Mr. White what you said was: "Another voice of Mr Meyer wants us to have armed guards at the schools in Holden instead of building a new Mountview. If we don't build the school we can have the money to pay for armed guards. Smoke and mirrors mixing two different issues and attempts to confuse." Mr. White your statement is clearly NOT true but of course you already know that. This is just another of your smoke screens in an attempt to divert attention from the issues. Now Mr. White, enough of the stalling and smoke screens. Answer the questions. Starting with how did you get from $39 Million you told the taxpayers to $50+ Million (an incredible $11 Million - 28+% 'Bait and Switch' increase before the project even started). View Comment

Enough of the stalling and smoke screens Dave White. Answer the questions. Starting with how did you get from $39 Million to $50+ Million (an incredible $11 Million - 28+% 'Bait and Switch increase before the project even started). And your ludicrous comment about me looking for armed guards at schools is an outright lie! View Comment

Mr. Renzoni is correct. Contrary to information received from another member of the Board of Selectmen he did post a notice of the school committee appearance. My apologies to Mr. Renzoni. Now perhaps Mr. White can explain to the taxpayers how the $39 Million project they showed us to get the project approved has now turned into a $50+ Million project (an $11+ Million, nearly 30% increase already). Perhaps Mr. White can explain why he expects the taxpayers to spend several thousand dollars to hold a special town ballot vote on his $50+ Million project just one month before the regular town elections. Perhaps Mr. White can explain why he would rather have his $50+ Million project voted on by a smaller number of taxpayers at a special ballot vote (at an additional cost of several thousand dollars) rather than by a larger number of taxpayers at our already scheduled annual town elections. Perhaps Deminimus Maureen Maximus can help you answer these questions. Perhaps….. View Comment

With the WRSD already in dire financial straights after their multi-million dollar mistakes now their Mt. View building committee is asking Holden taxpayers to spend thousands of dollars to hold a 'Special Town Meeting' then to spend several thousand dollars more to hold a 'Special Ballot Election' to vote on their $50+ Million Mt. View project. Why are they pushing for these very expensive special meetings just one month before our regular town meeting and ballot elections? Why can't we save this money by doing both at the same time? BOS Chair Anthony Renzoni had this request from the WRSD's Mt. View committee well in advance of his BOS meeting. Why did he fail to put this issue on their agenda? Why did he call for a vote on their $50+ Million request without listing it on the BOS agenda so taxpayers could come to speak on the issue? View Comment

When discussing his continued refusal to give our Board of Selectmen and the taxpayers a line item copy of his budget Duncan Leith was quoted as saying: “It’s something I don’t find necessary for them to have.” We give them a roughly $90 Million annual budget and Duncan Leith doesn’t “find it necessary” for the towns to have a line item copy of his budget to see how they are spending our tax dollars. What’s wrong with this picture? What are they hiding this time? This ‘let them eat cake’ refusal to release a line item copy of their budget is why they continue to make multi-million dollar mistakes with our tax dollars. During the tenure of Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet on the school committee the taxpayers have suffered through the outrageous spending habits (meals, meals and more meals) of ex-superintendent Al Tutela, the 13 month Inspector General’s investigation that found $139,000 in wasteful spending (and the SC claimed ‘they didn’t know’), the high school construction project that ran tens of millions of dollars over budget plus approximately $6.4 Million more they lost in lawsuits, their $383,645 budget mistake late last year, their $1.2 Million overspending budget mistake, their $1.5 Million employee benefits mistake (more than $3 Million in mistakes with our tax dollars in less than 9 months), the resignation then firing of Peter Brennan, the resignation then retirement of superintendent Tom Pandiscio etc. etc. etc. It is time for Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet to finally admit their continued failures to properly manage our tax dollars. It is time for Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet to resign and quickly but quietly follow Peter Brennan and Tom Pandiscio out the door. View Comment

Ms. Deminimus Maximus has mentioned returning K thru 8 to the towns to gain more control over school spending. To give each town control over their own spending. What a great idea as Duncan Leith and his senior committee members Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet have clearly lost control of school spending. Or perhaps Ms. Deminimus thinks their $3+ Million in budget mistakes is acceptable.  Perhaps she condones their latest snow plow contract fiasco.  Perhaps Ms. Deminimus found it acceptable for the SC to give their new business manager an $8,400 (7.9%) raise at the same time they were threatening to lay off 15 teachers in the midst of their $3+ Million budget mistakes.  Perhaps..... It is time for Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet to admit their continued financial failures and resign. View Comment

