ARA (1) Select Board (0)

And since nobody seems to have spotted my update posted last night at 7:45: NO, the ARA did not scurry up to the Town Clerk's office on a hot and humid Monday afternoon to post a meeting we were specifically excluded from.

Subject: Re: ARA Vacancy Election August 1, 2007
From: Gerry Weiss gerryweiss@comcast.net

Everyone,

I was out of town yesterday, so I instructed Larry to deal with this. I believe he agreed that we should wait until September. If however, the ARA has posted a meeting for this Wednesday, then I believe we could proceed with the election on Wednesday night. If the ARA did not post a meeting, then we will have to wait if the ARA wishes to have a joint meeting. Please let everyone know if the meeting was posted. thanks,

Gerry

To: Alisa Brewer
Cc: Larry Kelley ; Jonathan Tucker ; Jeanne Traester ; Nancy Gordon ; Gail Weston ; Larry Shaffer (TOWN MGR)
Sent: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 5:28 am

How hot is it?

-----Original Message-----
From: Alisa Brewer
To: Gerry Weiss

Subject: ARA Vacancy Election August 1, 2007

Hi Gerry-

If it turns out that all of the current ARA members can come at 7:00 Wednesday, I personally have no reason to prevent them from voting in a joint election. Of course, they'd need to post their meeting today -- right now -- to get the 48 hours notice. Perhaps it would be wise for them to do so, anyway, since they might have a quorum that might have some substantive discussion even if they aren't part of the election?

http://onlyintherepublicofamherst.blogspot.com/

Take care,
Alisa
-- Alisa V. Brewer
Cc: Larry Kelley ; Jonathan Tucker ; Jeanne Traester ; Nancy Gordon ; Gail Weston ; Larry Shaffer (TOWN MGR)
Sent: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:20 pm
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UPDATE: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 7:45 pm Did the ARA post the meeting with the Town Clerk for Wednesday? Well, no.

The hot seat

His Lordship Gerry Weiss must think the sun rises and sets upon the Amherst Select Board.

At their July 23 meeting Mr. Weiss complained he had made it s-o-o-o pubic about the ARA opening (“over a month ago”). Yeah, well that meeting (June 13’th), buried in a backroom at the Middle School, had Amherst Redevelopment Authority on the agenda but the minutes show “No action taken”.

And on June 18 ARA chair Fran Van Treese appeared before the snobby Select Board to argue against Vince O’Connor’s Town Meeting proposal to “Abolish the ARA”.

Ms. Van Treese effectively advocated for the ARA as the Select board voted unanimously to dismiss Mr. O’Connor’s pernicious proposal. So why didn’t Mr. Weiss advise Ms. Van Treese at that meeting the vacant seat was such a burning issue?

Select Man Kusner came to our July 10’th ARA meeting (where we signed a draft letter of formal notification to the Select Board). Of course he later told the Select Board we were unqualified to pick a replacement, something he dared not mention to us that night.

I received a chatty email from Select Man Alisa Brewer on June 22 saying “The clock's ticking, man...the SB gets to do the appointing our own selves if you all don't tell us within 30 days, and the ARA (during the time you were not an ARA member) already blew the 30 days by not letting the Town Clerk know to put *two* positions on the annual ballot. Given that drop in the ball handling, I talked SB and Larry`` into using the date of Town Counsel's letter about that issue.”

The town counsel’s letter (date June 18 and stamped ‘Received June 19’) clearly says, “The ARA may not have been aware of nor in a position to notify the Select Board of this vacancy. This statute’s preference is to offer to the authority which incurs the vacancy a roll in filling out its membership. Therefore, it may be appropriate on the part of the Select Board and ARA to jointly fill the post upon delivery of written notice as proscribed above.”

The Town Manager confirmed to the Select board at their July 25 meeting: “At its last meeting (July 10) the ARA did vote to provide formal notification to the Select board of the vacancy” And that vote (not to mention signing a draft letter) was well within the one month period from the town counsel’s letter.

This ARA (hot) seat has been vacant since the election of April 4, 2006. And since nothing happens in Amherst between July 4’th and Labor Day another month is not going to matter.

Installing a (Manchurian) Candidate on the ARA without their input may further the goals of the Select Board, but it will be a setback for downtown development.
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9:30 UPDATE:
So I just now received a “reply all” email from fellow ARA member (Governor appointed) Jeanne Traester to the Select Board, ARA, and Town Manager confirming she would be at the August 1’st Select board meeting.

