Layoff

I want to apologize for my recent absence from the blog scene. It was rude of me to leave without at least stopping by to let you know that I was too busy to write here.

The combination of the other events, commitments and activities that I am involved in has priority over this blog. While I enjoy blogging, it is not the most important thing in my life. Those obligations and the hectic holiday season combined to give me little time to sleep, let alone blog.

However, the one thing that this little layoff has taught me is a little respect for those who DO blog almost every day. I never really gave blogging much thought, but really the time and commitment necessary to achieve that level of consistency is extraordinary. Kudos to the local daily bloggers for your commitment.

I intend to write regularly (2-3 times a week or more) from now on, now that the holidays are just about behind us.

I look forward to a brand new year in Barnstable.

Why Linda Hutchenrider Is Right

Linda Hutchenrider has made the correct decision. Tonight, when she refused to swear Greg Milne in as a Charter Commissioner, she made the right decision and followed the law.

Section 3-2 of the Barnstable Charter states:

Any voter shall be eligible to hold any elective town office provided that, no person shall simultaneously hold more than one elective town office.

Now, I don't know what could be more clear than that. This Section is an excellent example of checks-and-balances. It prohibits people from double-dipping. It prevents any one person from holding too much power.

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There is a contingent out there (including Milne) who insist that this clause is unconstitutional because it conflicts with the Massachusetts State Constitution. However, this is wrong.

The first line of the amendment to the constitution that lays out the procedure for Charter change says this:

It is the intention of this article to reaffirm the customary and traditional liberties of the people with respect to the conduct of their local government, and to grant and confirm to the people of every city and town the right of self-government in local matters...

It is clearly the intention of the constitution that every city be granted freedom to govern their town as they see fit (within certain guidelines). They WANT us to govern ourselves and make our own rules.

Furthermore, our current Town Charter had to receive approval from the Massachusetts State Legislature before it became official. They deemed the document worthy and legal. They did not say that any part was unconstitutional. By approving the document, they declared it legal and binding for the citizens of Barnstable.

There is also some dispute as to whether or not Charter Commissioners are town "officers". Well, the fact of the matter is that Charter Commissioners were elected to serve in a town-wide position (or office). They are elected town officers!

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Did I mention that Section 3-2 is a genius article?

It serves so many purposes to protect Barnstable citizens:

• It stops any one person from serving in two elected positions at once. Therefore, you can't have power on the Town Council AND School Committee. You can't double-dip anywhere.
• It decentralizes power. It keeps a small group of people from running the town and/or multiple boards. Town Councilors can't run for School Committee too and control both boards with only 7 or so people.
• It also helps prohibit any conflict of interest. Because no one can serve in two elected positions at once, they can't use their power in one position to influence a decision in another. In other words, Greg Milne can't use his power on the Charter Commission to keep or remove his own Council seat.

Greg Milne needs to stop wasting taxpayer money. He should have read up on his current charter before rushing in to write a new one.

Who Should Go Away?

Over the past few years, a pattern has emerged for people who try to have discussions with COGites.

There will be a conversation, at some level, that goes back and forth for a little while. Eventually, the COGites will no longer be able to defend their opinion. At this point, they will resort to the only two things they have left - calling more names (personal attacks) and telling the other person to "go away".

They claim to be "open", but when confronted, all they can do is try to get rid of you.

When they're not busy telling people to go away, they're promising to go away.

*Only a few short weeks ago, John Julius told us all how he was going to stay away from Council meetings.

*Gary Lopez has promised numerous times to shut down COG, the last time being a promise to shut it down on Election Day.

*Eric Schwaab has told us that he has "closed" his blog at LEAST twice since the Election.

What do these three men have in common? They all went back on their word, and came back to bother us. Not one of these men have followed through on their promises. Julius was back ranting and raving at the Council meeting tonight. Lopez has been REAL busy. His blog was closed down after Election Day for less than TWO days. Schwaab has been "opening" and "closing" his blog at a frenzied pace.

These COGites are the people who tell opponents that they have "no credibility". COGites should take a look in the mirror, because they aren't going to see any "credibility" in it.

