Look Out Reading, Peter Kramer Is Running For Office

READING - To prepare yourself to hear what Peter Kramer thinks about his home of 66 years, a word of advice. Strap yourself in.

"I am disgusted with Reading Town Hall. I am disgusted with the the Select Board people, men, whatever they want to call themselves," said Kramer, one of five candidates running for the Reading Select Board. "Barry Berman says, what's on his poster, this man brought us two 2 1/2 overrides in two years ... if Barry Berman thinks he's the answer to the town, he's in trouble."

You probably know a little about the other Select Board candidates, including current Finance Committee member Anne Landry, current Finance Committee vice-chair Mark Dockser, businessman Carlo Bacci, and the object of Kramer's barb, current Select Board vice-chair Berman. As for Kramer, he's blunt, painfully honest, and well-versed in Reading history. His Franklin Street home, the site of a Reading stage coach stop in the 1860s called Laurel Ledge, is as unique as he is.

Kramer dropped out of Reading High School four weeks before graduation to join the army and he served in the National Guard for seven years. He's one of five children and the only one who didn't go to college.

He's not a social media person. "Couldn't care less."

He doesn't have an email address. "No, and don't text."

So in 2019, how does he expect to win April 2?

"Trust me, I'm going to win. I've been talking to a group of people in Reading, townies if you want to use the term, who have been coming out of the woodwork ... 'Pete, we're behind you.' I never wanted this. It was somebody else that made me run for this. Now that I'm in the ballgame I will give it 110 percent."

Kramer has worked in property maintenance for 30 years, and doesn't seem like a person who could be forced to do anything.

"Yes I can, because I love my friends. I will do anything for my friends. And when my friends come to me with problems I'm the one who goes up to town hall and screams and hollers. I'm not afraid to do that."

As you may have guessed, he also doesn't think much of how the town is being run.

"Piss poor. At this point, piss poor," said Kramer. "The town manager spends money like a drunken sailor. He has hired more people in the last six years. My buddy looked into it and we have one of the highest priced town halls in Middlesex County. We have two assistant town managers. Why? We have more managers at that town hall than Carter has liver pills. What's the town of Reading get for it? Overrides. When are the people of Reading going to wake up? I am excellent in math. I do it in my head. You have $10 million to spend. Don't spend $12. Spend $10."

With his feelings about town government, you'd assume he voted no on Reading's $4.15 million override last April. Think again.

"I have never voted in Reading."

Why not?

"Useless."

Which also means he didn't take a side during the whole Trump vs. Hillary battle of 2016.

"It was a waste of time. You lost either way," said Kramer. "My wife is a die-hard republican. I lean democrat. It's a waste of time. We just wipe each other out. We are happily married because we don't talk religion or politics inside that door."

Timeout for a minor correction. Peter's wife, Susan, died of cancer in 2000. Two years later, while remodeling the third floor of a Tewksbury home, he met Laurie. The two have been together ever since and have lived on Franklin Street for 10 years. Even though it's not legal, Kramer says the two are married, because ...

"We're as married as married can be."

But don't look for proof on Reading's 2019 street listing. You won't find 343 Franklin Street. While his driver's license says 343, his mail comes to 343, and police and fire know there's a 343, the town hasn't recognized the address. He doesn't seem to care, mainly because the important people, Reading police and fire, know.

"So when I dial 911 and I'm clutching my chest they'll know where to go," he says.

It doesn't take long to learn all about Kramer, who grew up on Pleasant Street in a home his sons Patrick (34) and Mike (30) now own. He also has five grandchildren. In the early '70s, his mother Katherine owned the Hitching Post.

Kramer expects to attend the Democratic Town Committee's event at the library Monday, despite saying, "as far as I'm concerned there are no parties anymore." In sports-crazed Reading, he says, "I could give a rat's ass about sports." A colorful man, he loves vanilla ice cream. If asked to chose between beer or wine, he picks "vodka on the rocks." If ordering a pizza, make his sausage and pepper.

But ignore the one-liners for a minute and understand Kramer loves Reading and simply wants to turn his frustrations into meaningful change as a member of the Select Board. Isn't that what running for office is all about?

"My No. 1 priority is, the cemetery department needs a brand new garage," said Kramer. "I have four family members buried in this town. I have a mother, a father, a brother and a wife. The Cemetery Department is the greatest hard-working group you've ever met in your life. They deserve a decent garage. It should have been done 10 years ago but they keep blowing it off. They want a community center now. The kids in Reading don't come out of their houses. Give the Cemetery Department a decent place to work. Take my money and build a cemetery garage.

"My No. 2 thing is, we're not selling the DPW garage. It's a perfectly functional building. Stop chasing dream money. You have X amount of dollars in taxes. Spend within that budget. We have too many policemen. We have too many firemen. Talk to all the retired policemen and firemen. They will tell you the same thing. The selectmen do not talk to the proper people. They talk to the people that want. They don't talk to the people who know."

The discussion to join with Wakefield and move the Department of Public Works to Camp Curtis Guild irritates Kramer, who says he has many friends in Reading's DPW.

"My philosophy is, if it's not broke, don't fix it. They're scraping for money all over the place and this is their dream. Cummings wants to buy the town garage. If you sell it now you have to build a new town garage. The problem with these people is that they don't understand building codes. That garage was built 30 years ago. It's a great garage. You build a garage today and you have to have exhaust hookups, a lot of money. You have to have three bathrooms because you have to have a men's, a ladies, and a whatever.

"The cost of building a public building today is insane. And then they want to build it in Wakefield. It's not even really in Reading. On top of state owned property. And Wakefield is one of the worst run towns in Middlesex County. The DPW is a mess. To merge with that group, is a pipe dream. Reading has a perfectly functional garage. It's in a great location. It's 30 years old. It's a great building. Stop spending money we don't have."

Kramer's work schedule has lessened in recent years. He took care of Charles property in Reading Square for 29 years and has done numerous renovations and additions throughout the area. He's done work for the school department and he plowed snow in Reading for 47 years but retired before this winter.

More free time means more time to form opinions, like about Reading's run of hate vandalism, including numerous appearances of swastikas at town schools.

"I am the old school. Ignore it and it will go away," said Kramer. "Somebody's having a ball with the town of Reading right now. And every time they have their candle vigil or whatever ... most kids in Reading have no idea what a swastika is. I grew up in that after World War II group. I understand it. To me, it ain't a big deal. It happened. It exists. It's part of life. It's part of history.

"How is somebody getting away with drawing a line on a locker or a wall and nobody knows about it. Somebody knows about it. I blame the school department. I blame the school committee. Somebody did it, somebody will rat it out. Get to the bottom of it. End it. Let's go on. I'm sorry, it did happen but does it offend me? Not in the least."

He has opinions about your water bill and the MWRA.

"We had our own water system for 100 years. We controlled our water. It's gone. People in Reading don't know the truth. They're going to find out the truth in the next four weeks."

You haven't seen Kramer's lawn signs yet but they're coming. They'll be lime green in tribute to his Irish Catholic background.

"If you talk to people in Reading they're either going to like me or hate me and I really don't care. I have my friends and I have my enemies. So be it. This is life. I don't go through life trying to make everybody happy. But you know what, I call a spade a spade. I'm just really sick of how the Select Board has run this town over the last six-seven years."

His campaign is just getting started, although he'd probably make the case he's been stating his opinions about the town for close to seven decades. Don't bother emailing him any thoughts, or texting him with your opinions on this story. It's a waste of time.

"I'm just old school, a pain in the ass, and I'm not going away."