News & EventsSunday, February 5, 2012
Demetrius Atsalis - Cape Cod TimesOct 9, 2010
Two years ago, when we recommended Democrat state Rep. Demetrius Atsalis for a sixth term in the Mid-Cape district, we wrote that the innate power of incumbency, his many family and professional connections in Hyannis, and a dependable record of bringing home the bacon combined to make him almost invulnerable to challengers.
"This should be a little disconcerting for some in Barnstable, the Cape's biggest town, a political boiling pot in its own right, and home to a large political and business elite," we wrote in October 2008. "We're surprised that the Republican Party can't field a strong candidate to challenge Atsalis."
This year is shaping up to be no different from two years ago.
While his opponent, James Munafo Jr., a Barnstable town councilor, is a bit stronger than Carl Yingling, who challenged the veteran lawmaker two years ago, Atsalis continues to maintain the edge.
After all, when his district needed financial help from the state for any number of local projects, Atsalis usually delivered.
Count them: the Hyannis Main Street revitalization, the cultural center in Yarmouth, the Parker's River restoration, the JFK Museum in Hyannis, the maritime museum in Hyannis, $3 million for the Hyannis youth center, $1 million for community policing, the Duffy-O'Neill health center for low-income people and Cape Cod Community College.
Atsalis also advocated for federal dollars for local sewer projects and the Barnstable Municipal Airport expansion.
If re-elected, Atsalis said he would focus on three priorities: his narcotic offender registry; the wastewater treatment issue; and creating jobs.
The registry would work like the state's sex offender registry. If a convicted drug felon, out on parole or after release from prison, moves into your neighborhood, the public would be notified depending on the seriousness of the convict's record.
"When a drug dealer moves in to a neighborhood, he is not only bringing drugs, but most likely weapons as well," Atsalis said. "They bring some shady characters, too."
On wastewater treatment, Atsalis said it is one of the most important issues facing the district.
"I always support the regional approach," he said. "We have to look at areas in most need, but you can't surprise people about plans to sewer. Everyone is nervous about the price tag... . We have to put together a board to decide what is best, not an authority" like the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.
Atsalis suggested that the Community Preservation Act may be one way to pay for sewering and other wastewater treatment options. Currently, homeowners on Cape Cod pay a surtax on their property tax to fund open space acquisition, affordable housing and historic preservation.
"Maybe we could take a third of CPA funds and put it toward septic instead of historic preservation," Atsalis said.
As for creating jobs, Atsalis said he would support incentives for growth industries.
Although he supported raising the sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent, Atsalis said the tax was the least regressive of all those considered, including a gas tax.
"I am glad to pay an extra $1.25 for every $100 I spend to help my community," he said. "However, I voted to repeal the liquor tax because that hurts small businesses."
Read More @ Cape Cod Online - Demetrius Atsalis
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Stimulus up close: Mass RRO Director
Jeffrey Simon onsite in Barnstable
The Town of Barnstable has received over $6 million through the Recovery Act to help fund much-needed wastewater, energy and road projects. Recently, Jeffrey Simon, director of the Massachusetts Recovery and Reinvestment Office, took a trip to the town to see the impact stimulus funds have had on these projects, on the town and on its citizens.
“The Governor sent me out to look at projects so I can understand what is going on in the field,” said Simon. “I can’t do that sitting in my office in Boston.”
Barnstable’s population swells from about 55,000 people year round to about 130,000 in the summer season. The town has to develop its infrastructure for maximum capacity, Mark Els, the town’s Director of Public Works, told Simon, 
and the existing upgrades are essential to accommodate the town’s current and future growth.
Part of that plan involves implementing the town’s clean water project which includes putting in new sewers and water main replacements around Stewart’s Creek in Hyannis in areas that have water quality issues and further addressing those issues with improvements to the Hyannis Water Pollution Control Facility. The project received over $1 million in stimulus help.
“We are addressing bacterial issues and drinking water issues,” said Els. “It’s a balancing act of what’s going on above ground and underground and it is critical to us.”
