The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

Guests honor Domnitz (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Current and former members of the Planning Board, the Board of Selectmen, and other guests gathered on Sunday, May 17 at the Todd Pond home of Rick and Virginia Rundell in honor of Bob Domnitz's 12 years of service on the Planning Board. Pictured from top: John "JR" Robinson, Virginia Rundell, Frank Clark, Lynn DeLisi, Bryce Wolf, Margaret Olson, Rich Rosenbaum, Renel Fredriksen, Bob Domnitz (the honoree), Carolyn McQueen, Peter Braun, Bob Wolf, and Rick Rundell. Also attending but not in the photo were James Craig, Pam Gallup, and Ken Hurd.

Current and former members of the Planning Board, the Board of Selectmen, and other guests gathered on May 17 at the Todd Pond home of Rick and Virginia Rundell in honor of Bob Domnitz’s 12 years of service on the Planning Board. Pictured from top: John “JR” Robinson, Frank Clark, Virginia Rundell, Bryce Wolf, Lynn DeLisi, Renel Fredriksen, Margaret Olsen, Rich Rosenbaum, Bob Domnitz (the honoree), Carolyn McQueen, Peter Braun, Rick Rundell and Bob Wolf (far right). Also attending but not in the photo were James Craig, Pam Gallup, and Ken Hurd.

Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to news@lincolnsquirrrel.com. If your photo is published, you’ll receive credit in the Squirrel. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and names of any people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln Through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.

At L-S, Ryan warns parents about providing alcohol to those under 21

(Editor’s note: This article is based on a press release from the Middlesex District Attorney’s office.)

In a May 11 talk at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan reminded parents that providing alcohol to anyone under the age of 21 endangers lives and makes the adult potentially liable in criminal and civil court.

“We all want to celebrate the end of the school year and usher in the summer for the teenagers in our lives,” Ryan said. “But good intentions can go wrong. It is never a good idea to have a get-together in which minors are going to be drinking alcohol. Adults cannot disregard the law about serving people under the age of 21 just because the alcohol is being served on private property or just because one parent gives permission for his or her child to consume alcohol.”

Under the state’s Social Host Law, adults and minors can be punished for furnishing alcohol to a minor, with penalties including up to one year in jail and fines of up to $2,000. Those charged with drinking and driving can also receive significant penalties. In Massachusetts, a first drunk-driving offense may result in a license suspension, a fine of up to $5,000, and/or imprisonment of up to 30 months.

Ryan also stressed that adults should think about the “life lessons” they are teaching young people. “Teenagers know they aren’t supposed to be drinking, so the message parents may be sending is that it’s fine to break the law in some cases,” she said. “Often young people who have consumed alcohol don’t have the maturity to resist risky behavior and to make good judgments.”

The “Social Host Responsibility” presentations are held at schools all over the county by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth (MPY). MPY is a nonprofit organization that provides prevention and intervention resources and training to school districts and communities in collaboration with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Ryan chairs the MPY Board of Directors.

Letter to the editor: Georgiou runs for Governor’s Council

letter

To the editor:

I am announcing my candidacy for Governor’s Council (a.k.a. Executive Council) for the Third District of Massachusetts, which includes much of Middlesex County and parts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Worcester counties. Lincoln is at the center of the Third District.

Many Massachusetts citizens are unaware of the important—indeed, vital—work the Governor’s Council is charged with by the Massachusetts Constitution. The Council plays a seminal role in our state’s justice system and consequently in the functioning of our society. The council is the last chance the people of Massachusetts have to make sure that the best candidate for the job is picked. The council provides the “checks and balances” for the governor’s appointments to our court system. If the elected councilor does his or her job correctly, political appointments (people that simply donate to the governor) are not shooed in as a political favor.

The most critical part of the Governor’s Council is to approve, by its constitutional power of “advise and consent,” the governor’s judicial appointments to all courts (Supreme Judicial Court, Court of Appeals, Superior Court, District Court, Probate Court) and all adjudicatory agencies, such as the Appellate Tax Board, the Department of Industrial Accidents, and other similar agencies of the Commonwealth. In addition to judicial appointments, the council approves clerk-magistrates, public administrators, members of the Parole Board, justices of the peace, notary publics and many other gubernatorial appointments. All critical to the function of our justice system.

As is evident, this position requires a Governor’s Councilor to have expert and specific experience as well as knowledge of our justice system. More importantly, it requires the background and depth of experience of an attorney—one who has been in the trenches of the justice system for a respectable number of years. I believe that this experience is mandatory because it is the only way one is exposed to the traits and skills that constitute a good attorney who would make a good judge and will serve the people of Massachusetts competently, fairly and honestly.

