Election time is upon us in the Tri-Town area, and nomination papers are out. So far it appears there has been no great stampede to run for office. But there is still time.
My first foray into public office was on an appointed committee. I was recruited to join a local Bylaw Study Committee. The person who saw my vast potential went on to be a Massachusetts State Representative and later join the U.S. State Department as member of the George W. Bush administration. He became an expert on foreign affairs, an author and a Distinguished Professor of International Development at Texas A&M University. I mention this only to point out that even smart people can make mistakes.
Anyway, a Bylaw Study Committee reviews, analyzes and proposes new laws and decides if they should be presented to a Town Meeting for consideration by the public. During my time, we considered many important issues like whether to allow wood piles on residential property, or if yard sales should be banned on weekends.
Membership on the committee proved that a little power can be a dangerous thing.
My tenure on that committee taught me one thing, to love meetings so much that I began to attend all Finance Committee meetings, Select Board meetings and School Committee meetings. The local newspaper called me the town’s “official civic auditor.”
I was also on the Police/Fire Study Committee, the Dispatcher Review Committee, the Town Hall Restoration Study Committee and one or two others I have forgotten.
After over 10 years of that insanity, I ran for an elected spot on the School Committee. On my second try I won. During my six years as a member in good standing among the ruling class, I learned many things.
Being on the highest rated local cable TV show every week puts your opinions out there for the world to see. I learned that your phone never stops ringing and that few people call to express warm thoughts about those opinions.
Contract negotiations were the most fun. As a teacher myself at the time, it was a bit awkward to be on the adversarial side of the table. The teachers’ union lawyer happened to also represent me as the lawyer for the faculty at the college where I was teaching.
During one session, a physical education teacher on their side who had big muscles (did I mention she was a rugby player in college) and was nicknamed “Killa” by the students, threw a chair across the table. Thankfully, quick reflexes avoided injuries, though the chair was destroyed.
Another time, having to walk through a gauntlet of massive Teamsters, whom the union had enlisted for support, was, admittedly, intimidating.
After every meeting, which sometimes went on past my bedtime, there would be a reporter with a tape recorder asking for a quote. Once I woke up to my voice on the clock radio. None of what I had said was what I heard! They had edited my words to suit their narrative. I got a retraction, which was broadcast at 3:00 pm when nobody was listening. I never responded to a reporter’s questions after that.
There were good times. The superintendent’s Christmas party was always a blast. All expenses paid trips to resorts for conventions were always enjoyable. The annual trip to the State House to lobby our representatives and feast on a giant buffet of delicious food prepared by vocational schools was always fattening … er, fulfilling. So is public service. Go ahead, dive in.
You wouldn’t want to miss all the fun.
Editor’s note: Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and retired newspaper columnist whose musings are, after some years, back in The Wanderer under the subtitle “Thoughts on ….” Morgado’s opinions have also appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.
Thoughts on…
By Dick Morgado