These are the same people who criticize town leaders as fake, phony, and liars. Yet, they can't even keep simple promises. They criticize local officials for making up excuses and stories. Yet, that's EXACTLY what THEY do to explain away their actions. I think that they could use a dose of their own medicine.

I think that the people who spend their time telling other people to "go away", should do what they have PROMISED to do - GO AWAY.

Do I really think that they'll do it? No, but normal people do what they say they will. Or, they don't make crazy public promises that they'll never keep.

Next Day (11/16/2007) Update: Eric Schwaab has once again "closed" his blog today. Let's see long it lasts this time...

Update of Update: Well, that lasted less than 8 hours... Schwaab just reopened his site to post some of the most ridiculous claims I have ever seen... Apparently, he just can't get over the fact that he lost this election.

Third Update: His blog is back fully open right now so his friends can back him up. He is spouting crazy stuff right now... More to come in a post on Sunday. Check out two good analyses of these allegations @ http://barnstablebeat.blogspot.com/ and http://sevenvillagesblog.com/.

No System Issues! Hyannis Boil Order Lifted!

The boil order has been lifted - Hyannis water is safe to drink!

Here's the Official Press Release

Or, see the Official Town Website for more info.


No matter how you slice this, there was no imminent threat to Hyannis water customers. There was no criminal negligence. There was simply an issue in a backup water storage tank. The Mass Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) simply overreacted via standard protocol to protect Hyannis from any possible contamination.

This issue was detected quickly because of the high number of tests done on every facet of Hyannis' water system. It was ended quickly because of the excellent work of many, and even more perfect tests.

The fact is that this contamination NEVER left this BACKUP tank! It NEVER entered the distribution system! There was never any E Coli in the water you and I drink!

It looks like the only reason there was a boil order was because of standard Mass DEP protocol. Hyannis water users' water was actually safe to drink during this situation. The order was simply a precautionary measure.

Looks like the fear-mongers lose again!

Back to Old Habits

I was amazed, simply AMAZED, when Gary Lopez actually shut down his COG site earlier this week after the election. He had promised to do it SO many times in the past and never went through with it, that I never thought he would go through with it...

But, lo and behold, go take a look-see at Lopez' site now... It is back up and running... He's back with just as much gusto as before... telling us how the recently elected candidates were "bought" by the business community... and telling us how much of an impact he and his COGites had on the election...

I think he must have been following some other town's election.

His COG candidates ALL got SMOKED at the polls (except for Greg Milne, who can only legally take 1 of the 2 slots he was elected to)... His buddy Schwaab, who was supposedly drumming up TONS of interest in this election, not only lost, but was only able to bring 21% (439 voters) of the precinct to the election. I think that Schwaab's campaign tactics actually kept people AWAY from the polls!

In 2005, with NO Council race, NO contested town-wide races, and 3 Non-binding Ballot Questions, 20% (or 440 voters) showed up in Precinct 3. There was actually one LESS voter in 2007 than 2005...

In 2003, WITH a Council race (every precinct was electing a new councilor because of redistricting), A $9.2 Million Override, and NO contested town-wide races, Precinct 3 had a turnout of 40% (or 891 voters)...

Precinct 3 shows up when there's a reason...

Apparently, they didn't view voting for Schwaab as a reason...

More on voter turnout later next week...

Back to Lopez and Schwaab - I couldn't stop laughing when I saw Lopez' site back up and running... It's what he does - he says he's shutting down his site, but simply can't follow through...

And, as far as Mr. Eric Schwaab P.D. ("Post Deleter") is concerned, it looks like he's shutting down his Cape Cod Living blog... From what I've been reading, he's going to start over again and he is going to choose what he puts on the new site... Sounds to me like he's going to be doing some wholesale post and comment deleting... That's what he does...

One final note - To my friend @ Barnstable Beat, you might as well drag out those posts about Lopez that you were about... Looks like he's back (AGAIN).

Congratulations to James F. Munafo, Jr.

I would like to congratulate the Precinct 3 Barnstable Town Councilor - James F. Munafo, Jr. - on his reelection to the Council.

