Insanity reigns.

The serial litigator strikes again!

Has this man no shame?

why doesn't the town just make everything public when they go out to bid? wouldn't that be easier and fairer to all. What's the big deal - what's to hide?

Thank you,Krista, for pointing that out.

Hmm. Cohen once again drags in the Ethics Commission, a completely unrelated matter. I will simply point out that the E.C. did not investigate; they summarily closed "the matter" without a full investigation, one day after formally opening a new complaint about the matter. Residents will need to make up their own mind as to why. More to the current issue, the records requests contained no preconceived notions or statements alleging wrongdoing. The wrongdoing is entirely with respect to refusing to provide the requested records. Three times. Those records are interesting for several reasons, but neither I nor anyone else needs to articulate any reasons at all. We have a right to this information. I didn't sue for the records until after a fourth request, which warned that we would sue if we didn't get a response -- and we didn't get a response. And it's my fault that Town Counsel is being paid to help Cohen flout the Public Records Law?

What are we supposed to do as citizens, allow public officials to refuse to adhere to the Public Records Law? Is that Fran McDougall's definition of "sanity?" Wow.

Ruffled feathers for my new boa? :>)

here we go again, in my opinion, another round of truth and consequences, of fact and fiction,accused and accuser, winner and looser...............Time will tell in the end.

<<< wishes more people would take the time to listen to some John Lennon lyrics and be more co-operative instead of always fighting. It seems peace and working together are more reasonable solutions and yes it takes both sides of all matters.

Ed, I wish you peace and hope you are looking out your window and enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature." I've had enough of reading things
By neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians
All I want is the truth" Peace.
Just gimme some truth

I am glad that there is someone questioning government outloud, not just wishing for changes to be made. It's about time somebody shake things up here. I for one, am tired of the government having the attitude that we just sit back and not worry about the choices they make for us once elected!

Krista, I have no idea why you are seizing on the contracts you list as "the ones" of particular interest. They are assumed to be innocuous, and we were simply tried to provide specific examples so the Town Manager could not continue to evade the meaning of the request. If these specific contracts went out for bid, fine. There are contracts that did not, and those are the ones that are hard for me to find and analyze. Cohen says, "Just ask." Well, we did. And what we got was continued stonewalling. I understood the reasons for the ambulance contract not going out for bid before making the request; so when that contract wasn't produced I knew that there was not a good faith effort on the part of the Town Manager to produce any contracts at all.

Kate, which precinct are you in? You would probably do well by running for Town Meeting Rep. It's the best way to keep your eye on what's going on in your town. I can't seem to find your listing but which ever district you're in this is the perfect time to pull papers sice everyone needs to run again because of redistricting. Good luck.

Mr. Kurland, you know very well the reason I will not debate you without another lawyer present: it is because you have shown many times that you misrepresent the law in the public discourse. I am not in a position to challenge new misinformation on the spot, so I need an expert present to keep you honest. Even if I rightly represent the laws – as I do the ethics laws which you consistently misrepresent to the good people of the town – you have shown you’ll simply say, “What Bar exam have you passed, Mr. Van Liew?” Even if I’m right, the audience can’t know it. You declined last year to have a two-on-two debate with another person of your choice. In any case, you are just another proxy attack dog defending Phil Eliopoulos and Paul Cohen with fabrications and falsehoods. It’s not important to me to focus on your negativity until you are up for reelection. There’s nothing I, the voters or anyone else can do about your dishonesty until then.

Question for RVL: As candidate for the Board of Selectmen why haven't you turned in your papers yet?

I must point out for the readers, since Ms. Perry does not divulge it in her article, that it was Paul Cohen and the selectmen who rushed to the press with this story. Cohen was anxious to put words in my mouth, as he "quotes" me as saying "tell us how you violated the law," when, in fact, I never said or wrote anything resembling that. Within minutes of their being served, Krista Perry was up on this site with his trash talk. I asked for bids that did not go out pursuant to Chapter 30. Cohen claims on the one hand that there are perfectly legal situations when Chapter 30 does not apply, then on the other hand says that it's unreasonable to ask for contracts that were awarded without going through the Chapter 30 bidding process. Give me a break. By asking for public documents, I am jockeying for an election issue? Are you kidding me? Go to http://www.vanliewforselectman.com/platform.php to see whether you think I need an issue for the election.