What kind of a person should sit in judgment of others? That is the critical question a Governor’s Councilor must ask. After more than 25 years as a trial attorney, having practiced before almost every court and adjudicatory agency in Massachusetts and having taught law, I have the experience and background to make such judgment and advice the governor of good, fair or bad choices of proposed judicial and other appointments.

My experience stems from having dealt with dozens of judges and other various court functionaries and hundreds of attorneys and various other players in our justice system. I have represented plaintiffs and defendants and have a perspective from both sides of litigation. I know what constitutes a good attorney and a good judge. In my practice I have been before judges almost on a daily basis and I can without reservation say that no one can be a good judge with first being a good attorney.

I have the background and frontline experience acquired over the course of over 25 years of trial work to make decisions as to which candidate qualifies to by a judge and which candidate does not. I would be proud and humbled to serve the people of the Commonwealth.

It’s surprising the person who is currently representing Lincoln on the Governor’s Council is not an attorney and has held the position since 1998 primarily because people of the Third District are essentially unaware of the Council’s importance and the lack of the current councilor’s qualifications. I am hoping to change this and earn the people’s trust and vote in 2016.

Sincerely,

Peter Georgiou
126 Lexington Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

May 20 memorial service in Lincoln for Paul Giese

Paul E. Giese

Paul E. Giese

There will be a memorial service at the First Parish Church in Lincoln on Wednesday, May 20 at 3 p.m. for Paul E. Giese, who died in January at the age of 76. A native of Seattle, he moved to Lincoln in 1966 and worked as a management consultant for Arthur D. Little. He did extensive volunteer work for the Town of Lincoln as a member and later co-chair of the Finance Committee, Commissioner on the Water Board, board member of the Friends of the Council on Aging and Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln. His wife Lucretia and other family members will hold a reception at the Pierce House following the service. Click here for his full obituary.

“Walking” in deCordova (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Linda Hammett Ory and Andy Ory were among the area art-lovers at the May 9 opening of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum’s new exhibits, Walking Sculpture and Integrated Vision. Photo by Melissa Ostrow.

Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to news@lincolnsquirrrel.com. If your photo is published, you’ll receive credit in the Squirrel. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and names of any people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln Through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.

News acorns – 05/13/15

The Lincoln PMC Kids Ride kicks off.

The Lincoln PMC Kids Ride kicks off.

PMC Kids Ride draws hundreds

The first annual Lincoln Pan Mass Challenge Kids Ride on May 3 was a big success. Eighty riders—well in excess of the 50 hopes for—raised over $6,000 to help fight cancer. Organizers thank the many volunteers, including students from the middle school (thank you Steve Cullen for spreading the word) and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, the Lincoln Police Department (especially Det. Ian Spencer), the Lincoln Recreation Department (especially Dan Pereira and Stacey Mulroy), and sponsors including Lincoln’s Something Special and the Whistle Stop as well as Boston Sports Clubs, Dunkin Donuts, Spotify, Penny Lu Designs and Busy Bee Jumpers.

Correction

In a May 12 story about the Lincoln Garden Club’s photo contest, photographer Bob Wadsworth’s name was listed incorrectly. The story has been updated to reflect this correction.

Phone directory stuffing party

The Friends of the Lincoln Library’s 2015 Lincoln directory is being printed this week and they need help putting all of them into envelopes on Monday, May 18 in the library’s Tarbell Room between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Please call or email Belinda Gingrich (belinda.gingrich@verizon.net) if you can help for a couple of hours. Thanks for helping support the library.

ArtGala paintings on sale until Saturday

There are a few paintings remaining from the successful Lincoln Public Library ArtGala 2015 in the first floor gallery until Saturday, May 16 that are for sale at a discount. For those of you who missed the event, take a look at the ArtGala website for images and then visit the library to have a look. The show and sale must end Saturday to make way for a new show, so contact Julie Brogan at foll@lincolntown.org or 781-259-3558 if you’re interested in making a purchase. “The Julia Zanes Dream Image is a steal for serious collectors!” Brogan says.

Free jazz concert on May 27

To wind up the 35th year of classic jazz at Lincoln Library, there will be a concert on Wednesday, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall featuring the Bay State Syncopators. The Syncopators are a reunion band formed in the 1980s by Paul Monat to rekindle the two-cornet sound of Bob Connor’s Yankee Rhythm Kings of the 1970s that featured Paul and Dave Whitney on cornet and Blair Bettancourt on clarinet. The band carries on the New Orleans sounds of Louis, King Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton, reborn in the 1950s by Lou Watters, Turk Murphy and Bob Helm in San Francisco.