In her post Margaret Watson claims: “Information regarding the Wachusett District's budget is readily available” at wrsd.net. Perhaps Ms. Watson could give us the exact link to their 7,666 page line item budget information since it is NOT listed on the wrsd.net site as she claims. Perhaps she can explain why Duncan Leith wants to charge the Town of Holden $2,300 (at 30 cents per page = 7,666 pages) to provide a copy of their roughly $90 Million annua budget if they have already given this information to the town. Perhaps Ms. Watson can also explain how she, Duncan Leith, Cindy Bazinet et al missed more than $3 Million in budget mistakes this year alone or how she justifies their latest snow plow contract fiasco. Margaret claims Duncan Leith “has been given a bad time by the Holden Board and also by the Regional Board of Selectmen”. The Regional Boards of Selectmen called a special meeting to ask questions about the WRSD’s $3+ Million budget fiasco but their $200,000 per year salary superintendent Tom Pandiscio was a NO Show and Duncan Leith was unable to answer a number of the questions brought up by the Regional Selectmen. Why was superintendent Tom Pandiscio a NO Show? Why didn't Duncan Leith have answers to their questions? This is their idea of transparency?!?!?! It is time for senior school committee members Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet to admit their continued failures and resign. View Comment

Duncan Leith and his senior school committee members (Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet) preside over more than $3 Million in budget mistakes and Ms. Deminimus Maximus talks about eroding the credibility of our Board of Selectmen?!?!?!? What part of the school districts more than $3 Million in budget mistakes did she miss? What part of Duncan and crew giving the new business manager an $8,400 (7.9%) raise in the midst of their $3+ Million financial disaster did she miss? What part of their latest snow plowing contract scandal did she miss? What part of fiscal reality doesn’t Ms. Deminimus Maximus understand? The five town regional Boards of Selectmen called a special joint meeting to discuss the WRSD financial disaster and Tom Pandiscio was a ‘NO Show’ leaving Duncan Leith to field questions that he was unable to answer. What’s wrong with this picture? At this time the credibility of Duncan Leith and his School Committee is at absolute ZERO! It is time for Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet to resign and quickly but quietly follow Al Tutela, Tom Pandiscio, Peter Brennan et al out the door. View Comment

The taxpayers of the Wachusett Regional School District give Chairman Duncan Leith an annual budget of nearly $90 Million and now Duncan wants to charge the Town of Holden $2,300 to ‘BUY’ an absolutely unbelievable 7,666 pages of his budget. Duncan Leith wants to charge the town $2,300 to find out how he spends nearly $90 Million per year of our taxes?!?!?! What’s wrong with this picture? Kudos to Selectman Ferguson for standing up to this outrageous attempt by Duncan Leith to charge us $2,300 to see how they spend nearly $90 Million per year of our taxes. The taxpayers have endured enough multi-million dollar mistakes and wasted spending. It is time for Chairman Duncan Leith and senior school committee members Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet to resign. It is time to let newer members of the SC to step up to fix the latest multi-million dollar mistakes made during the Reign of Error of Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet. View Comment

Poor Maximus, how sad you still think that Margaret Watson’s Orwellian attempts to restrict the free speech rights of members of her own school committee are acceptable. Perhaps you have forgotten that their failure to ask questions is what got Margaret Watson and her SC into their latest $3+ million fiasco in the first place. View Comment

Margaret Watson’s ridiculous motion is censorship at it’s best. Let’s not let anyone ask questions that might be embarrassing to the school committee like why are they keeping a second set of books or that might show the WRSD has done something illegal like why are they moving money between accounts after the fiscal year deadline. Margaret’s motion is clearly censorship at it’s best. Way to go Margaret Watson. Way to go Duncan Leith. You two really do need to resign before you do any more damage to the reputation of the WRSD. View Comment

Dave, I too support free speech and I agree that selectmen and school committee members do have the right to use their elected titles ‘WHEN AND ONLY WHEN’ they are conducting ‘legitimate’ select board or school committee business. Kenny O’Brien used the title selectman in a number of letters which had nothing to do with his former position as a selectman in the Town of Holden including one blasting then state representative Lew Evangelidis. How would you have felt if Mr. O’Brien had written a letter to the Boston Globe praising the use of medical marijuana or a letter in support of or opposition to gay marriage and signed his name ‘Kenny O’Brien – Selectman Town of Holden, MA’? Such abuse of the title would clearly be inappropriate. Margaret Watson’s Orwellian attempts to infringe upon the use of an elected official’s title for ‘legitimate’ school committee business is absolutely WRONG! Ms. Watson is upset that one or more members of the school committee asked legitimate, school committee related, questions of an appropriate state agency. The answers to those questions revealed a violation of state law by superintendent Thomas Pandiscio with regard to transferring funds after the close date for their fiscal year. Had those legitimate questions not been asked the WRSD would likely have continued their illegal practice of moving money after the fiscal year close date. The school committee spends nearly $90 Million of our tax money every year. They need to be open and transparent. They should not be censoring their own members and Margaret’s ridiculous motion is censorship at its worst. It should be defeated. View Comment