In the Precinct with the highest percentage of voters showing up at the polls, Munafo defeated challenger Eric Schwaab by a tally of 240-188 to reclaim his seat.

It was a tight race by all accounts. Mr. Schwaab helped drum up support among the citizens, but the lousy weather kept many from the polls and the turnout was lower than many anticipated. I am disappointed that after all the hoopla surrounding this heated contest that only 21% of the precinct showed up to vote. We need to do better than that Barnstable.



In a related development, the "Post Deleter" struck again. I'm not going to back off his case just because the election is over. When he backs off and stops spouting off ridiculuous things and then deleting them, I'll stop posting them...

Anyway, on Election Night, instead of a Thank You to his supporters... he went onto his last post (which was trashed with comments from both sides of the aisle) and posted this comment (before taking it down this morning):
Now, I thought Schwaab said he just wanted to "be friends" with everyone once the election is over... If that's the case, then why did he write this? Honestly, please let it go...

Anyway, kudos to the citizens of Barnstable who showed up to vote, voted down the COG slate and elected excellent School Committee Members, Town Councilors and Charter Commissioners.

Church or Candidate's Crutch?

Calvary Baptist Church (CBC) on West Main St. Hyannis is a very nice church, and has been a very nice church for years and years. Now, with their Soup Kitchen for the needy, this small congregation has been getting a LOT of notice. That, and the fact that Eric Schwaab continually uses the church as a political launching point.

So, today I was checking out Schwaab's blog today on my daily paroozing of the Barnstable Blog scene. Lo and behold, I found Schwaab sensationalizing another incident at Calvary Baptist.

Incumbent James F. Munafo, Jr. was holding a sign hold-out on the corner of West Main St. and Lincoln Road. He placed temporary signs legally on Town property (the town owns land 23 feet out from the centerline of the street) at the corner. Of course, Eric Schwaab had to come to the rescue (again)... The problem was that he didn't know what he was talking about (as usual)... He instigated a fight with Munafo over the signs, and threatened to steal the signs if Munafo didn't do what he told him to do... Eric is already a notorious sign thief, but when Munafo told him that he would photograph him and report him, Schwaab backed off...

Then, on his blog, Schwaab says this "Minutes later a police cruiser arrives and parks itself right between Farnham and Munafo."

I am laughing so hard right now that I can't stop.

Eric Schwaab knows nothing about the 3rd Precinct and that comment proves it.

That "police cruiser" wasn't police protection that Munafo called in as you claimed (though with you threatening to steal his signs, who would blame him - you called the cops for less), but it was the Hyannis West Elementary School CROSSING GUARD!

I find it HILARIOUS that a guy who claims to be as "in touch" with the residents of the 3rd as Schwaab does, does not even know about the Hyannis West Crossing Guard.

It is SCHWAAB who DOES NOT KNOW THIS PRECINCT!

This isn't the first time Candidate Schwaab has tried to use incidents at the Calvary Baptist Church to make himself look like a knight in shining armor. Here are some other cases in point - instances Schwaab has taken advantage of the Church or used incidents at it to his political advantage:

• "Hate Crime" against CBC - Schwaab incorrectly claims that he & his friends we the only people in the entire town to respond to the church in the aftermath of a disgusting graffiti attack earlier this year.
• "Donation" of stolen Residential Exemption money to CBC - After our "expert" on the Residential Exemption got caught stealing a residential exemption, Candidate Schwaab had to think fast. What could he do to restore credibility to his campaign? He would donate the $$$ to a church. Surely, that would make him look like a good guy... that and the fact that he can write the donation off as a charitable contribution.
• Illegal placement of signs on non-profit's property - Somehow, Schwaaab has convinced the people over @ CBC that he is a good guy (probably his $1800 donation). They allowed him to put his sign up on their property and endorsed him. It was NOT a "free corner". The problem with this is the fact that as a "501 (c) 3" non-profit entity (which allows for the tax write-offs that Schwaab is enjoying) they cannot LEGALLY endorse a candidate for ANY elected office, UNLESS they drop that status and all the nice tax perks that go with it. (Also, to clarify, it is illegal for a church with "501 (c) 3 non-profit status" to endorse a single candidate, but not illegal for it to be a town polling place and allow supporters to place temporary signs.)
• State Rep Demetrius Atsalis' phone call to CBC - When Demetrius Atsalis left a message on the CBC answering machine letting the church know that he thought it was wrong for a church to endorse any candidate, he didn't know it was actually against the law.... but when the church started asking questions, their lawyer sure did... If anything, Mr. Atsalis' phone call may have saved their tax-exempt status... Yet, Schwaab didn't hesitate to use the incident to ride in and "save the day"... Yep, he moved so fast that he accused an innocent flooring company of the incident and told people to boycott their products... He didn't stop to check his facts, and he never apologized... by the time he figured out it was Atsalis, Demetrius had already admitted making the call... There was no malice or ill-intent, but Eric Schwaab had to fabricate some evil for him to save the world from (again)...
• Use of CBC as location of phony proposed debate - A few weeks ago, Mr. Schwaab started pushing a request for another debate with Munafo via blogs... He never called Munafo about the debate to discuss it man-to-man (He still has never called Munafo, EVER.) He tried to use this event he never planned on going through with as a crutch to make him look more manly. He was showing his Third Precinct civic pride by having it @ CBC, and saying that Munafo had to be afraid of Schwaab if he wouldn't debate him in a church... Sad Sad Sad

True Character Coming Out?

I'd like to warn readers that this post is rated R for language.

(I am putting it up for public record)

MID-DAY UPDATE: THE POST DELETER STRUCK AGAIN, DELETING HIS OWN COMMENTS FROM HIS BLOG. IT'S A GOOD THING I SAW THEM SO WE CAN HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE!

They say that you get to know who a person is once you've seen them operate under pressure. It looks like Eric Schwaab is cracking.

Over the last 48 hours the REAL Eric Schwaab seems to be coming out.

He started right here on this blog. On my post entitled "Hypocrisy? You Decide." Mr. Schwaab dropped by to drop off this one word comment.

It belongs in the little trash can below it, but I'm going to leave it up so that people can see his true colors come out.


Then, last night, he went crazy on his own blog. Thankfully, I was able to obtain copies of his site before he removes these highly offensive posts...

Folks, if this man is willing to do this on the internet, I shudder to think what he does in person or on the phone. Do you really want a guy like THIS to be your Town Councilor?

Please Vote Munafo this Tuesday or I'm going to have a LOT of writing to do over the next 4 years!

Charter Commission and Ballot Questions

I decided that since everyone else seemed to be doing it, I might as well throw out my endorsements and recommendations.

I reserve the right to change my mind @ any time, but here's what I think right now:


Ballot Questions

Question #1 - BINDING - Should the Town (Tax) Collector position be changed from an elected position to an appointed one?

Personally, I believe that electing people is a good idea. I tend to be more suspicious of appointed positions. That's why, unless I hear a REAL good argument, that I say to vote NO on Question #1.


Question #2 - NONBINDING - The Council Review Committee suggested the reorganization of the council into 9 positions - 5 District Councilors and 4 At-Large Councilors. Do you agree with the opinion of the Council Review Committee?

I will never vote for a "nonbinding" question again. They are marketed as non-binding and as a "good indicator of voter interest". They end up being a mandate for a particular course of action. Suddenly, the "non-binding" question is now the basis for binding legislation. Furthermore, I'm not a real big fan of the 9 Councilor plan (I'll explain more later). I say vote NO on Question #2 or leave it blank.


Question #3 - BINDING - Should a 9-member Charter Commission be formed for the purpose of reviewing Barnstable's Charter?

I have been an avid supporter of the formation of previous charter commissions. I support a review of our current charter. I am in favor of a mayor. Yet, I simply cannot endorse Question #3. Something just does not feel right about this. My gut says to vote NO. The timing of this review and the forces in the background of this push just give me a bad feeling about this. I say vote NO on Question #3.


Charter Commissioners

IMPORTANT NOTE - REGARDLESS OF HOW YOU VOTE ON QUESTION #3, YOU ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR VOTING FOR UP TO 9 CHARTER COMMISSIONERS! So, even if you vote NO on Question #3, still vote for up to nine commissioners!

