It's been a great three years, and now ShrewsBuried is done. This blog has no purpose anymore and I don't want to become the local gossiping misanthrope jockeying for space against well-heeled competitors. That cranky room is too crowded for me. In other ways, I will remain a stubborn liberal voice in a conservative town. But I want to be a helpful and productive resident and member of my Town government, and this blog has become a barrier. ShrewsBuried has been more hurtful than helpful. This is my fault, and I'm working to make amends.
Thank you for reading ShrewsBuried.
Mark Adler
markles@townisp.com
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Thank You. Good Night.
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I'm sorry to hear that. It's a tough line between being critical and being snarky, and it's tough to keep the tenor of a conversation on this side of tasteful. I've appreciated your coverage of Shrewsbury issues.
ReplyDeleteThat's the way it is.....
ReplyDeleteNo Mark it has not been more hurtful, I think it opened up some dialogs that would not have happened.
ReplyDeleteYou are one of the pioneers in maintaining a blog and have experienced the pitfalls of how to deal with trolls and other nastiness without blocking freedom of speech. It wasn't always pretty but you stuck with it. Hey maybe you can write a book about it.
Sorry,to hear it. Thanks for all your efforts. A shame really...you were done in by "Anonymous".
ReplyDeleteDid I miss something? What happened?
ReplyDeleteI certainly have enjoyed this window into the town and your excellent writing about it, although I haven't participated as often as I might have.
I am very sad to see it end and will miss it. All the best ...
I agree with the last poster. What did I miss? I have been reading these blogs for the past 2 years and found most of them interesting. Even commented on a few. Why all of a sudden? I obviously am not in the "in" 'cause I missed something. Thank you for your time and effort. I have enjoyed this blog.
ReplyDeleteno no. the blog was much appreciated. I got to see the 'thinking' of other residents and why they did what they did. can't say I always understood their 'thinking' but oh well.
ReplyDeletealso, very much enjoyed the commentary of Mr. Massiello
I guess sooner or later all good things must come to an end.
Mark, Your decision may be final, but I hope you will reconsider. The blog has allowed topics of discussion that would have no other venue. I think that all of us are better informed because of the Blog AND our town "leaders" have known there was a voice out there every time they took the "political road" instead of the road best for the town.
ReplyDeleteI ask that you reconsider.
Awwhh I'm sorry to hear it Mark. As one of the posters above said, it was a window in to residents thinking and that was helpful. I liked checking the blog occasionally to see what was going on! On the other hand another poster using the word "trolls" is inappropriate and unnecessary and I guess too much of that was going on. Maybe someone else can pick up the baton and start another blog!
ReplyDeleteThx for a truly entertaining and informative "hub"
Joy
Oh, come on Mark. In my opinion things have just gotten started. I am a conservative Republican who has Srewsburied on my short list of "must reads" every morning. To me, it was a slice of everything that is great about Shrewsbury. Perhaps you are feeling dejected, but please don't. It is never easy to stand across the aisle and have your voice heard. Depsite the bantering that occurred from time to time, you represented (and well), your position. Can't you pass the baton and maybe appear as a "Guest Authority" from time to time. Remember, what we now will have to go to are the other online publications--which many consider self serving. I, for one, ask that you reconsider and remain the lone liberal voice---
ReplyDeleteNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO - This blog does a great service to the community and lends a voice to many, many people. The powers that be don't like it because they have an issue when people don't just agree with them. Please, please reconsider.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what happened, but please reconsider keeping the website open. I found it very helpful in looking over both sides of important town issues. I like reading through the comments and can filter posts with my own judgement. I hope that you reconsider because I feel this web site really was helpful for me.
ReplyDeleteif not Shrewsburied? then where? T&G ? Shrewsbury Chronicle? lantern ?
ReplyDeleteI'm going back to bed and hopefully when I wake up I will recognize that I was dreaming / nightmare.
