STAYEN’ PUT: We had heard a rumor that Kingston Intermediate School Principal Bill O’Brien was thinking about leaving. Don’t know where this all started but we felt it was a credible enough source to ask Bill. He smiled a moment and said “Not true. My wish is to stay on here until retirement. Kingston provided me with an opportunity that I have not forgotten.” There you go, right from the source.

TOP 100: Quite a hoopla about the recent Newsweek magazine report of the top 100 high schools in the country…of which Silver Lake does not appear. The highest ranked Massachusetts school is Weston, weighing in at #36. The next school to rank in the top 100 is Duxbury at #84. We got the expanded list that goes as far as 804. Other Mass schools that show up are Lexington (171), Dover-Sherborn (180), Acton-Boxborough (250), Newton South (303), Westwood (342), Wayland (387), Wellesley (423), Longmeadow (601), Needham (658), Milton (715), Newton North (739), Brookline (765), Belmont (770), and Lincoln-+Sudbury (795). Interesting to note the absence of towns like Cohasset, Scituate, Norwell and no schools on the Cape. With all the money we spend on our schools, we’re left a little flat. Do however, read our guest editorial on page 5 which reacts to this list.

GARRY’S BACK: The Ringside snoops thought they caught a glimpse of a family moving into a home in Rocky Nook. It looked an awful lot like sewer commissioner Garry Monahan and clan. The prodigal sewer aficionado has returned from a stay in Quincy where they have been living since their North Street house decided to become a body double of the leaning tower of Pisa during a Larry Slot trading spaces contest. One must conclude that it will be some time before the original residence is either righted or torn down. In the meantime it still sits there, ever the hazard. Paul Armstrong: Please make note.

WALKING HEADS? Word on the street is that Marjorie and Harley Cadenhead will be selling all their Wapping Road property and moving out of town by the end of this summer. The gossip is that they want to be closer to children and grandchildren who all reside out of state. Harley is supposedly going to resign from the sewer commission and the property will be merged with an adjacent 16 acres to become a new sub-division. A cool $1 million is the whispered price. Marjorie laughed when she heard the rumored price: “I wish” she said. In all candor, Marjorie said it is an idea they are considering. At this stage of their lives they do long to be closer to family. “Harley really balks at the idea of leaving Kingston” said Marjorie, “so who knows what we may end up doing.”

SHERRIF’S RACE: Remember we told you that Joe Palombo was considering a run for Sheriff? Our latest information is that Joe has been approached by an emissary from a politically active and prominent Brockton family and asked to consider waiving his plans. Why? Because Bobby, oops, did we say that… is considering a run and the pols believe he has a better shot at unseating Joe McDonough then does Palombo. In return, Joe would get a top seat for being a good doobie and taking one for the team. Now, keep in mind, these are all democrats we’re talking about, so it could mean the party is not happy with McDonough. What will Palombo do? Unless he’s crazy, he’ll pad the deal and go with the program. The Lawton’s still pack a lot of clout. Oops, there we go again, did we say Lawton?

BUDGET WOES: Sheriff Joe McDonough hurts himself when his budget management skills are called into question. The Brockton Enterprise has been eating him alive over his alleged financial problems in running the jail. There’s that Brockton connection again.

3-A TRAFFIC: Is there nothing the town can do to alleviate the increasing traffic woes along Route 3-A? You would think that between all these political giants in Kingston a game plan would be on the table. The bridgework is the major culprit. Why not work a late night shift instead of the peak day work hours? The selectmen and the police chief need to sit down and devise a remedy. Dick Kenney must have a plan for the chief.

PAY UP! We got a kick out of the way one townhouse employee described the fines that the sewer commissioners are assessing people who hooked up to the sewer line after July 1, 2002. “Fines should not be used as a fundraising tool. It should be a weapon of last resort” he said. It is interesting to note, based on public information at the office of the town clerk, the sewer commission sent out 348 violation tickets with another 53 coming up. Now why would 53 more be placed on hold by the commission? Also, there are people who connected late that never received a fine notification. We spoke with one on Summer Street just the other day. You think it depends on who’s the drainlayer?

COMEBACK KID? There is talk that David Fitzgerald will try to make a political comeback next year… or sooner. If Harley Cadenhead resigns from the sewer commission he’ll put his name in for an appointment for the un-expired term. If that fails to happen, he could try and get back on the board of health. Heck, they haven’t had a lawsuit since he left. Dave is seeking something, anything, just a toehold to gain back the glory days. Who knows, we might even bring back Kingston Old Home Day. Trivia question: Where’d it go anyway?

NO STICKER: We got a call from a woman who has an interesting problem. She has trash service so has no need to frequent the landfill, thus no sticker. There are no beach stickers being sold because Gray’s Beach won’t open until at least July. The woman does, however, use the Ah-Dee-Nah to launch her boat and therefore utilizes the parking lot…which requires either a dump or beach sticker. She is being threatened with a ticket if “caught” using the facility again. She is a long term Kingston resident and business owner. We will endeavor to resolve the issue. Anyone else have the same problem?

GRINDER BUMPS: We hear there are no more grinder pumps in the Sewer Commission arsenal of equipment. Therefore, how is someone requiring one supposed to get hooked up to the sewer line? The Reed Community Center needs one. We bet you thought the Reed was already hooked up. None of the municipal buildings are. Now, what about double standards?

MAURICE SPLAINE will be back next year as Assistant Superintendent K-6. What started out as an interim appointment for the retired ex-superintendent, is turning into a new career. The man is one of the most effective administrators we have in the bullpen.

