Written by Barbara A. Smith,
Concerned Hamilton Citizen and Activist Blogger for transparency in government.. at Hamilton Wenham Liberals for Democracy
https://www.facebook.com/HWdemocrats/
Here is my take on why Hamilton Town manager, Joe Domelowicz is applying for the $180,000/year job in Ipswich.
- Obviously a $30,000 salary increase per year is appealing….
2) He can help Hamilton School Board member and leader of the political lobby called the Hamilton Wenham Human rights Coalition, Anna Siedzik further her agenda to increase development. It’s very simple. Joe does whatever she tells him to do. Anna will undoubtedly choose the next Hamilton manager via the Select Board members who are faithful to her and the Coalition , as is Joe. I don’t think that Joe really cares about the political lobby, faith based, pretend social justice Coalition agenda . But it is simply easier to do as Anna and her followers demand, rather than risk bullying. Listening to Anna also makes his job easier. He can also do the same in Ipswich and make more money at the same time!.
3) Joe D. is pushing to give Hamilton water away to Ipswich even though scientists claim that we need to maintain a higher than essential level for a secure water future. If there is a town sharing initiative it should come from state environmentalists not local developers. I want to hear more about the impact on Hamilton water bills. Won’t Joe D look like a good guy if he solves Ipswich’s water problem at the expense of Hamilton’s water risks. Is this really the leader that Ipswich wants and deserves?
Joe D. Screwed up the Hamilton Covid Test Kit Distribution
I blogged about this fiasco back in December 2021 and share the info here. Concerned and worried members of the Select Board reprimanded Joe for removing the Covid test kits from Town Hall under the influence and coordination with Anna Siedzik (who actually controls Hamilton government) . I know this because, I learned that the 5 Select Board members had no idea where the kits were located or even how many were given away as there was no accounting, no information. Even David Smith, the Board of Health chair admitted that he had no idea where the kits were. Only Anna Siedzik knew that the covid test kits were removed and distributed by faith based organizations , including in OTHER towns. She spread lies on Facebook that the Hamilton officials were part of the distribution plan, all lies. The state told Hamilton officials that the test kits were targeted for Hamilton residents, especially seniors who are at greater risk of contracting Covid. THIS WAS TO ADDRESS THE TEST KIT SHORTAGE, NOT AN AFFORDABILITY ISSUE... The Board of Select had the job of distributing them to Hamilton residents, including the many senior citizens traveling for the holidays who needed frequent testing to keep Hamilton residents safe. The opposite happened…..
Anna Siedzik and her followers, including Joe D pledge to the Hamilton Wenham Human Rights Coalition, NOT the voters, residents of Hamilton. Anna also answers to her god. In the above blog post I provide a timeline of who knew what when and many Covid test kits ended up in other towns and in the hands of students at local Christian colleges. Young people are NOT a covid high risk group as are the elderly residents of Hamilton. Is this how Ipswich wants their government run?
Joe D. was begrudgingly, forced to apologize, although I would have preferred that he were fired. But three of the Select Board Members at the time were on his side, all bullied to do Anna Siedzik’s bidding. The two Board members who tried to hold Joe D. accountable for his actions were not re-elected after a nasty campaign of bullying, calling the two independent thinking voices of dissent racists, bigots, classists and worse.
Anna Siedzik is a pro at manipulating the media and the public, claiming that the elected women leaders on the Select Board were “racists”, “bigots” and “classist” That’s Anna’s standard attack dog lie to target any person who is NOT under her control. Is this really what Ipswich wants and needs?
Anna Siedzik works for HarborLight, selling housing units….
Anna convinces people that SHE has all the answers to EVERYTHING. She knows what’s best for the environment, how to deal with water shortages, the impact of destroying pristine lands, where poor people should live (i.e. rural roads with no sidewalks and no buses!) and where the Covid test kits should be distributed. She claims that the housing development that she pushes and earns income from are just the best quality and best for the environment and so on. She answers to god and her bank account…. not science. All of the Coalition pledgers answer to god, Anna and the Coalition. Does that sound a bit like a cult? !!!! hmmmm…
Anna should resign from her job of School Board member or her job at Harbor Light selling housing development. This is an obvious conflict of interest! However, Jay Burnham, who is in the real estate and development business would prefer to see development grow until, Hamilton fulfills a density dream come true. Hamilton can be the next Newburyport!
I want affordable housing, too, but I want smart, unbiased, scientists and policy planners to determine what is safe and smart and in the best interest of current residents of Hamilton. We need a democracy that elects leaders to serve residents, not the political lobby, dark monied, Coalition,
Anna Siedzik is everywhere.
I’m banned from the Hamilton Wenham Residents only page because I don’t obey orders. The administrators of this facebook page are Coalition followers. There is no free speech in Hamilton…. Anna uses her public megaphone as a School Board member to spread whatever lies she wants and earns income in the process.