Photo contest entries show an eye for nature

Shutters are snapping as entries come in for the Lincoln Garden Club’s nature photo contest.

Anyone who lives in Lincoln is encouraged to submit photos by May 26. The event will help the garden club finance a horticultural intern at the New England Wildflower Society who will design and install a native plant garden at Lincoln’s Station Park.

Photos submitted to the contest will be displayed at the Pierce House during the Lincoln Garden Club’s champagne reception on Sunday, June 7 from 5-7 p.m. Those in attendance will vote for their favorite pictures and elect one winner for each of three categories—landscape, fauna and flora. Winners will be notified by email by June 9. For more information on the contest, see this Lincoln Squirrel news acorn or the contest rules.

Also on June 7 is the garden club’s self-guided Garden Tour from 1-5 p.m. Those who purchase a Garden Tour ticket will get admission to the champagne reception, which in addition to the photo exhibit will feature live music, food prepared by Lincoln Garden Club members and a silent auction. Tickets are $45 per person in advance or $50 on June 7. For more information, visit the Lincoln Garden Club website.

Photo by Daniela Caride

Photo by Daniela Caride

Photo by Linda MacNeil

Photo by Linda MacNeil

Photo by Bob Mortiz

Photo by Bob Wadsworth

Photo by Mark Hopkins

Photo by Mark Hopkins

Minuteman High School appoints principal

Jack Dillon

Jack Dillon

John “Jack” Dillon III of Woburn, who has been serving as the school’s interim principal for the past four months and was the school’s assistant principal for nine years before that, was selected by Dr. Edward A. Bouquillon, Minuteman’s Superintendent-Director from 34 applicants for the position. He succeeds Ernest F. Houle, who was appointed Superintendent-Director at Assabet Regional Vocational Technical High School in Marlborough.

“Minuteman is a great school and I’m very proud of the staff and students here,” Dillon said. “The next year will be very important for us as we try to promote a building project. It’s a herculean effort and I’m committed to working with our superintendent and our communities to help make it happen.”

Dillon has worked in education for 25 years. Before coming to Minuteman, he served as assistant principal at Maynard High School and as a health teacher and acting assistant principal at Burlington High School. He holds a master’s degree in education from Cambridge College and a bachelor’s in education from Bridgewater State University.

News acorns – 05/11/15

Lincoln Democrats to elect reps to state convention

The Lincoln Democratic Town Committee (LDTC) will elect delegates to  the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s annual convention scheduled for September 19 on Saturday, May 16 from 9-11 a.m. at Bemis Hall. Light refreshments will be served. The public is always invited and encouraged to attend LDTC meetings and events, including these delegate caucus elections. Any Lincoln Democratic voter registered as of January 31, 2015 can nominate others, can be nominated, and can be elected as either a delegate or alternate to the state convention. You can even nominate yourself if you like. For questions, contact Gary Davis at garyddavis04@gmail.com.

Fundraiser party for Lincoln Police Association PMC team

For the third consecutive year, the Lincoln Police Association has a Pan Mass Challenge team, and residents are invited to support the team and fight cancer by attending a fundraiser on Friday, June 5 from 7-11 p.m, at the Pierce House. Team members are Dan Pereira of the Parks and Recreation Department, Lincoln Police Detective Ian Spencer and resident Kim Mooney. A donation of at least $50 lets you in to enjoy dance music from Honeytrain, an open bar, finger foods and more. Harpoon is sponsoring the beer but the team is footing the bill for the music, food and wine. For more information and to donate, see the team’s PMC profile page.

A bus full of donated supplies heading to Nepal earthquake victims.

A bus full of donated supplies heading to Nepal earthquake victims.

Lincoln’s Adrian Smith posts updates on Nepal relief efforts

Adrian Smith has succeeded in getting some supplies to an area of Nepal that was badly damaged by the recent earthquake, his mother Diana Smith reported (see her earlier letters to the editor here and here). “Less than two weeks ago we began with the idea of supporting a village of 50 families in the aftermath of the earthquake in Nepal. The outpouring of support we have received has allowed us to scale up our relief efforts to deliver over 14,000 kg. of food and other supplies (over 30,000 lbs.) to roughly 1,000 families who had not yet received any aid,” Adrian wrote on a Facebook page about his work. “We are overwhelmed with gratitude to all who have supported us and have made this possible.” For more updates and information about how to donate, go to the Nepal Earthquake Relief–Sindhupalchowk Facebook page or call Diana Smith at 781-259-9758.