I didn’t get the original email sent July 20 (Chair Fran Van Treese just confirmed she did not get it either) from Town Hall, but it was an invite to a JOINT MEETING August 1’st with the Select Board to appoint a new ARA member.

The attached memo from the Town Manager dated July 19 and billed as “New Business” for Select Board meeting of July 23 states: “I recommend that the Select Board and ARA utilize the process employed by the Select Board and School Committee for filling of the vacancy on the School Committee created by the resignation of Alisa Brewer.”

Hmmm.

Of course Ms. Traester is showing up thinking she’s invited…yikes!

UPDATE: 10:20 Just received another email from Gail Weston that, sort of, clarifies things:

From: Weston, Gail
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 4:54 PM
To: Tucker, Jonathan
Subject: Amherst Redevelopment Authority Election

The election for the Amherst Redevelopment Authority will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the 8/1/07 Select Board Meeting. Amherst Redevelopment Authority members are invited to attend but it will not be a joint meeting. Will you notify the members or is this something that I should do?


Gail Weston

Assistant to the Town Manager

A Tree (or two) Grows in Amherst

Since half of Amherst is tax exempt (owned by Amherst College, Umass and our Conservation Department) the other half has to pick up an awful lot of slack. And then, within that taxable half shouldering twice the burden, homeowners contribute 90% while commercial property only accounts for 10%.

So now when property goes off the tax rolls it’s like throwing a drowning person a 25-pound Olympic weight plate rather than a life preserver.

Recently Umass purchased and demolished Frat Row, five funky big old houses at the gateway to Umass that previously generated over $50,000 in taxes. And Amherst College outbid developers for the Dakin Estate next to college owned Amherst Golf Course. Although the property was valued at less than a million the purchase price was four times that so if, say, Barry Roberts, had won the bid he would have paid Amherst $60,000 the last two years and much more when his development was completed.

And speaking of Roberts, the town now wants to purchase 7 of his 13 lots in North Amherst (the more mountainous ones) for anywhere from $500,000 to $700,000 to quiet the NIMBY types mostly those living in Leverett. Thus, instead of adding $2 million to the tax levy Amherst gets less than zip.

Any time anybody wants to develop or expand their property the neighbors are quick to cite turtle habitat, swamp fauna, or increased traffic that will endanger the kids. I fear greatly that Amherst College is going to discover that sad fact when they go before Town Meeting to get the zoning change (requiring a two-thirds vote) for the $5 million expansion of the Lord Jeff Inn, which would more than double tax revenues to Amherst (yes, the Lord Jeff and the Golf Course are on the tax rolls).

While the trees in question are common—maple and fir—they are pretty BIG. And in this town, as long as they are large enough to hug…

Amherst 7/4 Parade Déjà vu: Much Ado About Nothing

So about half our Committee (four) met with Amherst Town Manager Larry Shaffer this afternoon at 2:15 to discuss next year’s parade permit. And like last year, he opened the “discussion” with the declarative statement: “I’m going to sign your permit.”

If he was not such a gregarious guy, you’re tempted to say “Okay, thanks…I’m out-a-here!”

Like last year, the only indulgence requested was that we hear his mediation if problems occur. Once again we replied exactly the same: “Of course!”

For those of you just tuning in the Amherst July 4’th Parade, as a town function, last occurred during the 1976 Bicentennial, when my cousin Sheriff Bob Garvey lead it as Grand Marshall (his wife Jane Garvey was FAA chief on that awful 9/11 morning).

In 2002, in the turbulent wake of 9/11, Kevin Joy, 5’th generation Amherst townie and former FBI counter-terrorism agent, revived the parade via a volunteer private committee.

And the US Supreme Court unanimously declared that a private committee has the First Amendment right to mitigate off-topic messages: Insidious groups like the KKK, Skin Heads, NAMBLA; or even simply controversial issues like abortion, gun control, gay rights, etc.

The first year we had some whackos in Halloween masks (Presidents Nixon and Clinton) jump into the parade distributing vile literature. Another year an anti-war group wished to march with placards displaying the Bill or Rights (minus the Second Amendment, of course) and we allowed it.

Last year the Amherst Democratic Committee boycotted us (although Congressman John Over, State Senator Stan Rosenberg and Representative Ellen Story happily marched); and…alas, this year the Amherst League of Women Voters SUDDENLY (after five years) boycotted.

Strangely, since our debut in 2002, we have not officially denied anybody marching rights. The League of Women Voters sent a press release to the Town Manger dated June 23 saying they voted in May to boycott.

Hmmm—took you long enough to tell people about it; and no, they did not copy the Parade Committee.

