MOOREcol.01-11-04. . . . . 24 Hed :� How to outsmart The override trap By BOB MOORE It's the� oldest trick in the book and you're about to be snookered by it Wednesday night. Like this : If you don't vote for the McAuliffe Library in Saxonville Wednesday night, you'll find it stuffed into the $86 million capital spending override. Pause. Along with a number of other unprepared building� projects that Manager George King is offering� in a 25-year debt exclusion override. An override that no one seems anxious to touch. The catch is this : For several years the Library Board has gone through the hoops sprucing up the desire and lining up the costs. This elected board and its allies are fighting off recent claims that Framingham, a town larger than 29 of the 41 Bay State cities, can't afford a new branch that offers books, reference material, room to read in and� meeting rooms that can accommodate interested parties. The manager has come out with all guns blazing� against a "yes" vote on the library Wednesday night. King has included the very same addition in his 10 or 12 projects in the override. The pitch : If the pro-library forces, with figures down to the last nickel, are turned down, they'll still fight for redress. They can get it in the override. Let me clue you in. In 1990, Schools lost their case at Town Meeting. In 1991, somehow funds for schools in three other departments were refused. WHAM! But just like that, activists for four departments were lined up, and surprise - they all got their purses filled through the 1991 override. In numbers there is strength. Maybe it struck you as odd, as it did me, when the 4-1 Board of Selectmen went 5-0 against King's strong opposition of the library vote. They looked good with a meaningless support of the library and all good things. Another example of politics in the 4-1 board that George owns. Ownership is a matter of having enough votes to support whatever the manager wants.� And maybe you've noticed that it has brought into the awkward position that the manager has been able to throw out plans that have no solid figures to back them. And the administration has been able to hold off on letting� the public know what's coming next or why. How long is it since you've heard a peep from the Memorial Building about the next annual budget? Not a word. When did that ever happen before? And when has the Memorial Building ever been a position to skip normal procedure in offering projects like the $86 million override? The less we know, the chance is that when the Administration asks for a vote, we'll rush into . . . . whatever? Tell me when the ad hoc committee named to examine the $86 million proposition is going to meet? Is anyone going to ask questions? Just remember the control of the 4-1 Board means that it won't question anything put before it , Time to change the guard? ___________________________________________ You can reach Bob Moore at edmoore4@aol.com or at 1-508-620-1449. [Let it ring; he's slow.] To unsubscribe, send email to majordomo@syslang.net with body unsubscribe frambors (the subject is ignored). Please read the Frequently Asked Questions maintained online at http://frambors.syslang.net/faq/about.html before posting or replying.