By: D.J. Deeb – May, 2018 Members of the Methuen School Committee voted to request that the mayor and School Committee approve a budget of $82.5 million, a 13% increase over last year’s budget of $72 million. This comes after years of not filling positions through attrition as enrollment numbers continue to climb and Special […]
By: D.J. Deeb – December, 2015 November and December are traditionally busy months for school districts. This year too is no exception and there are several things to report on this month in the paragraphs that follow: The City Elections, John & Abigail Adams Scholarship, MHS Band Disney Trip, and the PSATs in Methuen. First […]
The Tewksbury Board of Selectmen voted unanimously on July 18 to move forward a process that will let Tewksbury residents vote on whether or not to allow a Casino in their town. Tewksbury Selectmen should be commended for making the right decision in moving this proposal forward despite opposition from some powerful anti-casino interests. Although […]
By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – June 2013 First I would like to thank Valley Patriot Columnist D. J. Deeb for his label as a moderate Democrat. My colleagues would likely tweak that that to conservative Democrat but nonetheless, I accept. I also want to thank writer Deeb for paying attention to our State […]
By: D.J. Deeb – May, 2011 Dracut voters came out in record numbers for the May 2, 2011 Town Election to return incumbents to office and vote in favor of a Proposition 2 ½ Debt Exclusion for renovating Dracut High School. Nearly 31% of the registered voters in Dracut, a total of 5,958 people, […]
By: D.J. Deeb – April, 2011 The Dracut Town elections are just a few short weeks away on Monday, May 2nd. A debt exclusion issue, the Selectmen, School Committee, and Town Moderator seats are proving to be most contentious races this year. As I wrote in last month’s column, the Massachusetts School Building Authority […]
By: D.J. Deeb – December, 2010 Dracut residents chose their candidates and issues wisely in the November 2nd statewide election. Although the state of Massachusetts voted for higher taxes and bigger government, Dracut voters made the right decisions. First off, Dracut School Committee Chairman Matt Sheehan lost his bid as an Independent candidate for […]
By: D.J. Deeb – November, 2010 Dracut residents recently rejected a warrant article lowering the quorum requirement at its annual November town meetings to 50. This change was proposed by Dracut Town Clerk Kathy Graham as a cost saving measure. Although I can appreciate Kathy Graham’s good intentions, I believe that lowering the quorum […]
By: D.J. Deeb – October, 2010 Perhaps the title of this column should be, “The Importance of Studying Several Different Sources Before Making a Decision”, but I just found it fascinating at this past June Town Meeting how Dracut’s various media outlets and Internet blogs handled a certain warrant article, which I felt […]
By: D.J. Deeb – March, 2010 Several candidates have taken out papers to run in the upcoming Dracut Town Elections scheduled for Monday, May 3rd. The positions that are drawing the most interest as of this writing are Selectmen, School Committee, and Housing Authority. All three are likely to stimulate interest among Dracut voters […]