Duff White
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On the article Attleboro High on 'Challenging Schools' List
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On the article Cover-up Alleged in School Lunch Scandal
Duff White
4:54 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013
ReplySo, not having a child in APS, I am unfamiliar with the school's lunch policy. I googled Attleboro Public Schools lunch menu and was taken to a site with links for each school in the system. A few more clicks and pricing details and menus were right there. Student prices at Cohelo were $2.60 & $.40 per meal. So if I send in a check each month for $52 or $8 I am covered for the month (for 1 child). If children are allowed to purchase extra alacarte, clearly the balance would be depleted more quickly, but that is my responsibility as a parent to speak with my child.
The people who denied food were wrong, unequivocally.
The food service handles 80 schools and this is the only one known to have this problem which indicates an isolated incident and not a corporate policy.
At the end of the day, like many situations, multiple parties were each partially to blame for a bad situation.
Parents, keep better track of what is going on. I believe it is pretty well established that Whitson's will handle this differently in the future. APS should look into service providers which offer online monitoring of the balance and the opportunity to add to the balance online as well.
Or we could, wait for it.......let the kids pay for lunch like we used to, with cash.
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On the article Councilor Rips ARA, Board Members Fire Back
Duff White
7:39 pm on Sunday, March 17, 2013
What Mr. Chase fails to acknowledge is that at every level of government, effective leaders communicate with members of the legislative branch to bring forth positive proposals. It is not uncommon for the president, a governor or a mayor to work with various members of key committees to create a solution which is agreeable to most prior to its introduction, Mayor Dumas is no different and as a result, most proposals pass. Mr. Chase never had that working relationship with the mayor's office, any department head or fellow councilors and as a result, he was largely ineffective during his term.
Mr. Chase: we understand, you dislike the Mayor and Councilors Cook, Blais and Kirby, does that mean that they are wrong?
March 15, The Sun Chronicle ran an article referring to the "dire financial picture" North Attleboro is facing, Rehoboth is its own running sitcom and Seekonk has its constant battles. Despite its imperfections, Attleboro is in better shape than many surrounding communities.
The Industrial Business Park happened along at a time when the economy reached its worst state since the Great Depression and is likely to be an albatross for years to come but that does not mean that the rest of the projects are bad. Who better to run the ARA than Judy Robbins? The IBP was her idea so nobody will work harder to make it work. If you look at the concept for the Intermodal Transportation Center, you will see a great project for our community.
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On the article Councilor Rips City's Handling of Storm Recovery
Duff White
1:36 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
Mr. Glass:
I announced that I would not seek re-election. I continued to attend meetings and played a substantial role in the passage of the Child Safety Zone ordinance and stopping a company that would have put the lives of Attleboro residents and surrounding communities at risk. That is hardly quitting.
To the contrary, the reason that I announced I would not seek re-election as early as I did was to encourage the entrance of potential candidates who would have otherwise not run.
Say whatever you like if you are accurate about my record. As an elected official, that is part of the position.
To this day, I remain proud of my accomplishments on the Council.
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On the article Councilor Rips City's Handling of Storm Recovery
Duff White
1:09 pm on Thursday, February 14, 2013
Mr. Chase: If ever there was a city councilor who would know exactly what constitutes violating the obligations by law, ordinance and council rule it would be you. Let us not forget that the week following your outburst, President Cook read into the public record emails which you authored. At least one of these emails contained an admonishment from another councilor that your correspondence was a violation of the law. Your follow-up action was to attempt to hide additional violations from Council leadership.
In truth, an October 14, 2008 headline in The Sun Chronicle reads: Attleboro City Council to make illegal e-mails public.
Is it possible, Mr. Chase, that some of your animosity towards some current members of the council is rooted in the fact that you were exposed as a law breaker?
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On the article How Do You Rate Attleboro's Storm Recovery Effort?
Duff White
2:54 pm on Monday, February 11, 2013
Reply@ Roni:
The reference to the other cities is because the whiners are stating that the other places are better. I don't think our roads are perfect but I do know that there are places worse. Again, I point out that this was one of the top 5 storms on record for amount of snow so to expect that the streets will be pristine a few hours after the snow stops is unrealistic. BTW, RI had the same driving ban in place.
