The Plot deepens, Selectman Michael Kennedy resigns.
The Holland Blog just learned that member of the Board of Selectmen, Michael Kennedy, in a surprise move resigned from his position.Is this a tactical move to help his buddy James Wettlaufer to get back into the race?
Will the voters at the caucus next Tuesday, now nominate two candidates to serve on the Board of Selectmen?
There will be no meeting tonight for lack of a quorum. Larry Mandell is unable to attend for personal reasons.
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Zoning Board of Appeals lack of integrity indirectly responsible for recall initiated by David Kowalski, Brian Johnson, and James Wettlaufer
In their mailer David Kowalski, Brian Johnson, and James Wettlaufer sent to all registered voters, they claim, “read the full story of their alleged abuse of power and attempt to deprive a Holland Resident of fair treatment by the Zoning Board of Appeals.” The “resident” who “allegedly” was “deprived” is no other then Brian Johnson, our elected Highway Surveyor! I hope that I do not have to explain the definition of the word “deprived,” nothing could be further from the truth.The Johnson family has a history of illegal land conveyance and illegal land-use and Dana did what the members of the ZBA where unwilling to do; end the preferential treatment of the Johnson's and others and ensure that everybody is treated the same. Dana Manning was informed by the ZBA in the course of “ official business” as required by M.G.L. and local bylaws of an attempt by Brian Johnson to procure another permit which is outside the law. In her answer, as a member of the BOH, Ms. Manning did not “attempt to deprive” Johnson of a permit; she made the ZBA aware of the fact that issuing the permit would be illegal! Ms. Manning just did the right thing, nothing more or less. Manning serves the community with integrity by following the law and by ensuring that everybody stays within the law; including members of the Johnson clan.
Many corrupt individuals (including members of the ZBA) are not willing to change, hence, Dana Manning, one of the very few town officials who serves with integrity had to be smeared and a recall effort based on deception and lies had to be launched.
Kowalski, who owed property taxes and has a hard time paying his taxes over the last years in a timely fashion, to this day, refuses to turn over his personal flash-drive (a digital memory attached to his personal computer) to the Board of Health so all members of the board would have access to the official record and would have an opportunity to engage in healthy “checks and balances” and check what kind of moneys Kowalski collected for permits he issued or which permits he not issued over the last 12 years. Thousands of Dollars in revenue to the town were not collected over many years or are missing! Ference and Manning have no way of knowing what was collected and what was not. An utter lack of leadership allowed this situation to go on for more than a decade! Repeated requests to the Board of Selectmen, the Holland Police, the State Police, the Attorney General's office, and the Secretary of State did not resolve this serious issue. To read Dana Manning's letter to the Secretary of State click here! Access to town counsel was also not allowed and the request to the Secretary of State only persuaded Kowalski to quietly deposit hard copies of minutes at the BOH office, and still retained private control over electronic copies of minutes and all the rest of the record. Dave Kowalski's action holding all the records hostage is unlawful; what does Kowalski have to hide? What does he lose with Ference and Manning on the BOH?
For the last decade Kowalski was running a “one man show” without any possible checks and balances. Why is nobody forcing him to turn over the flash drive? And Kenneth Ference and Dana Manning are the ones that are recalled?? Sometimes I do get the impression that most town officials are afraid to do the right thing as they risk of getting exposed themselves if they do by other town officials.
The ZBA's unwillingness to follow the law and to refuse to grant preferential treatment to Brian Johnson is indirectly responsible for the situation, read more»
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Rebuttal to Dave Kowalski's recall by Board of Health chairman Kenneth Ference.
Please read the account of events that forced Kenneth Ference to take over as the chair person and angered Dave Kowalski to the point where Kowalski, together with former chairman of the Board of Selectmen and angry Brian Johnson teamed up and fabricated a libelous recall affidavit to mislead the community into supporting the baseless effort, read more»8 Comments - Edit - Delete
Johnson, Kowalski, Wettlaufer recall; please don't be fooled!
Two disgruntled former chairmen, James Wettlaufer and Dave Kowalski, joined angry Brian Johnson, to put Kenneth Ference, member and chair of the Board of Health (“BOH”), and Dana Manning, member of the BOH, into their place.The two members of the BOH voted for a change by ending Dave Kowalski´s “one man show” by approving a motion to elect Kenneth Ference to the position of the chair.
Kenneth Ference and Dana Manning had no other choice, as the Board of Health was dysfunctional to the point were conducting official business became impossible.
Shortly thereafter, Brian Johnson walked into a public meeting by the BOH and was not very happy when he, instead as the usual sign-off by the “god ol' boys” system, had to answer some questions.
The exemplary conduct by the two members, Ference and Manning, who refused to engage in the preferential treatment Brian Johnson expected, was answered with a frivolous open meeting law complaint by Johnson against Manning.
