To the Editor:

Thursday, June 8, started out like any other day. I had work to do, errands to run, a vet appointment for the dog, and kids to be transported to and from their usual activities. It was a normal day for a mother of two teens.

I had just dropped off one child at her horseback riding lesson and was heading down from Rochester to pick up the other one at Old Rochester Regional High School.

In an instant, my day changed. One moment, I was approaching the turn onto Route 6 from Spring Street in Marion and the next, my vehicle and I came to a stop behind the old Cumberland Farms gas station. The air bags had deployed and the front quarter panel was crumpled where the other car hit mine, but I was OK. The seat belt I was wearing did its job and restrained me. I had no apparent wounds and no broken bones. Other than being shaken up, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I exited the vehicle.

In an instant, I was surrounded by people. I was informed that someone had already called 911 and that help was on the way. One man placed his hand on my shoulder and just kept talking to me. Another brought me water. Still others brought me my purse, my lost shoe, and my glasses. And there were those who were helping the driver of the other vehicle, too.

In an instant, police officers, fire fighters, and EMTs were on the scene. They got right to work cleaning up the debris, asking questions, administering first aid, and performing their jobs in a very professional manner. In what seemed like no time at all, Officer DiCarlo had collected all the necessary information, and I was informed when and where I could get the accident report. I then watched as the two vehicles were towed away.

Ironically, a conversation I had earlier that morning centered on how quickly life can change and how each day you have to see the sun despite the clouds, hug your loved ones despite the disagreements, and be grateful for each moment you have because everything can change in an instant.

I walked away from the accident with some bruises and a new appreciation for what can happen in an instant. For in that instant, many people set aside their differences as they united to help the victims of an unfortunate accident. It didn’t matter that our races may have been different, our genders different, our religions different, or our political views different. None of the differences mattered. The only thing that mattered was that help was needed, and in that instant when two worlds collided, many stopped what they were doing to help. To all of you who rendered assistance on that fateful day, you have my heartfelt gratitude. You entered my world – if only for an instant – and made it a better place. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Marcy Smith, Rochester

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

To the Editor:

I read with great interest the recent Letter to the Editor from Chris Collings concerning the spending habits of the Town of Marion. In particular, Mr. Collings describes the spending habits of the Town as “uncontrolled.” He lays the blame squarely on the use of “Free Cash,” describing its use as “undisciplined behavior.”

Recognizing that the language of municipal government can be confusing, it would first be helpful to truly and accurately define this thing we call “free cash.” It is a revenue source that results from the calculation, as of July 1st in any given year, of a community’s remaining, unrestricted funds from its operations of the previous fiscal year based on the balance sheet as of June 30th. It typically includes actual receipts in excess of revenue estimates and unspent amounts in departmental budget line items for the fiscal year just ended, plus unexpended free cash from the previous year.

Like most cities and towns, Marion uses free cash to support current-year operations. In fact, it is well established and sound financial policy for a town to generate free cash in an amount equal to three to five percent of its annual budget. This goal helps deter free cash from being depleted in any particular year. To accomplish this, we generate conservative revenue projections and departmental appropriations.

As a nonrecurring revenue source, free cash should be primarily restricted to paying one-time expenditures, funding capital projects, or replenishing other reserves. In concert with prudent debt management and the establishment of reserves, free cash is an integral part of a plan to manage municipal finances in both the short-term and the long-term. The use of free cash as outlined is neither “undisciplined behavior” nor is it “unfettered spending.”

If, in fact, the Town’s spending habits were as described by Mr. Collings, it is hard to imagine that Marion would achieve and maintain a “AAA” bond rating. Such a rating is granted only to those operations demonstrating strong and prudent financial discipline with a high degree of credit worthiness. We are proud of that designation and work hard every day to maintain it.

Thank you for the opportunity to offer this clarification.

Sincerely,

Jonathan “Jody” Dickerson, Chairman

Marion Board of Selectmen

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.