I am a bit confused here. I thought the intent of the blog was happenings in town etc. You always seemed to bring a thought forward and no matter if we agreed or not, it brought good discussions. Sometimes bad stuff happened, but you get that no matter what you do. You seemed to control that pretty well to not let it get out of hand.
ReplyDeleteI hope you reconsider so those of us not as involved in the political scene are brought up to speed on town happenings! It's hard to get this information were it not for your blog....
Don't leave us now Mark....
Ok, time to beg! Mark don't stop the blog! As you can see by all of the above many like it and find it informative. Is it time contraints for you? It must take time to weed through the nasties etc., but if you could maybe have someone lend you a hand so you don't always have to be on top of the comments, could you reconsider keeping the blog going? Most of us zip through the one's we don't agree with I'm sure, and focus on the real news. Please! Thanks
ReplyDeleteWhat happened?
ReplyDeleteThis is a great forum for discussion. When you post a story or opinion you let voices from all points of view weigh in... that "other" blog is totally self-serving and there is virtually no discussion allowed.
We need you now more than ever. I read this blog daily, it's one of my go-to news/opinion sources. You've broken stories I may not have heard about otherwise (landfill ash issue).
Yes, there have been some poorly vetted letters to the editor recently (the non-issue with the Sumner House for example), but all in all you do a great job.
Yes there was a lot of negativity, but there were also postings for community events, and the blog was a great place to find out what was going on in the community. Don't let it end!
ReplyDeleteI believe a blog like this can be helpful. The problem is the Anonymous postings like this one. In the future, the only way to have an honest successful local blog is is to require contributors to sign their NAMES at the end of a posting. Not a screen name. Real name like Missy, John and others do. Folks will think twice before throwing mud at someone when their name is there. Anyone can be a tough guy when they are hiding behind a computer screen like I am right now.
ReplyDeleteMark, like many above I do wish you would reconsider. I haven't been reading that long, but from what I can tell this is a great place to see the true feelings of Shrewsbury residents on any given issue around town. I hope you continue to share your views in the future and please consider TheDailyShrewsbury.com an outlet for that. We'll always take your letters to the editor!
ReplyDeleteMark,
ReplyDeleteYou did a nice job. I'll miss reading it. You gave both sides on issues a fair voice. I did notice a nastier more personal tone the last few months with some of my anonymous cousins.
Gee Mark...President Obama complains about the new media and 48 hours later you kill Shrewsburied. Is that one of those "Things that make ya go hmmmmmm"?
ReplyDeleteWhen I ran for Selectman and posted here, I was told that I needed my head examined. Those may not be mutually exclusive facts.
I think that blogs have a certain immediacy and candor that Letters to the Editor do not though. I was disapointed with some of the annon comments that hit people on a personal level. I very often made the comment that Mark should not have let some of them slide. I was guilty of negative slurring in discussing Mike Dukakis ("that pathetic little fruad"), Deval Patrick ("Coupe Deval"), Tim Murray ("Little Timmy"), Congressman McGovern ("Fidel Castro's Penpal"), and a few others, but I did put my name out there. I actually had fun writing some of that stuff. Truthfully, I would be disappointed when nobody slammed back.
I'll miss Shrewsburied. I really have enjoyed reading and posting here. I have a feeling something else will emerge though. Maybe registered users would take some of the courseness out of the venue. Time will tell.
bdee, bdee, bdee...That's all folks!
Wow, you've wipe Shrewsburied off the map already! This is now the only post available on the site. Are you being sued or something?
ReplyDeleteUnlike some of the posters, I think it was the right decision at the right time and I respect you for making it. Given the nature of the precipitating events it was really the only thing to do, and I think it will defuse an awful lot. The concept of blogging is a fabulous one, and you were one of the pioneers in our area. At the beginning, it was awesome. As the site evolved into a breeding ground for anonymous sniping, and hate mongering, I think it lost the intent that you created it for, and became an entity into itself that was not healthy, and one that I don't think you liked either, but felt was out of your control to stop. Best of luck in all you do moving forward. There is light at the end of the tunnel you know.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark, for all the work you put into Shrewsburied; it will definitely be missed!