Absolutely Vote For These People:
I wholeheartedly endorse these candidates as the best candidates for Charter Commission.

Lucien Poyant
Lucien has served the town well for many years and has been active in past Charter Reviews.

Dennis Guyre
A fresh voice in Barnstable politics... he's willing to listen...

Michael Daley
Michael was the Chairman of the last successful Charter Commission in Barnstable.

Marcy Dugas
Marcy has been an advocate of village representation on the Council.

Richard Clark
I never thought I would endorse Clark, but I find that his support for a mayor and fresh outlook on Coucil makeup nicely compliment the fact that he doesn't want to completely do away with the current charter.

Deborah Shiftlett-Fitton
As she mentioned in her Barnstable Patriot capsule she is one of the few candidates not related to some past charter review or the Council Charter Review Committee. She sounds as if she will remember the villages when determining Council make-up.


Good Candidates (Strongly recommend voting for these candidates)
There are nine seats on the Charter Commission (if it is voted in)... These two should be strongly considered.

Allen Goddard
Charles Haggerty


Vote For These People Only because you have to vote for NINE:
You should be picking only 3 candidates from this list and the one directly above, in addition to the first 6.

Peter Doiron
Even though Peter is associated with the COG movement, I cannot help liking a lot of what he has to say compared to some of the other 21 candidates. I don't think he would be that bad of a choice. Certainly the only COGer I could even think of voting for.

Royden Richardson
Roy is another former Councilor I didn't think I'd ever be endorsing. I think he is a better option that anyone else not mentioned yet.


Vote for these candidates only if you have a MAJOR beef with any of the higher ranked options:
These are desperation picks... only to be used in emergency... Alphabetical order...

John Alden
John Brennan (*Also running for Town Council)
Sheila Cullinan-Geiler
William Elkins
Robert Jones
Susan Rohrbach


DO NOT VOTE FOR THESE CANDIDATES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES:
Alphabetical order - these candidates all have EXTENSIVE ties to COG!

Oliver Cipollini
William Cronin
John Julius
Gregory Milne (*Also running for Town Council)
Bradley Ouimette
Taryn Thoman


MY VIEWS ON THE CHARTER

My views on the charter are complex. Personally, I don't think that the current charter is that awful. On the other hand, I do want a mayor. I really like village/precinct representation on the Council.

Is the current charter broken?
I honestly do not believe that the current charter is "broken". While it is not a perfect document, it has worked pretty well - AAA Bond Ratings and All-America City Awards do not come to crappy towns. There is definitely room for improvement, but the situation is not dire, as some would have you believe.

Mayor/Town Manager
I definitely want a mayor. I want the town's top official to be accountable to the voters. It does not matter what we call him - an elected Town Manager is fine with me. However, if people think that a mayor is a fix-all for every problem they see in the town, I have two words for them - Buddy Cianci.

Council Make-up
There has been a lot of complaint that having 13 Councilors is too many. I believe that 9 is way too few. I might be willing to compromise at 11, but I really do not think that 13 is too many. It seems to work well enough.

As far as At-Large Representation is concerned, I am against a large amount of it. I could see a working system that had a total of 13 Councilors - 9 District Councilors and 4 Councilors At-Large. However, I believe that, in general, the accountability that village representation gives cannot be replaced by At-Large Councilors. It would be too easy for one section of the town to dominate the Council.

The legislative bodies of the State and Federal governments have many more local representatives that regional ones (senators). I think the same logic applies here. Having many more local Councilors helps keep a higher level of accountability and keeps the village identies alive and well.

Automatic Review
Another charter option getting a lot of attention is an automatic review process. Many candidates are recommending that the next town charter include a provision ordering mandatory reviews every five years. I think this is a bad idea. Why mandate review if it is not necessary? Then, when review is needed, people will say "We just had a review" or "We have one scheduled in a couple of years, so it can wait". I think this measure will only hurt future reform.


