Hers is a listing of links to other newspapers relating to the North Andover override:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/06/24/overrides_passage_seen_as_sign_of_faith/

http://www.townonline.com/northandover/homepage/x1118717328

Contributed by Matthew Dick: 

Thanks to all the hard work of the override supporters.  I have no kids but very strongly support funding education and other critical services.  I've pasted a link to the Globe article which details the devastating impact that Stoneham's defeat of their override will have on their students.  Your efforts were well worth it!

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/23/stoneham_cuts_all_sports_at_high_school/

We've set up forms to collect anonymous comments on why you voted "Yes" or "No" for the override.   We are especially interested to understand what your key areas were when making the decision, what we did that influenced your decision and any additional things we could have done to help present information better.    We appreciate constructive comments.   There is a desire to form a community organization in the interest of all positions to work toward reducing the polarization of our community and to understand the real issues, problems and perceptions that exist.   Thank you for your comments.    

With 47% participation of the voters of North Andover the results of the special election regarding the override are as follows:

You can see the details by clicking on this link.

Dear North Andover Citizens –

We’ve done it!  We’ve chosen UNITY over discord, ACTION over apathy, and expressed FAITH in our commitment to work together.  This is just the first step in our journey to work diligently to protect critical services and practice fiscally responsible government.

I would like to first thank the Voters, who have put their trust in North Andover United’s perspective.  I would also like to thank the North Andover United Committee Chairs and their legions of volunteers.  They had the vision, the incredible array of skills, and the endurance to work at breakneck speed, to pull together a top-notch campaign of the highest integrity.  I would also especially like to thank their families, who were willing to sacrifice their parents, put up with fast food and dirty laundry, missed games and bedtime kisses, so that their town would benefit for several years to come.

I would also like to thank those Board of Selectmen and School Committee members, and the entire Finance Committee, for having the courage to stand up for the right path, instead of allowing themselves to be swayed by activist rhetoric.  This is the true meaning of “Leadership”.

And finally, after the excitement of tonight, please rest assured that North Andover United does not consider our job done.  The momentum is so strong, and people are asking us “how do we remain involved?”  Please continue to check our website in the next few days, while we post additional post-election news and plans.

North Andover IS United!

With overwhelming gratitude,

Sandy Gleed, Chair
North Andover United

Two Articles from the Boston Globe. This one covers the existing environment around the election this coming Tuesday, the 19th.  North Andover Election Environment.

This article covers some of the worries that residents have TODAY in Belmont, and that their situation is not unique.  School worries about losing accreditation.

I’m writing to respond to a Letter to the Editor, submitted by Selectman Dan Lanen and School Committee member Charles Ormsby, suggesting there are alternatives to passing an override.  The purpose of this letter is to attempt to correct misstatements published in that letter.  I’m the Chairman of the Finance Committee, but I’m writing this letter as a private citizen.

First, I’d like to acknowledge a point of agreement with the previous letter – the headline.  There are alternatives to an override; namely, the town can continue to provide inadequate services to our senior population, the users of our library, anyone who needs police and fire services, and our students.  However, the authors ignore the following points, most of which were discussed in great detail at the Town Meeting:

• The earliest the Town will receive the $600,000 is this fall; therefore, it won’t be available for the FY 2008 year.  The remaining $1,500,000 will be in increments, over the next few years, as each completed unit is issued an occupancy permit.
• Regardless of when the above Lucent money is received, it is one-time revenue.  Budget disciplinarians such as the authors will know that one-time revenue should be used only on non-recurring items, such as capital purchases, or placed in the Town’s stabilization fund or other reserve fund.  
• Additionally, as was also discussed during Town Meeting, the FY 2008 budget contains a $1.5 million structural imbalance.  Using one-time revenues to fund operating costs merely exacerbates that issue and leads to further cuts in the future.
• It is true that the Lucent project will produce additional tax revenues – however, this is several years away, and has nothing to do with the FY 2008 budget.
• The Finance Committee’s presentation clearly showed the revenue line items which contributed the large Free Cash last year, along with the latest estimates for FY07.  It also showed our concern that the Town cannot count on that level of free cash recurring, due to aggressive revenue budgeting, and one-time items last year.
• Finally, the Finance Committee has spent months pouring over the Town’s financial projections for FY07 and FY08.  This group, consisting of nine volunteers, differs on a number of the Town’s issues, but the one issue we unanimously agreed on was the need for this override to restore critical services to all North Andover citizens.

