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"Do the right thing, even when no one is looking"
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If we all sang the same note in the choir, We'd never have harmony
2/1/1938-5/4/2019
Rest in peace
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Information about me:
~ I'm a lifelong Brocktonian
~ Graduated from BHS in 1988
~ Grew up in Ward 6, lived 10 years in Ward 5, currently live in Ward 1 with my wife and two daughters.
~ I have been active in serving Brockton for over 20 years through various organizations and I have held various leadership positions.
~ I ran for Ward 5 Councilor in 1999 and Councilor at Large in 2013
My goals as Councilor At Large:
Unfortunately, our city has been held hostage by small groups for too long. We continue to see progress held up and the cost of services increase. While I do believe that Brockton has made great strides in moving in the right direction over the last couple years, there is still a lot of work to do. If we want to make Brockton a great city, we need to maintain our outstanding public education system, increase safety on our streets, and look for bold and creative ways to expand and strengthen our business community.
Having two children in the school system, I have personally worked to protect BPS by fighting a charter school that would have drained the system of $10 million with no direct cost reduction. I have worked to restore the Massachusetts frameworks in fighting against Common Core and PPARC. I will work with our state delegation to increase chapter 70 funding for Brockton and other Gateway cities, as well as looking at ways to reduce transportation costs.
As I make my way around the city, meeting people door-to-door, I've found that the #1 concern is public safety. We've all heard the issues we are facing with manpower and equipment in our Fire and Police Departments, as well as the epidemic of violence that has plagued all of eastern Mass. I see changes that have been made to increase inter-agency cooperation AND inter municipal cooperation. This needs to be continued to combat today's crime and violence.
As Councilor At Large, I will continually look for ways to strengthen and expand our business community. This is an important area of growth that we need to take full advantage of. I am currently working with a Boston based advisor in conjunction with the Planning Department and other city officials to find ways that I can help in the process. We have a lot of exciting developments coming to downtown, but we also need to look at other areas like Campello, including the area around KMart Plaza to develop intelligently for the future.
Over the years I've seen the city seal perhaps thousands of times, I was recently struck when I read the words that encapsulated Brockton almost 135 years ago when Brockton was incorporated as a city. "Education, Industry, Progress" I've chosen to adopt these three words as the basis of my campaign platform because they represent ideals that we need to work toward today, that I think we may have lost sight of.
We have the #1 public school system in Massachusetts among urban school districts. BPS has always been a source of pride for Brockton. I will work to enhance it, and protect it. We will soon welcome a downtown college campus, and we need to find new ways to educate, and retrain people in skills that they will need in 21st century industry. I will work to provide it.
At one point Brockton was the leading shoe manufacturing city in the world! We are home to the "laboratory" of Thomas Edison, here is where mankind finally crawled out of the darkness, where the first electrically lighted buildings and streets IN THE WORLD ever existed, before Menlo Park!! We have a legacy of industry, innovation, and progress. We have lost sight of the fact that Brockton was a leading industrial city, we need to continually find ways to recapture that. By working against industry and progress, we work against the future of Brockton.
So, Daisy, I hope I didn't rant on for too long. Believe me, this is only the tip of the iceberg for me. I welcome any questions you may have, and I hope to meet you along the way.
Thanks,
Craig Pina
Big Government = Big Problems
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- henningson1
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- Junior Member
- Posts: 173
- Karma: 1
- Thank you received: 17
Married for 23 years to Tracey Henningson
2 Kids Sean 8 going to George School and Meghan 17 and Junior at BHS.
Lifelong resident of the city of champions
Went To Ashfield, East Junior High and Cardinal Spellman in Brockton
Serving 2nd year of Brockton School Committee
Serving on Building Naming, Curriculum, Finance, Policy, Certified Grievance, Custodian, Policy Manual review and Superintendents Contract Subcommittee's
Current Board of Director for Brockton Day Nursery and Treasurer
Member NAACP
Current contributor to various local organizations such as Brockton Junior Boxers, Summer Fest, Brockton High Band Boosters, Helping to Unite, Blessing in a Backpack, School on Wheels, DECA, Boys and Girls Club and a variety of other organizations within the city.
