Matthew Cunningham-Cook: Nowhere to hide
By an overwhelming voice vote after only a few minutes of discussion from the floor, Amherst Town Meeting voted to "dismiss" the only article on the warrant which would have asked the State Legislature to give Amherst the power to enact a $15/hour minimum wage law.
By dismissing the article rather than simply voting no, the legislative body guaranteed there can be no voter referendum of tonight's action. If proponents of the article collected 880 signatures by March 26 it would have forced a special election. An election in Amherst costs taxpayers $12,000.
Umass Prof Jeanette Wicks-Lim (also involved in ARPS school peanuts ban) speaks in favor
At one point Vince O'Connor suggested a motion to refer the article to the Select Board (also referendum proof) for further study, but Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe spoke emphatically against that pointing out they already rejected the article and it's up to the proponents to do their homework.
Amherst Select Board voted Monday night unanimously to "not support"
36 comments:
Nice pants.
Wonder if he wears those pants to job interviews?
What's a 'job interview'?
It was a good night for the Charter Underground.
Do we think that he had any idea what he was doing?
No, no idea at all. Completely clueless.
But at least he has an excuse being as young as he is idealistic and all.
The two professors who spoke, however, have no such excuse.
Larry,
After this waste of time was finished, did you point the way back to the Ivory Tower for those who bravely ventured tonight into this bastion of grimly pro-business conservatism?
Yeah you have to wonder how South Hadley would react to the Mt. Holyoke Professor who spoke in favor tonight, if he tried it in their town.
Larry, why is it that you can't just disagree, without having to ridicule? It really does an injustice to your aspirations as a journalist.
"Aspirations"?
I don't agree with $15 minimum wage, but I'm glad to see one student spending his time not binge drinking. Who knows, maybe he'll be our next labor leader??
Yeah well he drove a bunch of us old people to drink with his Ivory Tower nonsense.
I have my best ideas when I binge drink
Speaking of no idea at all and completely clueless...
The only thing that could be worse in Amherst after this debockle is for Maria Geryk to hire Anna-Stina Wardlaw as the next principle of Fort River.
Based on hearing her speak and her responses to some tough questions asked by parents, Wardlaw has no plan, no appreciable goal, knows little about the top down administration of Amherst, got many things wrong when she was questioned by parents about what she knows and what she'd do, and seemed to hint that she'd like to work her way as assistant superintendent in the administration.
Her attempted claim to fame is that she grew up in Amherst and went to Crocker Farm way back when so she somehow thinks that qualifies her to know what Amherst needs.
All of this makes her a perfect candidate for Ms Geryk, who can clear a desk in the administration and have her in there as assistant in a year.
Her competition, Bobbie Finocchio has a personality, goals, a plan, a clear record of betterment in a school district, is child-centric, a collaborator, listens and acts, and can make a difference in Amherst.
All of these qualities make Ms Finocchio a bad candidate for Ms Geryk would have someone fight for what is best for the children.
Please don't disappoint the Town of Amherst Ms Geryk. You haven't gotten anything right since you've been here so why spoil a perfect record.
Your next $100k administrator is a year away from her desk next to you. Hire Ms. Wardlaw and you'll further destroy the educational system of this town.
We're counting on you to continue to ravage our schools and destroy anything you can until someone has the decency to pull the plug.
Larry,
In your new incarnation I encourage you not to post people that hijack the comments by making completely unrelated comments. Ms. Geryk has nothing to do with this.
Glad this did not pass. We moved one of our operations out of state after that silly protest at Walmart around thanksgiving. This was a mfg endeavor that is growing like crazy. We obviously could not invest in a community to produce products for export out of the community (to places like Eastern Mass and RI) if the public at large thinks they can change our wages with a protest or silly vote. We still have a retail operation in the community and we are just sitting idle in regards to employment, frozen salaries due to protests, the ACA and now the potential of the people or some elite group is going to weasel their way into our adult negotiations for wages. We need to hire asap and in this atmosphere, I just don't want to - these protests just depress me as an employer to the point of in action...we may just reduce hours because unlike these protesters - I don't do what I do for the money.