Roland, you have sullied reputations of honorable people who volunteer thousands of hours just to make Chelmsford a better town without any credible proof. You have even called me "dishonest" and accused me in an article in the Lowell Sun of engaging in "backroom deals" Provide specifics, Roland. If I weren't a public figure, perhaps I would sue you. But no, I wouldn't because that is your style, not mine. You specifically singled me out for attack for the six weeks or so prior to the recall election in August and yet I still received the largest number of "No" votes and the least number of "Yes" votes. The voters know that I speak the truth and will answer always any of their concerns. I am not the person who is negative in this matter. I do not casually accuse people of wrongdoing that I cannot back up. You even shamefully accused me, a member of the Jewish faith, of engaging in Nazi tactics. RFo all whorwant different perspective from Mr. Van Liew's writings, I invite you to go to go to www.chelmsfordtruthsquad.com so you can read Mr. Van Liew's actual words as well as responses from people who really know what is going on in government, who do know the law and who provide facts to refute his allegations. Roland, I will still wait for your commitment to participate in the 4 Selectmen debates.

Phil, you are another proxy attack dog acting as an apologist for the self-serving politicos feeding at the public trough. No one has said that a single PENNY has been spent, except by your wife who sends me pennies in the mail in an effort to increase the postage on Business Reply Envelopes. That's real clever, eh? The PLAN, in WRITING in the form of the APPROVED Affordable Housing Plan, is to GIVE AWAY town owned open space at Oak Hill for development.

Not sure what your post has to do with the Public Records Law request, but the real purpose of this whole web site seems to be to provide a blog for public officials to heap abuse on anyone who questions their authority or policies.

What does all this junk in Mr. Kurland’s posts have to do with the Town Manager’s refusal to comply with a simple public records request? Kurland’s posts are full of diversionary non-sequiturs fueled by his obsession with bad-mouthing me personally and raising red herrings to deflect discussion away from accountability for the Town Manager.

Jon, your first sentence about “sullying reputations…without credible evidence” says it all. It’s yet another dishonest statement from you. You are indeed most certainly either dishonest or unbelievably stupid (at least unbelievable to me). How else could a trained lawyer so often misrepresent the facts of law in the public discourse? I’m not getting into a debate over facts with you or your “Truth Squad” so that you can further confuse the electorate. Get over it.

Sam Chase fabricated some really offensive quotes to support his public “commentary” expressing mock outrage about stuff I’ve never said or written. But you, Mr. Kurland, have shown for months that you are the master at putting words in my mouth. You cannot claim that I “accused [you] in an article in the Lowell Sun of engaging in "backroom deals"." Lowell Sun reporter Rita Savard used those words – her own – immediately after I had just finished explaining to her and her editors that I did not believe there were back room deals, that there didn’t need to be. So take it up with Rita, Jon. It’s never been a quote attributed to me.

I love when a lawyer says, “Perhaps I should sue you.” Sure, Jon. Sue me for correcting your misrepresentations of the law in the public discourse. Go ahead. You misrepresent Prop 2.5 right in this thread! It's unbelievable.

I can’t believe you’re dragging religious bigotry into this. Your sanctimonious references to Nazis and relatives who suffered in WWII don’t cut any ice with me. My father was a 100% disabled vet, so don’t mock me with rants about your unique suffering.

Your “when did you stop beating your wife” reference to the candidate debates is just more diversionary nonsense. When did I say I would not participate in any debates??? Tom Christiano, by the way, has explicitly stated that he will not be hosting a debate.

Remember what this is about, folks. The Town Manager refused to comply with a simple request for documents under the Public Records Law. Three times. Apparently with full knowledge and complicity of the entire Board of Selectmen. That's what this is about. I made a simple request for the information, I have a right to it under the law, and I don't have to let town officials run me in circles indefinitely.

My boa is getting longer and longer.

Just a quick clarification. I was only going to host a selectmen debate if I was able to get ALL of the candidates to participate in it together. When I wasn't able to do that, I moved on and rescheduled those shows with other panelists. However, I do hope that the LWV, and others, are able to get ALL of the Selectmen candidates together for debates, as they will be very informative and go a long way towards helping the voters decide which candidates they want to vote for in April.

