URAL GETS SEAT BACK--RIZZI SALUTES MILLS: Dr. Erdem Ural, an explosives expert by profession, exploded back on the education scene in the April 10th election, knocking off 21-year School Committee veteran Allan Mills for a seat on the School Committee by 120 votes.

Ural had served a previous term (2008-2011) and was defeated in last year's election.

The school procurement battle with the municipal side of government, and the Committee being cited for minor violations of the Open Meeting Law were cited by quite a few voters I spoke with.

Mills thanked the voters "for a good run of 21 years."

He told About Town: "We accomplished a lot. This current Board is one of the best I've served on. I congratulate Mr. Ural for running a good campaign. I hope he continues to display a positive attitude toward the future of this town."

Dr. Ural told me that he felt people were looking for someone to keep an eye on the School Committee. In a statement, he wrote,

"I am honored and humbled by the Stoughton voters confidence in me. I look forward to continue my work with my fellow committee members towards improving the education of Stoughton children. I thank Alan Mills for his 21 years of service on the Board, and for running a clean campaign. I am grateful to all our supporters including those who encouraged me to run, those who placed signs on their lawns, and those who held signs at the town square and at the polls. I am also grateful to all other Stoughton candidates for their invaluable volunteer spirit. Because I have a vested interest to improve our schools and administration, I will continue my work towards improving Stoughton schools and will continually update my web site www.02072.org with education, school administration and school committee issues."

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marguerite Rizzi gave an emotional thank you to Mills at the April 11 School Committee meeting, which Mills didn't attend.

She said, "Mr. Mills has been a strong beacon of light for many, many years. He has been a positive force for the schools for decades. The School Committee this year has been just wonderful. The Committee really is a living organism. It's just been a pleasure. We'll miss the energy and enthusiasm that Allan brings to the table."

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SCHOOLS ACCEPTS BIDS: It's back to procurement as usual, according to Superintendent Rizzi.

She reported to the School Committee at their April 11 meeting that new Interim Town Manager Joseph Feaster, Jr. "has spent a great deal of time working with me on numerous outstanding procurement issues. We've made a tremendous amount of progress. We'll have to see if the new system in place will work. Attorney Feaster has restored the Superintendent to purchase up to $100,000. If things work, we'll work toward freezing the limit to an indefinite amount."

Rizzi also said, "We've always been aware of the needs of the other town departments. We're in a different place since the last time we discussed procurement at a School Committee meeting. There are many things the school and municipal sides can do together. Stoughton is one entity. That will be our focus."

Just after Dr. Rizzi's report, Supervisor of Support Services Joel Harding talked about three bids he recommended that the School Committee accept.

The first involved fertilizer, pesticide and herbicide applications as part of the Integrated Pest Management Plan. There was only one bidder, Tru Green, and the School Committee voted to accept their $6,600 bid.

The annual roof repair for school buildings had seven bidders, with the winner being Aqua Barriers, Inc. of Norfolk, MA. Their bid of $70/hr. was less than what the schools paid last year when there were fewer bidders.

The last bid accepted by the SC was for the playing surface for the tennis courts at Stoughton High. The winning bid was for $21,870 from Cape & Island Tennis & Track of Pocasset, MA. It was the only one of the bidders that met the specifications laid out by the consultant/architect for the project.

Town Meeting approved the resurfacing of the courts last year.

The courts are currently closed as repairs are made. Until they are finished repairing courts, the Stoughton High boys’ and girls’ tennis teams are still playing all their matches on the road for the second straight season.

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PANL FUNDRAISER TONIGHT! Hungry for Pizza or Italian Food? Want to help the kids at Stoughton High? Tonight, Party All Night Long will have a community fundraiser at Papa Gino's, 319 Washington Street in Stoughton. PANL will receive 20% of the sales made by our family and friends from 4-9 p.m. on April 12. 

You must present the flyer (in our Gallery) to get credit for PANL.  This offer is good for dining in or to go orders. It is NOT good for delivery. Call 781-344-1764 to order for pickup.  Remember to bring in your coupon! 

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HEADING TO THE HALL OF FAME: This year's Stoughton 12 year-old All-Star Baseball Team is trying to raise $12,000 to send the team to the Cooperstown All-Star Tournament in July. They still need $7,000.

They are sponsoring a Spaghetti Dinner at the Sons of Italy on April 12 from 4:30-8 p.m. Tickets are $8 each, with a family max of $25.

In addition to a wonderful spaghetti and meatball dinner cooked by Stoughton's own Mike Sammarco, there will be many raffles offered as well.

To purchase tickets, call the team’s Head Coach, Jim Gallagher at 781-975-0068 or email jimvida@msn.com.

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HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY to Cindy Pazyra, the Stoughton Chamber of Commerce's Volunteer of the Year this year.  Cindy reminds one of the expression, "60 is the new 40."  I think we should demand an ID.  She certainly doesn't look like a senior citizen.

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HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY to Luca (Luciano) Iacobucci, son of Patch writer Christine Iacobucci and her husband Adam. Luca’s big sister, Bella, recently turned seven.

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