Mission
I will continue to advocate for proper funding from the city and state for our schools
Listen to parents and students and advocate for their issues
Continue to advocate for Special Needs students and their families
Continue my fight against PARCC and intrusive testing such as Teaching Strategies Gold
Work with local Business to help support our schools through variety of ways
Continue to fight for less testing and more teaching
Continue to support local organizations that will fight for our kids
Will continue to fight for increased diversity in our school system
Bring the concept of neighborhood school back to our community
Some of the things I have done.
Raised over 4 thousand school supplies last year for distribution to 4 schools
Ran a Fan drive for the elderly and raised over 140 fans distributed to the high rises
Worked with the city councilor to get Colonel Bell drive repaved in front of the George school and Sullivan Towers
Helped Paint the recreation room at Belair towers
Attended various DESE meeting to stop a charter school from draining over 10 million from our school system
Worked with the State legislature in support of Bills that would provide additional funding for high stakes testing if we are required to have them
Ray4Brockton.com
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I was born a poor Black child, I remember the times sittin on the porch with my family, singing and dancing down in Mississippi...
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The school system should be on the bottom of the pile when we are going through such a high rate of crime and money issues.
Support our police who truly need it. They risk their lives for us every day and night and deserve better. They are so over worked they can't even tend to simple crimes.
If we all sang the same note in the choir, We'd never have harmony
2/1/1938-5/4/2019
Rest in peace
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- clifton heights
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- Senior Member
- Posts: 537
- Karma: 7
- Thank you received: 64
<font color=BLACK>My name may be Clifton but I've never been a boy </font> <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley2.gif" border="0">
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end of sad story
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If we all sang the same note in the choir, We'd never have harmony
2/1/1938-5/4/2019
Rest in peace
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- BrocktonBeat
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- Junior Member
5 Point Plan
1. I plan to bring an outside firm to audit the city's finances to insure an honest and unbiased report of Brockton's financial condition.
2. Revert the 21st Century back into an economic development arm with a City Planner that answers to Brockton City Government and City Council. If I cannot privatize the Rox Stadium within my first year in office I will give it back to the people who have already paid for it, the taxpayers and Brockton High School. I will also seek to lease or sell the Shaw's Center to an established restaurateur or caterer to operate as a food and function facility.
3. Seek advice from an outside legal firm to give me an unbiased opinion on the desalinization contract. I will give the residents of Brockton an honest response back that is in their best interest.
4. Invest in Police and Public Safety by saving 1 million dollars per year on the Rox Stadium and 6 million dollars per year on the desalinization contract and additional savings from trimming the audit. Investment in public safety will support our infrastructure. I will lead the city of Brockton back to core values of service and protection.
5. Re-evaluate the structure of our City Council and our form of government. This form of government seems to be working for the employee's of the City of Brockton but I am not convinced it works for the residents of Brockton. We need a form of government that works for both the city employee's and the residents.
MY PROMISE: I will put my 5-point plan into action in my first term. I am a life long resident of Brockton who feels these changes are for the betterment of the city. My ultimate goal is to improve the quality of life for the residents of Brockton. Together we can improve the future of our City.
OUR BEST DAYS ARE AHEAD
mattaforbrocktonmayor.blogspot.com/p/5-point-plan.html
too funny. I was with stp for about 1 month and saw that it was a very revengeful group of about 6 people and one of them had money to burn so if they didn't like you they would send flyers out. nice to spend $5000 grand just because someone disagrees with you. I came to the point that wolves in sheep's clothing. I am not talking about Ron. I truly believe his heart was in this but that group just is doing harm to Brockton. So when I went online to visit Jacobs website I was like cool then I said this is what I wrote 4 years ago.
