Norwood Taxpayers Association Formed to Monitor Local Spending-August 2, 1977

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A grassroots movement is officially underway to organize local residents and ensure they get the most value for their tax dollars. Walter J. Grady of Ridgewood Drive, a dedicated town meeting member of five years and a well-known civic activist who previously founded SNAG (Stop Norwood Airport Growth) and chaired the Civic Center study group, is the prime mover behind the newly established Norwood Taxpayers Association. Described as a non-partisan watchdog group, its main purpose is to prevent the waste of tax money, promote widespread interest in good government, and provide taxpayers with an effective vehicle to make their voices heard.

Any registered voter in Norwood is eligible for membership, with Walter J. Grady aiming for an initial core of 500 to 600 members out of the town’s 18,000 registered voters. The association’s bylaws—drafted primarily by Walter J. Grady—stipulate strict independence, barring any candidate for public office, town employee, or elected public official from serving as a committee chair or committee member. To ensure grassroots accountability, the organization features four officers, a nine-member board of directors composed of district committee chairmen, and seven standing committees aligned with the town’s existing town meeting district boundaries. These committees focus on vital municipal areas: schools, budget preparation, internal affairs, ethics, general government, legal matters, and minor town boards. For instance, the budget committee plans to publicly scrutinize departments that submit late budgets while commending those that meet deadlines.

Addressing how the new group differs from the existing representative town meeting system, Walter J. Grady pointed out that poor attendance—often seeing only 160 of 208 members show up—reduced the effectiveness of traditional town meetings, asserting that the system had not succeeded in keeping enough citizens engaged. While some resource materials may be drawn from the statewide Massachusetts Taxpayers Association, the local group remains entirely independent and funded solely by a modest $2-a-year membership due, strictly rejecting corporate or utility donations accepted by statewide entities. Having already secured initial volunteers for person-to-person recruitment, Walter J. Grady expressed strong optimism, stating, I have been getting positive feedback and I think this is something the town is ready for. (Profile photograph captured by Marion Earley).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger