by Brendan Melican on October 17, 2009
I must have missed the news somewhere over the last few days, but it looks like the City of Worcester has finally rolled out an updated web presence. At first glance it’s not terrible and certainly more functional than the site it replaced. I’m sure my designer friends will find no shortage of details to pick apart, but that’s what they get paid for. At the very least, when compared to the old shit brown site this is a 1,000,000% improvement.
Does anyone out there have any insight as to what they chose for a CMS? Was the work done internally or outsourced?
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by Brendan Melican on October 6, 2009
Sat in on the Chamber of Commerce Mayoral debate last night in the relatively new Worcester Registry of Deeds, formerly known as the Worcester Common Outlets Food Court. Overall the event was no more exciting than a slice of cheese from the Sbarro franchise which used to sit in the very spot the debate was held.
The moderators of the event did a fine job and asked some decent, less than predictable questions, but the answers… man, are we in tough shape. Maybe it’s just a byproduct of our form of government and the perceived limits it places on the Council and Mayor, but there is a significant lack of well fleshed out, inspiring ideas coming from this crew. It seems that when tasked with difficult times local politicians almost appreciate being confined by a particular set of legal and administrative constraints; but we’re hiring them for the job of lawmaker, so those constraints are artificial in the sense that these are the very people charged with creating/adjusting those constraints to suit todays needs. Our local government exists in a sort of suspended animation, more relevant to 1947 and 1983 (most recent years of charter change) than 2009. Someone needs to step up and point out that 2009 is neither 1947 or 1983 and the future of the city can not be dependent on trajectory set 60 years ago.
One question presented by T&G columnist Dianne Williamson, which was surprisingly not mentioned in either Nick K’s coverage in the T&G or Worcester Magazines liveblog of the event, set the tone of this campaign season for me. It was possibly the easiest question to answer and all four candidates failed miserably. Referring to the public records lawsuit the T&G is currently involved in with the WPD and City Administration, she asked:
‘is it appropriate that public money be used to keep public records from the public?’
The only answer, of course is “No, it is not OK.”
All four candidates wobbled on that one with the predictable answers we’ve been hearing since this public records debacle began. But it raises the question, how can we take anything a politician says sincerely if they believe the public system they function in should not be open to scrutiny by the public they represent? Without real transparency in government there is little reason to have faith in any of the position papers, talking points and claims of general awesomeness all four candidates seem to be comfortable presenting.
by Brendan Melican on October 1, 2009
If the the results of a poll released by Sulfolk University on Sept 23rd is any indication, the answer is a resounding yes. 81% of respondents (out of 500 polled) were in favor of changing existing MA state law to allow terminally or seriously ill patients to use, grow and purchase marijuana for medical purposes if they have the approval and are under supervision of their physicians. 17% were opposed and 2% were undecided.
Why does this matter? Well unlike question 2 which the voters of MA passed with a rather loud voice (65% in favor) last fall, medical marijuana is currently being debated in the state legislature (their vote, not ours). House Bill 2160 is the one to keep an eye on if this is an issue that’s important to you.
Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance
by Brendan Melican on September 28, 2009
Wonderfully insane set of stories in todays T&G circling around what is likely to become Worcesters next big non-issue. As it turns out, elderly people are sometimes petrified of people who’re anything less than elderly.
Shocking.
Note to old people: If you’re incapable of seeing a dude in baggy pants without thinking ‘gang member’, people shake hands without believing you saw a drug deal or wobble around in constant fear of being knocked off your walker by a kid on a skateboard, you’re not a concerned citizen, you’re paranoid, delusional and xenophobic.
When the City Administration responds to complaints like these as if there’s an actual problem it forces one to wonder how a project like City Square, assuming it actually comes together sometime in the next few decades, is expected to succeed. How exactly does the city plan to capitalize on the mostly disposable incomes and general untainted enthusiasm of young people by chasing them away?
