Let the Invasion begin...

After twenty years of mostly sniping interspersed with an occasional all out battle I’m used to reaching down deep for a little extra determination when the going gets tough, so having the Town Clerk reject a dozen or so names out of just over 200 on a Special Town Meeting petition article was no big deal.

Yesterday morning I turned in more than enough to cover what I thought was the remaining 11 needed. So I called the town clerks office at 1:30 figuring it should not take long to check the dozen names submitted, but was told they were busy and to check back the next day (today).

Then I get an email from the Select Board executive assistant Gail Weston saying the Special Town Meeting to discuss the deal the town manager rejected on the Cherry Hill Golf Course is set for June 6’th.

I called back the Town Clerk’s office and ask for verification that the names were okay and I’m told they cannot confirm or deny anything and to ask Gail Weston. Now that was weird.

Gail then confirms that since the Select Board had scheduled a Special Town Meeting or two anyway all I needed to get on the warrant was 100 signatures, not the 200 eventually turned in.

Oh well, the hotter the fire the stronger the steel.

The warrant article (sponsored by Amherst Taxpayers For Responsible Change) for the special town meeting reads:

To see if the town will strongly urge the Select board to strongly urge the town manager to accept the recent bid of Niblick Management for privatization of the Cherry Hill Golf Course with a new condition allowing for a three year contract; and if Niblick is no longer interested, to reissue the new RFP (with the three year provision) before September 1, 2007
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From: Weston, Gail Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 3:01 PM
Cc: Musante, John; weissg@comcast.net; Harrison Gregg; Shaffer, Larry; Chalfant, Linda; Carlozzi, Alice
Subject: Special Town Meeting Petition Article

Your Cherry Hill petition has been inserted on the STM scheduled for 7:30 p.m., June 6, 2007.


From: hlgregg@amherst.edu
Sent: Tue, 15 May 2007 3:09 PM (reply all)
Subject: Cherry Hill Petition

Larry Kelley --

I'm sure you'll make something of D-Day the sixth of June.

Please be aware that articles 39 and 40 will definitely come up this Wednesday night.

Harrison L. Gregg
Moderator, Town of Amherst


From: amherstac@aol.com
Wed, 16 May 2007 8:53 AM (reply all)

Yes Mr. Moderator, I do consider the historically significant date of June 6’th a good omen in my 20 year war against the public subsidy of an expensive recreational endeavor.

Larry