the country’s first shopping centers; and then managing these properties. Paul then started National Realty, where he was the court-appointed trustee for ITT in the landmark antitrust case of the early 1970s. His last business enterprise was Shawmut Research Company, where he continued working in real estate finance.

Paul contributed consistently to his community; he was a town meeting member for many years and a member of local boards and commissions. During the 1970s, at the time of the country’s bicentennial celebration, he became actively involved in reenactments of events from the colonial era and the American Revolution.

Always a prayerful Catholic whose faith was central to his life, over the years Paul was active in the Holy Name Society, the Legion of Mary, and the Nocturnal Adoration Society. During the 1970s he developed a great love for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and in 1982 he was ordained a deacon at the Annunciation Melkite Cathedral in Boston. After years of faithful service there, he was raised to the status of Protodeacon. He also became chancellor of the Melkite Newton Eparchy (diocese), and served in that position until the time of his death.

Paul and Mary Lawler became grandparents 37 years ago, and would eventually have 13 grandchildren: Myles and Rita Conley; Dan, Tim, and Jeremy Dunn; Carl Wickstrom; and Nicholas, Mary Rosaleen, Suzanne, Joseph, Deirdre, William, and Bridget Lawler.

Paul went to the hospital with an ear infection in July, suffered pneumonia and other complications, and died very peacefully on August 27, 2007, at the age of 93. May he live in the arms of the good God who gave him a long and vigorous life.

November 12, 1913 – August 27,2007

Havern Resigns; Cue Musical Chairs Theme

On Friday the State House News service noted that Senator Bob Havern had made a filing that revealed he was looking at job with a lobbyist firm. Hours later, Rep Jim Marzilli announced his candidacy for the seat. This week the rumor became real, and Havern resigned.

The Globe lists a few of the likely candidates for the seat. As a special election, anyone can run without risking their current seat. I expect a number of people to give it a go. Whoever wins will open their seat – and the musical chairs continue. You probably recall that I ran for Marzilli’s seat in 2004. That musical chair music sounds pretty loud to me.
I note that everyone listed so far is a Democrat. I’ve talked before about how the primary is the only election that matters around here.

The State Reneges – Again

There was an article in the Globe last week about several cities and towns who were promised state funding if they adopted special zoning laws. The zoning changes were passed – but not the funding. The state isn’t living up to its end of the bargain.

This isn’t a new behavior. Talk to your favorite town budgeter about special ed circuit breaker funding, regional high school transportation funding, or lottery fund distribution. Those are just the ones off the top of my head. The state is not a trustworthy budgetary partner.

You can be sure I’ll be reminding people of these facts if Town Meeting is asked to consider the Community Preservation Act (CPA) again. Fool me once. . . .

Insurance Reform: Look Who’s Talking

The Globe has a story about “lawmakers skeptical about insurance reform.” Let’s look at who is quoted as being opposed to insurance reform:

  • Senator Dianne Wilkerson: Her constituents are subsidized by the rest of the state. Virtually any reform plan results in them paying more, maybe even paying their fair share. She’s opposed.
  • Senator Mark Montigy: Another representative of the subsidized.
  • Attorney General Martha Coakley: She’s the one who gets to set rates in the current system. If the market gets to set the rates, she doesn’t get to have an annual press conference where she talks about how she told the insurance companies who was boss. It makes it harder for her to run for governor.
  • John Kittel of Arbella Insurance: He benefits from the lack of competition in the insurance market. He doesn’t write policies in Massachusetts out of the goodness of his heart. He’s making a ton of money in the current system, and a market reform would turn off the spigot.

One of the pro-reform quotes is from an insurance company with their own agenda – they want reform so they can enter the market. You have to read his words with a grain of salt.

But what does the insurance commissioner get out of this? Nothing that I see. She’s the closest to an independent voice that the article finds. And she says that it is time for change. I agree.