MAC: Canton Gentlemen’s Agreement Bites the Dust

DID YOU KNOW…

Now that the election is finally over, it’s time to say something about Canton’s so-called “gentlemen’s agreement,” which was not adhered to this year. For many years, it was generally agreed that politicians running for office in Canton would not erect a multitude of unsightly political signs. This year, however, signs for Senator Brian Joyce began to appear in a number of locations. After that, many of the other politicians running for office began to put up their signs. In the end, there were a lot of unattractive, multi-colored political signs all over Canton. MAC hopes that the “gentlemen’s agreement” stays in effect during the next election.

There has been a lot of publicity recently regarding Chapter 40B, the affordable housing law which requires that communities have 10 percent of their housing stock as affordable housing before they can prevent 40B developers from circumventing certain zoning bylaws. The Patriot Ledger recently printed affordable housing percentage figures for the South Shore, and MAC finds the percentages of some of our neighbors interesting. While Canton’s figure is above the minimal 10 percent threshold at 10.6 percent, Milton has 4.8 percent; Norwood has 6 percent; Sharon has 6.4 percent; and Westwood came in at 4.5 percent.

The Bank of Canton is this week’s “good neighbor.” The bank recently donated $4,000 to the Canton Food Pantry, which will help support the pantry’s mission of providing assistance to any Canton citizen who is unable to afford groceries due to monetary constraints. They also donated $1,000 to the Canton Alliance for Public Education (CAPE) to help sponsor the fifth annual town-wide spelling bee on January 21, 2011.

With all the pro and con publicity about police departments that carry and use non-lethal taser weapons, it is surprising to learn that since they were introduced in Massachusetts six years ago, only 61 departments statewide have been approved to carry them. It is also surprising to learn that the only South Shore police departments authorized to have them are Pembroke, Rockland, Hingham, and Canton.

Speaking of police departments, the Canton Police Department recently announced several promotions and reassignments, as well as one retirement. Promotions included Joe Silvasy from patrolman to sergeant, and Rob Gooley from sergeant to detective sergeant at night; CHS School Resource Officer Chip Yeaton will assume the duties of juvenile detective, Glen Piro has been promoted from patrolman to night detective; and Detective Sergeant Jim Quigley will be in charge of detectives during the day. It was also announced that Sergeant Peter Murphy is retiring.

The Proctor & Gamble Company has announced plans to keep the name of its subsidiary, Gillette, on the Foxboro home of the New England Patriots through the 2031 football season.

NEI, the Canton-based technology company formerly known as Network Engines, is changing its ticker symbol to reflect its new name. Their stock is now traded on NASDAQ Global Markets under the NEI symbol instead of NENG.

The Coca Cola distribution plant in Braintree has permanently closed and transferred 130 employees to a facility in Needham.

MAC recently informed readers that the Postal Regulatory Commission rejected a request by the U.S. Postal Service for a two-cent increase in the current 44-cent first-class stamp to offset some serious losses of revenue. The Postal Service now says it will appeal the decision in the Federal Court of Appeals, so stay tuned.

There was a time when kids went to bed with their teddy bears, but that apparently has changed. Recent surveys have found that 78 percent of 12 and 13 year olds who own cell phones now go to bed with their phones at their side, and the figure rises to 86 percent among teens 14 and older.

Rich D’Attanasio has taken over as the function manager at the Canton Town Club, replacing the late Joe Uliano. Rich also cooks hamburgers for club members on Saturday afternoons; and during the week, you can find him driving one of the Council on Aging buses.

The Canton Lions Club will have a table outside Shaw’s on Saturday, November 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and would appreciate any donation you can make.

Finally, the town of Randolph has received a $1 million state grant to improve its downtown area along North Main Street. The grant will be used to pay for new lighting in the area, pedestrian safety improvements, new sidewalks, benches, trees, and trash receptacles. MAC hopes they don’t make the same mistakes we made here in Canton.

The difference between good and great is just a little extra effort.

This is all for now folks; see you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

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