Comments on: Um….

By: scott

scott — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:32:48 +0000

Joe is a jerk and a rotton person> i wish him 0 luck and hope his plumbing business dies too!

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:06:06 +0000

But having hundreds of people running and screaming in the roadway causing a 1 hour traffic backup after a soccer game helps the town image…. right??

By: CatherineR

CatherineR — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:20:10 +0000

@Joe: The perception of a town may not directly pay teachers and police officers, but it affects who moves there and what businesses follow them, and that eventually affects the town’s bottom line. No matter how “classy” the strip club, it’s going to be perceived as sleazy, and so will the town. I grew up in Framingham, and my parents lived there for more than 50 years. It was a great place to live, and I’m sorry to see its reputation so downgraded. A “gentleman’s club” won’t help.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:29:16 +0000

I’ve no moral objections to a strip club in the Ham either, but I do wish there were more creative ideas out there. Just one thought, how about indoor miniature golf and candlepin bowling? Or an adventure club for kids with all manner of fun jungle gyms? Just off the top of my head, but I’d love to see something a little bit different once in a while.

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:26:22 +0000

when towns and cities start picking and choosing businesses they want because of image concerns i believe it is a recipe for disaster. the “flavor” of a town is something that comes about organically, you cannot manufacture the “image” of a town from town hall. the job of town government is simply to facilitate the effective allocation of tax revenues to support quality services. town gov’t should be pro business regardless of what the business is, especially with today’s challenging economic environment.

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:20:37 +0000

i wouldnt want to to prevent a strip club because of concerns about how it affects the image of framingham. i’d rather have the tax revenue from the business. seriously, who cares how people view framingham? the perception of framingham doesnt pay cops and teachers salaries, TAX revenue does.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:25:59 +0000

Chris,
I don’t see strip clubs as a moral issue. I’ve been to a couple for bachelor parties over the years. (How many guys do you know who have never set foot in one?) Ask most of the “dancers” of these establishments who the exploited are and they’ll point to the drunk customers (mostly male) drooling to give away their money for a peek. On the other hand, I don’t think this “profession” does much for women in the grand scheme of sexual power politics. (Would you be okay if your daughter chose to strip for a living? Why?)
As a resident of Framingham for near on two decades, my objection to a strip club within the borders of this town is much more practical: Framingham has its share of historical and emergent social ills which, unfortunately gives a pocked public face to a town that actually offers a lot of positive qualties of life. You don’t see those highlighted so much in the media and I think the town gets a bad (and unfair) rap because of the media’s mantra that “if it bleeds it leads”. A strip club just as you enter town from the tony environs of Southborough is not the contrast of cultures we need highlighted once again. And I do think that strip clubs set the stage for subcultures of quasi-prostitution and other sleazy side enterprises; not something Framingham should inadvertently endorse.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:25:22 +0000

I still dont get it., what is so “wrong” about a strip club?

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:01:55 +0000

Framingham has enough problems with its PR and image to well afford something like a strip joint, regardless of where in town you put it. (Remember the hubbub over the head-shop on Main St.!) And let’s face it, no matter how you dress it up (or undress it!) these places ultimately invite and spawn sleaze. Legit. businesses (including the current property owner) understand what reputation means to the future of business. So do the current town leadership and most of the residents, thank goodness.
I say give it another six months and someone will be looking to open an eatery or something a little less prurient and just as tax-worthy in that locale.

By: MAC

MAC — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:21:11 +0000

I like the comments on this topic. Like Angry Ham’s, this is an attempt to open a new business in Framingham, albeit in an industrial part of town and not quite the perfect model of what Framingham would like. Both businesses are a stretch for Framingham, however it is all about whether a business serves the public and contributes to the economy. Hate to say it folks, but both businesses will do that or they will be gone. I am all for both of these investors giving it a shot. You can vote with your attendence, but let’s not cast that first stone, OK?