Don't you just love those legal disclaimers printed on motor oil, "Do not drink this product?" According to outgoing School Committee Chair Andy Churchill, the Amherst Vote Yes Overriders garnered stunning advice from their Northampton counterparts: Don't worry about the No voters concentrate on those likely to vote Yes.Hmm...must be a bevy of brain surgeons and rocket scientists among their group.
Amherst Taxpayers for Responsible Change distributed a mailer to almost 4,000 voters over the age of 50. Between postage and printing about 50 cents per unit. So I went over all the mailing labels first, cross referencing for names posted on the Blank Check Override Internet Petition website and the signature ad from 3 years ago to cross them off the list, thus saving us about $300.
Ironic thing is if Mr Churchill learned at the start of his six year Amherst School Committee service how to educate children at Northampton's $4,000 per child lower cost, it would have saved Amherst taxpayers $12 million per year and then we would indeed realize the dream of "No More Overrides"
The Springfield Republican reports
21 comments:
"Don't worry about the No voters concentrate on those likely to vote Yes.
Hmm...must be a bevy of brain surgeons and rocket scientists among their group."
Too bad it didn't work, oh wait, it did.
Wake up sore loser.
Indeed it did.
And a dead clock is correct twice every 24 hours.
From CS's blog...
Rick said...
The teacher givebacks ($175,000) are going to reduce the amount that the tax levy limit will be raised in the coming year and not directly for reducing cuts because of an agreement that had been made at town level (BCG, etc.)
However, the teacher’s probably didn’t realize that when they voted for the giveback.
The solution on the table (as of last night) is to use $175,000 of the regional school’s reserves (which are called E&D) to replace the teacher giveback money that cannot be used to reduce cuts.
March 25, 2010 10:43 AM
So why didn't they just use that money in the first place???
Hmm...The "teacher givebacks" were heavily advertised/promoted as being worth $350-K. Gotta wonder why it's now suddenly worth only half that.
Maybe what Ricky Boy meant to post was that they would--sort of--split the difference and take $175-K out of their reserve account (currently $1,035,578.)
And yeah, Amherst Taxpayers for Responsible Change pointed out not only THAT amount stashed away in the Regional School account, but also the $2,527,500 in Free Cash and another $1,380,604 in Stabilization.
(Only difference from Free Cash is that it takes a two-thirds majority in Town Meeting to spend Stabilization $--but in my 20 years Town Meeting experience, most of the really dumb things are done with a two-thirds majority.)
Big times SOUR GRAPES post. Why does Larrey choose to wear his failure on his sleeve?
Larrey, if you haven't figured it out yet, this is not a right or wrong issue, it is a question of values.
Nevermind, I forgot you take your orders from the ideologues at the GOP. Who's your favorite? Reagan (who was not fiscal conservative) Bush (who grew the deficit with new programs and new wars while lowering taxes) or Gingrich?
I learned my values the same place you did nitwit Larrey: St Mikes and St. Brigids.
A long, long time ago. How easy to forget.
The Sisters of St. Joseph kind of liked it when you stood up and took responsibility for your statements (even if the statement itself pissed them off--which I was known for doing.)
Yeah, but the priests have sure run for cover when the molestation scandals have come to light.
So Larry, how is ignoring No voters in the Yes campaign, counter to what you did with ignoring Yes voters with the No mailing? Sounds like the same strategy to me; focusing on rallying your likely constituency. The yes campaign just had a different method: identifying rather than simply try to woe voters for their side. And they did a great job. Did you receive mailings from the Yes campaign? I doubt it. Nor did I because I was already an identified yes. Maybe that's why there's all that money left in the coffers. Efficiency!
If there is $3,000 left over (out of $5,000 raised) somebody is a major fool.
Can you image if you had lost by a dozen votes (as some folks expected)?!!
Then the hundred or more "YES" volunteers would want to hang up Baer Tierkel at the nearest (darkened) streetlight and use him as a pinata.
I would of course donate the golf clubs.
Can you imagine if you had lost by a dozen votes (as some folks expected)?!!
Those "folks" were only off by 881 votes, but given that all the brains surgeons and rocket scientists were on our side (as you've already noted), an error of that magnitude is forgivable.
Hindsight is 20/20--especially among Cowardly Anon Nitwits.
Your optimism at the decisive loss in this issue is fascinating. You guys got hammered no two ways about it.
If we had lost by a dozen? What planet on you are on?
You should get some fresh air. That gym must be getting kind of ripe.
Yes we did, again.
The 'donate the golf clubs' comment is disturbing.
Headline:
"Larry Kelley Ekes Out Personal Victory Over Reality After Thinking Override Vote to Death"
Anon 9:34 PM
It was, you know, a joke.
I for one do need a golf club to explode a pinata.
Time to take off your blinders and admit that the majority of our townfolk want something different than you.
That could be. But my Irish mother taught me a "majority" was over 50%.
If we ever get a local election with a turnout over 50% (that has not happened in the 30 years I have been paying attention) I will honestly consider that.
you're mistaken. a majority in a democray is the majority of those who SHOW UP AND VOTE. Too bad you ran such a bad get out the vote campaign or your theory could actually be tested.
From Poli Sci 101:
You snooze, you lose.
Sorry Larry, but voting is how we determine who the majority is. Otherwise, you are just saying that your no voters are lazier than the yes voters. Face it, you lost and it says something about then priorities of the residents of Amherst. They want strong schools. 'Course they actually have kids that attend them unlike you.
yeah, generally if people were concerned... they show up to vote (look at the turn out rates for Obama's and the MA Senate elections). So i guess "your" voters just didn't really care enough.
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