Number 775... and the End

So, this is it. After over three years and 775 posts (counting this one), Save Fitchburg is taking it's final bow. There will be no other posts after this one.

Why?

If you know me, you know that Save Fitchburg hasn't exactly been my favorite thing for a while. It was frustrating. It was repetitive. It was repetitively frustrating. I never got into it to be called a liar. I never did it for people to think I was trying to be something I wasn't: A guy who cared for and was interested in the city.

Things took a new level when the Pride happened. That was never part of the "business plan." But it was good in that it made Save Fitchburg better. Covering Fitchburg full-time gave me better insight into what was going on, and how to write about what was going on. Leaving the Pride has left a bit more on the outside, which is fine. But it made Save Fitchburg a bit less.

It's no secret that I'm now working in state government (for the record, it wasn't a "political hire." No one from Fitchburg, except for my wife and brother, knew I was even interested in the job until I had given my notice to the folks at the Pride. See, this is kind of stuff I don't want to deal with anymore). Unfortunately, that leads some people to believe that I have a state-run agenda. While that's not the case, there's a saying about even the appearance of a conflict being a conflict.

I enjoyed spouting off about Fitchburg politics. Sometimes I was right, sometimes I was wrong, but I was always thinking about what might be best for the city. I did not enjoy the animosity and the people who didn't like what I wrote and just assumed I had an agenda. See the start of this paragraph for the outline of my "agenda."

After three-plus years, I have no need and no use for the headache anymore. No need to read comments and have to literally get up and walk away because they were so infuriating. No need to have people assume I'm up to something devious. This is a long time coming, and it's certainly time.

That said, Fitchburg isn't "saved." Yelling stupidly about the trash fee isn't the way to save it though. As for me, I'm getting out of blogging and politics, and I'm going to try something different.

If you're on Facebook, please join the group "Fitchburg Now." If you're on Twitter, please follow "fitchburgnow." The goal isn't politics and government. It's following the community. If you're an elected official or a community leader, and you have an event coming up, please use the "Fitchburg Now" group page at Facebook or Twitter through "fitchburgnow" followers to let people know. Afterward, if you have photos or video of a Fitchburg event, please put it on the "Fitchburg Now" group page at Facebook. There's plenty of room for some good online community networking in Fitchburg. I hope "Fitchburg Now" at Facebook and Twitter can help be a part of that.

I'm excited about this new little experiment. I'm not sure it will work with any efficiency, but I'm optimistic that it might. I think there's some untapped potential for the city in Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks. Just try to figure this out together, shall we?

So, this is it. The end. Save Fitchburg is all done. It was, certainly more often than not, a pleasure. I loved writing about the good stuff that happened, and I loved good, honest debate about this issues. I loved writing about the Celtics last year (I know you didn't Svens, and I apologize). But the negatives were truly very painful, and at this point the benefits aren't outweighing the negatives. If you're a Save Fitchburg lover, I'm sorry about that. But let's do something else.

So, let's keep it going. Let everyone (or at least a bunch of people) know what you're up to, and share your successes. Go to Facebook and get into the Fitchburg Now group. Get on Twitter, and follow fitchburgnow. If you want to reach out to me, use this e-mail address: fitchburgnow@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading, thanks for writing, and thanks for caring. While I'm putting to bed something that was pretty significant and important to me, I'm glad to moving on to something else. Join, me won't you, in supporting Fitchburg Now.

--30--

Bye Week

It's that time of year when Save Fitchburg heads to warmer climes for a week. Whether it's union squabbles, streetlight questions, or more anger about the (seemingly dead) trash fee, you're on your own this week. Won't be posting, and won't be checking comments. Unicow, you've been warned.

Enjoy the week, and I expect all this snow to be gone by the time I get back. Get on that, will you?

See? I'm Really Not Going Anywhere

I won't be in this week's Pride (I think), but I will be on FATV Wednesday night, 7:30, with Gentleman Bill Gates. Like George Gantz, I won't be able to give him a great answer on why estimated bills are so high, but I will be able to talk about the two-year anniversary of the Pride, my time there, and so on. So, you can catch my ugly mug at 7:30 Wednesday night.

You Won't Get Rid of Me So Easily

Hi, everyone.

I'm hearing some buzz that my somewhat (intentionally) vague column in today's paper has cranked up some talk about my future. So, in order to keep things relatively under control, a few thoughts:

No, I'm not moving. We're staying in Fitchburg. That's very unlikely to change in the future.