Please don’t be fooled by the desperate tactics of the override opponents.  What they are advocating is financially irresponsible, and they know it.  I encourage you to make sure you have all of the facts before voting.  I ask you to please make a positive statement for the Town of North Andover by voting “Yes” on Tuesday, June 19.  Thank you.

This is a point by point rebuttal to the "Top Ten Reasons to Vote 'No'" document mailed by the Taxpayers United for Fiscal Responsibilty during the week of May 28, 2007. 

To the Editor,

I write for myself and not as an official message from the North Andover School Committee to respond to points in the letter from North Andover Selectman Dan Lanen and School Committee member Dr. Charles Ormsby published on June 14, 2007.

Once again the town is divided... and once again the battle does not seem to be Schools vs. Seniors but more "let's look at our situation now and plan from here forward" vs. "you can't trust them, they've always messed up and things will never change".

My hope is that North Andover residents will each take in as much information as they can and come to their own conclusions.    We have editorials that are about as shallow as a puddle after a light rain declaring North Andover leadership hasn't proven itself and can't be trusted.   You have other political newspapers shouting the same arguments as they have for the past 10 years without any adjustment for the possibility that things have changed.    We even have politicians from other towns chiming in on what we should do.   We have a lot of noise.

From Eagle Tribune - June 10, 2007. 

Sandy Gleed says she doesn't like the spotlight, but she embraced it when she found a cause worth fighting for.

The soft-spoken mother of two and town resident of 27 years is the woman behind a proposed property tax hike that she says is needed to avoid a "crisis" in the schools and town.

"I don't like to get up and speak into microphones, and I don't like to have my picture taken," she said, "so this is taking a lot of courage."

Gleed, 47, proposed the $1.65 million Proposition 21/2 tax override, bringing it before Town Meeting when town officials were reluctant to do so.

She is the reason voters will decide June 19 whether to raise their property taxes an average of $200 a year. She is the reason there are signs on lawns all over town urging voters to say "Yes" or "No" to an override.

Gleed's hobby is gardening, but she has spent more time trying to persuade people to raise their taxes.

She spoke at length in front of more than 1,000 people at Town Meeting on May 14. She held a meeting at the library to organize her own pro-override group, North Andover United; more than 50 people showed up.

She can barely keep up with all the e-mails she gets about the override.

"When I left for here, I had 123 e-mails waiting for me," she said last week during a pro-override gathering at selectmen Chairman Tom Licciardello's financial services office.

Do you honestly believe everything you are hearing?   It’s time to get the facts!  

• Using the same “comparable communities” as chosen by the North Andover Taxpayers Association (NATA and TUFR), North Andover compares unfavorably to the average:
  • 11% lower annual revenues and 11% smaller operating budget – per capita
  • 42% lower in state aid
  • 11% lower spending per capita on town services such as fire, police and public works
  • 10% lower spending per student
  • Residential tax rate is 1% higher but our commercial rate is 14.5% lower
• North Andover’s average property values are currently 39% higher than the state average; naturally our single family tax bill is correspondingly higher.
• School budget increases in the last four years have averaged 1.85% each year, significantly less than the current inflation rate, and not sufficient to cover rising enrollment (+290 students since Oct. 02), state-mandated programs and rising inflationary costs.
• The proposed FY07/08 school budget includes a 4.4% salary increase for teaching staff, not 7-9% as suggested by some. North Andover teachers on average make less than those in comparable communities; that combined with the current town environment is driving a high teacher turnover rate.
• The town library has been placed on warning status by the Massachusetts Library Association 3 out of the last 4 years. Loss of certification means loss of state grant monies and borrowing privileges at other local libraries.
• North Andover is currently ranked 348 out of 351 Massachusetts communities in student-toteacher ratio.
• In 1998 Town Meeting voters approved the purchase of Foster Farm for $1.9 million, preventing unwanted development and providing a future building site for the town – a wise investment decision.
• There have been 9 approved overrides in North Andover in the last 25 years, of which only 4 were for the operating budget, accounting for only 12% of all approved override dollars.