ReplyDeleteI too will be sad to see the BLOG end. I enjoyed reading and adding commentary to it. Your insight and candor might cause some to bristle, but to me it was refreshing. Your entries were current, provocative, and local. They made people think and stimulated dialog. The BLOG was a public service. Thanks for three years of incredible public service Mark. Hope that liberal voice of yours is not silenced and will be heard in other local arenas.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the running dialogue these past 3 years. I can only imagine that a lot of your personal time (and in some cases aggravation) went into this. You did state your opinions very openly and let both sides of the opinion be heard. Again, thanks for getting people talking and hopefully thinking and involved.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy a well deserved rest.
This makes me very sad. I feel that ShrewsBuried made a valuable contribution to the town. Yes, it was a place for open discussion (which often seems so stifled in this town), but more importantly it was a GREAT NEWS SOURCE. Local media in this town tends to shun controversy, and as a result of that, they tend to shun actual news in favor of light fluffy human interest pieces. I heard about many things from this blog, from political candidates announcing to current issues, that frankly I either never heard about anywhere else or did not see in another Shrewsbury media outlet until weeks later.
ReplyDeleteMark
ReplyDeleteSorry to see ShrewsBuried go. It was a valuable place to learn about town issues and events. I enjoyed contributing articles and comments on many topics over the last 3 years. I have mixed feelings about the anonymous comments - I know you tried it both ways. There is a tendency for things to devolve when people don't have to put their name on their comments.
I agree with the other comments from today that we need another avenue to replace ShrewsBuried -- a place where interested parties can share and compare ideas. Take a well-deserved rest, my friend, and let us know when your next "idea" is ready for prime-time!
Thanks for the service you provided these past 3 years.
Johanna Musselman
Mark...please reconsider. I can't take the silencing of another liberal lion!!! You said there are other sources of news. If you are referring to Steve Levine's Latern, that online rag is a joke. If Steve is not promoting his own kids he is pandering to the BOS or Polito and Beaton. He injects himself into every story. His effusiveness is nauseating. You are comparing apples to oranges here. I wish you well.
ReplyDeleteTo 5:38
ReplyDeleteYour post is part of the problem. Why bring Levine into this? There is no reason for that. Here was your chance to say thanks, and you have to make it personal to someone who is not involved in this thread.
I agree, on top of which whether you like him or not, Levine is out there every day as a foster parent to neglected kids, a big brother, a youth group leader, an elected official, community volunteer and someone who most people aren't aware quietly provides streams of food supplies to families in Shrewsbury who have fallen on tough times and has been doing so for years. You may not like reading his paper, although you seem to do so anyway, but Shrewsbury is a better place with him in it than it would be without him. Just my two cents. Good luck Mark and thanks for your service.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mark. The people who run this town owe you a debt of gratitude, but instead they've been hostile to you. I hope that you and they can start reconciling. This is the first step. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI'm so confused. Who are these "well-heeled competitors"? What are the "precipitating events" someone referred to? How crowded is this "cranky room"? I certainly am not reading any other blog about Shrewsbury. Apparently others are?
ReplyDeleteHelp! Can anyone enlighten me?!
Kathy
Thanks for a great blog, Mark. I'll miss this open forum and your keen insights.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kathy, what have the rest of us missed out on? I really wish you would reconsider--I don't always agree with you, but respect you for your time and commitment to our town. This may be unfair, but it did give many a chance to talk about polarizing people and situations that occur in our town without the feeling of retribution.
ReplyDeleteThank god! Good night!!
ReplyDeleteWas it something I said?
ReplyDeleteMark,
ReplyDeleteAs a non-resident town employee, I relied on your blog to keep my finger "on the pulse" of the town. I will greatly miss my daily check-in. Thank you for all your time and dedication.
