So the Town Meeting Coordinating Committee (elected by Town Meeting) told Town Manager Larry Shaffer to take a hike when he offered to speak as a panelist for their "educational forum"on how to fund Human Services at ACTV last night.
Obviously these even more left-of-center (hard to believe it's possible) Committee members dislike the Town Manager's stand on the Human Services Budget (remove it from tax support) so rather than debate or question his stance eyeball to eyeball, they take the easy way out and ban him. Only in Amherst.
Hmmm....let's review again the membership list of the current TMCC. Would a certain Ms. Carol Gray be on there?
ReplyDeleteThen let's review the rules:
When the back-to-nature Aristocracy of Time that dominates TMCC and other boards and committees speaks, it's "information".
When the pro-gay marriage, pro-affordable housing, anti-George W. Bush right wing in town speaks (you know, the one that might actually say something positive about the police and business?), it's "advocacy".
Once again, the Human Services Budget is essentially a blunt instrument, that can be used to flog anyone who questions it in light of the other budget priorities that the Town must fund. So it's not going away, because it's a great rhetorical and symbolic weapon, good for scoring cheap political points at the expense of others.
The TMCC includes Gray, Brooks, Simpson, Streeter.
ReplyDeleteEnough said.
Declining an Offer to speak and being banned are not the same thing. Your sophistry is showing again, in public.
ReplyDeleteWell speaking as someone who's been banned, I certainly know it when I see it.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Town Manager said the TMCC told him "No" when he requested being part of the panel presentation. He did not "decline" anything.
Sounds like banned to me.
If Shaffer's job responsibility included speaking in this forum and they said "no" then it could correctly be called banned.
ReplyDeleteIf Shaffer is asking to be heard and they declined, and they are entitled to decline, then his offer was declined and he was not banned.
HAH! Best town ever.
ReplyDelete