Aaron Hayden (center in sweater) Chair of Amherst Select Board
Yes, the local political season has already begun -- even though nomination papers for the March 31st Annual Town Election are not due at the Town Clerk's office until February 10.
Doug Slaughter, current Finance Committee and Town Meeting member, has taken out papers for the one lone seat on the 5-member Amherst Select Board.
Current Chair Aaron Hayden's seat is the only one up (next year two seats will be up) but he is about to pull a President Johnson and announce that will not seek nor accept the nomination for his seat in the upcoming election. Not that Select Board candidates are nominated by a party.
Doug Slaughter as member of Finance Committee (standing)
So no, at the moment, even if Mr. Slaughter turned in his nomination papers with the 50 required signatures, we do not really have a "contest." Not yet anyway.
Interestingly (at least to me anyway) Slaughter voted in favor of my 2007 Town Meeting petition to fly the commemorative American flags annually on 9/11 (that lost by a two-thirds vote), as did recently elected Select Board member Andy Steinberg.
And the two current long-time Select Board members Alisa Brewer and Jim Wald have always voted "yes" when the Chair allowed the Select Board to come to a vote on it.
Mr. Hayden always voted "no" and as Chair, last year, did not even allow the SB to vote on it.
Doug is employed by the school district
ReplyDeleteI think it is time we paid the select board members more than their current stipend. Pretty sure most of them are putting in 10+ hours/week - that's about 500 hours a year essentially for free.
ReplyDeleteSpringfield city Councillors make about $18,000/year for more or less the same work.
I suggest paying select board $5,000 a year each to see if it raises interest in more candidates.