Please remember that being an employer is optional. We don't have to do it, but because most people don't have what it takes to start a business (education, confidence, upbringing or most of all ability to overcome the excessive regulations and bribes...I mean fees)someone has to step up to provide the critical needs that society demands. Govt does not do this, businesses do. Business also do this peacefully and voluntarily, very much unlike govt or even this proposed regulation.
Amherst is lucky this did not pass, but even the fact that the discussions are happening are loosing the citizens jobs. Mathew says there are no studies, no proof that jobs will be lost due to forced (please remember the real meaning of this word - it is bad to force) wage increases and he is wrong. I know for a fact jobs have been lost due to HIS actions this month along, I know because as an employer I reacted to him and eliminated jobs. Feel free to quote this Mathew you now have evidence.
Now all that being said. In a twisted way, I wish it had passed. This is because as written, they would have been able to not only enforce a min wage of $15, but could have also enacted with the swipe of a pen a $15 max wage. Equally is contorted and immoral as a min wage, but somehow I think the emotional response of those that like to use govt bodies and votes to force their desires on other people may not like so much. Thus a good lesson for such people.
"Glad this did not pass. We moved one of our operations out of state after that silly protest at Walmart around thanksgiving. This was a mfg endeavor that is growing like crazy."
Okay, so identify yourself. You local hero, not.
"someone has to step up to provide the critical needs that society demands. Govt does not do this, businesses do."
Really? Got roads? Got a fire department, or police department? Schools to educate your children? How about a sewer system? Like the snowplowing this winter? Don't be so full of yourself.
...we may just reduce hours
Do it Mr./Ms. "Free Market" -- you will find that your competitors increase theirs as your customers drift over to them.
because unlike these protesters - I don't do what I do for the money.
Others do, or would like to, and will enjoy driving you out of business.
Please remember that being an employer is optional. We don't have to do it,
Then don't. You, too, can work for minimum wage.
but because most people don't have what it takes to start a business -- which is access to capitol -- someone has to step up to provide the critical needs that society demands
Don't give me this altruism bullbleep. You've manipulated government to give you a market niche monopoly and now you complain when the same government might do the same thing to your ample supply of cheap (underpaid) labor. Cry me a river of tears...
It's this "eat them eat cake" stuff that convinces me that a revolution is coming and the French Revolution turned out ever so well, didn't it?
As my friend Bill would say, "methinks thou doth protest too much."
$79,180.54
That's a hell of a lot more than minimum wage, Research Assistant Professor Wicks-Lim.
I overheard a TM member worry that the motion to dismiss wouldn't pass just because you were its presenter. That comes from your bad judgement as particularly evidenced by your continued posting of W. Graff (the woman-hater) and all round nutter. Why should anyone take you seriously Larry?
Anon 12:17 comment is quite interesting. I think it speaks to the heart of Amherst hypocrisy. What Larry is offering is free speech, nothing more nothing less. Sometimes that my be unpleasant for the masses. Maybe people don't always like Walters or Ed's comments but then they don't have to read them.
Amherst claims to be multiracial, open minded, worldly, and out of the box thinkers. What they really mean is as long as you think in a liberal leaning way you can say anything you want. If you don't fall inside that box then please keep quite, or better yet move on so someone more liberal can take your place.
It's free speech. Grow a thicker skin.
The sooner the better.
A quick hijack. Praise the Lord. It seems Ms. Geryk picked Bobbie Finocchio to head Ft. River. The teachers are ecstatic. Ft River parents too. A good choice after the other two less than stellar contestants, Laura Stuart-Wonderlie who the administration didn't bother to background check and then found out she had a DUI so she dropped out, and Anna-Stina Wardlaw who was a less than-stellar candidate.
