Laws Matter, or Do They Really
There are a few hundred folks who give their time and effort to be town meeting members. This takes about 6 hours once a year in person, sometimes more, and hopefully some reading time to know what’s going on. We vote to pass a budget and some bylaws for the most part. I think most of us believe what we do has value, matters, and the budget we approved is followed and the laws obeyed.
Here is an example of a bylaw and budget item where that didn’t happen. I bet there are plenty more.
Spring town meeting last year we passed a Shade Tree Bylaw. It says we plant a tree for every tree removed. Pretty simple right?
Spring town meeting last year we passed a Tree Department budget with $4000 for tree purchases to replace trees removed. Brilliant!
The Highway Department has removed around ten trees this fiscal year. They will plant none.*
Well what about the budget we passed, the law we created? Tough cookies friends! The guy from Wareham who controls the Highway Department purse strings says he aint a gonna plant no trees.
This is no surprise to me as the Highway Department has been on a decades long effort to reduce the number of trees in town. We have about 80% of the trees we once had to date. As you drive around look at the random, and not so random places where sidewalks are 6 or 7 feet wide with no green strip. This is not a ADA thing, sorry. Fort Street, Laurel Street Main Street north. West side of Hedge Street is my personal favorite.
So what now?
It’s not just about trees folks,
Only God can make em,
I just wanna plant some,
Don C. Collasius, Fairhaven
Editor’s Note: Mr Collasius is the last elected Tree Warden in Fairhaven. The position is now appointed. He also cut down 63 trees without holding a single tree hearing by skirting the bylaw that requires a hearing for cutting down trees. (See 9/16/21 issue https:// inyurl.com/48n3kufj)
*Highway Superintendent Josh Crabb, who is also the acting Deputy Tree Warden, noted that the fiscal year ends on June 30. The department is hoping to plant trees next year depending on funding. He also noted that the majority of the trees taken down were identified for removal under Mr. Collasius’s term.
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Click here to download the 4/17/25 issue: 04-17-25 FlashlightEggHunt
Click here to download Patrick Carr’s COI document: PatricCarrCOI_4-14-25
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