April 11, 2003

Residents express desires at public forum

By KATE SPINNER

Staff writer

NEWBURYPORT -- Residents want to see better roads and better schools, and they want the city to begin implementing the Community Preservation Act that was passed by voters in November.

They also want to see more effective city leadership and better representation from their elected officials.

Last night about fifty residents arrived at the City Hall Auditorium to voice concerns to their representatives on the City Council at the second annual public forum.

The crowd split into three groups by ward. Ward 1 Councilor David McFarlane took notes for residents in wards 1 and 2, Ward 3 Councilor Karen Kelley took notes for residents in wards 3 and 4, and Ward 5 Councilor Brenda Reffett took notes for residents in wards 5 and 6. Also in participating were Ward 2 Councilor Gregory Earls, Ward 6 Councilor Thomas O'Brien and Councilor-at-large John Pramberg. Police Marshal Thomas Howard and two school committee members, Bruce Menin and William Heenehan, also attended the forum. City Clerk John Moak moderated.

Residents were first asked to highlight the city's positive attributes. The majority of people in all wards said they were happy about the waterfront renovations and the competency of city planners, the new library and the library staff, the high school expansion and city teachers, progress on the rail-trail, public activism and involvement, and the passage of the Community Preservation Act (CPA).

High on the list of concerns in all wards were looming budget cuts in the school department and the lack of services for youth, the degrading safety of city roads and intersections, and the city's failure to follow through with plans and to listen to advice from consultants.

Specifically, people criticized the city's slow pace in getting the CPA up and running. The act is accompanied by a 2 percent surcharge on property taxes that flows to an account that is matched by state grants to help preserve affordable housing, open space and historic resources. The CPA was passed in November and the mayor has yet to appoint members to the Community Preservation Committee that will be responsible for recommending where the new revenue will be spent.

Ward 2 resident Sheila Mullins said elected officials need to pay closer attention to citizen concerns. Addressing no specific elected official, she said, "When the community does speak actively pay attention to them instead of stabbing them in the back."

A few residents said they were concerned about increasing taxes and fees -- especially mooring fees.

Residents also criticized the City Council for not arriving at a compromise on a downtown parking garage last year. Past studies indicated the community's desire for a waterfront park and the need to move parking on the waterfront into a more permanent location.

The study's recommendations, and the work of city parking committees, have been ignored, said former Mayor Mary Carrier of Ward 4.

A few residents in Wards 1 and 2 also said the City Council ignored an attorney's opinion last year that upheld the mayor's decision to promote police officer Alan Maguire to sergeant. The council has refused to support the mayor's decision.

Others criticized the police promotion "saga" without placing specific blame.

The controversy over the police promotions, said Carrier, are hindering the City Council's ability to address many of the issues residents voiced concerns about last night.

"I think the City Council has sat on a lot of these things or sent them to committee," said Carrier. "They are tied up with one thing -- the police promotions."

Ward 5 resident Albert Decie said some of the city's concerns, especially those regarding the condition of city streets and sidewalks, could be addressed through the establishment of more city committees.

Residents living in Wards 5 and 6, near industrial areas on Hale Street, complained about flooding. Others said they were concerned about the city's water quality because they had seen garbage and illegal dumping at Plummer Spring.

Proposed cuts in school funding and the Mayor Alan Lavender's recent decision not to hire a Youth Coordinator before July also spurred dissent among residents in all wards. Many commented that the city has not invested enough in youth services.

Heenehan said he was heartened to hear such support for schools and youth, and he encouraged residents to participate in School Committee budgeting sessions.

"The city has been generous in supporting the schools and we hope that the city will continue to be generous," said Heenehan.

Last night's forum was intended as a tool for the councilors to use when debating the mayor's proposed budget. Kelley emphasized that the council only has the power to cut the mayor's budget and that residents should forward their concerns to the mayor before the proposed budget in finalized.

One resident asked why Mayor Alan Lavender was not in attendance to listen to concerns first hand. Others asked why four out of the city's ten sitting City Councilors were not in attendance.

Menin said the forum will help city leaders know what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong, but he said the public should continue to communicate with city officials outside of the forum in order to increase accountability in government.

"Accountability is getting people the information they need to make informed decision," he said.

Moak closed the forum by adding that governing is not straightforward. "Government," he said, "extends beyond the yes and no answers, to the hows and whys."

Notes on the forum will be posted on the city's website within the next few days for anyone to review. The website is www.cityofnewburyport.com.