Communication, Transparency, and Saving the Town $1500
Today's Daily News Transcript reports that the town has drafted an update on Westwood Station to be approved by the Selectmen and then mailed to residents at a cost of approximately $1500.
Last week, in response to several residents who had contacted me or posted things here on WestwoodBlog, I inquired about an update from the town and I know it was in the works. We also know, from the Boston Globe article on Sunday that the town "pre-emptively" posted some information relating to Westwood Station which was then ordered removed. So officially, even though everyone is talking about this, there is no official comment from our elected officials other than sparse quotes we read in newspaper articles.
Might I suggest two things:
- Residents do not need a $1500 mailing. This information could be publicized for free by working with the Hometown Weekly and Daily News Transcript to publicize the key points of the communication, then post it on the town website. There is always this idea that because some residents don't have internet access, the website is not adequate...but the consequence of that thinking is that no update is done at all.
- Residents need more frequent, less official communication with an opportunity to respond. These mailings are like official pronouncements...after the fact...with no opportunity for clarification. Imagine if instead, we had weekly updates from the individuals involved. People are scared to death of that idea, it seems. I'm not completely naive here, but wouldn't it be worth a shot? That could take the form of a weekly selectman's newsletter or just individual selectmen writing short updates here or on their own blogs?
I'm not saying this is "the answer" and I invite people to weigh in here about why they might think I'm right or wrong. That kind of discussion exposes the real issues a lot better than someone carefully crafting an official policy and then broadcasting it to residents or putting together a bunch of talking points in advance to win an argument. Let's talk about how to improve things, not just advocate for positions.
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Comments
A better forum for discussion?
Dave,
Unfortunately politics isn't ready for what you are proposing. Change may come someday but it won't be soon and it won't be this election.
Hometown Weekly a great opportunity for Selectmen to communicate
Dave, couldn't agree more that more frequent and less formal communication should be provided by our elected officials. Not everyone subscribes to the Daily Transcript. Perhaps Hometown Weekly (given it's free and delivered weekly to all town residents) could devote a half page for a weekly update regarding Westwood Station? You could pretty much guarantee this would be the first section of the newspaper that most residents turn to.
I would hope the Selectmen (or Town Manager, etc.) could see this Hometown Weekly section as an opportunity (and not a weekly burden) to effectively communicate to residents any updates regarding this massive project. Maybe Pat Ahearn, Nancy Hyde, or Phil Shapiro could chime in here if they think this is a good idea. Given your new connections there, any chance you can propose this to Hometown Weekly?
Save the $1500
LisaS
I think the Hometown Weekly 'Westwood Station' section is a great idea. I also like the electronic postings. Politics not ready?? President Obama got elected largely by using the internet to advantage! Save the $1500? Yes we can.
Anonymnity
A fair criticism of this blog is that conversation is not possible given the anonymity of the medium. How are elected and appointed officials supposed to respond when they are attacked by anonymous individuals here? Thoughts?
RE: Anonymnity
Maybe elected/appointed officials don't respond when attacked on this blog? Maybe they don't respond to any questions/comments on this blog at all, but hopefully they do read the blog. I'm fairly new to this blog and wasn't aware that there were disparaging posts directed toward elected/appointed officials, but that must be the case given your comment. I assumed the residents commenting would intend to be helpful and constructive in promoting debate/conversation/information... not otherwise. I assume most people commenting are reluctant to use their names, not because they wrote something rude and are embarrassed to reveal their immaturity (for those people, what can you do?!), but rather because most anonymous commenters 1) want to contribute their opinions but fly under the radar as far as putting their name out there, 2) feel funny making a comment without having the time to get more involved in working to a solution on the issue discussed (I fall under #2).
Project Manager for Westwood Station
Chris McKeown has been the Project Manager for the Town of Westwood for the Westwood Station development since January 2007. I believe it is a full time job. Could someone ask him to update the press regularly? Or update the Town's website?
Chris has been responsive
I've spoken with Chris on a number of occassions and also talked to Jay Doherty of CC&F. I see town administrator Mike Jaillet fairly often too. Nobody has ever failed to answer my questions, but I don't have the time to follow and be a real reporter on this topic constantly. I also know that Abby Davidson at the Hometown Weekly and Ned Colby of the Daily News Transcript have written extensively on issues as they learned of them. I'm also writing a bi-weekly column in the Hometown Weekly now. So there is a great deal of communication going on and I think the only limit to responsiveness is a desire to ensure that what information is published is as accurate as possible.
