Okay so our illustrious Select Board is under new management…but will it make a difference? Well of course it will--a houseplant could replace His Lordship to make things better. But will Ms. Okeeffe’s meteoric rise to Chairwomen of the most important elected position in town make a significant improvement in this time of fiscal crisis?
Hell no! Because at this point, she’s taken command of the Titanic ten minutes after scraping an iceberg.
Only in Amherst would someone snatch the premier position of political power based on having “the time.” If Amherst moved to a professional Mayor/Council then perhaps others would decide to make “the time”
One of the hidden gems peppered throughout the survey responses from Facilitation of the Community Choices Committee's outreach to Amherst citizens is the underlying belief that we need a lot more from our local government: More professionalism, more accountability and more creativity.
And that simply can’t happen with our fragmented current form of government populated by part-time, volunteers (no matter how many hours they are willing to donate) where ultimately the buck stops nowhere.
The Springfield Republican reports
the proverbial nail on the head: the aristocracy of time.
ReplyDeleteWell, while we have our current form of government, I for one am thrilled that Stephanie is willing to spend what time she does have working to help guide Amherst. She is brave to take the helm at this point, and I am hoping she has a lot of support for this difficult task.
ReplyDeleteAlison Donta-Venman, member, FCCC
Well, she had enough support from the voters to get elected less than a year ago.
ReplyDeleteAnd enough support last night from the Select Board to get elected Chair.
The line between brave and foolhardy is ultra thin.
This is apparently one place where Mr. Kelley is willing to spend money, and I agree: on a full-time elected mayor.
ReplyDeleteThis is a no-win situation for the Town, the Select Board, and, most sadly, Ms. O'Keeffe. We can talk about the personalities all we want, but the problem is systemic.
You can't run what is essentially a 21st century city with volunteers.
Rich Morse
You forgot Police, Fire and Education (as Charter schools are public schools)
ReplyDeleteAnd even if Amherst--a $60 million enterprise--only became 1% more efficient, that still comes to $600,000.
Besides, if we had a Mayor we would not need a $125,000 unelected Town Manager (with $4,000 cell phone and auto allowance) and that salary alone could cover the cost of the Mayor and Council.
Rich Morse,
ReplyDelete1000% correct.
char-ter!
ReplyDeletechar-ter!
char-ter!