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CRIMMINS: "PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFERENCES" WITH THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN

 

Town Manager Frank Crimmins, who is stepping down on March 31 from his position, told Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly that he terminated his three year contract (which currently is paying him $162,700, according to MLW) in part because of "philosophical differences" with the current Board of Selectmen. In the story dated March 12th by Henriette Campagne, he also said he would not be returning to the bench (he was Presiding Justice at Stoughton District Court) because he couldn't afford it. He told Campagne, "My wife and I have four children. Two have gone to college and two are on deck. Like a lot of people, I need to be making additional income." When he left the courtroom, he was making $129,694. He was hired by Selectmen Steve Anastos, Joe Mokrisky and John Anderson at a salary of $158,000 in the first year of the three year contract to replace Mark Stankiewicz, who became Town Manager in Plymouth. Cynthia Walsh and John Anzivino voted against the hiring. Since that time, Mokrisky (who is currently running for selectmen) was replaced by current chairman John Stagnone.

Crimmins is opening a new boutique law firm, with offices in Stoughton and Boston, called Ab Initio Elder Law Solutions, LLC. The Stoughton location will be at One Cabot Place, on the third floor of the building. Crimmins, who has been licensed to practice law for 30 years, will focus on estate planning, elder law, and trial practice. Ab Initio means "from the beginning" in Latin, according to legum.org. Francis T. Crimmins, Jr. is a Sustaining Member of the Boston Bar Association.

Selectman Chairman John Stagnone didn't really want to talk about the "difference in philosophy" comment. He told Snyder's Stoughton Tuesday night, "It's a personal decision for the town manager. It was a surprise to all of us when he resigned. I don't have much more to say about it. I wish him a lot of luck. I know he will do very well at anything he does."

Crimmins has not come out publicly to reflect on why he is leaving, or what he intended to do. He did not return a call for comment for this story before deadline.

 

 

RUMBLINGS AROUND TOWN

 

O'REGAN CAMPAIGN TO HOLD ST. PATRICK'S DAY BASH TO BOOST NEW DOWNTOWN BUSINESS : Bob O'Regan's selectman's campaign is using St. Patrick's Day to show their candidates commitment to reviving the downtown and bringing the town together.  On Saturday, March 17th, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m., O'Regan is holding a St. Patrick's Day party to welcome Charl's Restaurant to the downtown.  In announcing the event, O'Regan said, "Fixing the Downtown is a major goal that we have to work together to achieve.  That means attracting, and supporting, new businesses there."  Campaign Manager Shawn Croke said the event is cash bar and cash food, with no admission charge. He added, “We’re simply looking for folks to patronize the new business and support the campaign-- just a quick event.”  (Snyder’s Stoughton publishes ALL event and campaign information submitted by town-wide candidates and does not make endorsements.)

DECA STUDENTS ARE ACHIEVING! Valerie Szeto and Nick Aliquo did an amazing job running the conference as State Officers. “They did a tremendous job and spoke on stage with great poise and leadership,” DECA Advisor Eddie Rodrigues told Snyder’s Stoughton. The Quiz Bowl team of Kayla Floro, Brett Hoffman, Adam Leonard and Brian Kaplan finished 4th out of 29 teams. They survived six rounds of school vs. school jeopardy style question and answer competition. Questions consist of business and marketing questions.

Stoughton Team of Juniors Pat Jackman and Mike Connelly took home a 3rd place medallion in the Travel and Tourism Team Decision making event.

Junior Kerry Backman received a second place medallion and a top 10 overall finish in the Principles of Marketing event.

Senior Cassandra Luce earned a spot in the International Career Development Conference in Salt Lake City in late April. She received two third place medallions and a second place medallion finishing in third place overall.

Stoughton brought 30 kids to compete at this conference of 1800 students and teachers. 16 students received recognition as scoring in the top percentile in their event. Stoughton will bring seven students to the International Conference in Salt Lake City April 28 through May 3rd.

 

SELECTMEN’S DEBATE: Last week’s debate at the Council on Aging had some fireworks and is worth viewing. Incumbent Selectmen John Anderson and Cynthia Walsh faced off against challengers Joe Mokrisky and Bob O’Regan. Steve Innis, Executive Director of Stoughton Media Access Company, taped it himself. It will be airing on Comcast Channel 9 and Verizon Channel 28 on Friday, March 16 at 2 p.m., and Saturday, March 17 at 5 a.m., 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. Further airings can be found on www.stoughtontv.com.

SPINATHAN FOR STRONG KIDS COMING SOON TO Y :  Old Colony YMCA is asking you to “Ride with us to strengthen your communities!” The Old Colony YMCA Stoughton branch will hold its "Ride for Strong Kids" Spin-a-thon, sponsored by CBIZ Tofias, on Saturday, March 24, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Money raised from this event will support the branch’s annual campaign, providing financial assistance for community kids and families who without this support, would not be able to participate in YMCA membership, camp and afterschool programs.

With 12 hours to choose from and a variety of instructors and entertainment, there is something for everyone! You don’t need to be a regular indoor cyclist to participate in this event; you just need a personal desire to make a difference!