Closing

Frankly, it doesn't matter what I say, if you don't vote. So, please, get out and vote. Bring your neighbors. Be involved. And check out the candidate profiles for yourself @ the Barnstable Patriot's Dotcommons site. Some candidates even have videos there. Read up, Watch up and be and Informed Voter!

The Post Deleter!

When someone posts something to a blog, it's kind of like a public record of their thoughts. That's why when someone deletes an entire post (comments and all) without an explanation, people notice.

Yesterday, October 30, Eric Schwaab posted a post detailing a discussion he had with State Representative Demetrius Atsalis. In it, Schwaab called both Atsalis and Schwaab's opponent in the upcomin election, Incumbent Councilor James F. Munafo, Jr., both "thugs", among other things... It was not a pretty post by any stretch of the imagination... It was not an inroads to a productive working relationship between possible Town Councilor and State Rep... It was not a "consensus building" post...

On the one hand, Schwaab felt strongly enough to post the message and leave it up on his site for quite some time... Yet, he altered the "public record" that his site provides... Maybe he realized that the post made him look bad... or maybe someone called him out because the post was too nasty or perhaps just plain wrong... All I know is that he took it down with NO explaination... That means he must be ashamed of it... Why this wonderful "consensus builder" have to change anything he says on his "non-hate blog"???

The fact is that he doesn't have a problem taking his shots... and he sure makes plenty of them... but I've never seen him apologize once... I've seen John Julius apologize (I assure you that that unbelievable fact is true)... but never Schwaaab... Wonder how his colleagues will feel if they have to serve with a guy who has fun by taking shots at elected officials? I wonder what he'll do if he's elected to the Council and doesn't have the "new majority" he's banking on...

Will he leave this board the same way he left the Hyannis Water Board?

Update on Post Below!

This is an important update on the post below. Mr. Schwaab's video from yesterday has been removed and replaced with a new version... because it was TOTALLY wrong!

I was lucky enough to still have a copy saved on my computer to share with you to show you that this guy will say anything. Watch the original version here, and the post below... then saunter over to his site to see the new video... It's a riot.

Hypocrisy? You Decide.

My video has been up for 4 days now. Eric Schwaab has no response. Watch it for yourself below. Mr. Schwaab proves that the very reason he says he is running for office is a farce. The video isn't simply about phone calls - it is Eric Schwaab admitting that the reason he says he is running for office is made up...



Anyway, one of the things he has been doing is complaining that I am making "silly little movies"... Yet, he has his own silly little movie sitting on the front page of his blog... An anonymous caller (supposedly) left a message on the Calvary Baptist Church phone... The movie plays the message and includes the maker calling out the owner of the phone number... And I love how he words his entry so that he insinuates that a Munafo supporter was responsible... Way to sensationalize things...



A few things

• First: Mr. Schwaab has no business complaining about my video when he is posting his own. It makes him look silly.


• Second: ANY church that makes political statements of ANY kind are going to get calls like that. Some people cannot handle the idea of church and politics mixing, and are going to feel the need to voice their opinion.


• Third: Calvary Baptist is a great church and they provide excellent services to the community with their food bank. However, as a church and non-profit food bank, they most likely have what is known as 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. This status allows people who donate money to the group (including Mr. Schwaab) to write it off on their federal taxes as a charitable donation. This incentive encourages donations, and without it, they will lose income. One of the quirks of this status is that these organizations cannot make political endorsements - posting signs is an endorsement. Now, I don't think that this rule is right, but it is the law... unless Calvary wants to lose its exemption...


• Fourth: During this incident, Mr. Schwaab "helped" the church by taking home the signs of other candidates. This is at least the second time he has interfered with the signs of another candidate. He needs to learn to leave other people's property alone. This "help" is actually against the law...

Decorum Note:

It's worth mentioning here that Mr. Schwaab responded to my video post. He didn't say anything about the video, and proceeded to violate the rules here. His comments were deleted. I put the rules in place for a reason, and expect some respect for them if you want to post comments. The site rules are placed right at the top of the page on the right. They are very clear. If you cannot follow them, don't waste your time posting here.

