Shame & Disgrace?

Vince O'Connor told SB the school controversy brought "shame & disgrace" to Amherst

The Amherst Select Board received an earful of pent up frustration from speakers decrying the Aisha Hiza affair, the single mom banned for ten weeks from public school property for standing up in a forthright manner for her 7-year-old bullied daughter.

 Aisha Hiza (center) Vira Douangmany Cage (far right)

This was their first session in six weeks back at Town Hall since they had been meeting in a hard to find back room in the Middle School while Amherst Town Meeting is in session, something that takes up way more time than it should.  And because of time constraints on their agenda they did not take Public Comment during those abbreviated meetings.

But last night they got back into the swing of regular meetings in a five-hour marathon that started on a somber note with a moment of silence for the victims of the Orlando massacre.

Connie Kruger led the SB into a moment of silence

Then they moved to an upbeat celebration of two new AFD firefighters and Steve Gaughan's  promotion to captain, as well as announcements of our public school students winning the Human Rights Commission "Heroes award."

Chief Nelson welcomes Joshua Steininger (left), Michael Sawicki

Steve Gaughen promoted to Captain


But then things became contentious when Chair Alisa Brewer announced the next item would be the Select Board response to Vira Douangmany Cage's fiery email from a few weeks backs asking if we are "in the deep Jim Crow South," because the Select Board had been silent on the Aisha Hiza affair.

Connie Kruger read to the board her reworked letter response of last week's draft version that board members were unhappy with me for releasing.  

It played out along the same "not my problem" theme:  The controversy was a school issue and the Select Board has no jurisdiction over the public schools.  And they had complete faith in APD Chief Livingstone (who attended but did not speak), Superintendent Maria Geryk and the Amherst School Committee (neither in attendance).

Moreover,  they were not privy to all the details of the matter so could not make an informed judgement in the particular case of Aisha Hiza being banned for over ten weeks via the stay away order.

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Temporary Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner took some heat for his statement two weeks ago that he knew more than the Select Board and based on this secret knowledge deemed the situation not a matter of social justice.

Aisha Hiza was the last to speak from the floor, directly asking Mr. Hechenbleikner if he would blindly sign a legal release without knowing what that allegedly incriminating information was?

And if the School Superintendent wanted to have a signed okay to release said information, why can't she release it to the person in question first?



The board voted unanimously to support Ms. Kruger's response and the letter will be mailed to Ms. Cage today.

The Select  Board then, appropriately enough, went on to an extended discussion of medical marijuana.

Dealing With "Hateful"

 Carol Ross, John Musante, Maria Geryk 

The only thing surprising about Carol Ross's sermon addressing the ongoing controversy in the Amherst Regional Public Schools is how long it took for her to write it.  And, for someone who is a paid public relations flack, how hard it is to find on the evil Internet.

One of the reasons I requested via Public Documents Law and published the Executive Session minutes of the Select Board discussions (way before the Daily Hampshire Gazette) about hiring a new Town Manager is because the last minute withdrawal of chosen candidate Maria Capriola was somewhat blamed on me.

You know, the toxic blog that gives the town a bad name and scares away potential top level employees.

But clearly she withdrew over concerns about the Charter Commission proposing -- and the voters supporting -- a new form of government that does away with the Town Manager as highly paid Chief Executive.  And the Select Board refused to give her a platinum parachute.

Six years ago when Amherst School Committee member Catherine Sanderson was documenting the controversies de jour in our public schools five School Committee Chairs signed a letter requesting the District Attorney investigate her and her evil blog.

That was right about the time the state was revamping the Open Meeting Law process which took oversight away from the District Attorney's office so nothing ever came of it.  Besides, when a state law even remotely competes with the First Amendment the sacred federal law triumphs.

The position of Media & Climate Communications Specialist aka "Amherst Together" was created two years ago in direct response to high profile racially charged incidents like the Carolyn Gardner and Dylan Akalis affairs.

   Amherst Together Update

Obviously she has not made much of a difference preventing these types of incidents.   Although she seems good at diverting attention away from the administration, who certainly could have handled this most recent Aisha Hiza affair in a less draconian way.

Or as Oliver Hardy would say, "Another fine mess you've gotten us into."

Maybe the schools (and town) should have invested that $48,000 annual salary into an anti-bullying program.

Another parent also had similar bullying problems at Pelham Elementary School

Carol Ross preaching at November, 2014 Regional School Committee meeting

Surreal Sunday

God was on our side this morning

So it's a little hard to enjoy a leisure Sunday breakfast celebration for Kira's recent class president victory when the restaurant's large screen TV is constantly showing scenes of the massacre in Florida, with subtitles no less.

And Jada keeps asking "What happened Daddy, what happened?"  You would think by now even a 9-year-old would be all too familiar with what happened.  Maybe it's better she doesn't understand, not that I can fully explain it anyway.

 Jada and my drone helping with Kira's campaign (sort of)

Then on the way to dropping them off at the horse farm a few minutes before 11:00 AM just over the Amherst town line into Belchertown I hear a call for a "man down, possibly not breathing, CPR in progress" at an apartment complex very near the horse farm

Before long four police vehicles, an ambulance and Engine 1 scream by me enroute to the scene.

 APD on scene for "unattended death"

Since it was less than a mile from my destination I decide to stop by after dropping the girls off so I'm in no particular hurry -- but I am doing all of the 55 mph allowed by law on that particular long straightaway.

Suddenly a vehicle coming in the opposite direction (towards Amherst) less than 100 feet away tries to take a left turn into the large Christ Community Church parking lot, but stops dead in my lane at the last split-second sight of me, with my mouth probably wide open in amazement.

Fortunately, I still have karate reflexes as I instinctively knew brakes alone would never stop me in time.

I swerved to the right smacking and going slightly airborne over the curbing (the black rounded kind not the square granite blocks that would have done significant damage) onto a greenway and came to a controlled stop after rolling about 150 feet.

Jada, buckled in the back seat, thought it all was pretty exciting, but Kira -- buckled in the front seat so much closer to the action -- was practically hyperventilating.

After a deep breath and talking with the elderly woman who profusely apologized, I realized something that has always bothered me about public safety understaffing.

Since I was driving a little Nissan Juke and she was driving one of those big old Daddy's kind of Buick there's no doubt in my mind that a collision avoided by only a centimeter and a split second would have resulted in the need for two, possible three ambulances.  Or a Medical Examiner.

And almost at that exact moment Dispatch (the "729") was toning out to off duty firefighters to come in "for station coverage."  The unattended death at the nearby apartment complex and at least one other medical call had once again overwhelmed on-duty staffing.

So that means my daughters and I would have had to await ambulances responding from Belchertown, Northampton, or South Hadley.  Adding agonizing minutes to a response where  additional minutes could spell the difference between life and death.

Only minutes after Engine 4 Call Force personnel reported in for "station coverage" they were called out to 5-story  Clark House for "smoke in the building" which fortunately turned out to be due to pot left on stove

 

Pot Profits

Pot row on University Drive

Former Auction Barn in North Amherst another possible pot dispensary

If all four proposed Medical Marijuana facilities blossom in Amherst the "host community agreements" could result in $250,000 in annual payments to the town coffers.

Enough to hire additional Public Safety personnel that are badly needed now, even without any problems the facilities could bring.

But based on Northampton's experience to date, problems should not be an issue.

So far three of the proposed projects have garnered Select Board approval although the 4th has yet to appear on the agenda.  And that is the one that could have a negative impact on iconic sports bar Rafters.

Rafters Restaurant & Sports Bar 422 Amity Street

Our Select Board is weighing its options as to whether they can deny a Letter of Support simply based on number of facilities (three) already approved.

If so the new owner of Rafters property may have a long wait for a return on his $2 million investment.

   Rafters Sell Out by Larry Kelley

Pay The Piper

Mill River Recreation 4/17/16

The town has finally gotten around to sending the "Smith Family" a $449.41 itemized bill for damages out at the Mill River Recreation area two months ago. 

The party attracted hundreds of (mostly minority, which some people thought impacted police response) college aged youth and received numerous complaints from neighbors throughout the day for noise, parking and vandalism.

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It will be interesting to see if "Mr. Smith" pays up.

The Ghosts Of Charters Past

Amherst:  A unique college town

The 9-member Amherst Charter Commission (V3) heard a post mortem analysis from two previous Charter Commission members last night on what went right and not so right with their individual Charter efforts circa 1996 and 2003.

 Bryan Harvey (left) Michael Greenebaum (right)

Bryan Harvey and Michael Greenebaum agreed a common thread running through both Charter efforts was the dissatisfaction with Town Meeting.

Greenebaum chuckled saying their response "gave everyone something to hate," because Town Meeting loyalists didn't like the reduction in size from 240 down to 150 and anti-Town Meeting voters didn't like that they maintained it at all.

