If you’re reading this column, please thank a veteran for making it possible. Since our country’s founding nearly 250 years ago, our veterans have fought to protect and defend all our rights, including freedom of speech, at home and abroad. Some veterans, including those who served in the Vietnam War, are still fighting painful memories […]
By: Brian Genest – Oct. 2019 Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire, especially in Dracut. Just ask town firefighters. As the result of a number of smoldering issues, members of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2586, joined by the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, picketed outside the board of selectmen’s meeting, before bringing the […]
By: Brian Genest – September, 2019 So much for a nice, quiet summer in Dracut. In recent weeks, a tidal wave of self-inflicted bad news has washed over town hall. With a flood of lawsuits, potential legal issues and plenty of well-deserved scrutiny, it certainly hasn’t been a day at the beach for Town Manager […]
By: Brian Genest, August, 2019 Have you ever dealt with the Conservation Commission in Dracut? Did the board require staked haybales and siltation fence for your project? Would you be surprised to find out the town didn’t comply with that standard requirement or other environmental regulations for its own Beaver Brook trail project? “Where we […]
By: Brian Genest – July, 2019 In some towns in Massachusetts, our independence is celebrated on July 4th. In Dracut, there’s plenty of opportunities to fight for – and celebrate – freedom all year long. No matter the season, the First Amendment always seems to be the last resort for town government, sadly. This year, […]
By; Brian Genest – June, 2019 A new chapter in Dracut history can be added to the books. For the first time, the Dracut Republican Town Committee (DRTC) marched in the town’s Memorial Day parade this year. Spoiler alert, brought to you by the First Amendment: it won’t be the last. Let’s face it… The […]
By: Brian Genest – May 2019 Some things are worth fighting for. Freedom of speech is one of them. Sadly, you have to fight for it every single day in Dracut! After Town Manager Jim Duggan illegally banned the Dracut Republican Town Committee from marching in the town’s Memorial Day parade to honor our fallen […]
By: Brian Genest – April, 2019 Free speech can be hard to swallow, especially in Dracut. You’d think that a letter from Judicial Watch challenging the constitutionality of the political sign bylaw would be the talk of the town government. You’d be wrong. Here’s some highlights, so you can see for yourself… “After hearing from […]
By: Brian Genest -Feb. 2019 In Dracut, you don’t question “the powers that be.” If you do, prepare to be attacked. Just ask Conservation Commissioner Fred Spicer. Fred Spicer broke the golden rule of Dracut politics: He dared to ask questions about a proposed town project, a path on a narrow strip of conservation land […]
By: Brian Genest – Feb. 2019 Here we go in Dracut, again. Town Manager Jim Duggan is getting a pay raise, again. Homeowners are getting higher property taxes, again. “Economic development” is what the politicians in town call it. It’s a very interesting formula: the money comes in and trickles up to Jim Duggan and […]
By: Brian Genest – Nov. 2018 Ready or not, here comes the weed. A company that wants to run a recreational marijuana dispensary in Dracut unveiled its plan at a community outreach meeting in town last month. GreenStar Herbals is expected to open the business on Pleasant Street, if granted a special permit by the […]
By: Brian Genest – Oct 21018 If you love the culture of corruption on Beacon Hill… If you love record-high state spending and tax increases… If you love a state representative who votes with the progressive Democrats 89% of the time… Don’t bother reading this column; it won’t be of any interest to you. Feel […]
By: Brian Genest – Sept. 2018 There’s a lot to love about living in Dracut. I’m not going to talk about any of them in this column. Instead, here’s a rant about things that make this townie even more grouchy than usual. * Political signs littering the landscape like litter. Some intersections and properties in […]
By: Brian Genest ~ August, 2018 Have you seen this troupe of Democrats running in the 3rd Congressional District? The big top tent is stuffed with far-out lefties, even by Massachusetts standards. Forget the clown car; we need a bus! In the center ring is State Sen. Barbara L’Italien, a woman who truly knows no […]
By: Brian Genest – July, 2018 Broken promises. Broken partnerships. Broken party. Charlie Baker is a broken politician and he’s fractured the MassGOP, too. Remember when Charlie Baker used to be a Republican? It was way back in 2010, the first time he ran and lost the governor’s race. At the time, he was pro-life, […]