But what makes it amazing, is that after his comments were removed, Mr. Schwaab complained about it on his site. He said, "It looks like my new friends over at the 3rd Precinct Truth blog are afraid to engage in an open dialog. They are deleting comments." He didn't mention the fact that he violated the rules here - thereby warranting comment deletion. Anyway, not less that 4 hours later, he deleted one of his own comments on the very same page. Amazing! How can he sit there and say that, and then do the very thing he complained about.

Mr. Schwaab, please stop by, comment on the video... As long as you follow the rules, I'm more than willing to host you here... Open dialog is welcome, as long as you follow the rules of this forum... I doubt that you can respond to the video, but the invitation is open.

New Video (Post Updated)

This video has been up for almost 24 hours now. I know Eric Schwaab has watched it. He has no response to it. So, this is an open challenge to Mr. Schwaab - Do you have a response to the video?

Anyone is more than welcome to post here, as long as they follow the rules... Can you respond, Mr. Schwaab?

Oh, and I find it ironic that Mr. Schwaab has the gall to say that he doesn't "use the phone". Funny... I wonder what Chris Kehoe has to say about that... Maybe you can respond to that, too, Mr. Schwaab...


Check out this video from the debate... Eric Schwaab contradicts himself and proves the reason HE says he is running for Councilor is a farce...



Even more info on the debate & this video to come soon.

What Is This World Coming To?

Ran across this link posted on Eric Schwaab's site by a commenter, and now placed on the front page of his blog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzjmVWVCfWA

This kid obviously has no idea what he is talking about. It's sad that people use kids like this. Sure it's "cute", but it sure isn't right. That kid deserves better than this.

I don't have a problem with wishing someone "Happy Birthday" (Happy 50th Eric), but when you have the kid talk about political issues he knows nothing about it really makes me wonder what is happening to this world.

Are You A Town Councilor, Too???

*Please note the sarcasm in the post title.*

Do you disagree with Eric Schwaab, John Julius, Gary Lopez or any other COGer? If so, according to their logic, you must be a Town Councilor (or working for one).

I find it amazing how adamant John Julius is that I am a Councilor. I AM NOT. David Still confirmed it over on the dotcommons site, but that wasn't good enough for him. I don't know what will, and it really doesn't matter. They say things like that because they simply can't handle the idea that people in this town, other than Councilors, disagree with them.

Take the Barnstable Blog, for example. It is an anonymous blog that does not agree with COG. However, instead of just accepting the fact that a regular common citizen is running it, they start accusing people of running it. They have no proof of their accusations, but tell them to the world like it is gospel. (If they're willing to make these kind of allegations, imagine what they would do if they REALLY knew the name of the person who writes it.)

When Schwaab took this act much further a few weeks ago, it really bothered me.

The internet and the blogosphere are designed to give users basic anonymity unless they choose to reveal more. In the case of myself and a great number of other Barnstable commenters and bloggers, we choose to remain anonymous. (We'll get into why in just a sec.) However, Eric Schwaab crossed the line from cyberspace into the real world when he called up Chris Kehoe (a local businessman) and proceeded to harass him with unfounded accusations about the authorship of a blog that has been particularly critical of Schwaab. He was making unfounded claims that Kehoe was/is running the site for a Town Councilor.

Calling someone about a written blog is CRAZY! Calling to accuse someone of writing a blog, when you have absolutely no proof to back yourself up is just INSANE.

Kehoe says Schwaab called 5 times. FIVE! Schwaab says he called only twice. I don't believe him. When Chris Kehoe went to the police to file a complaint, he HAD to have some evidence to back him up. I doubt that a successful businessman like Kehoe is stupid. Not only is filing a false police report a serious crime, but it is one that can quickly be verified via phone records. DUH! I'm willing to bet that an analysis of Kehoe's phone records and Schwaab's (if it is ever done) will show that the candidate called more times than he admits... AND that he lied to the Barnstable Patriot.

However, the big issue here is not the number of times that Schwaab called, but the fact that he actually called! Schwaab has NO proof that Kehoe writes that blog. NONE! Yet, he didn't have any problem calling him to talk to him about that blog. Blogs are online communication tools - telephones are not! If Schwaab really wanted to talk to the writer of the Barnstable Blog, the best way to actually get the REAL author is to contact him on the blog or via the contact info the author may or may not have posted there (like email).

