Another Override Debate? Bill Brown Says Bring It On

The annual Walk of Hope around Lake Quannapowitt was in full swing and Bill Brown was on hand. His wife Barbara died of ALS in 2001, and since then Brown has annually donated 20 cases of water to the September event, which raises money for ALS research.

If you know Brown, 87, you probably agree with his self assessment: "Sometimes I can be a hardass." On this warm day in Wakefield there was proof. A woman doing the walk took a water bottle from Brown, then made a serious mistake. "Do you have a cold one," she asked. Brown answered her by telling her about his marine grandson serving in an Iraq desert and recalls punctuating it with a "suck it up, and get over it."

"Every once in a while my kids tells me, 'be nice dad,' " said Brown, Reading's unofficial town historian, unofficial town watchdog, and the longest serving town meeting member at 50 years and counting.

Beyond his grandson, the poor woman also didn't know where the water came from. Brown doesn't have the money to buy all that water, so instead he drives his blue 2004 Ford Ranger truck around Reading, picking up bottles and cans on recycling day. Ya, he's that guy. But every year those nickels add up to the water Brown delivers to the Walk of Hope. When you're retired and living on a fixed income, you take money where you can find it, even if it's a neighbor's red recycling bin.

Subscribe to Reading Patch for more local news and real-time alerts

These days, Brown has often been in the front row at Board of Selectmen meetings, financial forums, and other town meetings as Reading moves toward an April 3 override vote. If you don't know Brown by sight, he's the guy who speaks his mind, when he wants, whenever he feels the need to fill an information void or correct a Reading official. While other residents are made to stand, identify themselves and give their address, Brown simply speaks up, rarely challenged for his timing or methods. If something's wrong, it needs to be corrected. Now.

"You have to keep them honest and you have to keep people knowing what's going on," said Brown, who is running for re-election to town meeting in Precinct 8. "Many times when I go to a meeting, I know the answer, but it's not coming from [the selectmen]. I don't know how many meetings they've had about the override and all that stuff. They know it. But the public does not know it. They often forget they're dealing with the public. The public doesn't pick up a lot of this stuff, or they don't understand the procedures of town government."

Those procedures have been on display the past three months as the town discussed its need for an override. The last attempt at an override in 2016 failed, and the vote wasn't close. Town officials have made it clear, whether at December's budget presentations at the library, Financial Forums, or School Committee and Selectmen meetings, that they need an override, they need an extra $4.15 million.

Brown isn't so sure.

"I know how I'm going to vote but I won't tell you," said Brown when asked. "My inclination right now is to vote no. I think we're spending too much on the schools and not enough on the town side of government. I am concerned, quite frankly, about the police and fire right now. I think they do need some help."

Brown arrived at the Main Street Dunkin Donuts armed with information, including a chart that showed the schools had one employee per 15 students in 1969, but one per 8.6 students for FY19.

"I just think we're overspending it. You look at the ratios today and we have a hell of a lot less students but yet we have more people taking care of them. And yes I realize there are mandates by the state but we have never stood up to the state on any mandates and said 'the hell with you, what are you going to do to us.'"

Overrides get personal

If you get the feeling Brown doesn't back down from a good debate, you're right. Past Reading overrides have gotten personal, and the four-year Air Force veteran sounds as if he'd take the debate to the next level if he had to, birth certificate realities not withstanding.

In 1999, Brown was against building a new elementary school because he felt the town didn't have the money. When Reading residents sided with him and voted no, some school supporters blamed him. Within hours after the vote was announced Brown got a phone call. "You're going to pay for this," the voice said before hanging up. Brown notified police.

Some of the hostility that year was focused on Brown's daughter and her son, who had cerebal palsy and according to Brown was taught in a closet at the Killam Elementary School. With special education costs soaring, it's a budget line that can create a divide in any town.

"Special education, as it is today, is a touchy subject. I didn't mind, they can pick on me all they want," Brown said. "But I got an awful lot of nasty stuff, and my daughter had an awful lot of nasty stuff over my grandson. And boy I've got to tell you, don't touch my grandson.

"I've always told my kids growing up, I was chairman of the ways and means committee. I knew more ways to be mean to you," said Brown. "Don't ever mess with my kids, because you will pay. They took it out on him. They couldn't hit me so they took it out on him. It's always been a battle in this town between special needs and the regular day school."

The budget challenge is no different this year and it starts with a decrease of $200,000 in the state reimbursement program for special needs and continues with increases in special education out of district tuition and transportation. Superintendent John Doherty's balanced budget included three new special education teachers while at the same time eliminated seven teachers at the middle school.

"I said one time, I don't care if the football team goes out in jock straps, these special needs kids need the money," said Brown. "We have to take care of them. And a little of that, kids are living longer. My grandson 25-30-40-50 years ago would have died. But through medicine he was saved. He wasn't supposed to make 5 days old. He's 27 now."

Despite his understanding of the pressure special education puts on the school budget, Brown still has concerns about the school budget and the $4.15 million override request, $2,654,969 of which belongs to the schools.

"When you listen to them they have a department head for this, they have a team head, they got this head, that head. Good god, how many do you need? Somebodies still got to dig the ditches."

Schooled, but not a scholar

Brown was born in Wilmington in 1930, and moved to Reading in 1932. He hasn't strayed far since. He attended the Center School (grades 1-3), then the Highland School (3-6), and Parker (7-9). From there Brown graduated from the Vocational program at Medford High School in 1949. College wasn't a thought.

"College of hard knocks," said Brown. "I was not a scholar."

But he was a hard worker. Brown had a number of jobs, from Home Depot to delivering eggs in East Boston and Chelsea. He was a professional cabinet maker for 20 years but, "got tired of eating sawdust." The skills he learned help him build his house on Martin Road in 1955. He met Barbara on a blind date and they were married in 1954. They had three children, all of whom graduated from RMHS. He has seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

It's a Thursday in February and with a small decaf in hand comes a simple question. Is this town run well?

"Yes, it's run very well," said Brown, who quickly adds an addendum to the opinion. "Right now I think at Town Hall we have too much planning and not enough progress."

Brown doesn't think Reading is very friendly to new businesses, he wishes that everyone from residents to town officials knew the charter better, and if you really want to get his blood boiling bring up the cemetery building, a structure at Laurel Hill that was built in 1824 and is in need of being replaced. "I don't think the MSPCA would allow anyone to live in the thing. It's not functional for the present day needs," said Brown, who is also a 20-year member of the Cemetery Board of Trustees.

Like many seniors in town, Brown's feeling on an override involves more than his opinions on town or school spending.

"In the last two years we did not get an increase in our social security," said Brown. "My residential tax went up $587. So where does that come from?"

With the coffee long gone, there was one question remaining. Why wasn't he in some warm place, enjoying retirement and long walks on the beach?

"Because I don't want to be. I want to stay in Reading. I love Reading. My reservations are made in Laurel Hill. It's a great town. I love it and I wanted to stay involved in this and hopefully educate some of these new people coming in. People start complaining and I say look, you've got to understand, when you're born they slap you in the ass. When you die they throw dirt in your face. If you expect anything different in between, good luck. That's what it comes down to."

So forget the beach. Nothing beats a slow walk back to your truck on an ice-covered Reading sidewalk.

Subscribe to Reading Patch for more local news and real-time alerts