Facts sidestepped by social services

Facts sidestepped by social services Sunday, December 11, 2005

Dick Prince, Framingham Metrowest Daily News

In recent issues of the MetroWest Daily News several of Framingham's social service businesses have taken a very hard line in response to inquiries about what they do. The newly established Framingham Pilot Committee is making inquiries of those social services to enable that committee to complete its assignment to honestly understand and establish what the real cost of these social services are to the taxpayers of Framingham.
These inquiries are reasonable, yet they have been rebuffed by the social service business people in a very mean-spirited manner, even to the extent of legal threats. Now somebody has got to ask what is it they are trying to hide.
Looking at their recent growth and the demands they make upon Framingham, it seems the social service industry has targeted Framingham as a soft touch and a town in which there is little oversight into their goings on. Under the protection of their nonprofit designation, these service businesses have become large consumers of Framingham's property and its municipal services and yet contribute zero taxes to pay for what they take and use.
And now the Pilot Committee is trying to get a reasonable handle on where these non-profits are coming from and where they are going, and I say we should let the Committee do its job. We must refuse to accept the mean-spirited attitude of those who want to hide and withhold information in an effort to skew the Committee's results and prevent it from doing what it is assigned to do.

Facts sidestepped by social services	Sunday, December 11, 2005
Dick Prince, Framingham	Metrowest Daily News
In recent issues of the MetroWest Daily News several of Framingham's social service businesses have taken a very hard line in response to inquiries about what they do. The newly established Framingham Pilot Committee is making inquiries of those social services to enable that committee to complete its assignment to honestly understand and establish what the real cost of these social services are to the taxpayers of Framingham. These inquiries are reasonable, yet they have been rebuffed by the social service business people in a very mean-spirited manner, even to the extent of legal threats. Now somebody has got to ask what is it they are trying to hide. Looking at their recent growth and the demands they make upon Framingham, it seems the social service industry has targeted Framingham as a soft touch and a town in which there is little oversight into their goings on. Under the protection of their nonprofit designation, these service businesses have become large consumers of Framingham's property and its municipal services and yet contribute zero taxes to pay for what they take and use. And now the Pilot Committee is trying to get a reasonable handle on where these non-profits are coming from and where they are going, and I say we should let the Committee do its job. We must refuse to accept the mean-spirited attitude of those who want to hide and withhold information in an effort to skew the Committee's results and prevent it from doing what it is assigned to do.

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