I have a new job, back in the world of public relations, and I'm looking forward to getting to it. That said, I will terribly miss the day-to-day work at the Pride. It probably was the best job I've ever said.

I will still be in the Pride on a regular (monthly, more if events of the day/week/month demand more) basis. I might do some more web stuff. I'll still be doing Save Fitchburg. There might be some other stuff, we're still sorting some of that out.

I have no doubt the future of the Pride is bright, and that it's not going anywhere. Not sure what the long-term plans are, but reporter Karen Mann is still around, and that's all that matters. She's fantastic. This new endeavor has nothing to do with the state of affairs in the Pride in particular or newspapers in general. My belief in the power and potential of independent, local nespapers hasn't changed one little bit, and my belief in the future of Fitchburg is unchanged. It's real, and it's happening.

I will miss being editor of the Pride, without question. But this is a good move for me and my family, and it's a great opportunity for us. When you put out a paper and a front page like this week's -- with a great story on Unitil, a vital look-ahead on campaign season, and a well-written celebration of one of the people that make Fitchburg and its institutions special -- it's tough to go out while kicking ass. But the Pride will continue to kick ass.

At the end of "Goodfellas," Henry Hill complains about his suburban existence, particularly when goes out for dinner and gets "egg noodles and ketchup," like all the other "shmucks." When it comes to next Friday, I'll be with the other shmucks, picking up the paper at the nearest distribution point. It'll be sad being on the outside, but I'll know I'm picking up a great product that is a reflection of the promise and future of the community I'm living in.

It Stinks and It Sucks, and I Don't Like It

If you've forgotten the above quote, here's another chunk of that most famous of flameouts:



I still really, really, really, really don't like Rick Pitino, but his rampage -- "The negativity in this town sucks" -- is certainly appropriate right now. It's two days before Christmas, and I'm worn out hearing bitching about Unitil, the DPW, and everything else. Where's the spirit, people?

So, I'm giving myself a break. I could very likely post here, but I won't be allowing negative comments until Monday, Jan. 5. If you don't have anything nice to say, keep it to yourself, or take it to another blog. You can send 'em, but no one is reading them. I need a break, and I need to get some holiday mojo going.

Senate Fun and Games Tonight

The long state Senate campaign (remember, this started in February) limps home on Tuesday, but before that the two candidates, Jennifer Flanagan and Brian Knuuttila, meet for one last debate tonight.

The Pride's Karen Mann will be on the scene, and will be posting live here as the night goes on. Game time is 7 p.m., but I'd expect Karen will be setting the scene before that. So, make sure you have plenty of chips, dips and beers as Karen brings it home in style.

Hold Your Fire

Sometime this afternoon I'll be leaving my desk and not even looking at a computer until next Sunday. Yup, that's right. It's time for the annual August Save Fitchburg week-long shutdown. If you have something to say in the comments, I'd have it written by early afternoon, if I were you. Blog administrators around Fitchburg, you've been warned.

Comment Malfunction

For some reason Haloscan is acting up. I can't read any comments you might have written, and it appears you can't even click on the comments right now at the bottom of a post. Hopefully that gets fixed right soon. Sorry.

UPDATE: Things seem mostly back to normal. Feel free to fire away.

Do the Sox Lose the World Series Today?

I haven't written one word about the Sox this season so far. My Celtics obsession took over all sports talk. But today seems like a good day to talk about them.

Of course, they've been stinking out the joint lately. But they're still firmly in the playoff mix. But they might lose the World Series today. The Manny Ramirez rumor mill is on high alert this morning, and likely will be all day. Update boston.com relentlessly, y'all.

Manny's gone before the 2009 opening day. It might not be until after the season, it might be today, but he's very much gone, from all reports. But if it happens today, the Sox might knock themselves out of the World Series before we get into August.

This isn't a defense of Manny, just a defense of his 30-something homers and 100-something RBI. The big rumor this a.m. is a three-way deal that ends up with the Sox getting Jason Bay from the Pirates. Bay has some 30-HR, 100-RBI seasons in his recent past, and by numbers he'd replace Manny's thump in the middle of the lineup. But can he get settled in a new league -- and more importantly go from meaningless baseball to the game's biggest pressure cooker -- and perform? It's a question that you have to consider.

Most other options for the Sox at this point is the usual buffet of prospects. Rarely do you get even money when you trade a superstar. And while a bucket of prospects for Manny might be a long-term decision, it means the end of this season. And if they offer Manny arbitration in the offseason, they'd get two sandwich picks for him, which is a nice little haul.