To me, it seems a natural approach to use a blog to write a short update and then get feedback in the form of comments. The blog is personal in the sense that the writer is just reporting what he or she knows, not issuing a policy statement on behalf of the town. But when things change, does that make statements in the past lies? I can draw an analogy to my previous job...when I said, "How much money do we have left?" they said "until May." Then, things changed and I was laid off so that May 2009 could become sometime in 2010. It would be easy to say they "lied" to me, but because I have a personal trust relationship with the people I worked with, I believe that they meant what they said when they said it.
It is easier to say nothing, to withold information because the information is confusing, unclear, or subject to change. But that silence can contribute to a vacuum that fills with mistrust. The world won't become perfect overnight with more, possibly imperfect communication, but I believe it would be a start.
Hometown weekly
It's good the Selectman are at least hearing residents complain of the lack of communication on their part when it comes to Westwood Station.
Westwood needs to watch its dimes,nickels and pennies and not waste 1,500.00 on an insert in the paper. It's time to start thinking outside the box and some of the blog ideas seem pretty good to me. Why not the hometown weekly? A weekly or monthly update from Chris would be nice.
Trust Stems from the Source of the Message
Dave - I am not sure I agree with you.
First, politicians learn early in their careers that the less they say, the less ammunition they will provide to their detractors. People rarely praise politicians for being open, honest and forthright. When they do communicate, it is always in carefully crafted communiques.
Second, every political body and corporation (for profit and not-for-profit) of a size employs a communications director to control the framing and spin of the messages they release. Why?... to control potential liability. I am not aware that the town has a communications director and I'm not sure that hiring one would go over well if we are so ready to skewer them for spending $1500 on a mailing.
Third, no matter how much communication our town leaders provide, there will always be a segment of the town that does not get the message. I was at the 9th traffic hearing for Westwood Station where one resident asked "how come nobody knows about these meetings?" Huh?
Fourth, or should I say, The Fourth Estate. That's you dude. It is the role of the press to investigate and report on issues. Politicians will always tell you what they want you to hear so why would you want more spin? Trust stems from the source of the message, not the message itself.
Maybe there's an opportunity to create a group of volunteer citizen reporters who each focus on a specific aspect of town activities.
~
John Craine
volunteers welcome
John, you've given me an idea for a much longer post about how I am not a part of the "Fourth Estate," but first, I want to emphasize your last point about volunteer reporters. It was my original intention, with this blog, to provide a way for other people in town who do attend these meetings to report their perceptions and continue the discussion of issues online. So far, a few people have done that: Greg Agnew and Jason Lee have actually logged on and posted their own articles and several people like you are regular commenters. I would love to find a way to get more people posting their own accounts of some of the less politicized things going on in town where the focus could be on discussion and constructive dialog.
Term Limits
John I agree the town can spin Westwood Station and what's going on whatever way they want. What you do see is residents coming up with unique ideas which is good.
John I am the petitioner for term limits that will be heard at town meeting. I would like to get your feedback as a resident on the article.
I find in Westwood that no one runs for political office unless and incumbent steps down. Being a Selectman for 9 years is a long time and stepping down for a year is not to much to ask. How do you feel about term limits?
Term limits - response
David, I've never been a big fan of term limits because 1) every election we have the option of limiting someone's term anyway 2) the sword cuts both ways because you may end up limiting the term of someone who is a superior public servant. However, the argument for imposing term limits, that qualified candidates won't run if they feel they can't beat the incumbent, is also a valid one.
I read the FinCom mailing yesterday and believe there is merit in your proposal. Specifically, I like the idea of a three-term limit with a one year moratorium. This provides an opening for new candidates while still allowing former public servants to run again after sitting out a year. The more I think about it, the more I like it.
While we're on the topic, I haven't quite made up my mind about expanding the board from three to five members. I understand this is not your proposal but it does relate to your proposal. On one hand, the three member board is insular but it is also effective for decision making. I fear that a five member board will become overly political but it would also somewhat address the concentration of power. But I don't really perceive there to be a problem in the power structure of the BOS and I like the efficiency of three decision makers versus five.
