A few random scattershot thoughts about Everything as we enter the most wonderful time of the year. As always, apologies to the late Tom Reilly...
Probably the most substantive news of the last month or so is the Nick Lazzaro candidacy for State Representative against longtime incumbent Paul Frost. I recall covering Nick's appointment to the open seat on the School Committee back before the pandemic when he was still a student, and seeing his rise through the ranks is really great.
On a personal level, I like Nick. He's got a good head on his shoulders, he's smart and thoughtful, and he's got the energy levels I wish I had. On a policy level, he is similarly ideal in many regards: he understands what it's like for small businesses in this state while also understanding the need to be broadly accepting and supportive of traditionally disadvantaged communities in an era where opposition to them is often viewed as a virtue.
On the other hand, however, is that Paul Frost has a lot of history in the seat, and as such has a record we can point to. Sure, he has been in office longer than this 44-year-old writer has been able to vote, but there's so few people challenge him: he's very good in his role. He represents Millbury in particular very well, ideologically and otherwise, and even putting aside his nice-on-paper "100% voting record," he does what he's supposed to do as a representative.
One thing I've noticed with challenges to the incumbents in these seats as of late is that there doesn't seem to be a lot of there there for them. They think running for office as a side gig, make little effort to show any sort of readiness for the job, and ultimately make a credible case for change. What I find refreshing about Lazzaro's run is that he is approaching this as his priority for 2026. He's done more in the last month to set his campaign up for success than any challenger to Frost has done as of late, and it's clear in the early goings that he has the ear of a lot of people hungry for a different voice on Beacon Hill.
I'm hoping to take some time to dig in a little more with both candidates in 2026, both in this space and for my own edification. One thing I can say right now, though, is that come this time next year? We'll be well-represented.
A few things I'm truly appreciative of in town right about now....
- Chris Wilbur of the School Committee gave one of the more detailed presentations from a board member at the special town meeting for the Millbury Schools roof rehabs. He deftly addressed a number of anticipated questions, gave enough detail to show the needs of the schools, and tagged in the engineering expert for the nitty-gritty right on schedule. The end result was a fairly fast, uncontroversial vote when many of us were strapped in for what might have been a long night. I give him full credit and a homework exemption for Christmas Break.
- Bill Brouillard has been doing the plumbing thing in town for quite some time now under WB Plumbing, and he has saved Team Raymond's bacon more than a few times during that era. This past weekend, our particular pound of pork involved a leaking water boiler, and Bill provided a great reminder as to why people should probably call their local guys first.
Without getting too into the weeds, I am currently unemployed (more on that in a few), was out of the house, and some friends stopped by to grab some stuff in the basement. I then received a call from said friends that the boiler was leaking, flooded a portion of the cellar, there was no hot water, they already had [Large Regional Company #1] on the line (no, I'm not going to blow up their spot), and needed to confirm some information. My friends were going to coordinate the details since the income situation is a little wonky, which I appreciated, but given that this was occurring around 8:30pm on a Saturday evening, well...
Anyway, [Large Regional Company #1] booked me for the next day, only to call the following day with no information about my call at all, including nothing on the schedule. At this point, we're worried about my pipes freezing (never mind how cold I was), and my friends get [Large Regional Company #2] (also not blowing up their spot) not only on the line, but out to the house on a Sunday afternoon. Great!
So [Large Regional Company #2] comes out a few hours later with all sorts of fancy gadgets and the like, and pretty much treats my boiler as a total loss. Instead of looking like a quick fix for a few valves and tanks that failed, they're suddenly quoting me $7,500 for a patchwork fix and $24,000 for a "recommended" whole-system replacement. What?!
