257th Annual Town Meeting 2015: 30 articles (8 of them citizens petitions), 8 sessions
With 44 articles scheduled as of last night, get ready for a l-o-n-g -- possibly record breaking -- Annual Town Meeting, which starts May 2nd.
Click to enlarge/read
Maybe not #1 for number of articles over the last 10 years, as that distinction goes to 2008 with 47 articles. And not even #2 since 2013 had 45. But a solid, above average, #3.
Over the past ten years the average number of articles on the warrant comes to 37, with the average number of sessions required to deal with that clocking in at 9 sessions.
In other words nine full nights for 150 or so Town Meeting members who bother to show up and a dozen or more town employees who pretty much have to show up.
But the BIG difference is in 2008 only five of the 47 articles were "citizens petitions" and in 2013 eight of the 45 articles fit that category.
This upcoming Town Meeting will have, ugh, a very unlucky 13.
General Petition = "Citizens Petition"
And the problem with citizens petitions is they are usually put on the warrant (with only 10 signatures required) by do-gooders who wish to pontificate for as l-o-n-g as possible in front of the microphone.
God help us.
Are these people trying to sabotage Town meeting? Because it might be an effective strategy.
ReplyDeletehow many from Vince?
ReplyDeleteFour.
ReplyDeleteI had this eureka...
ReplyDeleteVince could win a seat on the new Amherst city council!
-and-
Then he would have a paid job!! :-)
-but-
Then he wouldn't be able to collect disability :-(
I was shocked when I read the letter to the editor about Vince's connection to the Crocker Farm dog bite incident. It is inexcusable that he did not cooperate.
ReplyDeleteI sobbed when I read that letter to the editor, for those poor kids.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why Vince wasn't jailed.
Or why he is allowed near school property.
Larry,
ReplyDeleteVince is about to sue for libel if these false and malicious posts are not immediately removed from your blog.
- A reliable source
I don't think he has a leg to stand on. If the story is true it is non-libelous. I seem to remember the Gazette covering this story and mentioning Vince back then as a person who knew who the owner of the dog was and that he would not divulge that information to the authorities.
DeleteIt was mentioned on the floor of Town Meeting last year that Vince does not have Internet.
ReplyDeleteSo how did he see the posts?
There is no legal obligation to cooperate with the police.
ReplyDeleteEthical, yes, but not legal. 5th Amd.
Once in a blue moon I agree with Ed and this is one of those times. Vince did nothing illegal by not cooperating with the police over the dog issue. But it was a morally reprehensible act that should disqualify him from sitting on the SC. Not literally disqualify him. But people should find his non cooperation so reprehensible that they choose not to vote for him.
ReplyDeleteWhat's with the Vince whisper machine? Who are you people? You don't play very nice.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't seem like whispering to me. People are speaking out loud. Very loudly!
ReplyDeleteThe key is to keep speaking out. A good way to "speak out" would be to NOT vote for O'Connor for School Committee. That would send, hopefully, a loud message that egregious acts, legal as they may be, can not be tolerated.
ReplyDeleteIsn't the petition process the essence of democracy giving people voice in their government? What's up with people here?
ReplyDeleteThe right to petition is fundamental to our government and democracy. Town meeting members volunteer their time to listen and decide. If you don't like it, move to Syria.