More praise

It may have been a while since I recognized anyone, but that doesn't mean there was no one to be recognized. Here's the latest list of kudos...


In the spreadsheet to the left, you can see - department by department - money saved from last year's budget. More than $1.7 million was saved - about 1.5 percent of the entire budget - an accomplishment that deserves some serious recognition. Kudos to every department and employee who had a hand in these savings.

Too often, the news about Falmouth is less than flattering, so it was good to see Officers Anthony DeVito and James Rogers put us in a good light.

Selectman Ahmed Mustafa, for wearing a jacket.

A belated kudos to Selectman Mustafa for sticking to his guns. Several years ago, he voted against giving a license to a fortune teller who had not yet resided in town for the required year. A year later, the individual returned asking for the license, but still had not proven a year of residency. Over Selectman Mustafa's objections, the Board of Selectmen granted the license. Now we learn that there have been complaints filed with the police against the business, the person given the license is no longer in Falmouth, and the business in question is being run by someone who has no license.

Selectman Kevin Murphy for telling it like it is. During a joint meeting with the Community Preservation Committee he stated, "We don't have an open space crisis in this town, we have an affordable housing crisis." A close look at a map of Falmouth reveals a tremendous amount of protected, undeveloped land, but some parts of town have little or no affordable housing.

The Affordable Housing Committee for their tenacity. You don't solve a crisis by being timid, and these folks took action.

George Spivey, who declined a real office at the high school for a desk in the hall. Why? So he can watch the students as they walk by and pull individuals aside to talk with them.

For that matter, kudos to the staff at Falmouth High School, who are doing the best they can under terrible working conditions over which they have no control.

Conservation Administrator Jenn McKay and Conservation Commission Chairman Betsy Gladfelter for doing what was asked of them, and keeping cool heads before the selectmen. If we assume that there should be fees for conservation permits, they did their homework trying to justify why those fees should be increased.

Precinct 8 town meeting representative Margo Finnell for pressuring the High School Building Committee to put the minutes of their meetings in the library.