After a couple conversations with my financiers and my better half, we called up WB. I knew he did servicing, but I wasn't sure if he was able to do full replacement. When I called, though, he immediately gave me the straight story and said he'd be there within the hour. He then arrived on time, figured out the problem, called [Large Regional Company #2] some colorful names for trying to scam me, and had the entire thing fixed on a Sunday afternoon within five hours at a much lower price than what #1 and #2 would have done. As I paid him, I expressed again that I really should have just called him the night before, and I meant it.
Shopping local does more than just help the economy, folks. People in your community are also going to treat you right, and make sure you don't freeze to death.
- For as much as I don't write in this space enough, the most positive outside-the-house aspect of my week-to-week these days is my time with the Worcester Writers' Collective, a Worcester County group that has weekly meetings to write and workshop all sorts of writing, ranging from prose and poetry to nonfiction articles and even parody songs (written by a Millbury resident, no less). It's been great to have a creative outlet that I kind of lost track of pre-pandemic, and even better that I've been able to bring them into the fold in Millbury to an extent.
Bards at the Barrel has spent the last four months with a residency at Spicy Water Distillery. Every second Thursday of the month, writers get to read things they've written, tell stories Moth / Stories From the Stage-style in an open mic setting, and just celebrate the written word. With so many poetry opportunities in the region, the lack of a real robust storytelling session was a giant hole in the creative landscape, and I'm glad that the Worcester Writers' Collective was open to launching the series at one of my favorite spots in Millbury.
It has been a slow-build of a success so far, with a great mix of area writers and first-time storytellers, including former Selectman Scott Despres telling a delightful story about an incident from his life decades prior. I'm biased, sure, but this is a hidden gem of an event in town and more people should come. Plus, the fact that Spicy Water is so enthusiastically open to hosting this on a monthly basis (along with countless other community events) needs to be highlighted–they are one of the local business heroes of this community, and their drinks are top-notch, too.
Two Gavels Whiskey makes an excellent Christmas gift, just saying....
But if you are free, our next Bards session is on January 8. I know a lot of people would love to hear your story, too.
When I wrote for the Chronicle, having a firm deadline helped me. I had to get 1,000 words over to my editor by midweek no matter what. My discipline has waned a bit with this space, but I still have the intention to continue chirping about the town I love. Just not always the wherewithal.
If I can get selfishly introspective to close this out, 2025 was a weird year. In January, I was downsized from one job. A couple months later, was hired somewhere new only to be downsized from that job eight months later. 2025 has been a year of fits and starts and ups and downs, and while my mental health has largely stayed okay, it hasn't been easy.
I hit a fairly significant pocket of despair late last week with some personal news that brought up a lot of old negatives. The state of the world right now, where no one seems to like or trust each other, where the president can't keep himself from making a brutal murder of a beloved filmmaker about his existence, where you hop onto Facebook for even a moment and see some of the most ridiculous invective out there, when it feels like a month can't go by without some sort of hate-fueled murder sprees occur in the world... it's a lot.
But then I think about the good in this world. The good in this town. Not only the people willing and volunteering to lift me up personally when I'm down, but the people who do a lot of unpaid, unacknowledged, unappreciated work for their community that you never hear about. Some of those people like it that way, but it's not a reason why we shouldn't acknowledge it anyway. If you love the trails in this town, if you love the historical events, Chain of Lights, line dancing, trivia nights, meat raffles, volleyball leagues... they're all managed first and foremost by a bunch of people who love this town and / or its community and want it to succeed.
I went into last weekend thinking poorly of so much going on, whether it be personal or political or planetary in nature. I came into Monday with hope for all three. We're gonna get through this, whatever this might be for any of us.
Maybe 2025 was as rough for you as it was for me, if not worse. Here's to 2026 being our year.
Jeff Raymond is a 40-plus year resident of Millbury and loves the town even if it doesn't always love him back. He recommends staying out of the Town Hall bathroom if you see Pizza Chef making a delivery. He can be reached at jeff.raymond@bramanvilletribune.com or Twitter/X (@jeffinmillbury) or BlueSky (@jeff.masstransparency.org)
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