By: Brian Genest – Nov. 2023 ‘Tis the season to count your blessings and there are plenty of reasons to be grateful in Dracut. Strong town government is at the top of the list. Things have been going well in Dracut and it’s not by accident. It’s because the right people have been in charge […]
By: Brian Genest 10-23 There can be a fine line between good government and bad government; in Dracut, a recent meeting of the so-called Tri-Board was an example of absurd government. At that gathering about town finances and potential future budget deficits, made up of the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, and members of the […]
By: Brian Genest 9-23 If you think Dracut’s most rejected perennial candidate—nine-time loser Phil Thibault—couldn’t be any more bitter than he already is about being the town’s monumental loser, think again. This time, Dracut’s self-proclaimed perpetual victim Phil Thibault and his fruit loop friends are lamenting because he wasn’t appointed to a town board, again. […]
By Brian Genest Valley Patriot DRACUT COLUMNIST The clock is ticking and the legal bills are piling up at Dracut Town Hall over a request for public records about Tony Archinski. In addition to already being a far-too-expensive and far-too-lengthy process, it’s also incredibly suspicious, based on the circumstances. If justice delayed is justice denied, […]
By: Brian Genest – 7/23 “You’re fired,” Dr. Marsha Della-Giustina told my classmate in our Broadcast Journalism 2 course at Emerson College. It was the fall of 1989, thirty seconds after the bell rang on the first day of the class. As my dilatory would-be classmate tried to enter the room, Marsha blocked the doorway […]
By: Brian Genest – 6-23 What was Selectman Heather Santiago-Hutchings thinking? For a year, she’s been a member of the Zoning Bylaw Review committee, which is in the process of trying to overhaul the town’s zoning bylaws for the first time since the 1980s. She’s been present, at least physically, but you have to wonder […]
By: Brian Genest (5-23) There’s a lot of developments when it comes to development in Dracut. A bit of a building boom is about to begin and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by the town or citizens. Officials and neighbors are trying to grapple with several development-related issues and concerns, including zoning bylaw changes, affordable housing, […]
By Brian Genest – 03-23 Things are going well in Dracut right now and it’s not by accident. It’s because the right people are in charge of town government. And the wrong people aren’t, thankfully. Since taking over the job three years ago, Town Manager Ann Vandal has been making a tremendous difference for our […]
By: Brian Genest – 3-23 Dracut’s most-rejected perennial candidate—nine-time loser Phil Thibault—has a new hobby: giving voters electoral advice. Jack of all trades, and master of none, Phil Thibault’s latest desperate attempt to try to be relevant in town is to trash Dracut, the Board of Selectmen and yours truly in print. As part of […]
By: Brian Genest – 02-23 It’s been a hell of a week for new MassGOP Chairman Amy Carnevale. A hell of a bad week. Carnevale, the party establishment’s darling du jour who squeaked out a 37-34 win over conservative Jim Lyons, has already stepped in more piles of crap than a dog walker in […]
By: Alison Genest, Dracut Selectman Phil Thibault announced on his cable TV show that he would be publishing his article called “A Black Eye on Dracut” this month in the Valley Patriot. The column is factually incorrect and injurious to my reputation. The piece contains false statements about my voting record as a Dracut Selectman […]
By: Brian Genest – 01-23 Here we go again: Cue the violins for Dracut’s self-proclaimed victim, Phil Thibault. This time, he’s lamenting because he was rejected by the Board of Selectmen for the newly created at-large seat on the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee—and he’s blaming everyone but himself, just like he always does. Meanwhile, the […]
By: Brian Genest – 11/22 Here’s something to put you in the holiday spirit: Shop in Dracut for Christmas this year and you could win a $500 gift card to the town business of your choice. To promote in-town shopping and support local businesses, “Make It Dracut for the Holidays” was put together by the […]
By: Brian Genest – 10/22 The Massachusetts legislature has a reputation for coming up with bad ideas and turning them into law. Giving illegal immigrants state driver’s licenses is the latest one. What could possibly go wrong? Everything! The new law, slated to take effect in July 2023, is one that affects the public safety […]
By: Brian Genest – Sept. 2022 Have you noticed all the new businesses in Dracut? Month after month, there are ribbon cuttings, grand openings, and new offerings all over town. And it’s not by chance. In the last couple years, there’s been a renewed focus on economic development and it’s paying off for the town […]