Vote YES June 19 - UNITED we can restore some of our most needed services now!

Some people are saying no new taxes are necessary because “the town has survived just fine.”   Are we fine?

Are we fine that our property values (most likely your largest asset) are in jeopardy because of reduced town services, under-funded schools, and the polarization of our community?

Are we fine that without the override, 67% of our elementary classes will be over the recommended state class size limits?

Are we fine that our senior center, town library, public safety departments and youth center are operating on a shoe string budget, unable to keep up with even the most basic of services?

Are we fine that the elementary schools and middle school libraries are CLOSED?

Are we fine that the dramatic cuts in electives and related arts are making it difficult for our high school seniors to meet their graduation requirements?

Are we fine that our inter-library borrowing privilege is at risk due to under-staffing and under-funding?

Are we fine that a great town with enormous potential is struggling compared to our neighbors and comparable communities?

Let’s redefine “fine”.

• to protect the value of your home
• to restore some of the services to our seniors, library, police and youth
• to return class sizes in our schools to manageable levels
• to support our new proven superintendent, committed teachers and schools
• to support our town leaders in their joint resolution “to actively cooperate…addressing the long term financial issues impacting our community”
• to rebuild pride in our community!

From June 7, 2007 North Andover Citizen 

On June 19 the citizens of North Andover will be asked to fund a Proposition 2 ½ override in the amount of $1.65 million dollars.  As the chairmen of the Board of Selectmen, the Finance Committee and the School Committee, we ask that you approve this critical funding that our town desperately needs.

Our three boards have worked hard to both uncover new sources of revenue for the town and to cut costs without further sacrificing essential town services.  Additional cost-cutting measures will put revenue-producing services at risk.  Our state and federal grant revenue is already at risk, simply because we do not have the staff to provide adequate service in either our municipal or school departments.

A community is more than the homes and businesses in a specific geographic area.  Communities are held together by shared interests and institutions; by a concern about the collective good, as well as the good of the individual. In North Andover, the collective good is represented by our library, our senior center, our youth center, our public safety departments, our schools and all the other departments that work on behalf our citizens.  It’s these essential services that need your support.

On behalf of our respective boards, and in full support of the North Andover United effort to bring solidarity to our community, we ask that you support the override and vote “Yes” on June 19.

Thomas Licciardello - Chairman, Board of Selectmen
Michael Batsimm - Chairman, Finance Committee
William W. Kelly - Chairman, School Committee

I encourage all North Andover registered voters to go to the polls in support of the proposition 2 ½ override on June 19.  We should not focus on the past but rather move forward together to restore critical services to public safety, senior center, library, youth center and, yes, the schools.  Even with the passage of this override, not all services eliminated or reduced in any one department will be fully restored. 

As a member of the Finance Committee, I have seen how the past few years have adversely impacted every department in town, and not just the schools.  A number of people have asked me how we got into this financial quagmire.  Opponents to the override will point to poor management decisions.  I personally believe there is not one factor that brought the town to where we are today; but rather a number of reasons.

In 2003, the State started curtailing the Town’s funding.  By 2004, the State reduced North Andover’s net funding by approximately 26% - receipts were cut 20% while Assessments charged to the Town increased by more than 40%.  This resulted in a $1.8 million loss to the Town.  The State has subsequently increased funding to North Andover, but also dramatically increased the assessments charged back.  Over the last five years the average percentage increase in State Receipts is just over 1%, while the average percentage increase in State Assessments is in excess of 30%.  In Fiscal Year 2007, for every dollar the State gave in additional receipts, 60 cents went right back to the State in increased Assessments.  Now add the increases in utilities, health insurance, contractual obligations, combined with the additional costs of unfunded mandates and you have just some of the reasons our Town is struggling to provide services each year.

My name is Dawn Crescitelli.  I have been a North Andover resident for 13 years.  I am a registered nurse in a large non-union Boston Hospital where I have served on numerous committees.

I am an involved parent of 2 children at the Thomson school.  I tend to vote as a fiscal and social moderate. I did not support the trash fee proposal at town meeting in 2006 because I did not believe it was well organized.  In short, I put a lot of thought and research into issues before I agree to tax and spend.

