Sept. 13: Energy and Environment Committee meeting

[Ken Krause]

The City of Medford Energy and Environment Committee's monthly meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Monday, September 13, via Zoom. The agenda is attached here.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/96291215902

Meeting ID: 962 9121 5902

The Medford Energy and Environment Committee's mission is to promote policies and actions that make Medford more sustainable by encouraging resource conservation, improving climate resiliency, and increasing the use of renewables to meet present and future needs of the Medford community.

[Arthur A. DeLuca]

Despite the fictional common belief that the internet is a public forum/meeting place, it is not! The internet is a PRIVATE realm. You must own a technological device to access it. You must also pay an internet provider's charges in order to access the internet. It's about as public as a movie theater; many members of the public go to a movie theater to sharde the group participatory experience of viewing a movie together; but they must PAY to do so. True, some may have been given complimentory passes, are were "let in" buy a friend on the inside who waits at the fire door, or maybe by other means. but as a whole it is a paying experience. As such it is a totally inapproprite forum for the govermnet to address its citizens and is absolulely improper to hold ersatz "Open" meetings. It is really meeting in secret (secret to those whio can't afford to pay but wish to participate. Even streaming these meetings on the internet , or playing them on TV does not make them Open. One cannot participate in them without paying someone. This is not what America is about. Many of our residents are being excluded from the full benefits of their government, their rights to fully partiicipate, because of their economic situation. NO ONE should be charged to participate in our Government! It is a high order of discrimination, akin to the banned practice of poll taxes. Yet this and other forms of discrimination abound in Medford and are increasing at an alarming rate. Wright's pond fees are outrageous. The pond was a GIFT from the Wright's family to the residents of Medford. One does not pay for their gift. Again, the pandemic not-withstanding; last year's having to book the pond in 2 hour units (and only over the internet, and only pay with a credit card, and no refunds or credits if you can't show up - or if it rains that day and you can't use the pond- or aren't allowed to use it) all of these things are nothing more that thinly disguised methods to "weed out" who the "upper crust" (those who have the ability to manage the hurdles) consider a "less desirable element". It is a form of at least bigotry and may even rise to the level of Racism. Medford is becoming a "Gated Community" controled by people who meet regularly in these secret "public" meetings aand DARE to claim they actually represent the diverse (but rapidly becoming less diverse) population of Medford. From making our public streets "residents only" (can you say NIMBY?) with claims that traffic is dangerously speed ing down our side streets . Let's see the Police Department's data on the traffic volume as studied by those vehicle counting hoses laid across our side roads or even radar gun reports of same - they don't exist; they weren't done. It was only from the allegations made by small groups of people at such meetings that the determinations were made. The group of people show up, no opposing group was there, so the deed was done without the City investigating the validity of the claims. No such studies were done of the streets in my neighborhood (North Medford), yet this restrictions wefre suddenly made on our side roads (along with many other ares of Medford) 2 years ago, by our then mayor (perhaps in an attempt to curry votes?) Our current Mayor hasn't done anything to right these injustices, but let's face it, COVID19 most certainly takes priority for practicly her entire term. Still, all these little rights-taking procedures not only remain, but are being frequently added to. Whether it be the "Go Green" groups who ignore actual science and biology, destroying the green with their decisions rather than saving it; , enacting a Community "Preservation" Act that actually destroys our community (100% of the funding comes from real eststate sales/property taxes, yet only 20-60% of the money goes back into housing, making homes unffordable faster than it makes them affordable); earmarking money to build bike paths and such along the Mystic River when the rising sea level is going to put it under water in about ten years (to say nothing of the storm damage worsening from the climate changed weather. Yes. Please continue to rule us with your pet projects for your playtimes or your "fashionable" causes that make things worse rather than save (I imagine you've all read that cloth bags report that's going around). Please continue to build your high-rise housing with their common entrances and HVAC air systems that are more susceptable to spreading COVID-19) and the other ills that science tells us are now the norm.

Maybe it's time to stop letting the greed of the few rule our decisions and start listening to the needs of the suffering.

-Arthur DeLuca-

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