And since we agreed LAST YEAR to discuss ANY Parade problems—especially inclusion—obviously the Town Manager did not take the League letter seriously, otherwise he would have called us.

Next year we are BIGGER than ever (the Town Manger agreed to march again). And, I’m thrilled to say, whackos need not apply.

Selectboard Skullduggery!

So maybe I should delete my last two posts, because the July 10 ARA meeting that hot summer night must have been a figment of my imagination.

Was Selectman Rob Kusner actually there? After watching Monday night’s Select board meeting I can only wonder. He’s either crazy (like a fox) or…

Because it was so routine--what bureaucrats call “housekeeping”--I didn’t even mention that we started with an informal but unanimous agreement to a joint meeting with the Select board in August to fill a vacancy in the 5-member ARA (4 elected one appointed by the Governor, one spot currently open).

The Town Manger wrote it down in his little black book and he even mentioned that he had contacted Peg Roberts who agreed to apply. Since she served over 20 years with the ARA (mostly as Chair) we were all thrilled. In fact, Nancy Gordon (duly elected) said she was in Maine for August but fully supported Peg Roberts. Thus, the “straw vote” was unanimous.

Last March when I was elected with 67 write in’s (Vince O’Connor had 18) the ballot should have showed two openings. That, of course, doesn’t make my election any less credible--especially since I served as the Governor’s appointee for over ten years.

But according to cantankerous Kusner: “Also given the last election did not include the full number of vacancies on the ballot I think that calls into question whether the participation of the currently elected members is appropriate in electing the final one.”

Hmmmm…So Fran Van Treese, who has served over ten years (as Chair) duly elected each time, is suddenly not qualified to participate? Or Governor Romney appointee Jeanne Traester?

Twice Mr. Kusner declared “the Select board alone should be the body that appoints the interim member until the next election.” The others agreed and they set the “election” to a time/date certain: August 1’st at 7:00 pm.

Particularly galling (especially in PC Amherst) was Kusner’s ageism slap at Roberts when he stated into the camera: “I would hope we have more than one candidate,” (we need) “new dynamic people to serve.”

So why the power struggle over who gets to appoint this open seat? Well, the ARA does have the power of eminent domain; and did I mention that the ARA has the power of eminent domain? And Kusner is a power mad puppeteer.

The reason the ARA has eminent domain power is so that we can do DEVELOPMENT. Mr. Kusner, if he had his way, would turn back the clock to when the entire Happy Valley was submerged under Lake Hitchcock.

Stay tuned

Big Doings in little old Amherst

The Amherst Redevelopment Authority 7/10 meeting became a walking tour of the downtown as we exited historic Town Hall and headed over to the equally historic Lord Jeff Inn. Knowing Town Meeting’s affinity for old brick buildings, I was relieved to hear the $5 million renovation would not alter the current structure. Amherst’s skyline is safe.

The expansion behind the historic brick building will require the demolition of a house or two currently owned by Amherst College. Selectman Rob Kusner mentioned a small stream that runs immediately behind (or under) the Inn, although currently it’s bone dry.


They could always use “replication” and install a large aquarium in the new lobby.

The Town Manager pointed to the Spring Street parking lot and explained his grand vision of an Intermodal (rhythms with yodel) Transport Center melding a 400-car garage, bus depot, rail station, and bicycle storage.


Even if Amherst College donated the current parking lot (they politely declined) the cost for the transportation hub approaches $10 million and even if the Feds paid half, that still leaves a $5 million tab for the town.

Yes, the Boltwood Garage cost a little over $4 million--but Senator Rosenberg brought home the bacon in the form of a $3 million state grant. And the ARA donated the land, valued at $350,000 (with only one condition: the garage had to be expandable).

Even then it took years and years of wrangling to overcome the NIMBY concerns of neighbors, for the most part folks living in a complex the ARA renovated from a school to senior housing.

Selectman Kusner then floated the idea of taking land a little further east, closer to the tracks. Aha! No wonder the ARA has become such a hot prom date. We have the power of eminent domain, and a recent legal opinion saying we can use it anywhere in Amherst

Classic Chevrolet, 40 Dickinson Street, has been in business since 1883. Although the facility is a tad tired, it is one of those old brick buildings that Town Meeting and the Historical Commission (who can delay demolition for a year) are quite fond of. And since it touches Kelley Square, I’m kind of fond of it as well.

And, unlike the adjacent Amherst College parking lot, they pay taxes (over $8,000 last year). So NO, I would not be in favor of taking it from Ms. Fungaroli, who has owned it since 1953.


To Be Continued…