Breaking News

Precinct 3 Truth has received information that there is a domestic disturbance in Precinct 3. Sources indicate that multiple police cruisers were present at a residence in the precinct and that entrances to the property were sealed with police tape. There also was a large crowd gathering at the residence, with a large number of vehicles parked on the curb around the home.

Details of the nature of the event are not known at this time, but will be provided as soon as they are obtained.


This breaking news update is being provided because the Cape Cod Times website (http://www.capecodonline.com) and local radio stations' news departments choose to take weekends off. No information about this event was available through any of these media outlets.


MORE BREAKING NEWS
For those of you travelling off-Cape this afternoon, Capecodonline.com IS reporting an accident on the Sagamore Bridge that is backing up traffic in both directions. You can read more about this story here.

ZBA Issues Force COGers To Return To Roots

When I wrote my post on the Zoning Board of Appeals and the new Blanchard's proposed on Rt. 28, I had no idea about the tale that was about to drop in front of a couple of spectators that night.

While I have serious concerns about how the ZBA handled the Blanchard's situation, I have serious concerns about all issues concerning the entire board.

There are members (who recently resigned) who had served since 1973.

There were multiple openings, positions left unfilled by the Town Council, and members who had served for over a year waiting for a replacement.

There were qualified Alternate Members who were passed over for entirely new people and there was serious politicking in the election of the two newest ZBA members, whose qualifications are not what I am here to discuss.

There needed to be change and restoration on this board long ago. The Town Council and its Appointments Committee dropped the ball.


Meanwhile, back in Barnstable's Blogosphere, Blanchard's had been a topic of discussion just before the mass resignations. Now, of course, this overturning of the ZBA has become Topic #1. Even the Cape Cod Times actually mentioned it in an article.

Meanwhile, in COGland, the Main COG Blog and Eric Schwaab's blog have returned to their COGer roots.

Schwaab, desperate for another COG friend, called Councilor Hank Farnham a COGer. Schwaab based his invitation on a post on Barnstable Beat that claimed that Farnham, NEVER a member of the COG clan, had called for Council President Janet Joakim's resignation. Schwaab forgot about the names, allegations and comments that COGers have made about Councilor Farnham in the past (especially when he served as Council President). Yet, because Farnham reportedly agreed with the COGers on their one pseudo-issue - Joakim's removal from office - Schwaab was ready to initiate him into the ranks.

Elsewhere, lead COGer Gary Lopez was busy drumming up false accusations against a fellow blogger. This is the ULTIMATE COG trick - when you don't agree with someone or they have proved you wrong - accuse an blogger or commenter of being a Town Councilor. I know, because I have been called so many different names and been accused of being so many different people, that I have lost track. Of course, as of the last couple years, the COGers love to accuse is Janet Joakim.

TJ, over at Barnstable Beat, has now been accused (again) of being Ms. Joakim. Lopez brings no EVIDENCE, only hopeful theories that may even have been altered to prove his point.

This kind of game is COG's favorite thing to do, and I wish the best to the falsely accused. However, they are not done with the game-playing.

Remember the "outrage" near the end of the last election cycle where people reportedly made "nasty" ethnic slurs against the COG candidate in Precinct 3 (Schwaab)? Remember how it was shown that COGers make more slurs and "nasty" attacks than any commenters have EVER been accused of making against COG?

Well, COG is making slurs again. On Sunday, Lopez created a follow-up post to his original post accusing TJ of being Joakim. Here is his title:

"SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED; Janet Joakim is a sicko femme Nazi...."

(My sincere apologies to Councilor Joakim for posting this, but people need to know what is being said.)

I am greatly disturbed by the nature of comments and posts made by COGers. TJ and I are not always on the same page, but we always have stood firm against the COG machine. TJ has been put through a purgatory online recently, and has come out stronger than ever. I know TJ will emerge victorious in this case, too.

As for Councilor Joakim, we rarely agree on larger political issues. Yet, in local politics, there are many instances of common ground. In the blogosphere, there are even more. Councilor Joakim does not deserve the treatment she has received from COG. She has stuck it out through treatment that no one in this town deserves.

The COG group will always resort to their typical tactics. They are:

• False Accusations
• Personal Attacks
• Lies and/or Manipulation of Facts
• Racial, ethnic or other Slurs (aka "cyber hate-crimes")

Let's take a stand as a town and not let them get away with it.

Finally, Good Leadership @ the Cape Cod Commission

I know that the hot topics in Barnstable right now are the Open Meeting of the Voters and the new Budget. However, yesterday's Cape Cod Times reminded me of something I have wanted to mention for a while.

Last year, the Cape Cod Commission decided to hire former Barnstable Assistant Town Manager Paul Niedzwiecki as its Executive Director. This move may perhaps be the best thing that the Cape Cod Commission has EVER done. Not only did they select someone who has the ability to have a vision for large projects and communities, they got someone who can get it done, too. Much of the revitalization of Downtown Hyannis has come from Paul Niedzwiecki's vision for the area.

Recently, Paul Niedzwiecki has been making some waves in his new job. Quoting from an article in yesterday's Times,

On April 8, Cape Cod Commission Executive Director Paul Niedzwiecki announced settlement offers for five staff members whose positions would be eliminated as part of a reorganization of the agency. The moves were a response to recommendations from an advisory group formed in 2006, Niedzwiecki said.

Finally, the Cape Cod Commission has someone unafraid to move on and unafraid to challenge bureaucracy. Paul Niedzwiecki and I do not always agree, but his vision, passion, and common sense make him an excellent administrator. Perhaps, he could even make a good mayor.

Personally, I do not like the Cape Cod Commission. It has been too stringent and taken control away from the towns. It has limited growth too severely in some areas, and allowed others to grow out of control. I believe that the individual Cape towns would do a better job of controlling growth without the Commission.

That said, we do have the Commission, and it's highly unlikely that we will be leaving it any time soon. In that case, Paul Niedzwiecki is the best man for the job. The changes he is making are helping set the Commission on the right track. If he can actually make the Commission "less of a reactive regulatory agency and more of a proactive planning agency" as he has said in the past, then the Cape will be much better off. I support Paul Niedzwiecki in his efforts to make the Cape Cod Commission into a better agency, and wish him the best of luck - Cape Cod is lucky to have him.