Parents of Scott Herr offer heartfelt thanks to community

By Jay Turner
Citizen Staff

For more than eight uninterrupted hours at their son Scott’s wake, Joe and Linda Herr never once sat down, nor did they ever leave their place at the head of the receiving line alongside their oldest son Joey.

Scott Herr

Instead, with equal parts sadness and amazement, they stood there all afternoon and evening as hundreds upon hundreds of Scott’s friends, neighbors, classmates, teachers, teammates — even opponents — came to offer their condolences along with a handshake or a hug, with many of them braving the cold to do so in a long line that stretched out into the parking lot and down the adjacent sidewalk.

The Herrs, in return, shared a moment with each one of them, and in some cases, it was Linda or Joe who did the consoling rather than the other way around.

“That was the least we could do for those people who came there,” said a grateful Joe Herr, who described the turnout at the wake as “unbelievable,” even for someone as young as Scott.

Just 18 when his life was suddenly taken in a car crash early on New Year’s Day, Scott was, by all accounts, a model student and citizen — intelligent, athletic, and just about as friendly as they come. He also had deep community roots, having grown up his entire life at the same Roberts Road home and having just graduated from Canton High School after 13 years in the Canton Public Schools.

To his parents, Scott had always been special. Yet Joe and Linda said they had no idea until the past few weeks just how much he meant to those around him — how a “regular” kid from Canton was able to touch so many lives in such a short time — and it is this amazing legacy of his, which seems to be growing by the day, that the Herrs fully admit are keeping them afloat during this otherwise unbearable period of mourning and loss. (Click here for full article)

Paws for a Cause

Students in all four grades at Canton High School, along with members of the faculty and staff, recently competed against each other in the school’s first ever “Paws for a Cause” fundraiser, which ended up raising $450 for a Canton family in need. Pictured above are members of the winning group — the CHS senior class — who were rewarded for their generosity with an ice cream party courtesy of Friendly’s in Stoughton.

Selectmen pleased with initial zoning re-codification

By Mike Berger
Citizen Staff

Selectmen Tuesday night said they are pleased with the initial revisions to the town’s zoning bylaw, a joint project and review by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), the Planning Board, and Building Commissioner Ed Walsh.

Although the goal is to present the completed re-codification to town meeting in April, ZBA member Greg Pando said the process should not be rushed, but should be complete and thorough. He suggested that the re-codification be presented at a subsequent town meeting if it is not ready for this year’s town meeting, which begins Monday, April 26.

Final approval of the re-codification will require a two-thirds majority of town meeting voters.

ZBA member John Marini said it is important for the public to understand that the intent of the new codification is not to change zoning, but to make the bylaws understandable for the average person to know what he can or cannot do on his property,

“Our job is to make it easier for the public,” Selectman John Connolly added.

Attorney Paul Schneiders, who has represented many applicants before the ZBA and Planning Board, said he is pleased to see the updates. Schneiders said some of the language in the current bylaw dates back to 1937 and is “archaic.” (Click here for full article)

Incumbents face little opposition in town election

By Jay Turner
Citizen Staff

It will be a quiet election season for the town of Canton in 2010 as Friday’s deadline to submit nomination papers came and went with little fanfare, producing just a single contested race.

The lone contest in the April 6 election will pit incumbent Housing Authority member Ron Grinnell against challenger Jason Dupre, while all other candidates, including incumbent Selectman John Connolly, will run unopposed.

Connolly, first elected in 1989 to a then three-member board, will seek his eighth consecutive term, which would put him in a tie with Selectman Avril Elkort for the longest current streak.

Also running unopposed for reelection will be state Representative William C. Galvin, who will seek a ninth consecutive term on the Board of Assessors; former selectman and incumbent Planning Board member George Jenkins, who will seek another five-year term; and current School Committee Chairman Reuki Schutt, who will seek her third consecutive three-year term.

The one notable departure this year is on the School Committee, where Dr. Robert Barker, an infectious diseases specialist and the committee’s longest-tenured member, will step down after nine years of service. Taking Barker’s place will be former colleague John Bonnanzio, who will seek his second term following a two-year hiatus from local politics. Bonnanzio, who served from 2005 to 2008, will now run unopposed after CAPE member Jill Stevens decided not to submit her nomination papers.

The remaining candidates, all incumbents, will also go unchallenged in the annual spring election: Betty Chelmow, Kathy Fox Alfano and Margaret Mead for three-year terms on the Library Board of Trustees, and Robert Schneiders for a three-year term on the Board of Health. (Click here for article)