Monday, 9:10 AMSince he only uploads about once a month, I don’t visit Town Manager Larry Shaffer’s blog very often but checked it out late last week for the first time in a while. I left a comment on his August 7 disingenuous post cheering Cherry Hill:
Town Manager's post
Blogger LarryK4 said...
Yes Larry, but the purported "profit" does not include hidden costs like employee benefits, insurance, and capital improvements (underground storage tank, security fencing and greens mower) which combined come to over $100-K.
August 27, 2009 9:46 PM
Amazingly he posted again (wow twice in a month) on the rainy afternoon of August 29 (a Saturday no less) hyping the “grand opening “ of the Plum Brook Soccer fields. So obviously he saw my Comment from two days before, and decided to censor it (he has "moderation" enabled so Comments must be approved before they get posted.)
Now if the Town Manager simply had a privately-owned personal blog he could do anything he wants with comments, but since his blog is hosted on the town web page paid for with tax dollars he should respect the First Amendment.
After all, I thought the People’s Republic of Amherst was the town “where only the H is silent.”
You have an interesting point - I would ask the state ethics commission what they think.
ReplyDeleteThere are a variety of issues here including the public records laws as if he does it in the name of "town manager" then it is a public document issue. Sarah Palin ran into this as Governor - different state, different laws, same issue.
Comment posted on
ReplyDeleteAmherst Town Manager
Larry's Shaffer's Blog
"LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER, 2008 - ACTIVITIES" and posted November 3,
maryd said...
Hello Mr Shaffer, I am just wondering what I need to do to get an answer to a question left on the towns web site request/complaint tracker. I have logged in over the last month and there isn't any action. I also didn't get any response to the question I left here on 10/27.
Mary Dunn
November 10, 2008 11:12 AM
"Meet With Governor Patrick"
Oct 23
Blogger maryd said...
I left a very simple question on the town's request/complaint tracker on Oct. 7 and have not received any response. Does anyone read them?
October 27, 2008 11:33 AM
"ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK"
Oct 3, 2008
O'Reilly said...
Do you read comments on this blog? Do you respond to questions posed about your post?
October 6, 2008 10:24 AM
"EARLY SEPTEMBER ACTIVITIES"
Sep 16, 2008
O'Reilly said...
Will Early September Activities include responding to questions by residents posted in the comment section of your blog, here, here, here and below.
If you plan to not respond to questions, just say so. I will rename your blog, the 'blo', because as a opposed to a real blog, only a little more than half works.
It's not just me, most bloggers expect to answer questions posed in their comments sections. That's kind of the point of the medium.
Does the town have a written moderation policy for this blog? I'd like to see it so I know what is and what is not permitted.
Is this blog an official Town Manager forum? As such, can we expect that this forum will not engage in curtailing free speech? As you surely know, the first amendment to the Constitution prohibits the government from doing so.
September 16, 2008 9:00 PM
Larry's persecuted. He must be overjoyed as it's his reason for living.
ReplyDeleteThis blog should be called "Only in Larry's Mind."
ReplyDeleteLarry, what's going on with A-Rod?
ReplyDeleteOne week into the school year and the Middle School Principal resigns immediately? What the hell?
The Recruitment and Selection Team responsible for hiring the new police chief failed to keep any notes of its proceedings in violation of open meting law.
ReplyDeleteI would think Shaffer has some accountability since he was on the committee and the police chief reports to him.
Laurence Shaffer, Town Manager, acknowledged the terrific work of the Recruitment and Selection Team created to review candidates for the Police Chief’s position and to conduct the interviews. The members of the Recruitment and Selection Team included Gerry Weiss, Member of the Amherst Select Board, Terry Cunningham, Police Chief in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Pat Romney, Human Resources consultant from Amherst, Reynolds Winslow, Chair of the Amherst Human Rights Commission, Roberto Marquez, Professor at Mount Holyoke College; Johnny Whitehead, Chief, UMass Police, Eunice Torres, Human Resource Director and Bruce Carroll, Organizational Consultant for many agencies to include the Massachusetts State Police. The Recruitment and Selection Committee, after two interviews, unanimously recommended that Livingstone be appointed Police Chief for the town of Amherst.
Livingstone has been on the force 32 years. It's good to see a person who works hard and continually improves through training can get to the top.
$105,000.
slow news day. The blogger becomes the news (again) sigh...
ReplyDeleteDave
Indeed "Dave".
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm not not yet done with this issue.
Well Larry, its been almost a year and the request/complaint tracker is still "down for maintenance."
ReplyDeleteGlad they put all that money into it.