Last year, Roland Van Liew made me feel like I'm being disenfranchised. I voted for people during a regular election cycle, and then due to the efforts of a single person with lots of money, I'm told my vote may not count.

Well said, Phil. I am always pleased with a man or woman who considers his/her spouse as an equal partner and not just an adjunct to their own ego .

So when you hear it thunder,
Don't run under a tree.
There'll be pennies from heaven
For you and me.

Fund raiser for George Dixon next Sunday at the Princeton Station 4 to 8

and I'm still glad I didn't name my dog Roland

My dog is much smarter than any Roland

A dog is man's best friend, also.

Hi everyone, I am fine keeping this discussion going but please keep on topic and be civil to one another.

Krista,
As entertaining as this discourse has become, don't you think it is time to shut it down, or is there a double standard here. As long as the regular contributors have somthing to say, they can, but someone other than than Fran, Phil and the gang say something and then you have had enough. Just asking.

For all of you who would like to hear more about Oak Hill, the meeting is this evening in Town Hall at 7:00. Hope to see you there. Also, for those of you who have shown an interest in being a part of good government, you may still obtain nomination papers at the town clerk's office until Feb. 10. They must be returned by Feb 14. Show your love for your town and get your papers in by Valentine's Day. Oh, and by the way, GO PATS. Peace.

Point of information. The incumbents on the candidates list for TM rep needed only to send back a written intention to be on the ballot again. New candidates when they turn in their papers will be shown in yellow. If an incumbent TM rep intends to run again their names are on the list without any color. Sorry, but I do have every intention of running for my seat again.

Too many personal attacks, which serve no purpose. Again, if a tax payer wants to ask for something, whether town officials like it or not, just do it! If you are an elected official paid by our tax dollars, you have to expect this and more importantly, do what your boss (i.e., the tax payer) asks. Just comply and if sued, just let it be settled by the court. What else can you do? This is America - anyone can sue anyone - sooner or later the truth will come out, I think. In the meantime, town officials need to get humble - they work for the tax payer, like it or not. In the end, this too shall pass. We are small fish in a small pond, let's all remember that. We can do more good by being humble rather than dialing up the vitriol. Maybe some mistakes have been made by our officials - they are not perfect, are they? What is the harm in admitting something could have been done in a better way? I am sure every single town manager has at one point made a mistake - people like VL do keep people on the right track, like it or not.

John,

Please read the comments before you jump in. I was responding to the question from Sherry asking why RVL did not return papers for the Selectman race. I have no idea why Fran is talking about the TM reps. Please note the number of people who have pulled papers, none have returned them.

Lucy, please explain : "if you are an elected official PAID by our tax dollars,". Do the elected officials in your town get paid? Interesting.

Fran, Thank you for the reminder regarding the Oak Hill committee meeting last night. I found it to be very informative . It also was good to see that there are differing opinions when discussing this piece of property. That is extremely healthy. Also I appreciate the committee taking time to set the record straight about rumors floating around pertaining to reported deals in the works specifically 40b development etc. I must say for such a hot topic and all of the misinformation floating around town I was dissapointed thet there were only about 5 people in the audience. People should go to these meetings and learn of the facts first hand. Also thank you to the committee for allowing those that did come an opportunity to speak , participate and ask questions. Thank you again

Jeff, thank you for coming and participating in the discussion last night. As you can see we are a diverse group with differing opinions concerning this topic. What we all agree on is this is a formidable task and we are willing to hear all opinions concerning how we can proceed. We conducted a SWOT exercise to lay out just what we perceive to be the strenghts and weaknesses oh the site. The threats and opportunities were also listed. As our meetings proceed we will, hopefully, come to a decision, whatever it may be. Our next meeting is Thurs. Feb. 9. I urge residents to be present and to particvipate.

Mike, do I need to explain the difference between an ELECTED person and one who WORKS for a municipality as their chosen profession and therefore just as you or anyone else EARNS a salary. ELECTED officials as Lucy was referring to are VOLUNTEERS. They DO NOT get paid. What is it that I'm misstating? Yes those tiresome details always do get in the way of the truth.

