The Unselects

We welcome Mike Pacy who is running for school committee in the May 5 Shrewsbury Town election.  Mike discusses his experience with Shrewsbury Public Schools and the DESE violations that were never disclosed to the public.  Mike also outlines what he will do differently if he is fortunate to be elected to the school committee.

In this episode of The Unselects, producers Gregg Richards and Brian Costello sit down with Michael Walsh, candidate for Massachusetts Attorney General, to talk about some of the biggest legal and political issues facing the Commonwealth. They break down the fight over the Massachusetts legislative audit, the controversy around the 72% voter-approved audit question, and whether Attorney General Andrea Campbell is enforcing the law or standing in the way. The conversation also dives into the MBTA Communities Act, MBTA zoning, home rule, unfunded mandates, and the growing tension between state government and local control in towns like Shrewsbury. Michael Walsh shares how he got involved in statewide politics, his legal background, and how he says he would handle the audit fight and other major state issues if elected Attorney General. Topics covered in this episode: Massachusetts Attorney General race Michael Walsh for AG Andrea Campbell and the legislative audit 72% audit vote in Massachusetts MBTA Communities Act and MBTA zoning Home rule and unfunded mandates Local control vs. state mandates Government transparency in Massachusetts Shrewsbury politics and local government If you care about Massachusetts politics, government transparency, local decision-making, and the future of the Attorney General’s office, this episode is for you.

In this episode we review and discuss the history of the mixed use development at 335 Maple Ave.  Starting in 2014 this development has followed the path of many others before it.  Lobby the town to make changes that ultimately only benefit the developer.  Tune in to learn more.

In this episode we recap the highlights of fall Town Meeting including Article 7, a citizens petition to allow Shrewsbury residents to vote on removing fluoride from our town drinking water.  Since fluoride has been promoted in public water supplies since the 40's we make the case that it may be time to revisit the topic.  We argue the same points that were made in the federal case Food and Water Watch vs. EPA which was ruled upon in September of 2024.  For those unfamiliar with the case the court ruled that "Plaintiffs have proven, by a preponderance of the evidence, that water fluoridation at the level of 0.7 mg/L - the prescribed optimal level of fluoridation in the United States - presents an "unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment, without consideration of costs or other non-risk factors, including an unreasonable risk to a potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulation under the conditions of use."

After a few months off we are finally back with new episodes.  We are going unscripted highlighting and discussing all things Shrewsbury.  It's a new format in the new SMC Podcast studio.  In the first episode of season 2 we catch everyone up with what has transpired since the May election and Gregg's experience as a Select Board Member.

Our 20th Episode has been released! To 40B or not to 40B that is the question. This episode explores the ramifications of passing MBTA zoning and how it negatively impacted affordable housing in Shrewsbury.

On this episode we review the DPW and Town Hall upgrade project to determine how it became $10M over budget.  We focus on setting proper expectations with the community and how Shrewsbury can do better.  

In this episode we review two topics.
 
1) The changes to town meeting member representation by precinct.
2) The proposed form of government committee and the four types of government Massachusetts towns can utilize.
 
Please watch and let us know what you think.

On this episode of The Unselects, we discuss the results of the special referendum election in Shrewsbury and dig into the influence the outside dark money organization One Commonwealth had supporting the YES side.

On this Special Episode of The Unselects we are 48 hours away from the special election on Tuesday February 4. What last minute roadblocks has the town put in the residents way?