The town’s drinking water project, which received $705K in stimulus help, involves repairing and improving two water treatment facilities, 12 well pump stations, two storage tanks and distribution water pipes. Els noted that the stimulus funding minimized the cost for the town.
Continue Reading The Article, ..Stimulus Up Close [ Click Here ]
Te@m Txt forum to benefit Sturgis Charter School
Leslie Dominguez-Santos;
woozle28@hotmail.com
David Kuehn: david@intramedia.net
774-368-0986
May 7, 2010
Te@m Txt announces anti-texting educational forum prototype available forCape-Wide schools.
On April 16th, members of Te@m Txt hosted a forum for sophomores and juniors at Sturgis Public Charter School on the dangers of texting while driving. Panelists at the forum included:
Demetrius Atsalis, State Representative
Detective Joseph Cairns, Barnstable Police
Tom Fink, Driver Educator
Gerald St. Hilaire, Registry of Motor Vehicles
Bob Sampson, Driver Educator
Each of the panelists highlighted the dangers of texting while driving as well as the dangers of other forms of distracted driving. In addition, Representative Atsalis spoke about the legislation that the Massachusetts Legislature is working on to help ensure driver safety. The students were shown films illustrating the real dangers of texting while driving, listened to panelists bringing various professional and personal experiences to the forum and signed a pledge not to text and drive upon completion of the forum.
Sturgis also announced an art contest where students with the chosen designs and logos will win a free driving education course courtesy of Professional Driving School of Cape Cod, and memberships to Mid-Cape Racquet and Health Club.
The forum was filmed and will be edited and incorporated into a project prototype and distributed to all Cape Cod schools with students of and approaching driving ages.
Before the forum was conducted, student participants and their parents were asked to partake in a survey as to their driving habits. The results of the survey served to guide the panelists in their remarks to the students. However, the survey results also highlighted that texting while driving is a serious problem for students here on Cape Cod.
Highlights of Texting While Driving Survey Results (366 student responses, 183 parent responses)
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83% of surveyed students and 63% of surveyed parents regularly send and receive text messages on their phones.
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72% of students surveyed indicated that they have been passengers in vehicles where the driver is texting while driving.
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Of surveyed parents, 68% receive text messages while driving and 31% send them while driving.
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Of the surveyed parents, only 6% believe that their child/children text while driving.
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Of those surveyed students who have driver’s licenses, 93% receive text messages while they are driving.
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Of those surveyed students who have driver’s licenses, 62% send text messages while they are driving.
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1 out of every 5 students surveyed knows someone who has been in an accident due to texting whiled driving.
BGroup Project Mission:
To raise public awareness of the dangers of distracted driving, in particular texting, through information gathering, dissemination and education. We will host a targeted discussion on distracted driving with Sturgis high school students and their parents withthe participation of important civic leaders. Sturgis students may participate in a contestto develop a slogan/logo in the form of a poster. The winning image will be featured onthe prototype materials and published on Oprah Winfreyʼs anti-texting web site.We will publicize the results and create a forum prototype as a transferable model designed to lessen the occurrences of accidents related to distracted driving.This prototype, including an edited video of this forum will be distributed to schoolsserving high school students throughout the Cape.
Forum Organizers:
Doug Crabtree, Jr., Leslie Dominguez-Santos, Jose Fernandez,
David
Kuehn, Kristen Lind, Angela Shephard
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Atsalis idea deserves airing
Cape Cod Times - April 22, 2010
http://www.capecodonline.com
If you are a sex offender in Massachusetts, you are required to file a notice with police that details where you live and where you work. The idea is for authorities to keep track of these individuals and, for the most dangerous offenders such as rapists and child molesters, the information is shared with the public so they may be aware of who is living and working among them.
There are legitimate concerns about the civil liberties of the individuals in the registry, but overall the rights of the public at large outweigh these issues. Particularly when considering Level 3 sex offenders, it is a basic public safety issue.