I agree that this blog could get nasty at times, but for some, the truth hurts. In regards to the comment made that Mr. Levine does charity work "quietly" made me spit out my morning coffee. Everything he does is done with it being in the public eye. He smacks of
ReplyDelete"look at me." I was taught that when you do a good deed, you do it quietly and behind the scenes. To always want accolades is a bit disingenuous.
Is this just being tossed in the trash too?
ReplyDeleteMark -- what happened? I don't live in town anymore, and I've found I'm quite the conservative (especially for a New Englander) *except* when it comes to town politics, but I appreciated having this unfiltered window into my one-time hometown. It will be missed. Can you reconsider?
ReplyDeleteI smell a SELECTMAN election coming on....
ReplyDelete11:14 am -- I agree. Ben is up for reelection next year. Could this presage a run for office by Mark?
ReplyDeleteGood question. Will Mark be one of the 500 people who figures "I have to beat Ben T next year"?
ReplyDeleteto 11:35: he may be one of those looking to knock off Ben - but not unless he gets Shrewsburied behind him. He's managed to PO too many people. He's hoping enough people will forget the snarkiness by the time he announces....
ReplyDeleteI am sorry but Lebeaux cornered the market on snarky. I have yet to witness a more smug and condescending public official on the local level. Mark has some catching up to do. Besides, in this anti-intelligence town, Mark doesn't have a prayer of earning a seat.
ReplyDeleteAdd me to the list of conservative Republicans who got a lot of value out of Shrewsburied. Party affiliation matters a whole lot less at the local level than elsewhere, and this place actually provided news about town issues that don't get coverage in any other media. Whether I agreed or disagreed with the posts made no difference, they still provided information about what was going on.
ReplyDeleteanswer me this question, Einstein: if Mark is so smart, why did he lose to Moira Miller, and why did his agenda go exactly, oh, NOWHERE? Because he's not that smart!He was never able to create a coalition that could win. Sure, it had lots of dissatisfied, self-righteous people - but it couldn't win elections or overrides. That's why he's backing out of this blog - and it's the singular most intelligent thing he's done with it. Mark, I wish you well. It takes a big person to admit they're wrong. Good luck to you.
ReplyDeleteMark is not going to knock off Ben unless the election is a special election when voter turnout is light. A selectman's race brings out the voters. With the economy the way it is, there is a large number of people who do not want, and cannot afford, to pay any more taxes,fees, etc. Those people fall in Ben's column. This could have been Mark's year, with people chasing out incumbents.
ReplyDeleteMark, thanks for the blog, I enjoyed it.
Give me a break 1:44 - sounds like you just might be a BOS member who feared this blog because it spoke the truth. Mark is very smart and capable of being a BOS and he wouldn't bow down like most of the board does now as they only care about being re-elected. If Mark doesn't revive this board, I hope someone else will.
ReplyDeleteAnon 1:44: thank you for supporting my assertion regarding the anti-intelligence bias in town.
ReplyDelete2:28 - Thank you for supporting my assertion that anyone who disagrees with the BOS are seen as not intelligent. Sounds like your paranoia still exists.
ReplyDelete2:28 John L. slow day in Princeton?
ReplyDeleteHmmm ... shrewsburied stops at about the same time raids are made in Massachusetts regarding the Times Square bomber ... its true the real culprit must have been a disaffected white male.
ReplyDeleteall the negative comments. Tsk, Tsk...this why he's stopping the blog. Annonymous comments give people permission to act like spoiled children. And that's the way frequent bloggers here have sounded - like spoiled kids. It's made this place look like Shrewsbury is filled with nuts.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea Mark - but next time hold people accountable for their remarks. That's the way to build real debate and dialogue.