The town of North Andover has endured several years of severe fiscal deficits that have resulted in the elimination of critical positions in town.  This is true of the majority of municipalities within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts because of cuts in state aide to the perceived affluent communities.  We can not sustain any further cuts to public safety, senior center support, the town library or academic services.

Our town is suffering.  There is no fat to trim.  Budgets have been scrutinized and deemed valid.  Harry Harutunian is gone.  The blame game is over.  Our town is struggling for 2 basic reasons.  First, we lost almost all of our commercial tax revenue when Lucent closed shop.  Second, we are forced to comply with unfunded state mandates.  North Andover must adhere to state regulations and mandates but we have no say in the distribution of state aide and receive less than our fair share.  We need to lobby our elected officials at the state level to advocate for a more equitable state aide formula.

I AM supporting the override initiative on June 19th.  I think this was a well-researched, honest initiative that will support public safety, seniors, the town library and schools.  It is also a modest override that will help us get through a difficult fiscal crisis without undue strain.  On average, a homeowner can expect a tax increase of $200.00 for a home valued at $500,000.00 by voting YES on June 19th.  In return for that modest $200.00 increase (which works out to 56 cents per day), a police officer will be restored.  An outreach worker for the senior center will be reinstated, the library will be able to hire an assistant director and children will not sit in classes with 36 students per class.  This override is an investment in our town with an invaluable return.  The opponents of the override will tell you we don’t need an override.  Ask yourself...do we need police officers?  Senior center outreach workers?  Library services?  Well educated children?  If you said yes to any of these questions, then you said yes to an override.

Next we move to the debate of override vs underride.  Did the under ride proponents do their homework?  No.  They rushed to put forth a sloppy, hastily prepared proposal at a minimally attended Selectmen’s meeting 30 minutes prior to the start of the second night of town meeting.

Dear Letters to the Editor:

This letter is written in response to Judith Lee’s letter regarding my campaign to pass the $1.65 million override on June 19th.  I told a standing-room-only crowd of 72 kick-off meeting attendees that I “desperately” wanted this override to pass, because it’s the right course of action for our ENTIRE town.  I am not a member of NATA, I am not a member of TUFF, I am an advocate for our town with no future political ambitions.

READ MORE

May 28, 2007

Dear Letters to the Editor:

This letter is written in response to Judith Lee’s letter regarding my campaign to pass the $1.65 million override on June 19th.  I told a standing-room-only crowd of 72 kick-off meeting attendees that I “desperately” wanted this override to pass, because it’s the right course of action for our ENTIRE town.  I am not a member of NATA, I am not a member of TUFF, I am an advocate for our town with no future political ambitions.

From May 24, 2007 North Andover Citizen

The override allows the hiring of a Program Manager for Elder Services from part time to full time.

During the past nine months, every department in the Town of North Andover has been working to support the budget presented by the Town Manager, Finance Committee and our Board of Selectmen. The job was to present a balanced budget for each department at May 14’s annual Town Meeting for the approval of the town residents.

It is never easy to deal with the fear of job cutbacks and budget cuts. The support we have received from the community strengthens our ability to continue servicing the elders of North Andover. We have seen and heard how much the senior center means to the lives of so many of our participants and families serviced each year. We are very pleased this year with the increases in our operating budget. We now will be able to hire a part-time program manager. We received an increase in our Tax Work-off Program as well as funding for improvements to the senior center.

We still are facing many challenges in the future with the growing elder population. Transportation is the number one need in our community, followed by housing and healthcare.

I thank you for your continued faith in my staff and me. We thank the Finance Committee for their insight and the Town Manager and selectmen for their steadfast commitment to the community as a whole.

Irene M. O’Brien, Director
North Andover Elder Services

Register to join our email list to be kept up-to-date with information by going to www.northandover.org/email or visit www.northandover.org/volunteer if you would like to help.

You can view our mailer by clicking on this link. 

Answer - It is a revenue problem. When compared to similar communities, North Andover spends less to provide police, fire and education services to our community. We receive less in state aid and have a significantly lower commercial tax base to help support town services.

