Page and Kinney, founders of CCW, ready to step down from leadership

Date: 7/27/2009

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



WILBRAHAM - Bob Page and Allan Kinney have been serving as chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the Concerned Citizens of Wilbraham (CCW) since it was formed in 2003. The duo recently decided it was time for them to step down from their leadership positions.

"Allan and I are retired and ... we feel we do too much," Page told Reminder Publications. That's why he and Kinney are looking for someone to step up and take over leadership of the taxpayer watchdog organization.

"We're not looking for someone to do everything," Page added. "We're going to stay very active through the school decision."

That decision is whether or not the towns of Wilbraham and Hampden want to pursue the option of building a brand new high school for the regional school district. The Massachusetts School Building Authority will be releasing funding numbers this week that will determine how much the district would be reimbursed for the project.

Page said that more than anything, the job of the CCW is to bring clear information to the people who attend their meetings. So far, three members of the organization have expressed interest in taking over its leadership, as has one person who has not been involved with it yet.

"We like to think we're making a positive difference," Page said.

Kinney spelled out some of the CCW's accomplishments in the latest edition of the group's newsletter, the "Eagle Eye News." These included providing a forum for the Library Trustees to explain their plans for a library expansion that was later voted down, having 30 members serve in elected or appointed town government positions, having town employee salaries printed in the annual Town Report and hosting yearly "Meet the Candidates Nights."

"Tough and uncertain financial times are ahead," Kinney wrote. "What happens in the next six years is entirely up to the new Concerned Citizens of Wilbraham. We hope that CCW will again impact what actually happens in the years to follow."

"We're doing what we can to see it continue," Page said of the CCW. "We'll definitely have a few more meetings and a couple 'Eagle Eye News' issues before the new school vote."

Kinney and Page originally intended to step down from their leadership roles on June 30. They will now most likely continue in their roles until November, when a vote must be taken by both towns to approve or deny the building of the new school.

For more information on the CCW, visit its Web site at www.concernedcitizensofwilbraham.org.