"Working alongside the committee of volunteers that makes this event happen, is truly inspiring," stated Serah Selmon, Associate Executive Director of the Stoughton branch. She continued, "Everyone has a powerful story motivating them to give so much of themselves to help this cause. Mark Leppo, the Spin-a-thon chairperson and event founder, put everything he had into last year’s event. In its first year, the spin-a-thon raised over $17,000--all while Mark, a local real estate agent, fought a rare form of Cancer, which returned just before last year’s event. This year, having fought and won a second time, Mark understands personally that members of our community never expect to struggle or undergo hardship, but when it happens, it is a good thing residents of Stoughton and our surrounding communities can count on the Y!" Leppo had cited his own experience of not attending camp as a child because of financial reasons as the impetus for his starting the Ride for Strong Kids. He was extremely happy last year to raise $17,000, which enabled dozens of youngsters to do what he hadn’t been able to do.

“We count on the generosity of our members and community to help people of all ages and from all walks of life to be more healthy, confident, connected and secure. It’s important for people to know that when you give to the Y, your gift will have a meaningful, enduring impact right in your own neighborhood,” stated Selmon.

So how do you get involved? Participants are asked to raise $100 for each hour they choose to ride. Some ride for an hour and choose to ask 20 friends for $5, and some donate personally. The Y provides resources such as a pledge form and request letter. There are many other exciting things happening at the Y that day. For example, there will be a raffle for a Celtics basketball signed by Brandon Bass; a Bruins Hockey Puck signed by Daniel Paille; and a $500 gift certificate to California Closets. Riders will also get a T-shirt on the day of the event, listing the generous business sponsors. (If you would like to sponsor the event, please note the deadline to get on the T-shirt is March 12th). The Y would like to give a big thank you to our platinum level sponsor, CBIZ Tofias, and our other various gold, silver and bronze level sponsors! You can register at the Y or contact Serah Selmon with questions or for on-line registration information. Serah can be reached at 781-341-2016 extension 230 or via sselmon@oldcolonyymca.org.

IT’S A PARTY! Party All Night Long ( PANL) ’s is hosting its 2nd Annual March Madness Fundraiser on Friday, March 16, 2012 from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. at Club Luis de Cameos, 76 Porter Street, Stoughton. The event features a Cash Elimination Raffle with the chance to win $3,000 Cash. There will be 3 additional prizes of $500 each. Only 100 Cash Raffle tickets will be sold. Cash Raffle Tickets are $100 each and can be purchased individually OR together with a group. Winners need not be present to win. Each Cash Raffle Ticket includes one ticket to the Friday Night Party. Additional tickets are $20 each. The evening event itself features Live Music by “Beware of Doug”, Appetizers, Desserts, Silent Auction & Raffles. There will be a Cash Bar available. Last year’s event had all food donated by Smoky Bones, Subway, Peggy’s Sweets, Peggy Buresh and the Cupcake Lady, Alice Eppenstein. To Purchase Tickets, contact Noralee Curtis at 781-341-4232 or Noralee@norwoodlight.com. Limited tickets may be available at the door.

The PANL Steering Committee includes Louise Brauneis, Michelle Carmichael, Lauren Connelly, Barbara Corrigan, Rose Eckler, Tracy Ellertson, Ellen Evangelista, Pauline Fennessy, Debbie Hickey, Charlene LaFerriere, Jessica Quattrucci, Anna Sousa, Elizabeth Turner and Marcy Zuk.

DAWE SCHOOL PTO FAIR!  My kids always looked forward to this event.  This year it comes on Saturday, March 17th, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.  Of course, it takes place at Dawe Elementary School, 131 Pine Street, in Stoughton. All are welcome! Fun for all!  The event features a Moon Walk, Dawe Draw, Game Room, Prizes, Baked Goods, Gently-Read Books, Lunch Room, Karaoke, Theme Baskets, Stationery Station, Cake Walk,  Stage Raffles,  Temporary Tattoos, Kids’ Raffles,  Face Painting, Magic, Cotton Candy, Slush, and more!  Plus, a visit from the Stoughton Police & Fire Departments! Also, enter to win a Cape Codder Resort & Spa Getaway.

SCIENCE FAIR RESULTS: The 54th Annual Stoughton High School Science Fair was completed last Wednesday March 7th. Over 375 students took part in 14 different events ranging from traditional research projects to robotic events. Students will advance on to the South Shore Regional Science Fair on March 10th at Bridgewater State University and to the State Science Fair held May 3-5 at MIT. Congratulations to everyone who participated and to the award winners. Congratulations to Loreen Louiny and Reshma Patel who took third place at the South Shore Regional Science Fair this past weekend at Bridgewater State University. Their project involved a study of global warming. Loreen and Reshma will now advance to the State Science Fair in May at MIT!

Mark Snyder, former Chairman of the Board of the Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce, has written more than 1,475 articles in newspapers and magazines, and published three books. He is the CEO of pmpnetwork.com, the internet’s entertainment superstation, and snydersstoughton.com, a community website, which has recorded over 25 million hits in the past two years, and over ten million in the last seven months. Snyder can be reached by fax at 781-344-7207, by email at snydersstoughton2011@gmail.com, on Facebook (Snyder’s Stoughton), and on Twitter (MediaMan2009). He has been writing “Snyder’s Stoughton” in the Journal since November 1998.