Hamilton officials have the obligation to study the impact of development and make determinations based on science, not what Anna bullies officials to do. The state is using a carrot, not a stick and it is up to residents, voters and decent officials to analyze development and reject it when it is bad for our town. There is a global warming and lack of water crisis all over the nation, state and not just Hamilton. So maybe it is not so smart to destroy greenery and build rampantly. Maybe the scientists should answer questions, not the developers…. Is this really a good governing process for Ipswich , too?
The https://www.mhp.net/ Massachusetts Housing Partnership does not guarantee funding to complete projects. In fact, Beverly Harbor Light seeks Beverly taxpayers to foot the shortfall….
If you have questions about the impact of development do NOT CONTACT the very organizations that do not care about the environment, they are in the development business, they exist to create affordable housing regardless of the impact. Yes, affordable housing is a crisis, but do NOT trust Anna Siedzik to have the answers…. because She doesn’t….. Anna is not a scientist, Anna is not an urban or community planner and Anna is not a transportation authority…..
Trust science, trust evidence and tell Anna to end a blatant conflict of interest by resigning from her job earning money from development at HarborLight and stick to working for the Hamilton voters who elected her to the School Board to improve the academic performance of our Hamilton Wenham schools not to push a housing agenda. If Harbor Light had scruples, they would have demanded her resignation long ago….
Its tough enough having one, control freak, zealot running Hamilton, does she need to also run Ipswich ????
Yes, there is a water crisis….
and Joe is listening to Anna Siedzik so that Ipswich can develop more than they are able to given the current water crisis…
I pasted the link and article below….
https://news.yahoo.com/report-says-towns-could-share-140000010.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall
Aug. 15—HAMILTON — A new report says Cape Ann and North Shore communities could literally connect with each other to help meet their future water needs.
The towns of Hamilton, Wenham, Ipswich, Manchester, Essex and Topsfield could build new water pipes and improve current ones to connect to each other, as well as to the Salem and Beverly Water Supply Board system, enabling them to share water based on their needs, the report said.
“It’s a hopeful thing,” Hamilton Town Manager Joseph Domelowicz Jr. said. “It’s going to require a little more study and require the towns sitting down together and agreeing we all have to share in the sacrifices and the benefits of it.” (the benefits are Joe getting a higher paying job in Ipswich and Anna turning Ipswich into the next Newburyport….) Does Ipswich really want to be the next Newburport with Anna and Joe at the helm?
The report, called the Regional Evaluation to Improve Water Supply Resiliency within the Lower Ipswich River Watershed, was commissioned by the town of Hamilton and the Ipswich River Watershed Association through a state grant. It comes at a time when the Ipswich River, which supplies drinking water for 350,000 people in 14 communities, is at its lowest point in years amid a drought. Last year a national conservation group named it one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the country.
Wayne Castonguay, executive director of the Ipswich River Watershed Association, said the report answers a question that officials and environmentalists have long been asking: “Is it feasible for all of the lower communities in the watershed to share water?”
The report estimated the cost of making and improving all of the connections at about $12.6 million. Hamilton’s existing water system borders the other five towns and currently has interconnections with Ipswich, Essex and Wenham, placing it in the best position to serve as the hub for transferring water, the study said.
The report said it would cost $7.6 million to build a new connection between Hamilton and Beverly, $3.6 million to build a new connection between Hamilton and Topsfield, and between $5.6 million and $9.6 million, depending on the option chosen, to build a connection between Hamilton and Manchester.
The cost to upgrade existing connections with Wenham, Ipswich and Essex would be about $1.4 million.
The interconnections would not increase the supply of water from the Ipswich River, but would enable communities to share water depending on their situations.
When a town is not using all of the water up to its permitted withdrawal limit, it could share it with another town, Domelowicz said. In addition, the Salem and Beverly Water Board has a surplus of water due to its extensive reservoir system. (Actually, Joe, it is smart to save water for a rainy day so that Hamilton does not become scorched dry as Ipswich and other nearby towns have. Why not plan for the future? Is this the kind of manager Ipswich wants to hire? AND Hamilton does not have the extensive reservoir system of Salem or Beverly )
Castonguay said the new connections could be part of a longer-term solution that is being sought by the Ipswich River Resiliency Task Force, a group led by state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, of Gloucester. The task force is planning to commission a larger study that will look at possible alternative sources of water, such as possibly tying into the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority or building a new reservoir in Topsfield on land owned by the Salem and Beverly Water Supply Board.
“That could be the real game-changer, if we find an alternative source that could be brought in and distributed amongst the towns,” Castonguay said.
Salem and Beverly Water Supply Board Executive Director Alan Taubert said the report, conducted by Dewberry Engineers of Boston, shows that connecting the communities is “doable.”
“The next step would be, is that good enough?” he said. “Right now everything’s on the table. We have to be open to everything.”
Essex Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki shared a similar sentiment.
“We certainly want to participate in any regional drinking water supply study,” he said. “That’s why we became involved with this particular project. We’re open to future plans. At this time, there is no particular course of action that the town is considering. We’ll remain open to what regional planners and communities are working on. “
Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, pleighton@gloucestertimes.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.
Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, pleighton@gloucestertimes.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.