Halifax Town Clerk Susan Lawless has announced the  schedule for the Nov. 8, 2022 State and Special Town Elections – Early Voting Schedule.

The 2022 State and Special Town Elections are scheduled to occur on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth Street, in the Gymnasium from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Early Voting Sessions will be held at the Halifax Town Hall, 499 Plymouth Street, in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room on the following dates and times:

Saturday, Oct. 11, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m – 2 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 25,  10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 26,  10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 27, from    10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Saturday Oct. 29,  8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Monday Oct. 31, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 1, 8 a.m.   4 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 2,  8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 3, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m

Friday, Nov. 4 – Absentee Ballot Voting by appointment only. Please call the Clerk’s Office at (781) 293-7970 to make this appointment.

For any questions related to Elections, Voter Registration, and/or Early Voting, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office by calling (781) 293-7970 or e-mail ClerksOffice@halifax-ma.org.

The one-man Board of Selectmen met in-person on Tuesday, Sept. 27. Selectman Jonathan Selig began the meeting with the tedious task of approving minutes, warrants, bills, payments, and recycling abatements.

Town Administrator Search

Selig told those in attendance that they had formed the Search Committee who will be reviewing candidates for the open Town Administrator position. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan is currently filling in as an interim acting Town Administrator until the position can be filled on a permanent basis. Town Clerk Sue Lawless will be serving as the Chair of the Search Committee. Other municipal employees serving include Police Chief Joao Chaves, Fire Chief Mike Witham, and Nolan. Three citizens- at-large will also be serving. “It’s… a common practice to have both people in Town Hall as part of the Committee and then outside of Town Hall as well,” Selig explained. He said the three citizens that would be serving are Mel Conroy, Frank Johnston, and Candy Kniffen.

“Our post is live now; the ad is out and being advertised as we speak for our new Town Administrator; it will remain open for four weeks. After that time, the Sub-Committee will gather those resumes, look through, screen them, then after that screening process, hopefully whittle them down, bring in some folks for interviews and then whittle them down again to hopefully present to the Selectmen,” Selig explained of the process and the role of the Sub-Committee.

Veteran’s Day Celebration

Selig said that the town’s Veteran’s Day celebration will be on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. “If you forget, just remember 11,” Selig joked. He said that more details will be to come from acting Veteran’s Agent Steve Littlefield.

Election Updates

A number of appointments were made for election day workers. They included Pamela Adduci, Frederick Corrigan, Anne Hodge, Robert Kniffen, Dorothy Lamoureux, Hope McIver, Christina Palmer, Linda Saviano, Sarah Sloat, and Karen Thompson.

Selig provided an election update saying that they do now have candidates for the two open Selectmen positions. For the term expiring in 2025, there is one candidate, John Bruno. For the term expiring in 2024, there are five candidates – Dennis Carman, Mary Gravinese, Dave Mascio, Najwa Nessralla, and William Smith. Selig said, “I would like to personally thank those guys and gal for taking the time to get into the race. It’s not an easy thing to do; I think they deserve our appreciation and our credit; it’s not always easy to throw your hat in the ring and put yourselves out there so good luck to all of the candidates.”

Selig also voted to approve early voting for the Nov. 8 Selectmen’s race. Dates for early voting include Saturday, Oct. 22 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m, Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the week of Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 29 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The week prior to the election the hours will be Saturday, Oct. 29 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the week of Oct. 31.

EV Charging Station and ADA Ramp

“Some exciting news, we now have an electronic vehicle charging station that will be here at the parking lot at Town Hall… we hope to have that up and running next week,” Selig said of the new EV charging station. He said it will be on a card system.

Selig also provided an update on the ADA ramp at the Town Hall. “It was taking up our main stairway, we’ve been able to move it over to our permanent home,” Selig said. He thanked Scott Materna and the building crew and said he was happy to provide better access to the Town Hall.

Nolan said that the lining of the handicap spots in the parking lot would be happening soon as well.

KINGSTON -”Senior Center Selections- work from the class of Violet Barry” will be on display in October 2022 at Kingston Public Library.

The art gallery at Kingston Public Library will be hosting several selections of art from the classroom of COA art instructor, Violet Barry for the month of October. Ms. Berry came back to teaching after a long and varied career in the classroom working with children of all ages, as well as being a portrait painter, and a stained-glass artist.

When she returned to the classroom, this time she chose a new group to share her talent, Senior Citizens. Ms. Barry sees them as “wonderfully talented” and her class has become “like family and dear friends” and she is “so proud of all their work.”

The exhibit will be on view in the Library’s gallery throughout October 2022. The Kingston Public Library is open Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays 10 to 5 p.m. and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 10-8 p.m.

The Silver Lake High boys’ cross country team had no issue taking down the Scituate Sailors in their opener last week.

The Lakers faced off against Scituate on Thursday, Sept. 8, and won in a dominant fashion. They beat their foe 19-39 to improve to 1-0 on the season. The Lakers had a number of strong performances from their runners.

Spencer Cook (14:00) came in first place in the race. Meanwhile, the team took four of the top five slots. Alex Risio earned a third-place finish, Gavin McCarthy came in fourth, and Frankie Cuozzo had a fifth-place finish. And with his eighth-place finish, Jack Maloney helped the Lakers secure the win.

The girls also raced against Scituate on the same day but fell 16-43. Erin Flaherty had the top performance for the Lakers in that one; she had a fifth-place finish.