Question - LOSS OF SERVICE: What are some of the municipal and school services that have been lost in the last 4 years?

Answer - Our town has grown 8% since 2002 and we have decreased the number of sworn police officers, reduced Senior Services by 25% and reduced the Youth Center operating budget by 100% and its personnel by 25%. We have reduced library services to the point that our inter-library loan service is at risk of being terminated. We have reduced teaching staff in our schools, causing us to be ranked 348 out of 351 Massachusetts communities in teacher-to-student ratios. We have had a major loss of academic and related arts programs in our middle school and we have insufficient teaching staff to address the 29% population increase in the high school. We have closed the elementary and middle school libraries, imposed significant athletic fees and significantly reduced curriculum and professional development.

Question - OVERRIDE RESTORATION: What does the $1.65 million override fund?

Answer - The override restores a full-time program coordinator to Senior Services, a full-time program coordinator at the Youth Center, a full-time librarian to the Steven’s Memorial Library and one sworn police officer. It provides teaching staff to address overcrowding in the elementary classrooms, partially restores related arts programs and library services in the middle school and begins to restore some curriculum initiatives. It also provides funding for special educational programs to help reduce our reliance on high cost out-of-district placements.

This is a point by point rebuttal to the "Top Ten Reasons to Vote 'No'" document mailed by the Taxpayers United for Fiscal Responsibilty during the week of May 28, 2007.   View it HERE.

The following is a chart comparing North Andover and communities identified and used by the North Andover Taxpayers Association for comparision.   View it HERE.

This document demonstrates the impacts of the 2007 Override on the North Andover schools.   

CLICK HERE to read or print the document in color.

CLICK HERE to read or print this in black and white.

This document demonstrates the impacts of the 2007 Override on the North Andover schools.   

CLICK HERE to read or print the document in color.

CLICK HERE to read or print this in black and white.

Contact the Union Presidents in North Andover.

Fiscal ties between the Commonwealth and its localities.
FACING RISING COSTS, LIMITED LOCAL AID, AND RESTRICTIONS ON RAISING REVENUES,
MASSACHUSETTS CITIES AND TOWNS ARE EXPERIENCING A SERIOUS FISCAL SQUEEZE.  READ MORE

This is a link to a map of North Andover voting precincts:

http://www.northandover.org/sitedocuments/NorthAndoverPrecintMap.pdf

Here is a link to display the proposed restorations from the town meeting relating to the municipal and schools budgets if the override passes: 

http://www.northandover.org/sitedocuments/RestorationsMunicipalSchool.jpg

Here is a link to the Town of North Andover Joint Board of Selectment, School Committee, and Finance Committee Resolution concerning the FY07-08 General Fund Operating Budget.   Click here to read the document.

To the editors:

Re: Home values in North Andover

I am getting tired of people asking for alternatives or saying we need to do more for less rather than appropriately funding public education and other services in North Andover.

Here is a news flash - The only alternative we have to not funding schools in North Andover is a substandard school system with large class sizes and diminished home values. Ask any Realtor.

If you care to know, here is the data (Source MLS). Two years ago, in the preceding 12 months, the number of homes sold in North Andover was 323 with a median sales price of $559,000. Andover sold 366 with a median selling price of $580,600. Now, let’s compare this to the real estate market for the last 12 months.  In North Andover, there were 224 homes sold (a 31% drop) and in Andover 294 homes (a 20% drop). Even more disturbing is the decrease in home value. In the last 12 months, North Andover’s median price was $502,000 (-10.2%). In Andover, over the same period, the median was $550,000 (-5.1%). In summary, the value for homes in North Andover dropped twice as much as homes in Andover. If you look only at the last 6 months, the numbers are even worse. It is also interesting to note, one year ago with a new high school and before the schools imploded with the Harutunian mess and high school accreditation issues the median home price in Andover ($595K) and North Andover ($590K) was almost the same. Coincidence?  You decide.

We need better leaders. Having Dr. Ormsby state “I will never support an override” (School committee meeting 1/30/07) is irresponsible. We need leaders that can analyze the whole picture, not ones that govern with the attitude: I have made up my mind - don’t confuse me with facts. Town leaders should not be a slave to their own special interests at the expense of the broader community.