Praise the Lord, Walter? Why don't you praise the person who made the selection?
To the Fort River community: You all need to reign in this jerk Graff--I'm beginning to think he actually believes he speaks on all of your behalves. For those who don't know any better it can appear that way, and his typically hateful and ugly rhetoric reflects on your whole community as a result.
Praise the Lord, Walter? Why don't you praise the person who made the selection?
Is there really a difference, Nina?
Anon: 10:03,
You sound like you could be as narrow minded as you believe Walter to be if you think a community like Ft River could be represented by just one guy on a blog. Fort river incredibly diverse, ethnically, economically, and religiously.
Get Real.
All of your kinds words have certainly convinced me to continue my pattern of:
-Employing locals since the 80's
-Pay more than min wage (2-10x) since I started in business
-Employing your kids even though you never taught them good math or dedication skills
Actually I am just kidding. How could you possibly think insulting someone who employs countless community members is going to make their working life better.
You have insulted the lead dog numerous times. Crap flows down hill and you loaded a bunch of crap on me as an employer. Well you knew I was not going to keep your crap. I will pass it down, give it to my employees because I feel like crap as an employer today because of what you said.
I don't have to keep employing your friends and neighbors....but I bet you will need to keep coming in my business and using my locally made products that are made from locally produced materials.
You can read all about this if you google me on your chinese made ipad that likely only resulted in a handful of suicides.
Just keep on insulting the job creators and we will keep on giving you the statistics you read about.
Employ anyone lately? Or have you killed jobs by not stepping up and making them yourself....lack of skill or lack of ambition, if you are not making jobs, perhaps you are the problem. Or is it just you have been selfish and just wanted an income for YOUR family, did not feel a responsibility to anyone else to use your great skills to create jobs or provided needed community services (the govt will just take care of this, right). I have likely hired more people than have ever posted on this blog...and you insult me for it???? PLEASE just remember that I don't have to hire and will hire less when people talk to me the way you have. Say all you want, it will only hurt more job seekers chances as more people in my position feel worse about employing....but then they can all get govt jobs right, perhaps everyone can become a min wage enforcement officer.
...he says at 12:26am after tipping a few back...
local employer (for now)
he said at 9 am but somehow the computer software said I wrote it 8 hours earlier.
Don't drink. To busy running my businesses. Speak to the issues perhaps? Or try deflecting.
Remember who has their hand on the lever. Want to convince me to push up in stead of down? Try logic in stead of presuming computers are smarter than people.
PS. Larry, is the site on GMT?
Sorry to bother you all, didn't mean to hurt your community by employing people in it for decades. Shame on me.
Only came by because this was a good place to get info on the forced wage issue that came up locally. I happen to be a major player in the local business community so I though I would share my perspective. I am sorry the employees of the community don't appreciate it..assuming it sounds like drunk rambling in stead of basic economics.
Psst.
The dates and times are at the ends of the posts...NOT the beginning. He posted just before you responded.
Uh, slow down "major player" (yeah right) at 8:46am and 10:18am, I was talking to anon 12:26am, not you. One anon says one thing, not even to you, and you think it's to you from "the employees of the community"? Good example of what was said earlier, one person commenting can appear like a spokesman for a whole community of people to some, which is why Graff needs to be reined in by the Ft River (as he spelled it, twice) community. (p.s., it's "too busy" not "to busy", and it's not "in stead", it's "instead".)
I couldn't help but laugh when I read the comments about Anna-Stina Wardlaw. When I knew her as a child at Crocker Farm in the '70s, she was a vicious bully. That continued all through school. She threw snowballs at me, called me vile names every day, & I can still hear her laughing while I cried. To this day, she has never apologized. This woman doesn't belong anywhere near a school or impressionable young people.
meredith troy, your name should be meredith troll. you have no skills and shouldn't even speak.
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