But what’s most interesting about this latest non-issue is the city response, cameras on the common to keep an eye on loitering. Not that language and the actual meaning of words is important to Worcester Administrators…
Loiter
verb [ intrans. ]
stand or wait around idly or without apparent purpose
… but it sounds like the only people loitering on the common are the old folks sitting around all day waiting for someone to come along and give them something to complain about. If loitering is the concern, I hope the WPD plans to act upon this scourge and lock up all the pensioners or at the very least give them them a ride back to their respective nursing homes where they can’t shit on anyones good time.
by Brendan Melican on September 28, 2009
The Chandler Street Buisness Association was kind enough to ask Worcester City Councilor Gary Rosen and myself to moderate a series of debates and candidate forums leading up to the Tuesday, November 3rd elections.
The first in this series will feature candidates for School Committee on October 12th at 7PM. The CHUA PHO HIEN Bhuddist Meditation Temple at 96 Dewey St was kind enough to open their doors to the community for this event and the majority of candidates for School Committee have confirmed. Due to the number of candidates, the format for this event will be a structured Q&A forum, an actual debate would take a week or two to wrap up and the CBA passed on my idea for a Thunder Dome style event.
Next up will be a debate between the two District 4 candidates for City Council, incumbent Barbara Haller and challenger Grace Ross on October 26th 7PM at Chandler Community School, 114 Chandler Street. This is the debate I’m most excited about personally, as I can’t think of two candidates for local office more engaged with their community and dedicated to the people they work with on a daily basis. Considering how issues facing D4 tend to dominate local press, setting a tone for the rest of the city and the large number of business areas and dense residential areas contained within D4 there is no question the long term success and growth of Worcester is dependent on D4. With that said I would encourage anyone interested in Worcester politics to sit in on this debate, regardless of your voting district.
Finally, we have the Mayoral debate. Similar to my experience with the Mayoral forum we hosted at the Dive Bar two years ago, finding a date that works for all the candidates is proving difficult, but we should have that wrapped up later this week.
Councilor Rosen and I will be meeting soon to ink the topics for each group, but we’re open to including ideas from interested parties. If you have concerns that you would like to see addressed at any of these forums please feel free to leave a note in the comments, or email me: buckpaxton@gmail.com
by Brendan Melican on May 22, 2009
Can Worcester claim the same?
by Brendan Melican on May 21, 2009
Here’s what I believe is the first official trailer for the Bruce Willis flick, Surrogates, filmed partly here in Worcester.
by Brendan Melican on May 19, 2009
For at least the last month Worcester has had a new character trolling our urban street scene and if you travel lower Chandler Street where it meets Main, you’ve certainly seen him. Dressed like the ghost of Mardi Gras past, with a ridiculous giant hat, a beard that must be home to 13 squirrels and a neck full of beads this literal clown darts in and out of traffic soliciting donations for the cause he has scrawled in marker on a giant piece of poster board. I’m not sure if he’s homeless or maybe he just got left behind at the last Dead show. Up until tonight I couldn’t figure out what exactly his sign said, resembling the kind of artful scribbling one would expect to find in the journal of a kid hopped up on mescaline.
But tonight, while waiting in traffic I finally learned the mystery of this mans fundraising efforts.
“Need money for beer or pot. Honest.”
When I read that, my heart fluttered a bit. Here we are in the midst of economic turmoil watching every species of vermin at every level of government and the private sector go out of their way to hoard every lost/last penny from every living room sofa. Not an honest man or woman in the bunch and yet we the citizenry still willingly comply and turn over our cash. And then there’s this guy, not only does he just want a beer and a bowl pack but he’s willing to admit as much in simple language anyone can understand.
Honesty. Even if misdirected, it’s quite refreshing. I suggest we find this man a consulting gig in City Hall.