Trying to see past the current lackluster stretch, the Sox lineup is keyed around the 3-4 spots (nothing too revealing there). Losing Ramirez means it's quite likely Ortiz sees fewer quality pitches in the 3 hole. It means, perhaps, that Jason Varitek moves back up a spot in the lineup. It likely pushes Youkilis back down in the order. And so on.

The chance to win a World Series is precious, despite what recent history might tell us. If the Sox trade Manny today, they might be throwing away a chance to win it all. In the end, I hope Manny stays through the end of this year, and then they say goodbye in the fall and find a big bat to get in the lineup. I like the Sox' chances a lot more with him than without him this year.

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I have very minimal interesting in touching off a public rehashing of yesterday's chaos. But if anyone has questions about how I operate or what I'm trying to do here, you can send me a comment with your e-mail address or e-mail me at savefitchburg@hotmail.com. I won't post either the comment or the e-mail (when I said "minimal," what I realy meant is "no interest at all," but I will discuss things with you. Also, while I'm here, barring a disaster today Save Fitchburg will get its 300,000 hit in less than three years. Good stuff.

Recent Comments

It's been a while since I've had to deal with the issue of comments. In fact, for so long, it probably set some kind of record. But in the last few days I've heard too many complaints/comments/requests to ignore it any longer.

The rules for getting a comment posted here are pretty simple: Be clean, don't libel, and be fair. And by fair, I mean don't write "Councilor X is moronic poopiehead." "Councilor X makes terrible mistakes and is killing the city" is much better.

There are comments that I let through that are purely opinion -- and often opinion I not only don't agree with, but think is flat wrong -- and aren't backed up with one bit of fact. Not my preference, but who am I to judge someone's opinion? I try, as often as possible, to present some fact -- or at least some reason -- to what I write. I'm sure I often fail, but I do try.

There are certainly some folks with agendas, and some who shoot first and ask questions later. There some some comments that present supposition, rumor, and guess as facts. If it's not libelous, I allow it. I'm not opposed to opinion and discussion. I'm against unfairness and illegal stuff and name-calling. No one wants to be called a jerk. We've been through all this before.

I hear from a lot of people who don't like many of the comments here. I don't like them all either. But I also think most people are able to recognize the sound of a grinding ax when they hear it. If you can hear it enough that you're bringing it up to me, perhaps you should consider that when you read the comments.

So, for those who have said or written something to me in recent weeks, I hear you and am not ignoring you. Everyone who visits here is interested in the city and its future, and in general are smart enough to figure out what qualifies as insightful and not. Use your best judgement, join in, and try to enjoy. Thanks for listening, and thanks for reading.

Sharpen Your Knives

Yesterday afternoon, a guy walked into City Hall after the mayor's press conference and handed out to reporters copies of two citizens' petitions he's organizing. One is to recall the mayor and the entire City Council. The either forces the city into receivership. You can read more about this particular guy's ideas here.

On the recall: I'm not a big fan of recalls in any circumstance, and I'm not really sure what horrible thing the mayor and council has done in the last six-plus month to warrant their heads on a platter. Sure, you might not like the cuts being made, but that's what overrides are for. Let's say, for example, a library override failed, 56-44 (the same numbers as the current Fitchburg Pride poll question on the subject). Isn't that sort of a tacit endorsement of the action? And then some of those people are going to nail the council and mayor for it? Seems a little skewed logically.

You want a recall? Vote 'em out next year. I'm not a big fan of recalls for four-year terms, but for two-year terms it seems really far-fetched. So, they all get recalled out in November, and a new batch is elected, say, in February. Then they all scramble to put together a budget no one likes and are voted on again in November? Silliness.

Anyway, this is a real long shot, and won't go very far, but it's out there.

On receivership (or, let the rant begin):

I've written about this so many times that I'm thoroughly repeating myself, but it's worth repeating again (and again, and again, and again). Receivership isn't just a bad idea, there's no basis for it right now.

I know, I know. Things suck. Ask the cops, firefighters, librarians, kids who can't go swimming, and on and on. But receivership isn't for when things suck. Receivership is for the day City Hall and schools don't open because the lights are turned off. Actually, receivership should only be considered a couple of days after that when there's still no electricity.