The 1996 Charter (V1) came up with a "hybrid government":  a 150 member Town Meeting and 7-member Town Council a Mayor AND a Town Manager.  Yikes! It failed fairly resoundingly 54%/46%

Whereas the 2003 Charter (V2) terminated Town Meeting but confusingly maintained a full time Town Manger and added a Mayor/Council.  It failed narrowly the first time 50.1% to 49.9% and by slightly more the 2nd time 52.2% to 47.8%.

When asked about regrets or "do over" Harvey said he would have articulated better to the voters the roles of mayor and town manager.

His Commission had taken pains to clearly give each position defined roles and powers but some voters were concerned about overlapping responsibilities aka stepping on each others toes.

Although that fateful decision was barely supported by the full Commission in a 5-4 vote with the minority more interested in a strong Mayor/Council.

Neither of the previous Charter members said they used surveys although Harvey said they had invaluable information from a non-binding ballot question the Select Board placed on the same 2001 ballot as the Charter question asking voters if it's time to do away with Town Meeting.

At the time Harvey was Chair of the Select Board and had become disillusioned with Town Meeting.  

That question passed handily 1,832 yes to  1307.

Both Greenebaum and Harvey said this current Charter Commission is off to a good start with members first trying to ascertain the big picture, what people like about our current town government and what could change for the better but still maintain the unique cultural values of our town.

At the end of their one hour presentation the Charter Commission thanked both parties for their illuminating presentations.

 Charter Commission (V3) last night

Bryan Harvey quickly responded, "Thanks to you.  We know what you're in for! But it was one of the most interesting experiences I ever had."

The Charter Commission and about a dozen audience members applauded as the two left the room.

Party Central Registry

UMass is the town's largest employer and a city unto itself

The town and University of Massachusetts will most likely start a one year "pilot program" in September to register off campus parties to help reduce the burden noise complaints place on the police department thus freeing them up to do more important work like taking drunk drivers off the road.

Forum this evening only attracted three neighbors but another one is scheduled for 6/15

A registered party that  receives a complaint from a neighbor called in to Dispatch will get a phone call from APD warning them of the violation and giving them 20 minutes to end the party.

If they comply no arrests are made and no $300 tickets are issued for "noise" or "nuisance" or both. Thus saving the tenants money and the major hassle of being arrested while making it unnecessary for two APD cruisers to respond.

   UMass Amherst Party Registration

The program will cost the town nothing as UMass will do the paperwork and getting the word out by social media, advertising and messaging.

And in fact could save the town significantly in reduced calls. The program has been very successful in fellow college towns like Boulder and Fort Collins, Colorado.

A Violation of Journalistic Ethics?

Select Board reading draft doc written by Temp Town Mgr Peter Hechenbleikner

So yes, more than a few people have asked how I came in possession of a "draft" document that was being discussed at a public meeting (although in a hard-to-find room) where a public official later refused to release it to the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

 Draft Select Board response to Vira Douangmany Cage email last week

First off I'm aggressive about getting the story but I always keep in mind the ethics involved, because a good reporter is only as good as their reputation.  And ethics violations are a quick way to forever destroy a reputation.

Although these days, with the blinding speed of digital reporting, the line between right and wrong is sometimes a tad blurry.

Cut to the video replay:




As you can clearly see I borrowed the document (with permission) just long enough to photograph it, and since the Select Board was discussing said document in a public setting it is most certainly going to become a public document in the very near future.

In fact the draft of the document I published would also be subject to Public Documents Law which acting SB Chair Doug Slaughter seemed to acknowledge.

This exceedingly sad case of single mom trying to protect her 7-year-old daughter from bullying only to be bullied in return by the public schools has embroiled the Pelham, Amherst and Regional School Committees, Amherst and Pelham Police Departments and now the Select Board in a no-win quagmire.

It should NEVER have gotten this far.

 #####

Aisha Hiza at Monday's Select Board meeting

Statement from Aisha Hiza after last night's Pelham School Committee meeting:

"The Pelham chief said that he had spoken to the school but had come to a conclusion that it was a school issue. The Amherst Police said that it was a Pelham issue, as did the Amherst town manager. 

Both have made these statements, but the superintendent in her statement said that she placed the stay away order because of the advice and guidance of both town's police departments. 

So who is telling the truth and who is lying? Who will take responsibility? 

Over 80 something days I was banned with no due process and no actual reasoning or explanation. 

