Dismayed By Selectmen's Refusal To Accept Private Funding

A Letter to the editor:

I am writing because I am amazed by the actions of some members of the Board of Selectmen, especially Chairman George Seibold. I went to the Jan. 9th BOS meeting and was shocked to hear members supposed to be there representing us discuss why they wanted to refuse private money to pay for a new bus stop at the Zoo. Selectmen Caroline Colarusso asked the developer for the funds and his representative said he was glad to donate the funds. His client is building 261 apartments on Woodland Road (Langwood Commons) which will create much more traffic to the area. End of story right?

Seibold, Wilson and MacNeil immediately objected and then went on as to why the developer should not pay for this. Seibold stated that Colarusso should not have asked the developer and that Mike Day was taking care of this. Why would any member of the Board of Selectmen refuse private dollars instead of having to use taxpayer dollars? Kudos to Colarusso and former Selectwoman Annemarie O'Neill who worked hard to get the MBTA to support a Zoo bus stop and to Colarusso for having the common sense to ask the developer to pay for the stop. My feeling is let the developer pay and say thank you.

Later in the same meeting Boussy and Colarusso asked for a vote to get rid of the unfair Trash Fee. The town has over $3.3 million in free cash this year which is much more than previous years. Boussy and Colarusso for years have been fighting to successfully lower the rates with the hope of getting rid of the fee altogether. They were stopped by three Selectmen, MacNeil, Wilson, and Seibold who voted to keep the trash fee in place. The fee was voted in many years ago was supposed to be temporary due to a budget shortfall. The only 2 Selectmen working to get rid of it are Boussy and Colarusso. These actions make me wonder who are the Board of Selectmen there to represent? After the way the town charged us for water and sewer over the years scrapping the Trash fee would be a way to make up for it.

It seems that any idea that Colarusso or Boussy come up with is immediately shot down by Mr. Seibold and the others. Boussy and Colarusso’ s Infrastructure subcommittee helping Oak street residents affected by the MWRA project was removed by Seibold who was supported by MacNeil and Wilson. Our board of Selectmen under George Seibold's leadership has become too political and is now hurting Stoneham residents in their pocketbooks.

Aldo V. Ursino, 5 Thomas Cir.