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I'd like a complete independent audit of the Entire School System not just the latest audit. I'd like to really analyse and report why we are spending $1,000,000 on School Choice and why we are sending children to other school districts and not hear it's complicated. I'd like someone to analyze Community Schools and Smart Start and see if they should be outsourced. Small thing, I'd like the School Committee and School FINCOMM meetings to be broadcast live and not tape delayed as they are now. Linde said they have the capability.
I'd like more (Any) Ward Meetings by CC and I'd like CAL to set up websites and have City WIDE. Meetings. I'd like the Mayor To have quarterly Town Hall Meetings and let residents ask questions.
And for those who don't think we should spend in schools, you realize the School System is the only thing now that attracts and retains people? If school system goes down, people move out, taxes go up. City of Brockton laid off 100 teachers, classroom size will now go up. Electives were eliminated 1500 kids will now sit in a study. New teachers don't want to come here with the layoffs every year. We need to protect our School System so it doesn't deteriorate.
Thanks to the Candidates who posted. Don't be a stranger. Hopefully others will follow.
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Thank you School councillor Ray Henningson for all you have done in a short span of time to help out our schools and teachers.
"Do the right thing, even when no one is looking"
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- henningson1
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- Junior Member
- Posts: 173
- Karma: 1
- Thank you received: 17
I have many more things planned for next year. I have been speaking with investors and continue to do so to try and get a 3D animation studio for kids to have a location here. I am also working on another business that specializes in autism to expand here. These are prelim discussions though at the moment.
I want to bring in things for education that are not non profits but for profit ventures that will both increase tax base and provide educational opportunities for our youth.
As for myself I believe my experience in budgeting and forecasting lend itself nicely to the position. I have spent many hours looking at these budget line items and trying to manage the overspending by my predecessor.
I was the lone vote to stay with the current testing rather than go to another high stakes test. I have testified at the statehouse on behalf of bills providing more funding. I was very involved with the commonwealth charter school fight as I know what 10$ million loss to our system would do.
Fiscal restraint is needed even more when you have more available cash.
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Jacob won't admit that he got his 5 pt plan from Matta, Beckner and Zaccaro. (sounds like a law firm). According to an Enterprise article the Stonehill deal is not that much of a deal. Lost revenue from 1996 to present equates to about a $10k loss per year. The City spends that just in fuel costs for City vehicles. Carpenter has to wait till the contract is up to re negotiate. Which is soon.
My understanding is that Stonehill has different accounts they use to pay the City, most are at a lower rate than we should be getting. This is what I don't get. Why hasn't it ever been addressed by past Mayors? Its not even really an issue to run on because it is being addressed by Carpenter now.
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seriously
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Scott wrote: To funny BrocktonBeat!
Jacob won't admit that he got his 5 pt plan from Matta, Beckner and Zaccaro. (sounds like a law firm). According to an Enterprise article the Stonehill deal is not that much of a deal. Lost revenue from 1996 to present equates to about a $10k loss per year. The City spends that just in fuel costs for City vehicles. Carpenter has to wait till the contract is up to re negotiate. Which is soon.
My understanding is that Stonehill has different accounts they use to pay the City, most are at a lower rate than we should be getting. This is what I don't get. Why hasn't it ever been addressed by past Mayors? Its not even really an issue to run on because it is being addressed by Carpenter now.
The lost $ estimate is $2 million as of a few years ago. That's more than $100k a year, and there is no end date to the contract.
Matta had a lawyer review the contract and determine that without a valid end date, the contract can be voided. When the head of your legal department is one of about a dozen city leaders with close ties to Stonehill .... it ain't gonna happen.
link
Light Travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak. <br />We were born with two ears and only one mouth ... Think about it!
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- BrocktonBeat
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Does anyone know do we as a city get a fee from the towing companies when they are called for a tow. Last time I checked was 3 years ago and we didn't.
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