Dave, You seem to have forgotten that the issue with Kenny O’Brien was making calls and writing letters while using his selectman title for issues which had nothing to do with our select board. You may recall the letter to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance that Kenny O’Brien cosigned with Cindy Bazinet (who used her title as a school committee member), Maureen Maximus and her husband Larry. That letter, which they thought would remain anonymous, blasted HAT, me and then town manager Brian Bullock. It had nothing to do with our select board or town business. You perhaps have also forgotten the Letter to the Editor Kenny O’Brien wrote blasting then state representative Lew Evangelidis. A letter in which Mr. O’Brien again used his then selectman’s title. Yet another letter which had nothing to do with our select board or town business. Now, on top of the school committee’s latest $3+ Million budget blunders and their total lack of transparency, Margaret Watson is attempting to censor members of her own school committee who are asking legitimate, school committee related questions. What’s wrong with this picture? Had it not been for the initiative taken by one or two school committee members to contact the Department of Revenue superintendent Tom Pandiscio may well have continued his illegal practice of transferring money between accounts after the end of the fiscal year. The school committee spends nearly $90 Million of our taxe money every year. They need to open and transparent. They should not be censoring their own members. Margaret’s ridiculous motion is censorship at its worst. It should be defeated. View Comment

Once again the obvious has escaped the grasp of Ms. Deminimus Maximus. Yes, Ms. Deminimus Business Manager Peter Brennan did make a number of very serious mistakes totaling more than $3 Million. In their failed attempt to avoid such serious, multi-million dollar, financial mistakes Mr. Brennan answered directly to Duncan Leith and his school committee NOT to Tom Pandiscio. Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet are the senior members of the SC. They have been on the SC since the dark days of the Al Tutela regime. How did Duncan, Margaret and Cindy fail to catch these huge $3+ Million mistakes for so long? Weren’t they supposed to be in charge of spending our tax dollars wisely? Over the years Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet have repeatedly failed to catch a number of very serious financial mistakes starting with their $139,000 spending fiasco uncovered by the MA Inspector General’s investigation through their latest failure to catch $3+ Million in mistakes made by their own ‘direct’ employee Peter Brennan. It is time for accountability from the people responsible (or in this latest case – irresponsible) for the SC’s roughly $90 Million annual budget. It is time for Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet to finally admit their continued failures to manage our tax dollars wisely and to immediately resign. Until they resign the credibility of the SC will remain at ZERO! It is time for newer members of the SC to step up and fix the latest $3+ Million mistakes which Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet have once again failed to catch. View Comment

Dear Deminimus, If the "Scandal(s) of the Day" as YOU put it didn't keep happening we would not be having this discussion. It is time for Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet to admit their continued failures and resign. Until Duncan, Margaret and Cindy do finally admit their continued mistakes and resign the credibility of their school committee will remain at ZERO! What part of logic don't you understand Ms. Deminimus? View Comment

To: dwilliams: If I were to have a t-shirt it would probably read: "It's time for Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet to resign 'BEFORE' they make any more multi-million mistakes with our money!" To Deminumus Maximus: No witch hunt just accountability for Duncan, Margaret and Cindy Bazinet's continued multi-million mistakes. View Comment

How did the WRSD get into such a deep financial hole ($3.3 Million and counting)? Wasn't anyone watching the finances? Why didn't the senior members of the school committee (Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet) catch even one of these mistakes? Day after day, year after year dating all the way back to the Al Tutela regime these senior SC members have failed to catch one serious financial mistake after another. It is time for Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet to resign and let the newer members of the committee step up to fix their mistakes. View Comment

Forget all the rhetoric. Let’s stick with the facts. The school committee made more than $3 Million in mistakes (this time – that we know about so far). Peter Brennan resigned then he was fired. Tom Pandiscio resigned then changed his mind and retired. Senior school committee members Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet have repeatedly (year after year – time after time) failed to catch a single one of several huge financial mistakes, cost overruns and law suits yet they continually refuse to admit their mistakes / failures and resign. School committee credibility (and any chance of getting increased funding) will remain at ZERO until Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet admit their failures and resign then quietly but quickly follow Mr. Brennan and Mr. Pandiscio out the door. View Comment

Forget all the rhetoric. Let’s stick with the facts. The school committee made more than $3 Million in mistakes (this time – that we know about so far). Peter Brennan resigned then he was fired. Tom Pandiscio resigned then changed his mind and retired. Senior school committee members Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet have repeatedly (year after year – time after time) failed to catch a single one of several huge financial mistakes, cost overruns and law suits yet they continually refuse to admit their mistakes / failures and resign. School committee credibility (and any chance of getting increased funding) will remain at ZERO until Duncan Leith, Margaret Watson and Cindy Bazinet admit their failures, resign and quietly but quickly follow Mr. Brennan and Mr. Pandiscio out the door. View Comment

Interesting to read Deminimus Maximus’ comments about Tom Pandisciso. Quote: “He should hang. Better yet he should be drawn and quartered after being tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on a rail. Any good he did in seven years of leading a successful district should be erased from memory. Go scalphunters! Now, who's next? My taste for blood is not sated.” Wow, you don’t pull any punches do you Ms. Deminimus Maximus. View Comment