Despite a letter from the Attorney General's office that the case is dismissed without finding any open meting law violation on the side of Dana Manning, the disgruntled trio Johnson Kowalski and Wettlaufer started a recall against Ference and Manning.
The recall is based on lies, Kenneth Ference's and Dana Manning's conduct towards the three men, all weathered members of the “god ol' boys” network in town, was not “official misconduct,” it was threatening their self-serving corrupt ways. The recall of the two members of the BOH is an affront on our community and in particular, on every resident of our town who believes in a free civilized society, read more»
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Speak out Holland! (no.33)
Also, do you have any questions or suggestions? Comment about anything that is amusing you or about anything that is bothering you, but do it in a civilized manner! I will delete obvious lies and offensive comments. To read previous comments under this category, click on “Speak Out Holland” on the left of this blog under the heading “Categories.”
Peter Frei
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Happy Holidays to All of You from New York's Finest...
The video is about an Ellen DeGeneres dare to dance behind people and how that went down with the NYPD's finest:If you run a LINUX platform, the video is at: http://youtu.be/6sbCzXQsVoQ
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Holland / Brimfield Trail Ride, Lake Siog Pass and Grand Trunk Trail, Sat., Oct 18th, 10:00 am
Meet at the Canoe launch on Pond Bridge Rd.
A Bike Mechanic from Bicycle Concepts, Sturbridge, will be at the trail head at 9:30 to do FREE safety checks & minor adjustments.
The ride is from 10:00 - 12:00 and is 10 miles on flat terrain with options for a shorter ride. It is mostly on trails, though a small part is on little-traveled public roads. Helmets required
Great event for the whole family!
Find us online at:
http://town.holland.ma.us/Pages/HollandMA_Trail
or
http://www.facebook.com/HollandTrailsCommittee
Sponsored by the Holland Trails Committee, The Brimfield Trail Association, and The Last Green Valley.
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Your Input is Needed;
Holland Open Space & Recreation Committee
A public meeting for all Holland residents will be held on Saturday,
October 18th from 10:00am - Noon at the Community Center located at 40 Brimfield Road. The Town of Holland
is writing an Open Space and Recreation Plan and we are looking for input from residents of the town. The last
plan was written in 2004. With a current plan Holland would be able to receive funding from the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts to purchase land for trails, recreational areas and open space.
This meeting will help identify the needs of the community and input from all residents is sought to create a comprehensive plan that addresses the kinds of open space and recreation opportunities the people of Holland would like.
Residents are also invited to fill out an online survey; to do the survey, click here!
The survey asks questions regarding the kinds of recreation people participate in, the special “sights” of Holland and what kinds of family activities people are interested in such as enjoying the lake, taking a walk, playing baseball, hunting, etc... Take the survey to help create the plan. Paper copies are available at the town hall, library and community center.
Volunteers are also needed to help write the plan. Howie Fife and Jennifer Ohop, Holland Residents are spearheading this effort.
For more information, please call Howie at 413-245-2124 or email hollandosrp@gmail.com
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2014 Annual Town Election Results, Congratulations Mr. Mandell!
A total of 437 voters made the annual trip to the town hall to exercise their constitutional right to participate in forming the government of their community.
The big surprise this year is the failed attempt by incumbent chairman of the Board of Selectmen, James Wettlaufer, to keep his seat on the Board of Selectmen. Wettlaufer was defeated by a large margin by newcomer Larry Mandell, read more»
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James & Heather Wettlaufer, not true!
I learned that Heather and James Wettlaufer attended (for the first time) the annual pan cake breakfast organized by the Hamilton Reservoir Association. The Wettlaufer's showed a picture they carried on their cell phones to everybody who would listen and claimed that it would involve me or the Holland Blog. The picture shows Earl Johnson's gravestone right next to one of James Wettlaufer's campaign signs. The Wettlaufer's downloaded the picture from the facebook page with the name 01521.com. I have neither anything to do with that facebook page, neither do I have anything to do with the picture. As far as I know, the facebook page was created and is maintained by James LaMountain. I also learned today that someone allegedly pored gasoline over Earl Johnson's gravestone. I denounce actions like that in the strongest terms. The fact that a jury found Brian Johnson's behavior to be, “extreme and outrageous and beyond the bounds of decency and intolerable in a civilized society,” does not give anybody the right to behave the same way towards the Johnson's. Heather and James Wettlaufer, I assume, didn't know any better and are excused as they must be under a lot of stress right now (and desperate).12 Comments - Edit - Delete
Please Vote Today, Monday June 9!
This is an important Election, we need every vote! Wettlaufer and his supporters who have a financial interest in him being re-elected will go to the polls guaranteed!Please do the right thing for a better future, for a better Holland.
Peter Frei
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