NewPage To Curtail Output Of Lightweight Coated Groundwood

I understand that he interacted better when he was on the school board.

Is being on a board a requirement for interacting well? It would seem to me that interacting well would be a requirement for being on a board.

My point being that he may do well on a different board, despite the differences.

Point taken and I hope you are right.

Just to point out that this topic has already become old news. Just like our town government, it will not be discussed until the next big mill shut down announcement.

KevinNSaisi wrote:Dave,
What are the factors that are so great that they preclude us from looking at this?

I am still waiting for a response to this question.

KevinNSaisi wrote:If there is any place where money is protected by a good ol' boy's club, it is SAD #43 (right Mark H.?).

The school's finances are complex and interrelated. When it comes to trimming nothing is easy. What one person finds superfluous, other deems mandatory. I joined the finance committee well into the 2009 budgeting process, and so had little chance for input. There are literally thousands of detail lines in the budget, with little description and no indication of how they work together to provide services. Personally, I don't think that we spend enough money on the right mix of programs, and I'll continue to work with Jim Hodgkin until I'm satisfied.

As for your comment on the "good ol' boys club"... every school district I've ever worked with is plagued by the same feeling of right and privilege. It starts with the concept of tenure, is compounded by complex employment contracts and unions, and detailed bargaining agreements. In that respect SAD 43 is no different than any other school all across America. On the other hand, the services provided by our school district are of an exceptional high-quality compared to others across the nation. We have better prepared teachers, more robust curriculae, and a staff that is connected with its student base. Whether the two are interrelated or not I don't know. I do know, however, that this is the best school district I've worked with in 20+ years (and more than 8 school districts all over the US).

Mark Henry

Thanks Mark

Timeout wrote:Mark, in your post you say the town council actively worked to market their town. In your opinion, is it advisable for our board to focus strictly on paring down budget?

The town of Kannapolis actively marketed their region; members met with county and state representatives monthly, they ran ads in regional magazines, even bought airtime. In addition, they invested heavily in infrastructure - bringing in high speed fiber optic internet connections, upgrading their water and sewer system, supporting a regional airport, etc. Some of this spending was offset by trimming the budget in other areas, some by dipping into their pockets and spending when it was very unpopular to do so.

Timeout wrote:Are we wise to have two of five board members working on the same project that has more to do with budget paring than development?

You need people who are motivated and passionate to sit on these boards. If Frank wants to volunteer why should anyone stop him? On the other hand, if you're so concerned why not volunteer yourself?

Timeout wrote:Are there any members of the board on the economic development committee or do they attend meetings?

Because of my work schedule I've only been able to make 3 of the past 5 meetings, but Len Greaney is very involved and attended the Oct meeting. I'm sure that Phil would be happy to send you the minutes or a list of the attendees for the past several meetings (if you asked nice).

Timeout wrote:Finally, do we have the right people in place in our town government to make these things happen? If not, is there another way to successfully market the town as you describe? My own view on the answer to this last question is what makes me feel somewhat less than optimistic. We have two fairly volatile board members...how do they represent us well in the marketing department?

It takes all kinds of people to help steer a community. I know all of Rumford's selectmen, at least in passing, and think that they're all intelligent, passionate people who care very much about their comunity and the people they serve. It is my opinion (so take it for what it's worth) that your current team (Selectmen, Town Manager, and Dept Heads) could turn the town around, if given the opportunity and support of the residents. However, they can't do it piecemeal, they need a goal (so they know where they're going) a plan (the roadmap to the goal) and a set of realistic milestones (to measure progress on the way) and I understand that Len is working with the Selectmen to put this together over the next couple months.

Mark Henry

Mark_Henry wrote:[We have better prepared teachers, more robust curriculae, and a staff that is connected with its student base. Mark Henry

Well said Mark, as a consumer with a child in the middle school and one in the high school, I have to agree wholeheartedly.

Mark, I appreciate your perspective on this forum. I do think we need a goal, plan to achieve the goal and measurement.

I suppose you are talking about development of the comprehensive plan. In my opinion, the very broad view of that plan needs to include management of people resources, natural resources and financial resources. If we strictly set financial goals and add benefit to humans and environment as an afterthought, I don't believe we achieve a sustainable community.

I often feel we are going after the wrong problem. For instance take the case of abandoned or tax acquired buildings and the attendant problems.

Let me start by saying first, I believe local governments are responsible for providing public schools, maintaining local roads, furnishing police and fire protection, collecting and disposing of refuse, maintaining public water and sewers, and providing welfare services, libraries and local parks.