This is why I choose to remain anonymous. I do not want to have phone conversations about politics or my blogging with Eric Schwaab, John Julius, Janet Joakim or anyone else in this town. However, I am more than willing to discuss anything online - here or the dotcommons site. My personal life is exactly that - PERSONAL. Never should my personal and political life cross.

If a person makes the decision to remain anonymous, then others in the online community should have the decency to respect their decision.

I find it disappointing that I need to remain anonymous to protect myself from the politics in Barnstable.

We Can Do Better

"We can do better" has been Eric Schwaab's mantra for this campaign. Yet, when faced with opportunities to "do better" he absolutely refuses to do so.

The Hyannis Civic Association has scheduled a "Meet the Candidates Night"/Debate for this Thursday (September 26). However, there is a special Town Council meeting that falls on that same night. Sitting councilors are being forced to decide which event to attend - the job that they have been elected to do and want to keep doing or the nice candidates' night that might help get them re-elected.

The question is - Why can't one group or the other simply change the date of their event?

The Council cannot lawfully cancel their Council Meeting because they have been advertising its existence. To cancel it now would be a violation of public meeting laws. It would basically be lying to the citizens of Barnstable. Obviously, that is not a good option. Changing the time of the meeting would also violate those laws.

The Hyannis Civic Association (HCA) CAN lawfully cancel their meeting, but they have been advertising it and people might show up to a cancelled meeting and be unhappy. HOWEVER, you would think that it would be in the best interests of the HCA to have ALL candidates able to attend their meeting.

Neither side is going to back down. This is VERY disappointing.

What is more disappointing is the response of Candidate Eric Schwaab. Instead of putting his "We can do better" mantra to use to find a realistic solution to the problem, he is more than content to leave Councilor Munafo out of this forum and crash on him for not being there. Instead of being a "hero" (that's a little strong, but you get the idea) who found a solution to "bring everyone together", Schwaab is actively campaigning to have the event go forward without serving incumbents.

Sounds to me like Eric Schwaab is scared of his opponent.

Every candidate faces the choice of which event to attend. I applaud the Councilors who ARE going to the Council meeting. (That includes the Precinct 3 Incumbent - Jim Munafo, as well as Hank Farnham [running for re-election in Precinct 9] and Gary Brown [running for Town Collector].) That's where they belong. We elected them to do a job. We don't expect teachers to skip school whenever there's a job fair in another school district...

Actually, Mr. Schwaab and the others running for Town Council should be at ALL the Council meetings ALREADY! If they want to get elected to go to Council meetings for the next 4 years, then they should show at least some interest in current Council meetings. If they can't handle going to the meetings just to watch, how can they handle running them???

The right choice is clear - No matter how much embarrassment it causes them, the Hyannis Civic Association should move their debate. This is not a couple Councilors who are going to miss the event because of a fishing trip or other lame excuse, this is Councilors simply trying to do their jobs for the people of Barnstable & Hyannis...

Eric Schwaab could be setting himself up as a uniter, but instead, he has chosen to be a divider... Will he be like this IF he's elected to the Council?

Election Results In

Incumbent James F. Munafo, Jr. and vocal challenger Eric Schwaab have moved on to the General Election in Barnstable's 3rd Precinct. Another challenger, Michael Hersey, was knocked out of the race.

The other contested race in the 3rd was Town Collector. Current Town Councilor (Precinct 9) Gary Brown and Assistant Town Collector Maureen Neimi beat out the Oliver Cipollini to advance to the general election.

In the 3rd, Schwaaab came in first place with 120 votes, Munafo had 94, and Hersey came in with 89. There was a large turnout in this highly contested race.

The stage is now set for a big race in the 3rd. Schwaab has been a highly vocal critic of Munafo, and has been very active on the Barnstable blog scene with his own blog. Munafo has served for the last 4 years as Councilor.

This is the race that everyone in Barnstable is watching. This is the race that I expect to post about most here on this site. I take no shame in admitting that I will vote for Munafo in November, but let's bring the discusion on.