Selectmen Pleased with Town Administrator, But Challenges Ahead

The selectmen presented their annual review of Town Administrator Martha White on Monday night.

  Natick Town Administrator Martha White faced her annual review with the Board of Selectmen Monday night, highlighting successess in 2011 and areas that need improvement. Four of the selectmen weighed in on the review, rating White on a one to five scale, on her performancns, long-range planning, short-term response and project goals. White earned between a four and five (five being the highest score) in all categories, except for project goals, for which she earned an average of 3.7 from the four selectmen that contributed to the review. Selectman Nick Mabardy chose not to provide feedback as he was newly elected during the year under review. "In general, the board felt that the town administrator, in my opinion...is doing a good job," …

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Town Meeting Votes in Favor of Consolidated Finance Department

Town Meeting voted to consolidate the offices of the town collector/treasurer, assessors and comptroller into one Finance Department.

  After much debate during night one of Spring Annual Town Meeting Tuesday, members voted 98-53 in favor of a consolidation of the offices of the town collector/treasurer, assessors and comptroller into one Finance Department. Under the approved Article One, the officials will report to the town administrator's office through the deputy town administrator/finance director. According to Town Administrator Martha White, a recent study determined that the lack of a central organizational structure of the several finance offices made communication and collaboration between the bodies difficult. Although the consolidation will cost the town money, White said the move will improve town functions and offer better protection of taxpayer money. …

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Unofficial Town Meeting Election Results

The following are the unofficial results for Tuesday's election for Town Meeting, according to Town Clerk Diane Packer.

Precinct 1 1.20% Precinct 2 Precinct 3 Precinct 4 Precinct 5 37 Precinct 6 Precinct 7 Precinct 8 Precinct 9 Precinct 10

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UPDATE: Ostroff to Return as Selectman; Reed and Margil Win Schools

Joshua Ostroff won re-election the the Board of Selectmen, while Firkins Reed and David Margil will serve on the Natick School Committee. All ballot questions passed.

The following are the unofficial numbers, according to Town Clerk Diane Packer:   Ballot Questions: Question 1: Yes: 2,751 (87.6%), No: 390 (12.4%) Question 2: Yes: 2,558 (81%), No: 599 (19%) Question 3: Yes: 2,864 (90.7%), No: 295 (9.3%)   Board of Selectmen Josh Ostroff: 58.5%, 2119 votes Rick Jennett: 41.3%, 1497 votes   School Committee David Margil: 39.2%, 2,273 votes  Firkins Reed: 37.5%, 2,175 votes Timothy Kelley: 23.1%, 1340 votes   Planning Board 5-year seat: Julian Munnich 2-year seat: Peter Nottonson Associate: John Wadsworth   Board of Assessors Molly Reed   Board of Health Peter A. Delli Colli   Recreation & Parks Unknown at this time   Housing Authority David Parrish   *****   Joshua Ostroff won re-election to the Board of …

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Alissa Letkowski

12:31 pm on Monday, April 9, 2012

Hello—a reminder to please use your real name when commenting, as indicated in the Patch Terms of Use: http://natick.patch.com/terms   more ›

Board of Selectmen Notes

6 Things You Missed at the Selectmen's Meeting

The Selectmen recognized Natick Comets Hockey and the Girl Scouts and acknowledged the town's receipt of $15,000 from the state to defray the costs of hosting the Vietnam Moving Wall.

  1. The Natick Board of Selectmen recognized the 11 and 12-year-old Natick Comets team, which was crowned Massachusetts State Champions after beating Andover 4-1 earlier this month. Congratulations! 2. Rep. David Linsky officially acknowledged the town's recent receipt of $15,000 from the state to help defray the costs of bringing the Vietnam Moving Wall memorial last  June. The town will transfer the money to the Natick Veterans Council. "This money will be put to good use," said Veterans Affairs Officer Paul Carew. 3. Selectman Carol Gloff recognized the Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary celebration, which took place on the Natick Common earlier this month. Gloff noted that there are 42 troops in Natick alone, with more than 500 girl scouts…

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Candidates Debate Municipal Electric Service, Open Space

Selectmen candidates Joshua Ostroff and Rick Jennett went head-to-head in the second Natick Forever Selectmen Debate of the season on Wednesday night.

  The two candidates for an opening Board of Selectmen seat faced off in debate for the second time Wednesday night, tackling voter concerns about open land use, transparency in government and the possibility of Natick providing its own electric service to residents. “Land is the most valuable asset this community has. You cannot replace land once you give it up,” said Jennett, former Finance Committee chairman. Jennett said he is frustrated that the town’s Conservation Commission has money set aside in an account that he would like to see used to acquire more open space for parks and walking paths. “We need it, we should preserve it, we should work diligently to get more of it.” Ostroff, a current member of the Board of Selectmen, agreed …

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Joshua Ostroff

7:47 am on Friday, March 9, 2012

I am not advocating for Natick to establish its own municipal utility, because it would be cost prohibitive to do that today and under the terms of currently proposed legislation. We need that option - if it makes financial sense. That give the town - and you - leverage to improve the service we get from NStar, and the people of Natick will benefit. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in …   more ›

15 Percent Vote, Romney Wins Republican Choice

Romney earned 1,767 votes, while Obama earned 954.

Just under 3,500 of Natick's 23,244 registered voters turned out to the polls for the Presidential Primary on Tuesday, a mere 15 percent of those that could have cast their votes. According to Town Clerk Diane Packer, the unofficial poll results show Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is the Republican preference, earning more than 75 percent of Republican votes. Far behind was Ron Paul with about 10.2 percent. Around 87.85 percent of Democratic votes went to Barack Obama, unofficially; just under 11 percent were marked 'no preference' and 1.2 percent as write-in votes. Obama earned 954 votes. Romney earned 1,767.

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School Committee Will Stay Out of Mascot Name Change

The School Committee won't have a say in the NHS mascot name change from Red and Blue, unless it is in violation of school values, as was determined in the decision to change from "Redmen" several years ago.

The Natick School Committee will most likely not be involved in the Natick High School mascot name change as it was 2007. Current Chairman David Margil, who is running for reelection, said during the Natick Forever School Committee Candidate Forum on Wednesday that it is written that it's up to the school principal to decide. Natick High School principal Rose Bertucci announced in February that she is looking for suggestions to replace the current "Red and Blue" team name, which was introduced in 2009 after the original "Redmen" name was deemed offensive to Native Americans. Bertucci said that she will not consider reintroducing the Redmen name, a statement which is causing much controversy amongst those who want to bring back the …

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