State Rep. Demetrius Atsalis has seen how effective the sex-offender registry can be in aiding police and informing the public and he is seeking to create a similar database for drug dealers. This is the second term that Atsalis has proposed a drug-offender registry and it is time for the issue to get out of committee and have a full debate on the House floor.
Like the sex-offender registry, there are concerns about affixing a scarlet letter on people who have served their punishment for their crimes. But the latest version of the bill addresses this, establishing a tier system for offenders.
A classification board would assess the convicted drug criminals based on their backgrounds. Those least likely to repeat an offense would be classified Level 1 and be included in an internal registry available only to law enforcement authorities for five years. Those more likely to reoffend but convicted of less serious drug offenses would be classified as Level 2 and would be registered for 10 years. Their names would be accessible to the public but only upon request. Level 3 offenders, those who are convicted of serious drug crimes with a high probability of re-offense, would be listed for 15 years on a public Internet database.
"It would definitely be good to know that you're not establishing a bus stop directly outside the home of a narcotics distributor," said Arthur Dulong, assistant director of the state Secondary Schools Administrators Association, who reviewed the proposal at a recent meeting.
Make no mistake: The Cape has a drug problem. Last year, 363 defendants were charged with distribution, trafficking or possession with intent to distribute, according to the Cape and Islands District Attorney's office. The highly touted drug court offers a creative alternative to help people dig themselves out of a criminal hole. But for those who are unable or unwilling to do that, the public deserves protection as well. (For context, statewide, there were 6,086 arrests for the sale or manufacturing of drugs in 2008, the most recent data available.)
Minnesota and Tennessee are among the states to start drug-offender registries in recent years. And they are not alone, as other states consider similar measures.
The bill is currently set to go to the House Judiciary Committee, where Atsalis fears it will languish through the end of this legislative session. If that happens, he plans to bring it back.
We hope that will not be necessary. This important subject deserves a full hearing. While there may be legitimate issues to discuss with the proposal, Beacon Hill maneuvering is not the way the matter should rest.
We are glad Atsalis has proposed this measure and hope the full Legislature will have an opportunity to debate it soon.
[Back To Top]This article was originally posted on Cape Cod Online
Registry for drug dealers debated
Cape Cod Times - April 19, 2010 | By Jake Berry
http://www.capecodonline.com
Legislation proposing to create a registry for convicted drug dealers is meeting with positive reviews across the state, according to state Rep. Demetrius Atsalis, who introduced the proposal last year.
Some law enforcement authorities say the proposal, modeled after the state's sex offender registry, could help police identify and track convicted drug dealers, who often bring drug-related violence into a community. And some education professionals say it could better ensure safety through the school community.
"It would definitely be good to know that you're not establishing a bus stop directly outside the home of a narcotics distributor," said Arthur Dulong, assistant director of the state Secondary Schools Administrators Association, which reviewed the proposal at a recent meeting.
"There could definitely be some benefits," echoed Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe, who is considering the matter. "It's worth looking into."
The proposal, which would not affect convicted drug users, is set to go to the House Judiciary Committee, though it's unlikely to go to a vote during the current legislative session, said Atsalis, who plans to reintroduce the matter next year.
But some legislators and human rights advocates contend such registries infringe on convicts' personal freedoms, and the proposal should be quickly dismissed.
Drug registries — Minnesota and Tennessee, among other states, have launched methamphetamine databases — can stigmatize reformed dealers, making it more difficult for them to find work or housing as they seek to rehabilitate, according to officials from the Massachusetts branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.
"It amounts to a secondary punishment," agency spokesman Christopher Ott wrote in an e-mail to the Times.
"Sometimes (it lasts) years or even decades after they thought they'd 'paid their debt to society.'"
Three-tier system
To remedy that, Atsalis has amended his proposal — designed in a three-tiered system, like the sex offender registry — to include limits on how long offenders will be registered, so long as they don't re-offend.
Level 1 offenders, those least likely to repeat an offense, would be included for five years on an internal registry available only to law enforcement authorities. Level 2 offenders, considered more likely to re-offend, would be registered for 10 years. Their names would be available only through inquiries to the state or local authorities. And Level 3 offenders would be registered for 15 years on the registry, listed on a public Internet database.