Can you even imagine the amount of stress this created for my child and myself? 

Even with the ban lifted I will not able to enter the school unless I have someone with me as a witness because I have lost trust ... and for good reason. 

The abuse of power continues: they are withholding my daughter's complete school records, which I have requested from them more then once verbally and in writing. Records that as a parent I have the rights to according to state laws. 

Instead all they will give me is a log of her visits to the school nurse. This stay away should never have been placed. Instead of handling the real situation of my child being bullied, the superintendent and her administration irrationally and hastily made decisions and decided that my daughter's well being and safety at school was not important. 

The use of a stay way order was placed intermittently is questionable. How is safety conditional if my behavior/actions were such a concern that warranted such an order but I was okayed to attend events.

Hell, even a court ordered Restraining Order has an expiration date to revisit and have an appeals process. Seems to me like a misuse of power without admittance to their fault."

DUI Dishonor Roll

MADD:  Each day people drive drunk about 300,000 times with only 3,200 arrested

If a police officer gives you friendly advice NOT to drive your car due to alcohol induced impairment you should probably follow that advice. Don't be like Austin Audette.

 Click to enlarge/read

Austin Audette, age 20

In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Monday Austin Audette had his case continued to next month and Adam Garand struck a Ch24D plea deal with the Commonwealth.

 Adam Garand, age 45

Cost of a Ch24D disposition plus loss of license 45 days

School Stay Away Order Lifted

Aisha Hiza (and daughter)

After ten weeks of generating bitter debate the controversial stay away order issued by ARPS School Superintendent Maria Geryk to single mom Aisha Hiza, who was advocating for her bullied child, has been lifted in its entirety effective June 1st.

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Stay away order lifted

3/15 Stay Away Order

Temporary Town Manager Pete Hechenbleikner leaked the information published on the front page of today's Daily Hampshire Gazette although the draft letter he penned for the Amherst Select Board on this sad affair stated it was not a town issue but a Pelham police and school issue.

 Draft of response to Vira Douangmany Cage's email last week

Select Board Chair Alisa Brewer had asked the Temporary Town Manager last week to respond to an incendiary email from Amherst School Committee member and State Legislature candidate Vira Douangmany Cage suggesting their silence constituted endorsement of social injustice.

Interestingly one of the only criticisms of deceased Town Manager John Musante at his last performance review was the Select Board did not like to be surprised by what they see in the local paper and wanted to be kept publicly informed about potentially controversial matters before it hit the news.

The brokered deal also involves Paul Wiley, former Crocker Farm Elementary School Principal and now ARPS ombudsperson.

Paul Wiley

On his Facebook page former School Committee member and nationally known diversity spokesman Amilcar Shabazz stated:

Click to enlarge/read

Oddly, only days after Maria Geryk issued a statement to the press defending her actions in this affair, she rescinds the stay away order without informing the media, and sent a copy of the order to the Pelham School Committee but requested they keep it confidential.

Party House of the Weekend

80 West Street

Just because UMass is no longer in session doesn't mean neighboorhoods are quiet as graveyards on weekends.  Although interestingly enough this past semester has been the quietest one in years.

 Click to enlarge/read

In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Monday all three perps accepted the Commonwealth's standard deal:  Criminal issue is converted to civil with payment of the town bylaw $300 fine and four months probation.

 Steven McG

And since APD informs UMass of these matters there could be academic sanctions as well.

Jarrad P

Reed G

Walk The Walk

Amherst Select Board reading draft of response written by Temp Town Mgr Peter Hechenbleikner

While the all-white Amherst Select Board was reading a proclamation designating June 12 "Race Amity Day," a small mixed gender group -- black, white and somewhat in between -- who had turned out to support Aisha Hiza, the single mom banned from all school grounds for advocating on behalf of her bullied little girl sat stoically in front of them. 

 Aisha Hiza 2nd from left Vira Douangmany Cage (behind her to left) Amilcar Shabazz far left

The main reason Aisha and her supporters showed up to this Select Board meeting tucked away in a back labyrinth of the Regional Middle School was to hear the response penned by Temporary Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner to Vira Douangmany Cage's volatile email the week before, branding the Select Board as enablers of social injustice by not addressing what many see as just such a case with Ms. Hiza.

Click to enlarge/read

 Draft response from Select Board to Vira Douangmany Cage

The draft letter was -- to say the least -- disappointing.  A classic dodge simply saying it's not our department.