SLRSC RANTINGS: We love the fact that Joan Rogers, a Halifax member of the Regional School Committee did not attend her very first meeting since being elected. She won’t make the next one either…travel plans you know. When she finally does appear, it won’t really make any difference, we hear the Halifax and Plympton contingent all sing from the same hymnal under the direction of Kingston’s Geralde Buckley. Speaking of Mrs. Buckley, we were amused by the sanctimonious speech she gave when nominated to once again chair that dysfunctional majority. She crowed about being the most knowledgeable member of the lot, while extolling the virtues of her leadership. Let’s see, the mismanaged school bus sex scandal and the threat to stop Pembroke kids from graduating with their tri-town peers both happened on her watch. So Gerry, what is the definition of leadership? The only bright lights on the committee are John Creed, Brian Caseau and Tom Calter, all from Kingston. Unfortunately, they’ll be outvoted 6-3 all year, that’s if Rogers shows up. As a postscript, we were aghast that Buckley, once elected chair for a second year, failed to welcome Kingston’s newly elected member Tom Calter to the committee.

PEMBROKE KIDS could find themselves as pawns once again next year. John Creed made a motion to avoid a reoccurrence of this year’s laugher when Pembroke students almost lost out on graduating with their tri-town buddies. It could have served to send a message that the kids should never be caught in the middle of the adult games involving the financial issues that dissolution brings. This school committee does not learn from history. The motion failed 5-3. Yup, you guessed it, Buckley joined Halifax and Plympton once again. These loveable little cherubs would come in second to the rats in a maze experiment.

AUDIT PLAUDIT? We think not. Way back when we bemoaned the fact that the Audit Committee hadn’t submitted a set of minutes to the town clerk for many, many months. We think that must be about a year now. Somehow, during that year Ted Alexiades became chairman (surprise). Why is it we draw no comfort from a committee whose function it is to be a check and balance, when they fail to monitor their own actions?

DEAD WOOD: Reports to the Ringside Observer is that most of the trees that were planted to hide unsightly sewer pumping stations, have died or are in death throes. Wonder what that cost?

SILENCE PLEASE: Although selectman chair Olly DeMacedo was quoted as saying that colleague Dick Kenney should apologize to Chief Fogg in particular and the public in general, it never happened. He was referring to the Observer story of last month when Kenney used his position to try and fix a ticket, give a family member a leg up on a police position, and whisked original selectmen’s records out of the town hall containing a 28 year old executive session discipline hearing. DeMacedo said that unless Kenney brought it up on his own at a selectmen’s meeting, he would bring it up himself. That too never happened. Did we ever think Olly would actually do it? No. The statement was simply for the moment. It made a good update in our on-line edition. It had nothing to do with reality. The message it imparts… It’s ok Dick, as you were.

40-B SITE: What with all the goings on pertaining to Chapter 40-B housing, we stumbled to an interesting web site in Marshfield. Log on to their web site at marshfieldaction.com. There is no question that issues like the Beacon 700 unit-housing plan adjacent to the railroad station have the potential of having tremendous impacts on this community. Look over the website, evaluate all the available local information, and come to an informed decision on how you feel. Our on-line question last month was whether or not the Beacon proposal would raise, lower or have no impact on the tax rate. Alarmingly, the vast majority feels that our taxes will increase.

COPPER BEECH Drive is just one possibility for a solution to the access and egress problem for the 700 unit-housing complex being proposed up on the O’Donnell property now under option by Beacon Development out of Boston. There is talk, albeit private, that re-opening the road is a possibility. What are other equally quiet solutions? How about through Raboth Road and out Fred Tonsberg’s Indian Pond Estates…Fred would certainly welcome the added traffic that the affordable housing residents would generate past his upscale restaurant, right? Raboth Road, if paved for its less then two mile length would put access right through his subdivision. Don’t like those options? How about the talk of running a road through Camp Nekon and find some connection with the mall access road? All good thoughts right?

JUNE BALLINGER passed away last month as we were going to press. With June’s death went an era. The colorful political watchdog was more often right then wrong. She will be long remembered and not likely to be replaced. Read her eulogy on our website at KingstonObserver.com

ONE YEAR ago the Davis barn on Pottle Street was totally destroyed at the hands of an arsonist. Neither reward notices nor investigations ever provided the leads necessary for an arrest, much less a suspect. Not only that, but there has been no decision as to whether or not there will be a trial to determine who actually owns the land the charred remains sit on. All this is certainly one of the dark spots of Kingston history.

BEACHED WAIL: Once again the Recreation Commission got too late a start at Gray’s Beach. Last year’s venue was a washout and we have the same fears for this year. The Commission plans on a grand re-opening with a bang by July 4. Frankly, that would come as a shock. The renovation project is not moving ahead on schedule. Once again, we must commiserate with Tom Taylor who “won” the bid to run the concession stand. He saw only limited use last year and appears to be well on his way to be snookered again this year. We have but one public beach in this ocean community and it hasn’t seen a full season of service in two years. We are certain the commissioners mean well, but last year should have been a wakeup call. The voting public has opened its pocketbooks for Gray’s Beach renovations for several years now… it’s time to get on the stick. Take a drive down there and see why the Ringside Observers are once again worked up over this issue. You’ll see a few haybales, a fair amount of silt fence, but not the type of erosion control that merges the two into an effective tool. Surely there must be some kind of Conservation Commission Order of Conditions in play; we don’t see it.