"You have that period of time ... to show you're keeping clean, not doing drugs," Atsalis said. "And then your name can come off the list."
On Cape Cod, 363 defendants were charged with distribution, trafficking or possession with intent to distribute in 2009, according to the district attorney's office. In total, 530 charges were filed.
Across the state, there were 6,086 arrests for the sale or manufacturing of drugs in 2008 — the most recent figures available, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation records.
The time limits included under Atsalis' proposal fail to address the broader question of the slippery slope, according to Ott, of the ACLU.
If it's implemented, a narcotics registry could lead eventually to a property crime or motor-vehicle crime registries, Ott wrote to the Times.
"Do we want to create retroactive registries for anyone ever convicted of shoplifting ... or people who get a lot of speeding tickets?" he wrote. "It's wrong in principle."
Cori changes debated
There is already some debate over the state's Criminal Offender Record Information laws. Current law allows criminal justice agencies, housing authorities, human service organizations, and other certified employers to access criminal history reports.
But last fall, the state Senate passed a bill seeking to tighten the CORI laws by automatically sealing all records of dismissals and not-guilty findings, which are currently included in CORI reports unless otherwise requested.
"At some point it becomes like a scarlet letter," said state Sen. Robert O'Leary, who supported the matter. "It can make it difficult for people to move on with their lives."
The bill has not yet gone to the House floor for debate where it will likely meet with resistance from some lawmakers who want to go the other way, extending public access to criminal records.
"The public has a right to know who are the convicted drug dealers," state Rep. Jeffrey Perry, R-Sandwich, said in reference to Atsalis' proposal. "But I would take it a step further. The public has a right to know who all serious criminals are. ... If you had a neighbor who's been convicted four times of assault and battery ... wouldn't you want to know about that?"
[Back To Top]This article was originally posted on Cape Cod Online - By Jake Berry jberry@capecodonline.com - April 19, 2010
Cape churches organize to resist new shelter rules
Cape Cod Times - April 25, 2010 | By K.C. MYERS
http://www.capecodonline.com
HYANNIS — A roomful of church volunteers yesterday reacted with tears and anger to new state regulations that could prevent them from hosting homeless men and women in their places of worship.
Many of the nearly 100 or so people who gathered at the Salvation Army yesterday described how getting to know the down-and-out has moved them deeply. And they vowed to fight to continue helping the homeless.
"Jesus said, 'When you help the least amongst you, you are helping me,'" said Alan Burt, coordinator of the Hyannis Salvation Army Overnights of Hospitality program. "We're on a sacred mission."
The new regulations, which were adopted in December, call for safety upgrades at religious institutions that offer shelter to the homeless.
"These churches are not safe to be used as shelters," Kurt Schwartz, the state's undersecretary of public safety, told the Times this week.
The new rules also limit overnight stays to 35 a year, ban overnight shelters altogether from June 15 to September 15, and require at least one church representative to stay awake all night when the homeless are provided shelter.
Cape church members reacted vehemently to the new rules yesterday. They argued that banning stays in the summer and limiting them throughout the rest of the year is needlessly cruel. And forcing a volunteer to stay up all night is senseless and demeaning to church guests, they said.
"This is about empowering people," said Dean Atwood of the Northside United Methodist Church. "If you stayed up all night when you have a guest in your home, would that be empowering for your guest?"
Volunteers from more than 40 Cape churches have been hosting small groups of carefully screened, sober men and women for about eight years though the Overnights of Hospitality program, Burt said. Most churches that participate in the program provide shelter once or twice a month, while others do it weekly, he said.
One of the volunteers at yesterday's meeting, Izzy Thompson of the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Harwich Port, described how she spent her first night hosting five women by counting heads nervously to make sure they were all still there. She fell asleep for a few hours, then awoke before the others. She saw they were all cozy in their beds.
"I realized, where would they go? What would they do? They are running to us, not away from us," Thompson said.
The state regulators who crafted the new rules did not get feedback from Cape Cod homeless advocates, who say their program has been problem-free for eight years.
