Looking Back At Reading Stories, Issues from 2018

Bob Holmes
From our override vote, to ongoing vandalism issues, it was a busy year in town.

Yes, it's another one of those end-of-year stories. But it was a busy year in Reading, with many of the headlines repeated time and time again. It's worth a second look at 2018 with the hope the new year will include less vandalism talk and more of what makes Reading a town worth living in. So here goes and in no particular order.

1. Some say the total is in the 30s. Some, like a resident at the last Reading Embraces Diversity meeting, say it's in the 40s. Whatever the number of swastikas found in our schools, or other racist vandalism, it's painted a horrible picture of our town. The vandalism hasn't been swept under the rug. In fact, Channels 4, 5, 7, 25, and NECN have become regular visitors to our community events. They/we knew because the town would tell us, time after time, in statements that seemed to repeat the same phrases. There were candlelight vigils, an event on the town common to support the Jewish community, and a meeting of the Select Board at which town leaders asked, how can we help. But each event was followed by more vandalism. RED was created and discussions started. Who is doing this? Is it a kid(s) with a Sharpie? And does that matter? Unfortunately this story isn't going away.

2. Who knew this was the year of the rat in Reading? The town, like many around us, is experiencing a growth in the rat population. What did we do wrong? Are we bringing this on ourselves? With rats in his own neighborhood, even our Town Manager expressed disgust at a Select Board meeting in August. In September the town held a rat meeting at Parker with the Board of Health and later in the fall sent an exterminator to Washington Park. As one resident said, the problem is far more difficult than just cleaning up garbage. Rats were in Reading before 2018 and they'll certainly be back when spring comes in 2019.

3. This time it passed. Reading voters in April approved a $4.15 million override that saved the middle school language programs, gave help to our police and fire departments, and yes, raised our taxes. Led by Erin Gaffen and Michele Sanphy, Yes For Reading took nothing for granted after a larger $7.5 million override was defeated in 2016. The lawn signs were back, but this time there was a door-to-door, neighbor-to-neighbor effort to get it passed. Some still disagreed and asked why the town couldn't just cut spending. There were emotional meetings of the Select Board and School Committee and the first three months were filled with passion and protest, not all of it pleasant. Almost 44 percent of the registered voters turned out April 3. And this time it passed.

4. Most high schools settle for an occasional tournament appearance, maybe a league title here and there. But not in Reading, where athletics runs deep and success is expected. This year RMHS won a state title in boys' lacrosse in June followed a few months later by another Rocket state champ, this time the girls' swim team and for a third straight year. The lacrosse title came after a 13-9 win over Concord-Carlisle and was led by All-Americans Mike Tobin and Jack Geiger. As for the Reading girls, they followed up a second-place finish at the North Sectional by winning the Division 2 state crown. With swimmers like Molly Hamlin and Samantha Brabeck back next year, 2019 could see a fourth straight title.

5. It was Christmas Eve when the news came down that Police Chief Mark Segalla had been placed on administrative leave. It was a short two-sentence announcement by Town Manager Bob LeLacheur that was easy to overlook the day before Christmas. Since then those on social media have said leave the man alone. Others have said the town's 26,000 residents deserve to know what's going on with their police chief. Personnel matters are usually kept quiet. Those that involve police are even more so. But when town leaders needed our support for the override, transparent became the word of the day. Some of that transparency needs to be applied to our police department.

6. We still don't know exactly what happened when a Reading police officer shot and killed 43-year-old Alan Greenough near the East Coast Gas and Auto Repair on Main Street. At last word, the Middlesex District Attorney was backed up and still hadn't finished their investigation. But it's not every day a Reading officer kills someone and there are questions. The officer, who was never named, was immediately placed on paid administrative leave following the Feb. 3 shooting, pending the results of the investigation, per department policy. Just because we support our police doesn't mean we don't want answers to simple questions. In this case it couldn't be simpler. What happened?

7. Pickleball Passion Grips Reading. Okay, maybe we're exaggerating. But the point here is that there was a lot to do in Reading in 2018 and every year there are more options, more events that bring us together. Yes, the Pickleball program run by Reading Recreation is popular, right down to the need to register at 8 a.m. Register at 8:01 and you're bound for the waiting list. The 10th annual Street Faire grows every year and this past September was the biggest ever. The list goes on with the Friends and Family Day in June, the tree lighting on the common in December, all the events sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, the Halloween Parade, the Little League Opening Day parade, and all the great events organized by Kevin Bohmiller on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. That list will grow in 2019 with Reading's 375th birthday celebration.

8. Maybe we're getting used to all the building projects but it takes a holiday to show how much is going on in town. How many of you had family members come back home only to ask, 'hey, what's that?' You could have been driving by Reading Village or past the Schoolhouse Commons, or the old Sunoco on Main Street. And what's that building going up across from Bagel World? Town officials hope that with this development and more ahead Reading will hopefully hold off future overrides. Tax-burdened residents certainly hope that is true. But it's not all good news. The Hitching Post just announced it is closing soon and the Butcher Shop just up Haven remains closed. And even though there's not much the town can do about it, that empty Walgreens in downtown gets more annoying every day. Has it really been four years since it closed?

9. I'm hardly a historian when it comes to our Board of Selectmen turned Select Board, but this had to be one of the more interesting years for Reading's Fab 5. It started with the board navigating the delicate override issue, led by chairman John Arena. The override passed and with it came a new look to the board with Arena out and Vanessa Alvarado in. Alverado won by just 86 votes and was the eighth woman to have a seat on the board. But almost as soon as Alvarado arrived, so did tension on the board. Board Member John Halsey and Alvarado didn't get along and their relationship spilled over into a Open Meeting Law complaint filed by Halsey. Before that the board selected Andy Friedmann as its chair and Friedmann struggled to control the board's behavior. At worst they were childish. At best, it was uncomfortable for all in the room. The fact most meetings dragged on for hours didn't help. They've been better since their summer spat and there's hope the board will have a productive and civil 2019.

10. Ya, it would have been nice to have an even 10. But how about this? Feel free to come up with your own highlight for the town and send it to me or better still, post it yourself on Patch. If I can do it, anyone can. And Happy New Year.