Friday, February 24, 2012
Welcome to "About Town with Mark Snyder," a column that will keep you up to the minute with what's what, who's who and what's going on around town. If you see or hear something we could use here, let us know by sending an e-mail to pmpco@aol.com.
COA CANDIDATES' FORUM: The Stoughton Council on Aging will sponsor a Selectmen Candidates' Forum on Thursday, March 8, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Stoughton Senior Center at 110 Rockland Street. Moderator will be Patch's Around Town columnist, Mark Snyder. Coffee and light refreshments will be served for those who attend. For more information, call the COA's Director, Karen Hall, at 781-344-8882. Admission is FREE and residents are encouraged to attend! *** CANDIDATES’ NIGHT: The Stoughton/Sharon League of Women Voters and the Stoughton Chamber of Commerce present a Candidates’ Night on Wednesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall (3rd Floor, Great Hall). Hear from all town-wide candidates for office. There will be a debate…
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Welcome to "About Town with Mark Snyder," a column that will keep you up to the minute with what's what, who's who and what's going on around town. If you see or hear something we could use here, let us know by sending an e-mail to pmpco@aol.com.
JONES SCHOOL ROOF PROJECT VENDOR APPROVED: The Jones Early Childhood Education Center roof—which was the catalyst for a bitter battle between the schools and municipal sides of government—is finally going to get repaired. Tuesday night the School Committee approved the lowest bidder, SOM Construction Enterprises, with a bid of $455,247. A couple of weeks ago, Acting Procurement Officer Lindsay Pope had accused the School Committee and Superintendent of Schools with "knowingly breaking the law" with accepting illegal bids on the project. Pope wrote (on January 26, 2012) that "A low bidder was chosen without an applicable CPO present or signing off on it." The low bid was actually accepted on February 14, 2012. Despite Selectmen …
Sunday, February 5, 2012
A look at the top Stoughton Patch headlines from January 29 – February 4, 2012.
1. Procurement Divides Town and School Department in Stoughton A difference in opinion in procurement (purchasing) laws and procedures may result in the Town of Stoughton seeking an injunction against its own school system if the two sides cannot reach a resolution. Acting chief procurement officer Lindsay Pope issued a memo saying the schools have not complied with the town’s procurement policies and are in violation of state law. But the schools say this simply isn’t the case, and responded with a memo of their own. Read more here: 2. Stoughton High and O’Donnell Middle School Showcases The Stoughton Public Schools are holding showcases with the goal to give parents and students the chance to learn about the Stoughton schools, while …
Friday, February 3, 2012
The School Committee drafted a response to Procurement Officer Lindsay Pope’s January 26th Procurement Memo. As this issue continues to play out, Superintendent Rizzi said school bills are not being paid.
A difference in opinion in procurement laws and procedures continues to divide the municipal side of government and the Stoughton School Department. On the surface, the issue centers on contract bidding for the Jones School roof, but at its root, the issue is procurement (purchasing) powers itself, and whether or not the schools have procurement rights. As this dispute plays out, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marguerite Rizzi said that this procurement issue is impacting current orders the school department is trying to place and bills they are trying to pay. She said bills—ranging from $21.76 to Home Depot to $8,300 to Apple Computers to milk for the food services department to a $1,000 phone bill to Verizon, currently are not being paid…
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Town claims schools are in violation of procurement laws; Schools deny wrongdoing. Legal action may be taken if a resolution cannot be reached.
A difference in opinion in procurement laws and procedures may result in the Town of Stoughton seeking an injunction against its own school system if the two sides cannot reach a resolution. Procurement is essentially purchasing powers. Since becoming Stoughton Town Manager, Francis T. Crimmins, Jr, who serves as chief procurement officer for the town, has sought to tighten procurement policies and centralize purchasing for all departments in town, the schools included. As stated in a memo Crimmins sent to all department heads, boards and committees on Dec. 7, 2011: Section C4-2(H) of the Town Charter states that the powers of the Town Manager are “To purchase all supplies for every department of the Town, except books for the schools or …
DJ
9:40 am on Friday, February 17, 2012
Questions: Why do we invest considerable funds on legal review and representation only to ignore it? Why did Crimmins remove Hardings procurement powers if he is certified? Transfer them to Rizzi, but mandate certification to empower her and allow no transition period to accomplish this change? What are the precise issues Pope and Crimmins claim to remain out of compliance? more ›