There are approximately 270 miles of road within the city limits. Many people have posted about the extensive time it took to clear their driveway, but nobody seems willing to extrapolate that out the the road system. That seems fair.
I live on a cul de sac, my road is passable. The cul de sac itself has huge piles of snow still in the road, but each resident can get out and emergency vehicles can get in. Don't need more at this point and don't want the limited assets out there focusing on a street with 8 houses when there are more heavily traveled roads to be treated.
Kids are lazy? I would absolutely put that squarely on the shoulders of the DPW.
Don't compare Attleboro Providence or Boston? Okay, then stop comparing Attleboro to smaller communities with less roadways to clear and the same number of trucks we have.
Having served as chair of the Transportation & Traffic committee for 2 years, I can assure you I look very closely at our roads compared to all other communities, we do a better job.
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On the article How Do You Rate Attleboro's Storm Recovery Effort?
Duff White
10:36 am on Monday, February 11, 2013
ReplyA few observations for those posting the negative comments:
1- How many of your driveways are down to bare pavement? I know that despite using shovels, a snow blower and salt, mine still has snow.
2- I drove to Pawtucket yesterday do shovel and had to detour through a gas station because of the car stuck in the snow at a traffic light. This was after seeing a driver digging his car out of the entrance to a side road.
3- Look at Long Island and CT where no driving ban was in place. Today they are still trying to remove abandoned vehicles so they can plow.
4- Hire the neighborhood kids to shovel for you. That's how we made money and that was in western New York where they know what snow is.
5- Attleboro is one of the few remaining communities in New England that clears sidewalks. In Providence, Pawtucket and Boston, homeowners who have yet to clear the walks near their homes are currently subject to fines.
Thank you to all of the people working to clear out from one of the top 5 snowfalls on record. Keep up the good work.
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On the article Ugly Dog Books Supports Creativity and Reading in Attleboro
Duff White
5:51 am on Friday, January 18, 2013
ReplyKim has created a place that is fun for kids of all ages, relaxing and worthy of not only a visit but regular visits.
Our son has participated in several of the Ugly Dog creative writing workshops to have fun and his teachers are really impressed at his progress this year.
Kim encourages better writing by having kids more fully develop the characters they are writing about and the storyline starts to evolve organically.In an age where book stores are being shut out by online, this locally owned store is growing and helping the community.
Stop in and see the big things offered in this little store!
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On the article Marijuana Talk Headed to Attleboro Committee
Duff White
8:16 am on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
ReplyExcellent idea to discuss this now councilors!
Without action by the council, a dispensary could be allowed by right anywhere general business (GB) is currently zoned. Anything "allowed by right" can operate as long as all of the paperwork is in order and the proper inspections are met. Multiple sites throughout the city which are GB are too close to schools.
While I have not looked at it, it would seem likely that most daycare centers which are not home located are probably with a GB zone. In California, multiple dispensaries have turned into the medical marijuana equivalent of a coffee shop, if that to evolve locally, I would not want it near children.
The city of Attleboro may very well end up with a dispensary and the majority of voters support the concept, having a say as to where the business is located is not an attempt to sidestep the will of the voters or anti-business, it is simply good leadership.
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On the event Attleboro City Council Meeting
Duff White
4:07 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
F:
Typically the public is provided an opportunity to speak if the matter before the council requires a public hearing.
I have not spoken with any councilors regarding this proposal, but it is my understanding that the matter is simply being introduced tonight, which typically is not a venue for public comment.You can always contact your ward councilor directly or any of the At-Large councilors. Their contact information is on the Council web page.
Duff White
9:16 pm on Friday, May 3, 2013
Jerry: has anyone in the city of Attleboro ever done anything right in your eyes? Let's say that the results are "padded" as you say, there must be thousands of schools doing the same thing nationwide or else, the padding would make Attleboro number one nationally. And I am sure that all of the students who have busted their tails to undertake the challenge of AP courses and the like appreciate your demeaning their accomplishments.
Not everything in the world is a conspiracy, not everyone is someone else's pawn and sometimes, good things are the result of hard work and desire by the collective.
Congratulations to all who have worked to gain such recognition.