Thanks to two or three sharp-eyed Sterling citizen-voters it has come to light that as-yet unidentified STERLING TOWN GOVERNMENT SCUMBAGS typed out, ILLEGALLY, the 16 October 2023 Special Town Meeting Warrant Article 9 with language DIFFERENT FROM the language set forth in the Petition for that Warrant Article signed by more than 200 Sterling citizen-voters. HATS OFF to those vigilant citizen-voters!
The following material is reproduced from emails sent and received by Petition organizer Gary Menin concerning this unfolding scandal (some names have been omitted for privacy/confidentiality purposes):
“shall” and “all” are keywords here.
MGL Chap 39, sect 10:
The selectmen shall insert in the warrant for the annual meeting all subjects the insertion of which shall be requested of them in writing by ten or more registered voters of the town and in the warrant for every special town meeting all subjects the insertion of which shall be requested of them in writing by one hundred registered voters or by ten per cent of the total number of registered voters of the town whichever number is the lesser.
Gary
978 422 8155
It’s just another way to try to get the article thrown out. So they have two choices I guess. They can either type up the article and make a new warrant and spend our money at the printing press that way, or they can just have handouts available to take the place of the wrong wording in the warrant.
But I think they were hoping that no one would see and then the instructions would be different and not as detailed as Gary wants. They reworded the most important task, which is to compare with other towns in the area.
The biggest section that is wrong is around line 296
It’s supposed to say:
This independent audit shall review the Board of Health’s financial records to evaluate operating procedures, verify financial controls, and comment on management practices in a formal, transparent process in comparison to other comparable rural residential Towns in Central Massachusetts. The audit shall be comprised of three components: an opinion, financial statements and supplementary information, and a separate management letter. And audit committee shall be formed for this specific process. It doesn’t say that in the warrant
They changed the word expertise to experience in two places…..line 280 and 300
On line 307 it’s supposed to say The audit committee SHOULD identify areas………and they changed it to CAN identify areas.
On line 310 it’s supposed to say DELIBERATION METHODS and they left out METHODS and changed it to just DELIBERATIONS!!!!
On line 311 it says questions concerning the efficiency of the Board and it’s supposed to say efficiency and FOCUS of the Board.
There’s a misspelling on line 279……..One vs. on
There’s a couple of other small mistakes, but even still, it’s supposed to be word for word.
The one about the deep hole itself does not have misspellings and changes.
This is not just one typo, it’s a change of phrases and sentences and instructions.
I wonder what kind of repercussions they could get for altering this? Whoever did that clearly has no clue that you are not supposed to change the wording since that’s what people signed their names on the other side of the paper for.
Notwithstanding that we followed Town recommendations for review of the Petition Motion – prior to signature collection – the following highlighted “most important” statement was surreptitiously removed in the published version after the 214 signatures signed version was submitted.
The corresponding Motion excerpt from the published warrant is provided below – see link ( https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/uploads/10_16_2023_stm_warrant.pdf ).
.
We’ll be thoroughly checking both documents for any more unauthorized changes.
Gary Menin, Sr.
978 422 8155
The Sterling Town Government SCUMBAGS responsible for this attempted fraud on the public are low enough to blow the buffalo on an old Buffalo Nickel–
If you didn’t think that some real SCUMBAGS populate the Sterling Municipal Building, then you need to think again and start voting intelligently. This Blog was started to expose them and their underhanded maneuvers after local media ignored the problem.
UPDATE: The Sterling Police Department should initiate a felony investigation under Mass.Gen.Laws Ch. 267, Sec. 1– https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter267/Section1 — beginning with Town Administrator William Caldwell, then to Maureen “Our Lady of Perpetual Bullshit” Cranson, and thence up and down the Sterling Municipal Building chain.
J.G.
STERLING, MASSACHUSETTS, OVERWATCH 
Jim,
IMHO, and as former town moderator for 12 years, I believe that technically the motion to move the article could be read as originally intended. The moderator should accept that as a legal motion as it does. It change the four corners of the article.
However, the danger in that is the incorrect wording of the article will already be in people’s hands and minds and undoubtedly someone would make a motion to amend as the “incorrect” wording indicated. It’s kind of like an unscrupulous lawyer (certainly not you) who makes a statement in front of a jury that he knows will be objected to and sustained by the judge. Once the jurors hear it is difficult to “unhear” it.
I’m not sure what the legal remedy is but I think there is a danger in going to STM with this article in print.
I wonder if this is a matter for the AG, as there are just too many “mistakes” which conveniently would and positively affect the opponents of this article.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Pete
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