The city has a balanced budget. You might not like it, but the thing is balanced. The city anticipates bringing in enough revenue to cover its costs. The Department of Revenue -- the very white knight everyone thinks will fix everything for us poor commoners -- said last week that things are looking better. Not fixed, but looking better. There's a difference between tough and catastrophe, and the city is in the middle of the former and not even close to the latter.

What, exactly, do people think the DOR would do, anyway? What changes would they make to the current -- balanced -- budget that would make everything better? Would they come with a money tree to plant in the Upper Common that would shower downtown in $100 bills? Would they pan for gold in the Nashua River? Would they demand the historical society give up the secret treasure map to John Fitch's buried booty under Rollstone Hill?

Here's the dirty little secret no one seems to get: It isn't getting better overnight. But it's getting better. There were no cries this year that the budget was balanced with voodoo economics. A sliver of money is being put into stabilization. There's budget projections that actually include conservative growth numbers. This problem doesn't go away overnight. It takes baby steps now, and hopefully bigger steps later. Right now, the city is shuffling in the right direction. But it's the right direction. DOR has no fairy dust that will fix it overnight.

Fact is, solving this problem starts at home. First and foremost, it means making the city an attractive place to live and work. That starts by people pulling their heads out their backsides and start acting like we live in Fitchburg, not Kabul. Fake it until you make it, if you have to. But our obsession with the bad far outweighs the celebration of the good. That has to change. I know many of you won't even consider it. Let me be Michael Corleone here: "Don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family again. Ever." But into the context of the movie, and it makes more sense than you think.

Second, who wants an override? I hear nothing but crickets. Fine, but in a weird, twisted way, an override lets us help ourselves. You want more services, you're going to have to pay for them. Let's say you go to L'espalier for dinner. You're paying partly for the service (which is fantastic, by the way). Let's say you go to Chili's for dinner. You're paying for the service there, too (which is fine, by the way, but, you know, not L'espalier). My point? You get what you pay for, and if the city is so resolute to not help itself (I know, I know, higher taxes and all that), why should the state come in to help us.

Finally, forget the fact that there's no legitimate reason to go into receivership. Forget the budget is balanced. Forget DOR says things are getting better (slightly). Forget that other communities far worse off than Fitchburg -- Lawrence and its school system make Fitchburg look like a thing of beauty, and Springfield was tens of millions of dollars in the hole -- managed to avoid it. Receivership is the ultimate community stain. Chelsea still hasn't scrubbed it away, and that was over 15 years ago (and Chelsea isn't exactly a gleaming waterfront community now). It's a signal that all hope is lost and there's nothing else that can be done (how about a little Andy Dufresne right now: "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.") It's waving the white flag, admitting complete and total defeat. It's taking on a black mark that will take decades to wash off. It's something to fight against until very, bitter end, not something to willingly accept. It's the last act of a sinking ship.

Fitchburg isn't sinking any more. It's treading water, and furiously at that, but it's not sinking. I'd rather kick until the end rather than grab what appears to be a lifeline, but is really a lead weight. Don't even let this receivership petition get close to the ballot. This isn't an endorsement of the current slate of city officials. This is an endorsement for the city and its future. "It's not that bad, really," isn't the most inspiring catchprase, but it's true. Fitchburg is a good thing. And no good thing ever dies. Receivership isn't a magic bullet. It's a bullet, period.

End of rant.

If you've come this far, thanks. Now, you should know that I'm outta here this afternoon and won't be near a computer until Monday night. I'll be checking comments throughout the day, but after 2 p.m. or so, don't expect to see your stuff here until Monday evening.

Live from the Library

Pride reporter Karen Mann will be covering tonight's trash fee public hearing as it happens, right here at good old Save Fitchburg. Join her, won't you.

Also, later tonight at some point, there will be a story at the Fitchburg Pride website regarding the prospect for an override in the city. Good reading, indeed.

You've been updated.

Tomorrow, Say Goodbye

Sometime later today, perhaps this evening, I'll be walking away from the old computer and not looking back for about a week. Not about a week, until next Wednesday. So, that means comments will slowly rot in moderation until I get back. Unicow, you've been warned.

Mrs. Save Fitchburg and I will leave the kids with the grandparents for a few minutes, and go here. Little Miss Save Fitchburg will continue her infatuation with this. Later, we'll all be hanging out here. We will not be going to see these guys, for two reasons. First, preseason sports suck. Second, I hate myself for being a fan.

So, there you go. I'm going on vacation. You're on your own from tonight into the middle of next week.

