Candidate Qualifiers Much Needed

Every tax is a pay cut. Every tax cut is a pay raise.
Citizens for Limited Taxation

Candidate Qualifiers Much Needed Friday, May 2, 2003

Rob Haneisen Metrowest Daily News

Town Meeting rightly upped the ante for those wishing to run for townwide office when they increased the number of signatures required on nomination papers to 50.
This is a big improvement over the previous number of signatures required: five. That paltry number was made even more ridiculous when one considers the fact that running for one of 216 seats on Town Meeting requires 25 signatures from your own precinct. It's enough to make some people blink twice and stare dumbly into space when trying to fathom the logic of making running for Town Meeting that much more difficult than the more powerful boards of Selectmen, Planning and School Committee.
I'll admit to gaining a personal sense of glee with this vote because I've advocated on this page and in the MetroWest Daily News for this very action. I wish the number of signatures could be even higher, though, closer to 375. I chose that number because it would equal roughly 1 percent of the registered voters in town. Apparently, state law prohibits the number from being higher than 50.
I'll also revel in the change because it may dissuade fringe candidates from entering local politics unprepared. In recent years, Framingham has had its share of candidates who gather a few hundred protest votes in the election but do little more than vent personal frustration during a campaign and occupy space on the ballot. It is not undemocratic to say they have no business running for public office. I'm not denying their right to run - that would be undemocratic - but these candidates, well, perhaps the less I say the more polite I'll be perceived.
Turnout at Town Meeting during this first session (it is in recess until the start of next week's special session) stood around 75 percent, a disappointment for some but considered average by many. When a quarter of an elected legislative body turns out for the few nights a year it makes decisions for the town and represents thousands in each precinct I call that a disappointment.
Ed Noonan, the new Town Moderator, had a bit of a rough ride with procedure and rules - something to be expected in your first run as moderator - but some have said the pickiness of some quick to shout corrections are still smarting from Noonan's victory at the polls.
Still, Noonan saw one of his campaign promises get squashed on Town Meeting floor. Apparently, the body is content with starting at 7:30 instead of Noonan's proposed 7 p.m. And Noonan, who advocated running the whole meeting without a break, apparently saw the error in that attempt and himself called a 10 minute recess the first night.
The major test for Noonan will be when he makes appointments to the Finance Committee and other posts. People will be on the lookout for cronyism - a move I'm sure Noonan will avoid if for no other reason than the fact that he is well aware of the scrutiny. But if Mal Schulze gets appointed to Fincomm, expect a riot.
***
Celebration Committee members begging for money to put on the Flag Day Parade is synonymous with the annual parade itself. Each year, lagging local fundraising or flagging local interest threaten to cancel the parade.
After 17 years, the parade has a small but loyal following and besides, are there many other parades in the first week of June? But interest has waned, the crowds have thinned and parades simply don't captivate people the way they used to.
Here's an idea: Keep the parade but have it be the entry vehicle to a multi-cultural fair at Bowditch Field. What better way to celebrate patriotism and the flag than to welcome and mingle with all the different people who call Framingham home?
The parade could include floats and marchers from all the different ethnic groups in town including representative from the Italian, Polish and other communities of European descent. Having a parade to celebrate the flag is a good start but not enough to carry a full day of activities needed to attract people and sponsors. The committee should take this into consideration when planning for next year's event. Fundraising this year during a time when one would think patriotism would be at an all time high, only proves that the parade can not survive in its present form.
(Rob Haneisen is the editor of the Framingham Tab. He can be reached at rhaneis@cnc.com or 508-626

Candidate Qualifiers Much Needed	Friday, May 2, 2003
Rob Haneisen	Metrowest Daily News
Town Meeting rightly upped the ante for those wishing to run for townwide office when they increased the number of signatures required on nomination papers to 50. This is a big improvement over the previous number of signatures required: five. That paltry number was made even more ridiculous when one considers the fact that running for one of 216 seats on Town Meeting requires 25 signatures from your own precinct. It's enough to make some people blink twice and stare dumbly into space when trying to fathom the logic of making running for Town Meeting that much more difficult than the more powerful boards of Selectmen, Planning and School Committee. I'll admit to gaining a personal sense of glee with this vote because I've advocated on this page and in the MetroWest Daily News for this very action. I wish the number of signatures could be even higher, though, closer to 375. I chose that number because it would equal roughly 1 percent of the registered voters in town. Apparently, state law prohibits the number from being higher than 50. I'll also revel in the change because it may dissuade fringe candidates from entering local politics unprepared. In recent years, Framingham has had its share of candidates who gather a few hundred protest votes in the election but do little more than vent personal frustration during a campaign and occupy space on the ballot. It is not undemocratic to say they have no business running for public office. I'm not denying their right to run - that would be undemocratic - but these candidates, well, perhaps the less I say the more polite I'll be perceived. Turnout at Town Meeting during this first session (it is in recess until the start of next week's special session) stood around 75 percent, a disappointment for some but considered average by many. When a quarter of an elected legislative body turns out for the few nights a year it makes decisions for the town and represents thousands in each precinct I call that a disappointment. Ed Noonan, the new Town Moderator, had a bit of a rough ride with procedure and rules - something to be expected in your first run as moderator - but some have said the pickiness of some quick to shout corrections are still smarting from Noonan's victory at the polls. Still, Noonan saw one of his campaign promises get squashed on Town Meeting floor. Apparently, the body is content with starting at 7:30 instead of Noonan's proposed 7 p.m. And Noonan, who advocated running the whole meeting without a break, apparently saw the error in that attempt and himself called a 10 minute recess the first night. The major test for Noonan will be when he makes appointments to the Finance Committee and other posts. People will be on the lookout for cronyism - a move I'm sure Noonan will avoid if for no other reason than the fact that he is well aware of the scrutiny. But if Mal Schulze gets appointed to Fincomm, expect a riot. *** Celebration Committee members begging for money to put on the Flag Day Parade is synonymous with the annual parade itself. Each year, lagging local fundraising or flagging local interest threaten to cancel the parade. After 17 years, the parade has a small but loyal following and besides, are there many other parades in the first week of June? But interest has waned, the crowds have thinned and parades simply don't captivate people the way they used to. Here's an idea: Keep the parade but have it be the entry vehicle to a multi-cultural fair at Bowditch Field. What better way to celebrate patriotism and the flag than to welcome and mingle with all the different people who call Framingham home? The parade could include floats and marchers from all the different ethnic groups in town including representative from the Italian, Polish and other communities of European descent. Having a parade to celebrate the flag is a good start but not enough to carry a full day of activities needed to attract people and sponsors. The committee should take this into consideration when planning for next year's event. Fundraising this year during a time when one would think patriotism would be at an all time high, only proves that the parade can not survive in its present form. (Rob Haneisen is the editor of the Framingham Tab. He can be reached at rhaneis@cnc.com or 508-626

Send comments to: hjw2001@gmail.com