But the Select Board will take it up again at their next meeting back in Town Hall, and now that Town Meeting is dissolved they will also be taking Public Comment at the start of that meeting.

I'm sure the public will have lots to say.

Town Meeting Terminates

Vince O'Connor (There's no place like home)

The 258th Annual Town Meeting dissolved last night after taking a little less than 1.5 hours to dispose of the last five articles on a lengthy 45 article warrant.

Of course over the course of those nine sessions the legislative body averaged an extra 10 minutes late coming to a quorum so that the last session could have been avoided if people had showed up on time.

The 9th and hopefully final night of the 258th #Amherst Town Meeting in now in session (11 minutes late).  Let's storm the beaches.

— Larry Kelley (@amherstac) June 6, 2016

Vince O'Connor ruled the night as he had three of the remaining five articles all of them "citizens petitions" that only required ten signatures to get on the warrant.

Article #44 was the most interesting of the three and since Town Meeting had taken up Article #45  last month it would be the final article of the session.

A bill promulgated by the Mass Municipal Association would allow cities and towns to tax tax-exempt entities .25% of what they would normally pay on their lands and buildings if they were regular homeowners or businesses.

Unfortunately UMass would be exempt since they are a state institution, but it would formalize payment from our other institutes of higher education, Amherst and Hampshire College.

This year Amherst College gave us $120,000 for Amherst Fire Department services, although Town Meeting earlier this session approved $190,000 in Community Preservation Act money for a fire suppression system at Amherst College owned The Evergreens, so this year it's a net loss.

But Amherst College is still the number one taxpayer in town as all of their houses rented to professors are on the tax rolls as is The Lord Jeffery Inn (or whatever they will change the name to), and unlike the town owned Cherry Hill Golf Course the college owned Amherst Golf Course also pays property taxes.

Hampshire College on the other hand pays nothing and requires AFD services almost as much as Amherst College.

 AFD Engine 1 on scene Kern Center for false fire alarm 5/23/16

Thus if they simply paid their fair share we could afford to hire a few more public safety personnel and maybe next time there's a major structure fire the first responding engine would have a full crew aboard.

 

Engine 1 (top center) only had 1 FF aboard upon arrival Alpine Commons

Town Meeting passed article #44 by an overwhelming majority 146-7.

Paul Bockelman, our new incoming permanent Town Manager, is a Hampshire College graduate and Director of Finance for the Mass Municipal Association.

Negotiating a strategic agreement with both Amherst College and his alma mater Hampshire College should be job #1.

a fitting end to #AmherstMA Town Meeting: @amherstac reading from his own blog via a laptop. Life imitating, . . . oh, I give up. :)

— Citizen Wald (@CitizenWald) June 7, 2016

Fire Is The Devil's Only Friend

AFD Engine 1 (far left)  Engine 2 (center) Hadley Ladder truck (right)

 Morning after:  fencing already erected around building

Besides the beep, beep, beeping of a smoke detector still doing its job this morning at Alpine Commons the scene is pretty much what you would expect walking (or flying) over a battlefield after the guns have gone silent.






Yesterday was a different story of course.  The sights and sound and most particularly the smell of a major structure fire is something you simply never forget.  But as long as there are no casualties at least it's a scar that will one day heal.

AFD Engine 1 was first on the scene but it's hard to get anything done when the only person aboard her was a captain from Central Station.

Engine 2, the aerial, arrived soon after from North Station with three aboard and after hooking up to a hydrant started spraying up to a 1,000 gallons of water per minute from above.

At the time of the box alarm 8 professional firefighters made up the on-duty shift (although it goes down to 7 for the summer), but 4 were tied up on two ambulance calls.  

Slowly the reinforcements arrived:  Hadley with an invaluable Ladder Truck, Northampton, Pelham and South Hadley with pumpers and Belchertown providing station coverage in case another fire should come calling.

AFD Ambulance One and South County EMS also provided an ambulance to the scene mainly to monitor and assist all the firefighters battling the elements as well as the fire.

Naturally I asked Chief Nelson about staffing:

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Another problem is Ladder 1 is out for repairs.  At almost 30 years of age that may end up being the new normal.  Not a good thing considering the newer buildings going up in Amherst are five stories.

Aging equipment, skeleton staffing and a Fire Station badly in need of replacement.  Such is the life our full-time career firefighters.  Yes, skill goes a l-o-n-g way in overcoming major obstacles.  As does a little luck.

One of these days skill alone, with our limited numbers, will not be enough.