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Mailed free to requesting homes in East Brookfield, West Brookfield, North Brookfield, Brookfield, Leicester and Spencer Vol. 33, No. 4 COMPLIMENTARY HOME DELIVERY, 75 CENTS ON NEWSSTANDS ONLINE: WWW.SPENCERNEWLEADER.COM “The President is the people’s lobbyist.’ Friday, January 23, 2009 Moore wastes no time in 1st term Highway ISSUES LOOM ON HORIZON FOR NEW SENATOR workers to BY TERESA A. FRANCO with. NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER Moore took some time out of a keep their Michael O. Moore may only be busy day last week to speak about two weeks in to his first term as how his days in office are going so state senator, but he has already hit far. the ground running. The Millbury Democrat — who Q: How has the community party pay represents the Second Worcester responded since you’ve been in District, including Leicester, on office? Beacon Hill — was officially inau- A: “Very good. It’s been a great CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES gurated Wednesday, Jan. 7. Since community response. As in the then, he’s been attending meetings campaign, where I tried to make AN ISSUE IN and taking care of business regard- myself as accessible as possible, ing important issues like the econo- Teresa A. Franco photo BROOKFIELD my — which he recently mentioned Turn To MOORE, page 17 Newly inaugurated state Sen. Michael O. Moore has had an extremely busy BY DAVID DORE is unusual for a new senator to deal start since he took office Wednesday, Jan. 7. NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER BROOKFIELD — Despite his efforts being thwarted by fellow board members, Selectman Ronald J. Dackson still believes DEAR MR. PRESIDENT ... town employees who attended a Christmas Eve party at the highway garage that drew DART-ing more than three dozen people should lose a day’s pay. “I believe they had the whole day partying, to animals’ and nobody refuted that,” Dackson said Sunday, Jan. 18. Two municipal work- aid during ers who attended the party denied it lasted all day. In fact, accord- ing to Highway Department employees, emergencies it started at 11 a.m. and lasted no more Ronald Dackson than three hours. “Everybody was TOWNS’ PLANS pretty much gone by 2 [p.m.],” Highway Superintendent Herbert Chaffee II said KEEP PETS IN MIND Wednesday, Jan. 14. “We stayed around because we had to be here.” Dackson first mentioned the Christmas BY RYAN GRANNAN-DOLL party at the Jan. 6 selectmen’s meeting, as NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER the board discussed payroll. For some, leaving a “I stand by what I said last week at the pet behind during an meeting,” he told Selectman Rudy Heller emergency might be David Dore photo and Chairman James W. Allen Tuesday, akin to leaving a family LEICESTER — BJ Hill, left, looks on as Nancy Lamb, both of Leicester, looks through and prepares to Jan. 13. “There were approximately 30-40 member. sign a notebook full of messages for newly inaugurated President Barack Obama Hill collected as he vehicles there — I know at times there That is the kind of walked across America. Hill stopped at the Leicester Public Library Wednesday, Jan. 14, where Lamb were more than 40 vehicles — and they decision officials who wrote her message. Hill’s trek, which began March 1, ended Sunday, Jan. 18 at Copley Square in were there from early in the morning until form emergency Boston — three notebooks and more than 4,000 miles from his starting point in San Francisco. On late in the afternoon, so that takes up most response plans are try- Friday, Jan. 16, Hill stopped by the Kenwood Diner in Spencer and walked through his hometown of of the day,as far as I’m concerned. Nothing ing to avoid by gearing Leicester. After his walk ended, he went to Washington, D.C., to attend Obama’s inauguration and was accomplished on that day, other than them toward dealing hopefully present the notebooks to the new president. having the party because they were all with pets during an emergency. Turn To PARTY, page 17 Ellen Sousa Turn To ANIMALS, page 16 Bringing art to Leicester’s school walls Private road KIDS INCORPORATED cleanup ban INTO MULTICULTURAL DISPLAY BY TERESA A. FRANCO is defended NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER LEICESTER — The Leicester school sys- BY DAVID DORE tem eliminated art from the elementary NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER schools five years ago, but that didn’t stop SPENCER — Perhaps the biggest issue to Kristen Pike from splashing the walls with arise from last month’s ice storm was the her own artistic flair. announcement from Spencer officials that Pike, who teaches an after-school art pro- the Highway Department would not pick up gram at Leicester Primary School, spent the fallen trees and branches from along