Meet Me at that Giant Exxon Sign

OK, we're dog-ass tired after last night, have short deadlines due to Thanksgiving, and there's nothing going on, anyway. So, don't expect a lot here this week. You've been warned.

A Long Overdue Update

First, I apologize to the folks mentioned below. I should have done this a while ago.

If you haven't noticed, there are some pretty good Fitchburg-related blogs around. At least a few are in the "must-read" category. They are now linked over on the righthand side. Visit them religiously, I say.

A brief rundown of the newcomers. A few long-time holdovers are now included in a "Fitchburg blog links" section:

For my money, the best of the bunch is Progressive Fitchburg. Funny, insightful, and brutally honest. Giants love it.

Hello, Fitchburg is very good. Also funny and insightful.

Fitchburg Follies has much potential. More posts, please.

So, there you go. Happy reading.

This One's for Dave M.

Most of you all might not know Dave M., and I probably wouldn't know him, either, if he walked up to me on the street and punched me in the mouth (which would be his likely course of introduction, I'd guess).

Dave is the genius behind this, and most likely this. Click at your peril.

Anyway, Dave would e-mail me from time to time, every few months or so, just to tell me how much I suck. Like I need the reminder.

But today, this one's for Dave. Sometime this morning, Save Fitchburg will register its 200,000th visit, in just under 22 months. Holy cow. Since Tuesday, over 2,500 visits have been counted. Tuesday earned 1,442 visitors, yesterday 970. The two biggest days in the site history.

I know not everyone loves Save Fitchburg, hell, I know a good chunk of people read it just for laughs. But people -- including, occassionally, Dave -- are reading.

Thanks for reading and participating. Without a doubt, Save Fitchburg played zero role in Tuesday's election, but for a while it's been a political outpost in the city. It's great to see through Tuesday's turnout that people are paying attention to what is going on and taking back the city. And, obviously, it's gratifying to see SF get so much traffic on such an important day.

So, again, thanks for reading, and thanks for participating.

Hair-pulling Gets You...

A timeout. At least it does when your 21 months old.

But, and this might shock some people who view SF as a sandbox full of preschoolers, no one here is 21 months old. In fact, people haven't really been pulling each others' hair lately.

That said, we're going on yet another sabbatical in the old comments section. This time, through the long weekend. Grumble amongst yourselves.

This time, we're off to here. Hopefully a good meal will be eaten here. If nothing else, the weather should be most excellent.

Anyway, enjoy the long weekend. When everyone gets back, it's sprint time for the preliminary election. Wheeeeeeee.

Tons of New Candidate Information

Thanks to prompting for commenter Ted (no, not that Ted), there's a bunch of new web links on the right for City Council candidates. Sometime, when time allows, I'm going to look at those. Today is not that day, however.

Enjoy.

Annnnnnd... We're Back

Still catching up anything that might have happened in the last week, so if you're looking for some news, well...

Vacation was great. Especially with a first-time breaking of 100 in golf. I shot a fabulous (for me) 95, with all those trips to the driving range and broken-over-the-knee clubs finally paying off at the groovy Springbrook Golf Club. No, I couldn't be any prouder. Somebody once told me only 10 percent of people who have played golf have broken 100. That, of course, is a statistic that probably takes into account anyone who ever played one round, so I don't put much faith in it. But for a guy who put a lot of time into the game this summer, I'm glad to see it starting to pay off. Oh, I could go on and on, but no one wants to hear it.

One thing to look forward to: Starting this Friday, and for the next four weeks, the Pride op-ed page will feature a piece from a mayoral candidate. The order was randomly selected, and Ted DeSalvatore kicks things off this week. So, take a gander.

Should be an interesting month or so ahead. 36 days to the election.

Here We Go Again...

Sometime early this afternoon -- perhaps as early as noontime its very self -- SF is back on vacation. And this time, we're gone through next week. That means, like last time, there will be zero moderation of comments. Write all you want, but they won't be touched any earlier than Aug. 19.

This time, we're heading to Maine, leaving just Vermont as the untouched of the northern three New England states this summer. We'll be here and here. After the mini-golf disaster of North Conway (none played) a Gifford's trip is most certainly in the future. Even though a SF sister-in-law's family sold Smiley's (linkless, sorry) over the winter, there will be some peppermint ice cream eaten, and no trip to the motherlands is complete without at least one trip to Big G's. Just as long as I get a peanut butter whoopie pie.

So, if you check in this morning, I'll see your stuff. This afternoon, you're on your own. Unicow, SNTD, you've been warned. Best of luck.