Fran,

More to the point, what did Mike say that was inaccurate?

Jeff Apostolakes, another proxy for the Town Manager. Sheesh, Jeff, I have yet to see a post from you in the past year that gets the facts right. Folks, this is what proxies do. They muddy the waters, create diversions, get people off topic, make the subject the opponent instead of the wrongdoing of their crony.

Jeff, it is deplorable for you to write that there are "rumors floating around pertaining to reported deals in the works specifically 40b development etc." This is the party line from certain people on the Oak Hill Study Committee. Where did you get that from, Fran McDougall? It's in hard writing in the approved Affordable Housing Plan for everyone to see. Get it right for once, please. I know you are desperate to attack me, but at least look at the mailing, otherwise you are just like Fran McDougall who proudly boasts that she has never read the material she criticizes. There is an entire sheet documenting the hard quotes from the Affordable Housing Plan regarding the plans for construction on Oak Hill. Those quotes refer specifically to plans for high density 40R development of 170+ units. There are other major 40B developments in that same Plan which the BOS has rubber stamped. When are we going to get oversight? Not while people like you insist that construction plans are only "rumors" until the buildings are up.

Good night friends. Someone else can take over for me. There are too many burnt out light bulbs on the porch. I am off to celebrate what's left of my 75th birthday with family and friends. I officially throw in the towel. My boa is at the perfect length.

Fran,

I guess it is time to take your ball and go home.

Roland Roland Roland...You have it all wrong my friend. First of all saying that I am a proxy for the town manager is ridiculous. I am an independent voter, with independent thoughts and will express those. I remember approaching you during your Recall meeting and shaking your hand afterwards while introducing myself. You assumed me being an open space steward was because I supported the TM. I thought I gave you a Clear explanation as to why I do it. Seems you forgot. That's OK. By the way you still have time to win my vote over but calling me names or anyone that may disagree is not the way. I will say however I was dissapointed that you did not show to the oak hill meeting last night. Perhaps you could have sent the same proxy that posed as a Chelmsford resident during the recall election to attend on your behalf. There are abutters on the committee and if they did not speak up when this very topic came up perhaps if you wee thereyou could have enlightened them and myself. But until you as a public figure and expert on all matters come out from behind the curtain everyone is corrupt. So I ask please Roland stop the lawsuits, name calling and make yourself visable, attend these meetings, meet the public. Heck I may even buy you a beer afterwards.

Roland, as a candidate for selectman, I have been waiting for your position on a recent development but I have not seen it yet so please allow me to ask you a question on open space and 40b. As a candidate you have been vocal and critical regarding such. Can you tell me and the rest of those that have not made up their minds yet who to vote for, your opinion on Richard McClures attempt to sell a piece of his property to allow access to 14 acres of open space that could be developed and yes I have read 40b's. And please let me say that I think Richard and any resident has a right to sell off his land for as much as they can get, so this is a question to you..youor thoughts. Thank you Mr. Van liew ( see I am respectful..don't have to call people names)

crickets

Roland, clarification,When I said done deals in the works ,(aware of suggested 40b sites around town) I don't know of ,nor were any done deals ( construction ok'd for development) reported by the oak hill committee. 2nd, saying that I am desperatly wanting to attack you is false and reeks of paranoia. Your statement "another proxy for the Town Manager" is nothing more than a weak attempt to asperse my character which is a typical tactic that you utilize to "make the subject, the opponent." You have mastered that quite well. You, characterizing me as a proxy, have no idea as to my position (40bs on Oak Hill.) It's inexcusable to classify someone as a proxy when you have no knowledge of ones position. Is that the behavior we could expect from a candidate for selectman. You can ask me in person about my positions at one of your meet and greets before you jump to conclusions. If you become a candidate, I hope you will pledge to the citizens that you will respect individual positions however commit to Chelmsford. I opposed the recall, that does not make a proxy. Now a question,again..As a possible candidate for selectman,(knowing your position on 40bs,growth ,your opinions of the BOS/TM regarding such..What is your thought on the reports of Richard McClure selling land, giving access to open space for possible 40b usage/ development ? ( BTW, Richard Mcclure has a right to sell what ever he wishes for as much as he wishes.) Thanks again Roland....I'll buy the coffee, or drinks