private spring and summer working on a diversity roads. wall in the front foyer area of the building. That decision was unpopular with some of She said the idea for it started to form after the nearly 800 households living on road- the school got marked down on an audit for ways not under the town’s purview, who had special education for not having enough mul- to bring debris to the transfer station on ticultural elements in the building. South Spencer Road. The school started a multicultural commit- Guida defended the decision at a public tee, which called on Pike to create a diversity hearing Thursday, Jan. 15 on the town’s wall. She drew 27 children of different response to the Dec. 11-12 ice storm, which nationalities and cultures, pasted them onto felled trees and branches throughout the the wall with Mod Podge and wrote “wel- region, especially in Spencer, Leicester, come” in 14 different languages. Teresa A. Franco photo Art teacher Kristen Pike stands in front of the diversity wall she recently created in the front entrance area Turn To MURALS, page 17 Turn To ROADWAYS, 16 page of Leicester Primary School. INSIDE THE NEW LEADER ON PAGE A3 ON PAGE A5 Calendar......................B5 Police Logs....................A Classroom Corner ...........A Public Meetings .............A How to pamper School board Obituaries ....................B2 Sports ...........................A Our Towns....................B4 Viewpoint ..................A8-9 your pet ponders budget 2 SPENCER NEW LEADER • Friday, January 23, 2009 Election season begins in local towns ALMANAC AT LEAST ONE SELECTMAN UNDECIDED ON FUTURE PLANS QUOTATION OF BY DAVID DORE the ballot will be a three-year term as town in favor of myself running again,” although THE EEK NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER clerk (Jean Mulhall), three terms on the Old he did not rule out stepping aside. W Over the next few weeks, the ballots for Cemetery Commission (for three years, two “I’ve got a lot of projects I’d like to see fin- town elections in April and May will take years and one year, respectively) and a five- ished, but on the other side I’m getting tired,” shape as incumbents decide whether to seek year term on the Housing Authority (George Foyle said. “I’m kind of in a decision making “I was about as welcome re-election and residents seek opportunities P. Kiritsy). mode right now.” as a mosquito to join municipal boards. “I’m going to run again,” Durant said Besides Foyle’s three-year term as select- West Brookfield voters will head to the Thursday,Jan. 15. “We have a lot of things we man, also appearing on the May 4 ballot will at a nudist colony.” polls May 5, with nomination papers avail- still have to do in town. We made a lot of be one term each on the Water Commission, able starting Wednesday, Jan. 28 at the town progress. We still have things to do. There’s Board of Assessors, Board of Health, tree — Brookfield Selectman clerk’s office. things that I can offer the town. warden, Cemetery Commission, Planning On the ballot will be Barry J. Nadon Jr.’s “My focus has been helping keep this town Board, Playground Committee, Housing Ronald Dackson, who three-year seat on the Board of Selectmen, moving in the right direction,” Durant Authority and the Southern Worcester admitted videotaping a one seat each on the Board of Assessors, added, “and I think I’ve helped do that.” County Regional Vocational School District Board of Health, Water Commission and Nomination papers will be available at the (which oversees Bay Path in Charlton), two party held by the Common Committee, two seats on the Board town clerk’s office starting Friday, Feb. 13, terms on the School Committee and three Highway Department on of Library Trustees, terms on the Housing and must be submitted to the registrar of vot- terms on the Board of Library Trustees. Christmas Eve. Authority and Planning Board and four seats ers for certification by Tuesday, March 24 The last day to file nomination papers at on the Quaboag Regional School Committee with at least 40 signatures. The last day to file the town clerk’s office is Monday, March 16. (two each for Warren and West Brookfield). nomination papers with the town clerk or the The last day to register to vote in the election The West Brookfield seats on the school superintendent of schools (for seats on the or at Town Meeting is Tuesday, April 14. THE STATS board are held by Leane M. Pierce and John School Committee) is Tuesday, April 7, while AGE Dolan, while the Warren seats are held by the last day to object or withdraw is Daniel Korzec and Donna Goudreau. Thursday, April 9. The deadline to register to BROOKFIELD Nadon said Monday, Jan. 19 he would seek vote in the election or at the Town Meeting is The election schedule for Brookfield was Town 25-44 (%) a third term on the Board of Selectmen.