I am fairly new to Shrewsburied. Finally, a courageous person with a forum in which the truth can be told. In the case of the bullying issue I was able to post some truths, after which numerous people followed suit. There is no other way we are courageous enough to get to the truth of any matter in this town, this works because we are able to post anonymously.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it appears so unfair to Mark I believe he is doing a real service to this town. If people are going to snipe and name call perhaps their comments should not be posted unless they are brave enough to sign their names. In the case of Steve Levine I think he has a thick enough skin to handle the comments made about him. For those posters, have the guts to sign your name. Please Mark, continue to do this town the service you have so generously provided.
Mark ALLOWED people to sign annonymously - he could have stopped it LONG ago if he wished. (He actually did it at one point, but the result was commentary that wasn't as gosspy, wasn't as "dishy", as what he had. Mark changed it back to the old way - BECAUSE HE WANTED IT THE OLD WAY. I'm all for congratulating him for trying - but let's not forget that the demise of Shrewsburied is because of the way he ran it. In the end it ceased being relevant because people got tired of the gratuitous nasty tone. It could have been different, and there could still have been a healthy debate. So, mourn the loss of a place for discussion - that's a shame. But let's not shed any tears for losing something that didn't treat ALL town members as worthy people who believed and acted in ways they thought were right. Even if we disagree with others, we should honor their engagement in trying to make Shrewsbury a better place. Anything less is just pettiness and self-righteous indignation.
ReplyDeletethank you, "anonymous"... and what was YOU'RE name again???!!!
ReplyDeleteSara,
ReplyDeleteThe name is Bond, James Bond.
007b
To 7:41 pm (and others),
ReplyDeleteWhen exactly did Shrewsburied cease being relevant? It seems to me either it was never relevant to begin with (which I don't think is the case at all) or it was still relevant at the end. I don't see when the supposed change occurred. There were lulls in postings in the past, just as there was recently. I really don't buy lack of relevancy as the reason for the end of Shrewsburied. There's got to be something else going on.
Kathy
You know what I'm mad about, there are rumors circulating around this town about Mark that appear to be untrue. A certain person with an ax to grind? A bunch of grown up bullies? I think it is both. Mark isn't afraid to express his opinion and some in town don't like to be questioned. Too darn bad. Grow up. Shrewsburied was a great resource and gave a voice to the little people. I wish it was still active so we could get a pulse beat on what the community thinks of this sewer waste treatment facility.
ReplyDeleteMark,
ReplyDeleteWhile you are taking your victory lap, why don't you tell everybody about your act of political dirty tricks that was witnessed by several people at Black Diamond? It wasn't very civic-minded and makes one wonder what else you've done but that nobody saw.
Is it true that organizations that you are a member of are now trying to distance themselves from you because they don't want to be associated with that type of behavior?
Is that the real reason you're ending the blog?
Black Diamond? Did he ask for a venti when he should have asked for a large? Did he ask for soy milk in his double mocha grande half skinny latte no foam hold the whip collatta thing a ma bob?
ReplyDeletereally if you've got details, why not just say them?
to the bully at 12:07 - grow up
ReplyDeleteto 12:07, I am a sinner, perhaps even like Mark too. I'm not defending Mark, since I know not what crime he has committed or been accused of, but I suspect we are all sinners. Careful when casting the first stone?
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people who are spreading rumors need to look deeply at their own actions! We all know you aren't as squeaky clean as you want to appear to be. The public is not that dumb.
ReplyDeleteThere is more behind this and that's why Shrewsburied is being buried. Some folks saw things, and some folks like to share things. But there were witnesses to this..and it's getting around quickly. It involves the political arena, and thus the heat is on. The whole thing is a darn shame, this was such a valuable resource.
ReplyDeleteWhat's amazing is that with absolutely no moderation, AND innuendo and hints about nefarious goings on, no one is calling anyone out or even blabbing about what they think the truth is.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope these supposed witnesses have clean closests themselves. For crying out loud you'd think this was Watergate. Has anybody noticed the potted plants moving at BD?
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your comments throughout the years. See you at Town Meeting.
ReplyDelete