PulseLine: A cop gets killed on a moonlight job and right away everyone starts to debate as to if he was on or off duty. That’s sick. What you don’t realize is that just because some guy made some comments, you slam The Westfield News for putting it in the paper and that is just as wrong. The people that slammed the paper for putting in the comments were no doubt friends or relatives of the cop. Well, let me tell you, if the guy was a cop for that long he must have given someone some attitude or maybe he took the job of a person who would have done the job also, but doesn’t have any job at all. It seems to me that the job should have been done by someone that knew something about construction equipment instead of an everyday beat cop. Are the department cops trained in the safety and operational aspects of the vehicles involved? Are they trained in all types of equipment as to how they turn or move? How can the cops be expected to focus on those issues and direct traffic at the same time? Is the department negligent in the training for the boys? It looks like this will be the subject of talk for some time. To get back to the comments being placed so soon, wouldn’t you want your comments to be placed right when you send them in? Would you rather have the paper hold on to it for a month to decide if it is the right time to put it in the PulseLine? I doubt it. The minute you send it into the paper it belongs to them! You have just let them decide what to do with it. To address the poor timing and disgust of all the complainers, you brought it on yourselves. Westfield has a reputation that goes back many years as being a good ole’ boy system. Our mayors have done just as they please doing costly pet projects, the City Council sets up relatives with jobs and attacks people for opposing them, the School Committee and superintendents screw up the education in the city then leave, and some of the cops put on a badge and turn arrogant, mean and rude because of their position of power. The Vocational principal steals thousands of dollars from our kids and the police chief says in The Westfield News its O.K. because she left I.O.U.’s! You wonder why there is no respect here? No matter how good this cop was, Westfield has a reputation of being corrupt politically, educationally and in employment opportunities. What would you do for a fireman if he were electrocuted on a moonlighting job installing fire alarms? Probably say it was the fire alarm company’s problem. What do you expect to happen when you put a cop into a position that would give someone else something to complain about? This is the way Westfield operates. If you are not one of the good ole’ boys, they throw you out like a used rag. Good job, PulseLine. “Freedom of the Press” is alive and well in Westfield.
Here is an accident waiting to happen! As one crosses the Westfield River on Elm Street, going north in the middle lane, just past Pochassic Street, there are white lane markers that indicate that one should move to the left. I’ve traveled through that intersection dozens of times and almost all the traffic continues on in the middle lane, not moving to the left. I guess people are afraid that the left lane will turn into a left-turn-only lane, and they will be stuck going around the rotary. They continue in the middle lane, like it is their right, ignoring the very abrupt white line indicating they should move left. They are really switching lanes, but I have never seen a turn signal and I doubt that they check that the lane is clear before continuing on into what looks to them like the same lane. Here is the problem: If there is a visitor to the city, who crosses the bridge in the right lane, their lane divides into two – and they get to choose between a right-turn-only up Union Street or the middle lane. To enter the middle lane is their right, as their lane forks, and they do not cross any white lines to get there. Both the car in the center lane and the car in the right lane move into the center lane. BANG! I’m surprised an accident has not happened yet. There is a simple solution. Change the white markers so that the center lane traffic stays in the center lane and the right lane traffic must signal and shift lanes to get out of the right-turn-only lane. Click here to see our attempt at explaining the new traffic flow you
Southwick: This is concerning Whalley Park. I think the town should back away from accepting this park. We cannot afford it. Southwick has too many irons in the fire. Have you forgotten that we are still paying for the library, the fire department, the police department renovations, the Department of Public Works building, the Town Hall, the sewer project and the regional school project, also. Now at hand we have Whalley Park, phase two of the sewer project, roads that needs to be paved, we need more policemen, another cruiser or two, another fire truck… Where does it all stop? Well, I think it should stop with Whalley Park. Let Southwick Recreational Center, which has no connection with the Town of Southwick, accept it and pay for its upkeep. We pay dearly for our kids to play at the Southwick Rec. Center so why pay even more of our tax dollars for Whalley Park? I think the Town of Southwick should back away.
On Friday night there was a cop on Meadow Street who spent all of his time on his cell phone. Who’s he calling?
Purina Beneful Dog Food is having a Dog Park contest and I would suggest to the group that wants a dog park in Westfield to enter this contest. It may be a long shot to win but you never know. Someone has to win, so why not Westfield? Thank you.
Southwick Police Department: Could you start doing something about all the pickup trucks in town with very loud mufflers. Don’t let the State Police do your job. Thank you.
Regarding the controversy of the insensitive person who commented on Officer Torres, I would like to say that I am definitely unhappy with that. However, in the silver lining of the cloud, I have to commend the response from the public of Westfield to come to the defense of the officer and I think that’s a credible thing. I would say that the volume of that type of spirit, defense, and respect for the officer is certainly a plus. Enough to almost erase the stupidity of that individual.
It’s three or four days after that disgusting comment was put in the PulseLine about Officer Torres. I feel all the people in Westfield should boycott your newspaper. Let’s see if you print this.
All you idiots making comments about Officer Torres and his family need to stop. He was a good officer working for the city at his time of death. So, please, you people should just let his family grieve instead of making your stupid comments in the PulseLine. Even this is a stupid comment but I’m sick of reading about it in the PulseLine. Please let his family grieve and keep your mouths shut.
Finally Westfield is going about banning buildings and demolishing properties that should have been done a long time ago. I’m very happy to see this. I hope the mayor keeps the cleanup going of such properties throughout the city. These properties are eyesores and a danger to the citizens of Westfield. Let’s keep Westfield going. Let’s clean up Westfield and do what we have to do to help the citizens of Westfield. Mayor: Keep the city clean, keep it going. Clean up the abandoned properties. This is good for Westfield. Thank you.
