Robert Rosen
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On the article How Many Cars Park Illegally At Natick High?
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On the article Mentally Ill 15-Year-Old Missing

Robert Rosen
10:38 am on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Sorry about that, Brian. From my understanding, without his medication it is possible that he could try to hurt/injure himself, which is one of the reasons his family is really worried and wants him found as quickly as possible so he can get back to his treatment.
I'm glad you commented again to ask that because I'm sure you weren't the only person who had this question.
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On the article Mentally Ill 15-Year-Old Missing

Robert Rosen
11:30 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Brian, my understanding is that Kenny is not a danger to anyone. The reason it's important to note that he suffers from mental illness is because he requires medication that he doesn't have right now. Being off his medication doesn't make him a threat to anyone, but it can have an effect on his mood, state of mind, etc.
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On the article We're Live at Town Meeting

Robert Rosen
12:54 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013
Thank you for commenting, Hugh. There was a lot of discussion about whether to cancel this meeting at the previous meeting that was held on the May 7. I didn't get all of the different arguments so the this link doesn't show how many people spoke about this from both sides, but I wanted to give it to you just in case you wanted to take a look: http://natick.patch.com/articles/we-re-live-at-town-meeting-f95d681e
A motion had been made to cancel the meeting on the 9th, but not enough people voted to do so. Still, you're probably right that many people didn't attend because of the holiday.
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On the article Who Makes the Best Sandwich in Natick?

Robert Rosen
12:45 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013
Thanks for the recommendation, Dean. I'm wondering if you have a couple of favorites from Pizza Peddler?
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On the article What Would Make More People Want to Attend Town Meeting?

Robert Rosen
3:36 pm on Friday, May 10, 2013
Sooz, to my knowledge, most towns who hold Town Meeting in their form of government do so once per year, but Natick does it twice (it will happen again in the fall). I've been told this is so adjustments can be made based on how things have gone budget-wise, etc.
I was also told by several people that this current Town meeting has the most number of articles that anyone can seem to remember, so it is not usually this long. I think the size of Natick (don't forget how much commercial business is here in addition to residential) may make it take longer than some other towns.
I'm not sure how you could do it more often than twice per year. You would need people to be available more than twice per year for all those nights. With people's work, family and other activities that might be difficult. Also, they don't meet every night; just Tuesday and Thursday, although it meets for as long as it takes to get through everything on the agenda.
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On the article What Would Make More People Want to Attend Town Meeting?

Robert Rosen
12:31 pm on Friday, May 10, 2013
Thank you for commenting, Larry. As an observer at Town Meeting, I think the frustration on many members' faces has been clear. There are certain article, motions, etc. that seem to bring a lot of discussion, and some of that discussion sometimes repeats itself as more people speak.
In fairness to the moderator, I think he has a tough job. In my observation, I think he's tried to let people have a little bit of leeway when they begin to speak because you never know where they might be heading and he wants to give them the opportunity to make their point. I imagine that can be a tough judgement call at times.
I have noticed that it is mostly the same people who speak at Town Meeting and I'm wondering if you could offer some insight as to why you think that is? Are some members shy in front of big crowds, or have they maybe just already made up their minds on how they're voting before they get to the high school?
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On the article What Would Make More People Want to Attend Town Meeting?

Robert Rosen
12:25 pm on Friday, May 10, 2013
Thank you so much for pointing this out, Mauryne. As someone who grew up here in Massachusetts, I don't think I had thought of that. I hope the summary that Frank Foss wrote below is helpful to you.
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On the article Have You Seen This Dog?
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On the article Remembering Natick's Veterans
Robert Rosen
5:47 pm on Monday, May 6, 2013
ReplyHi Paul,
Thank you so much for the kind words. The best way to get all of our top headlines is to sign up for our newsletter so you'll get Natick news delivered straight to your inbox. Simply go to this link to sign up http://natick.patch.com/newsletters
Robert Rosen
9:42 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Hi Sam, thank you for this comment. I hadn't even thought about the preschoolers. I'm obviously not there everyday like you are as a parent, but I think you're probably onto something. It's the first year with this new building, so maybe it's one of those kinks that still needs to be worked out.