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Unrelated, I want to apologize to those of you who actually read my drivel from time to time. Since I started this site way back in July of 2004 I’ve always found it a great release of sorts and enjoyed the conversations and friendships it’s spawned. It was never intended to be a local political blog but just the musings of another dude living in Worcester before there were many dudes living in Worcester doing much musing online, however the former prevailed and the tone was set. Over the last few months it seems like there’s less and less time in the day (parenthood) and fewer and fewer local political stories of interest bubbling to the surface. Frankly the political scene in worcester, both the politics and the politicians have become a bore in the most abysmal sense. I find myself thinking back to Mulford vs Levy battle royals on tuesday nights and when trying to compare that period to what we have today, it’s simply amateur hour on all fronts. So while I’m not throwing in the towel on this site, I will be backing off a bit and trying to regroup. I’ve got a few other projects in mind that I think will be more satisfying and hopefully for you, more entertaining. And if not, look for me at the bar and offer to buy me a beer, I’d much rather talk your ear off in person.
by Brendan Melican on April 22, 2009
Zoback has a great scoop over at the Daily Worcesteria blog regarding another uncertified member of the Worcester Schools employee pool; this one just happens to be the Superintendent:
Loughlin wasn’t out of line for taking an interim post without a current license. According to JC Considine, the External Relations Coordinator for the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, “a school district may appoint as an acting superintendent an individual who is not licensed as a superintendent, provided that the appointment is temporary, e.g., less than one school year.”
But questions have arisen over Loughlin’s claims that she was once certified as a superintendent. On her resume, Dr. Loughlin lists “superintendent” under a heading that reads “Massachusetts Certifications – 1999.” Also listed are Administrator Special Education, Supervisor/Director, School Psychologist, Elementary Principal, Guidance Director, Guidance Counselor, and Elementary Teacher.
But according to state officials, not only is Loughlin not currently licensed, she has never been licensed as a superintendent.
“She has never held a license as a Superintendent,” writes Considine in an email. “She does have a supervisor/director license that was due for renewal back in 2004.” Supervisor/director licenses are generally for administrators overseeing departments or programs.
It may prove less time consuming to identify who actually is qualified for their job in the WPS as opposed to who isn’t.
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by Brendan Melican on April 14, 2009
The company I work for, Pangea Media, has an opening for a Sales Operations Manager in our Watertown, MA office.
Pangea Media is a fast paced online marketing and new media company in the greater Boston area that operates several quiz and casual entertainment web properties. Our websites and technology enable users to take and create quizzes, surveys, and polls, and to share their creations and results with other users, both within our network, and through other social media channels. Pangea Media is continually developing new and innovative ways to enable our users to interact with their online communities using our related content. We leverage this personalized, distributed content network to deliver targeted advertising to our users.
We are seeking a Sales Operations Manager to manage a wide variety of advertising campaigns, analyze large amounts of statistical campaign data, and help to enhance ad systems that will allow us to grow faster. This detail orientated role is an integral part of our organization and the ideal candidate will possess strong technical know-how, excellent analytical skills and will have the ability to manage their time effectively while and remaining extremely organized. Only cheerful applicants will be considered!
Job Responsibilities:
Assist with day to day management of online advertising inventory
Work with in-house tech team to implement and analyze the results of ad optimization initiatives
Perform ongoing and in depth statistical analyses for various ad campaigns and products
Provide key statistical data to support the sales and marketing teams
Utilize analytic tools to develop campaign analysis reports and insights
Help design, launch and manage advertising reporting projects and systems
Skills, Knowledge and Experience:
Strong details oriented mindset with excellent follow-through
Self-starter with the ability to work independently and learn quickly
Microsoft Excel expertise
Ability to adapt to an always changing environment and multitasking assignments
Very strong quantitative and analytic skills
Comfortable working in an fast-paced, start-up environment
Experience managing online advertising products
2 years full time work experience; online advertising/analytics work experience preferred
If that sounds like you, or someone you know definitely get in touch with me or follow the link below to our craigslist posting.
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