Church volunteers are trained in fire safety, Burt said. They cook a meal, provide a bed, and spend the night talking with the people who would ordinarily sleep at the NOAH Shelter in Hyannis or on the streets, he added.
"This is about relationships between people in which we all learn from each other. It's not just a place to stay," said Father Ken Campbell of the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Harwich Port.
Church volunteers also spoke reverently about their experiences helping the homeless.
But the homeless who attended yesterday's meeting had even more praise for the churches.
"You people saved my life," said Billy Bishop, a former homeless man who now runs a house for homeless men who are trying to establish permanent housing. "These overnight programs, I looked forward to them. You girls cooking those meals. They don't have that in the woods. ... That's what brings people back together again."
The NOAH Shelter saves lives too, but is not nearly as pleasant as the church overnights, which include conversations with church volunteers. They also provide a break from the presence of drugs and alcohol at the NOAH Shelter, Bishop said.
Local lawmakers who attended yesterday's meeting pledged to work with the state Fire Marshal's Office to amend the new rules before June 15. "I was shocked when I saw these rules," said state Rep. Demetrius Atsalis, D-Hyannis. "You got to scratch your head. They just don't make sense. ... This shouldn't have happened to begin with. The homeless need shelter."
But if the wheels of government don't turn by June 15, Pastor John Holt of the Osterville United Methodist Church said he'd host the homeless anyway. He called the new shelter regulations discriminatory.
"They are not making regulations about my junior high youth group," which also has an overnight program, he said. "It's a total violation of our freedom of religion."
[Back To Top]This article was originally posted on Cape Cod Online - By K.C. MYERS kcmyers@capecodonline.com - April 25, 2010
Time out on texting
February 04, 2010
http://www.capecodonline.com
Step by step, state by state the United States is dealing with the dangers of texting while driving.
The latest move is a nationwide ban on texting by truckers and bus drivers. We welcome the action by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, but it is only another step.
What is needed is the full stride of prohibiting texting by all drivers anywhere on the nation's roadways. Both houses of Congress are considering that, and we hope action is taken this year.
We understand the urgent priority list facing the House and Senate, and we are fully cognizant of legislative ducking and delaying in an election year. But we are equally aware that texting is not a minor problem; it is a major safety hazard.
Texting drivers take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 of every six seconds, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. That means that at 55 mph, a texting driver travels more than the length of a football field without looking at the road. That endangers everyone around.
Before the new federal ban for truckers and bus drivers was enacted, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute did an analysis, which found that texting truckers are 23 times as likely to be involved in a crash or a near-crash than drivers who aren't texting. The same odds would apply to anyone driving a car.
We know that more and more cell phones and other devices with texting capability are being sold; common sense tells us that more and more accidents will follow if preventive measures aren't taken.
While some states already have laws banning texting while driving, most, including Massachusetts, do not. Congressional action, which would withhold vast amounts of federal highway funds to any state which did not adopt a ban on texting while driving, would push every state into enacting a ban. It is a push we believe is warranted because texting while driving is a nationwide problem deserving a nationwide solution.
Both the House and Senate in the Massachusetts Legislature have anti-texting safety measures under consideration, including a bill introduced by state Rep. Demetrius Atsalis, D-Barnstable. But progress is slow and the need for increased safety on state highways and roads requires that lawmakers at all levels be more responsive.
Waiting for our lawmakers to act on our behalf when the need is so clear is frustrating. But there is something every driver can do immediately to help reduce the dangers of texting while driving. And that is simply to not do it, and to discourage family members and friends to avoid the temptation as well.
Individuals and organizations across the country are pledging not to be part of the problem. And by spreading the word, they are making it easier for laws to be enacted that will help protect us wherever we may travel in this country.
Evidence continues to mount that texting is at least as much of an impairment to safe driving as drinking too much alcohol. We have laws dealing with drunken drivers; now we need laws to deal with the dangers of texting drivers.
[Back To Top]This article was originally posted on Cape Cod Online Feb 4th, 2010