The next contest for both the boys and the girls will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 20 on the road against the Whitman-Hanson Panthers (4 p.m. start time).

Are the lawsuits of Gordon C. Andrews v. the Town of Halifax finally over?  They may well be.

The Massachusetts Land Court ruled in favor of Andrews on all counts in a decision that came down last week on Aug. 23.

Since 2014, Andrews, an Elm St. resident and abutter to the Amanda’s Estates property, has questioned the legality of the building permits issued for its development, claiming that Halifax By-Laws were not being followed.

Andrews alleged in numerous pleas to the Building Inspector and the Zoning Board of Appeals that Amanda’s Estates should not be granted the building permits it was seeking, to develop the 12-acre property.

The 17-page decision from the Land Court details the various steps that Andrews took in response to actions by the town and concluded that the Zoning Board of Appeals failed to apply the by-laws equally when it comes to special permits and variances, ruling in Andrews’s favor.

Andrews claimed that had the former building inspector and the Zoning Board of Appeals listened to the town’s land use attorney, Richard Hucksam, in July and August of 2017, none of these lawsuits would have taken place.

“Moving forward,” Andrews said, “I hope the Planning Board and Zoning Board will implement the town’s land use attorney’s advice while making decisions on this project and others before them, attend conflicts of interest, open meeting law, and land use trainings (seminars) offered by the state and other associations the town belongs to.”

The project presently has three buildings and one certificate of occupancy associated with it.  These, according to the decision of the Land Court on Aug. 24, 2022, are annulled.

Andrews urges people to look up the online, recorded board and committee meetings for a first hand view of the workings of the town’s governing bodies.   

“I heard a lot about my lawsuits being a reason not to vote for me during the last election in May.  I thought to the contrary, that my lawsuits showed the people what I stand for,” Andrews said.  “I have knowledge, willpower, to take on a heavy burden, relentlessly pursue a cause and hold people accountable.  I spoke out numerous times about how the town’s defense was a waste of money for the taxpayer.  My family and I paid a heavy toll for standing up and doing the right thing,” Andrews concluded.

Cub Scout Pack 4480 is recruiting children from kindergarten through fifth grade to join their Pack which serves both Kingston and Plympton. They will be participating in a National Joining Day that will be in conjunction with Troop 4480. Pack leader Ross MacPherson explained the day saying, “We plan to have stations staffed by Boy Scouts of America Scouts to show kids how to tie knots, build a campfire, administer first-aid, and a few other yet to be determined skills responsibly learned in Scouting.”

MacPherson explained that this year, the pack will be covering the cost of dues for all families, an expense that usually totals $90 annually. This leaves just the National fee of $75 and the Council fee of $36 which are used to pay for the administration of the scouting program, insurance, and all associated fees. The dues, which will be covered in full, are what are used to run the pack at a local level including costs associated with adventures, events, and awards. “We don’t turn any scouts away based on an inability to pay; any family with a need should reach out to myself or anyone in the Pack leadership,” MacPherson said.

MacPherson, whose children are in first grade (lion cub) and third grade (bear cub), said he participated in scouting from second grade through high school. “I believe that Scouting teaches both hard and soft skills that are no less necessary today than they were 50 years ago,” he explained. He continued,  “I got involved because I wanted to ensure that a local Scouting program was continuing, not only for my boys but for anyone who wanted to join.  My goals are to grow the pack and see that it is well positioned for continued success when my boys move on to the BSA Scouts in the 6th grade.”

“Our pack has a diverse leadership group made up of former Eagle Scouts, parents without a scouting background, and female leaders,” MacPherson explained. He also emphasized that scouting is now open to both boys and girls saying that Pack 4480 “welcomes both equally.”

The Pack meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at the Knights of Columbus hall in Kingston. Once there, the scouts split into their age specific dens to work on activities and advancements. “This model was pioneered in our Pack by Brian and Shawn Donnelly and has been well received compared to the older model of individual den meetings at different times and/or locations. It has been particularly well received by parents who have multiple children in the Pack who now have just one meeting for all their children,” MacPherson explained.

Pack 4480 spent an overnight last year on Battleship Massachusetts. “The kids got to explore the ship and experience its history in a unique and meaningful way,” MacPherson explained. Events planned for the coming year include a bike rodeo, multiple campouts, hiking, a pinewood derby, and potentially even an overnight at the Museum of Science.

MacPherson briefly touched upon the more than 92,000 sexual abuse claims that eventually led to the organization filing for bankruptcy. Earlier this summer, most aspects of a compensation plan that would end the Boy Scouts’ Chapter 11 case and settle sexual abuse claims was accepted by a bankruptcy court.   “Scouting has come a long way and moved through a very dark chapter,” MacPherson said. He continued, “Fortunately, I didn’t personally experience or see any abuses in my scouting organizations; it was nonetheless a serious breach of trust that we continue to repair.  There are multiple safeguards now in place to prevent these things from happening again – specialized training, CORI checks, and two-deep leadership are just a couple of the current requirements.”

Anyone with questions can check out the website pack4480.org or email cubmaster4480@gmail.com.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen interviewed the two candidates for Fire Chief at their meeting Tuesday night, Aug. 9, and voted to offer the position to Michael Witham, a candidate known to the Halifax Fire Department.

While selectmen agreed that Brad Cronin  had an exceptional resume, his admitted lack of grant-writing experience was a drawback.

Witham has accepted the position and pending contract negotiations will be on the job soon.