So perhaps the best option would be to adopt your proposal for term limits but keep the BOS to three members.
~
John Craine
Westwood Station
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Westwood Station project comes to halt
Boston Business Journal - by Michelle Hillman
The developers of the 150-acre Westwood Station, one of the largest mixed-use projects in the state, are suspending work on the site as they struggle to secure a construction loan.
The developer of the 4.5 million-square-foot project, Cabot, Cabot & Forbes of New England Inc., said the first phase, about 1.7 million square feet, including 1.1 million square feet of retail, was scheduled to break ground at the end of the second quarter. The groundbreaking has been pushed back about six months until September. However, if September rolls around and the developers don’t have a loan, the project doesn’t move ahead.
“The nature of the economy clearly dictates you move at a slower pace,” said Jay Doherty, president of Cabot, Cabot & Forbes. “Right now you couldn’t close a construction loan. You can talk seriously with banks about it. We’re not sure when the construction (financing) market will be alive.”
The first phase is estimated to cost about $700 million, but the price tag could be reduced if the project qualifies for state and federal funding. The total cost of the project upon completion is reported to top $1.5 billion.
Doherty’s equity partner is Wilton, Conn.-based Commonfund Realty Inc. Doherty said Commonfund has not shut down funding for the project and “is continuing to fund very substantial expenditures on a monthly basis well into the seven figures.”
While the first phase of the project is made up largely of retailers, very few have pulled out of deals, according to several real estate sources. Previous reports indicated the project is 80 percent pre-leased to 90 tenants including Kohl’s, Talbots and Best Buy. Few, if any, retailers signed up to lease space at the project have gone under, said real estate sources. Officials from Cabot, Cabot & Forbes met with Westwood town officials last week to discuss the future of the site given the fact that the construction is not progressing.
Doherty said while the “strategic focus is not on trying to accelerate on site construction,” he stressed: “We’re alive." Westwood Station has fallen prey to unfavorable market conditions that have seized up credit markets and made large-scale development nearly impossible.
Chris McKeown, project manager for the town of Westwood, said the developers were “going full bore but scaled back until the economic outlook brightens.” “The developers and the town are both saying, ‘Let’s be pragmatic about it,’ ” McKeown said.
McKeown said the developers are continuing to finish design and planning of the site. He said members of the development and construction teams met last week to discuss ways to stabilize the site until development can officially move forward.
Last November Doherty began reducing the cost of the first phase of the project in order to make the project more attractive to prospective lenders. At the time he said he needed a construction loan by the “warm weather months next year.”
“The irony is, had the permitting gone faster, I think they’d have a much bigger problem than they have now,” McKeown said, “They are ready to go when the credit markets and the economy come around.”
What is your point
The project is dead. The comments from Chris McKeown (exactly how much are we paying him??) make absolutely no sense. Legacy Place and Patriots Place are going full bore in this economy. The bottom line is this project was ill-conceived and now no one wants to admit it. Check the report that was submitted by Rafsky to the Fin Com 2 years ago. He told the Town we would be getting at least $5 million in new tax revenues THIS YEAR. WHERE IS THE MONEY???
He's a sneaky guy
I can't tell if you're thrilled the project is dead (as you state) or that you're disappointed we aren't getting our $5 million this year.
That Steve Rafsky is a sneaky guy. I bet he knew back in 2007 there would be an economic meltdown this year and he just didn't tell anybody.
~
John Craine
The Sneaky Guy
At one time Steve Rafsky was called the man with a vision. It's unfortunate that he was wearing rose colored glasses, but he wasn't the only one in town. The town and developer failed to recognize that Canton would go to such extremes to make sure that Westwood Station would not proceed. For those of you who need a refresher, I suggest you check out Banker and Tradesman online-Dec. 2008. After reading the article, I think that the Canton BOS take the Sneaky Guy title.
WW Station Work Going On
Minimal work has been done a few days this week at Westwood Station...looks like some more pipes being run underground across the road.
So it isn't toally quiet there! (as evidenced by the traffic backup this AM).
3 to 5 you decide
I think one of the main reasons to change from 3 to 5 is giving each district in town a voice. Im sure other residents will post why going to 5 is a great idea. Lets see how many pros and cons residents come up with on the blog.