Second, a local government's major source of revenue to pay for these services is local property taxes.

Third, the inner town is almost a separate jurisdiction from the surrounding suburbs. It is compressed into a smaller area in Rumford but the separation does exist.

By the economics of supply and demand, the suburban property values would escalate with the influx of affluent newcomers, thus making the case for particular economic development strategies to draw that newcomer. At the same time, property values in that inner area of town decline because of decreasing demand. The lower property taxes create a powerful disincentive toward maintaining property. Often, landlords allow property to deteriorate in order to reduce their taxes while keeping rents high to maximize their income. Many properties end up being abandoned by the owner for nonpayment of taxes. The town "inherits" such abandoned properties, but they are a liability rather than a source of revenue.

The declining tax base has been shown nationally to be a result of exurban migration which started in the late 1940s. Adding to the problem is the fact that many of those remaining in the town are disadvantaged people requiring public assistance of one sort or another. Thus the town bears a disproporationate burden of welfare obligations, as well as of the declining tax revenues.

Unemployment rates run much higher in depressed areas of the inner town, and what jobs do exist are mostly at the minimum wage. By contrast, the new jobs we try to create are in the shopping malls or industrial parks in the outlying areas, which are largely inaccessible to intown residents for lack of public transportation. Therefore, not only are people who remain in these areas of town poor from the outset, but the cycle of exurban migration and urban decay has now led to their economic exclusion from the mainstream. As a result, drug dealing, crime, violence and other forms of deviant social behavior are widespread and worsening in these areas. We can develop a shiny new downtown but walk a few blocks in any direction from the sparkling, revitalized core and you will find the blight continuing unabated.

Ironically, we are addressing the influx of criminal activity by reducing the police department. TRR is helping by soliciting stories from people who have been abused by police, etc., thus attempting to undermine the town. I'll say it again, ready, fire, aim! Mr. Greaney may be able to produce a goal and a plan but neither he nor anyone here has yet been able to produce the community support needed to carry it through...you can't mandate support although throughout history people have tried to do just that.

When we don't agree on the big picture problems, it is almost impossible to set goals and create a plan to meet those goals. If the tm and selectmen want to focus on personnel and personal issues, so be it. In the end, time will tell just how well an archaic management style of criticize and control worked for Rumford.

For the life of me I cannot picture the Mexico, Bethel or any other town manager writing a critique of what the interim Rumford town manager is doing wrong, analyzing his personality, outlining a process he should have followed and then publishing it on blogs in our town and on My Fox, the blog for Fox News. It wouldn't happen because they are professionals. At the very least it is poor sportsmanship and does not reflect well on Rumford leadership. Imagine our Mt. Valley football coaches writing a critique of the losing team's personality and mistakes, and then telling them how they should have played the game and publishing that critique in the opponent's home town. Right.

Timeout, to whom are you speaking? Are you replying to a previous post, or just adding one post after another as it comes to you? If you are replying to a previous post, please use the quote function unless it is the post most previous to your reply. I get very confused when things are not in order.

Adding another as it comes to me...sorry to confuse you.

It is okay, sometimes my left brain keeps me from seeing things the same way as others do.

I want to set something straight. I've given my posts a lot of thought and found the missing piece was that I didn't go back to Len and have the discussion with him personally. I have had two items that I feel he didn't address, which for the sake of brevity I won't go into it here, but that we did follow up on today.

As for my post on the Lisbon Reporter article, Len has assured me that although the letter about Eldridge was published in July, it came from something he had written prior to becoming interim town manager. When he saw it on the Lisbon Reporter, he had it pulled and also expressed his regret for its publication to Eldridge.

I can attest to the fact that Len wrote that piece way before he was appointed, or even before we knew there would be a vacancy in the position. Having been in that email loop at the time, I was a recipient of the original email when it was sent out.

Article

SJ wrote: Wausau Paper announced in August it would permanently shut down one of two paper machines and lay off about 150 people of its 235-member workforce. The last update was that the final day for No. 10 machine to run was Dec. 21, but employees received new information Tuesday that the layoffs could be moved up.
Wausau Paper announced in August it would permanently shut down one of two paper machines and lay off about 150 people of its 235-member workforce. The last update was that the final day for No. 10 machine to run was Dec. 21, but employees received new information Tuesday that the layoffs could be moved up.

Even our neighboring mill towns are dealing with permanent shut downs, but we don't have to worry, because the mill will always be there