Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone...

Perhaps it’s time to back up and explain ourselves more clearly.

On December 7…no not that sneak attack, the people who gave us the means to find a new name for large growth by calling it "Smart", set out to honor those who followed the call. Thus, the Commonwealth set up an internal hoopla in Worcester called The Smart Growth/Smart Energy Conference. Kingston was one of a couple of towns earmarked for receiving the self fulfilling honor. Town Planner Tom Bott applied for the award in which he identified himself as the project’s "Manager." That title had to be new for everybody, but, nonetheless, if you’re writing the application, you can call yourself whatever you want. Tom was also a participant in a seminar extolling the virtues of the 40-R project he "managed."

Mark Beaton was also a participant as a member of Kingston’s Green Committee and chief architect of a vehicle idling doctrine that would have put Green Tickets in the hands of us civilians to issue. Fines collected would be filtered into the Green Committee who never figured out how long was too long to be idling, and how do you determine the dollar value of the fine and what happens if the offender just says, "bug off, Mr. Beaton should be fined for just turning the key of his red, 6-wheeled mammoth." No wonder Beaton was upset when Joe Kelleher called the action that of a "Police State" and other members made him pull the language that would have turned the civilian population into carbon vigilantes. What was probably more upsetting is that Beaton had already submitted his presentation to the Pooba’s in Worcester before the Selectmen ever voted on it. They pulled out the offensive language and Mark had to do some backsliding. (The original version is still on line) That bit of presumption should give pause to most men, but Mark agreed to take a greatly watered down version of the "Proclamation." As we think about it, how could Mark make that decision on his own? One would think that, as a member of a committee you would have to run such a major deletion back to its other members…just for yucks anyway. By the way…Beaton had to provide credentials to all the environmental bigwigs, Marks labeled himself as a…"Publican." That got us running to the dictionary. First definition is "a collector of public revenues, tolls, etc." That’s not bad; we can see that, actually. The second definition is more apt, "saloonkeeper, innkeeper." We’re not gonna go there.

What is key to understand here is that the Selectmen met days prior to the Worcester "You scratch my back I’ll scratch yours" award. Never a mention to the TV audience or those assembled of this auspicious happening. We’ve seen no award, no photograph (a photographer was there, provided by the State, to capture the moment, or anything for that matter to "celebrate" the event. The "wall" is crying out for more decorative effects in celebration of "look at what we pulled off." Even Angus Jennings from Concord Square Development was there as a speaker. You didn’t forget Angus, it was his company that served as a paid consultant to have provided a "peer revue" of the 40-R project and emerged as cheerleader for what is yet to come

OK, we could say these were so excited by their new found fame that they forgot to issue a photograph, forgot to hang the certificate or trophy or whatever, and forgot to let the people know about the award via the cable network. But that would mean they also forget to tell anyone about the next award that came exactly a week later on December 14 in Lawrence, MA. This time it was the Massachusetts Division of the American Planning Association who presented Kingston with an "Outstanding Planning Award for Planning." This little ditty was as the result of being nominated by a barrister named R. Lindsay Wilson. Sound familiar? He’s the guy who chaired the 40-R Design Review Committee and sits as an active member of the Urban Land Institute (who partnered with the State and provided money to run the Worcester event a week earlier). Accepting the award for Kingston was the ubiquitous Tom Bott (a member of and immediate past President of the APA). Assisting him in that capacity was, here we go again, Angus Jennings. We wonder why Jennings, a hired hand whose company got a lot of money from Kingston for consulting, is accepting an award on our behalf?

This latest APA Award has never seen the light of day here in town. Again, nothing to adorn "The Wall." We asked Kevin Donovan "what’s the deal with this newest silent award?" The Town Administrator knew nothing about this award, neither did Selectman Joe Kelleher. We suspect there may be other awards that we never hear about and maybe we already missed a few.

When asking the question as to why these awards are known only by those who are participating in them, or serving as members or affiliates of the same entities presenting them, we suspect the answer.

These awards have little to do with the Town of Kingston. They are predictable and self serving having more benefit to those personally involved in them; credentials gathering as it were. Don’t be surprised to see a fellow like Bott to be career shopping as we speak. Tom’s ticket was stamped Atlanta, then Kingston and probably a position in the private sector. After all, he was the "Manager" of one of the biggest 40-R housing projects in Massachusetts and the recipient of various "awards" and folderol. Angus Jennings will get a fat raise, and even more opportunities to "peer review" 40-R projects that are destined to pass.