Now the ball is in the Select Board's court...

UPDATE: By noon our efficient Town Clerk's office had certified 88 names (throwing out ten). So we are now officially (with Friday's 33) at 121, or 21 over the top!

This morning at 9:35 Amherst Taxpayers for Responsible Change delivered to the Select Board office an additional 98 signatures in addition to 33 already certified by the Town Clerk on an petition requesting the following article be inserted on the Fall Special Town Meeting warrant that closes this evening at 8:50pm:

“To see if the town will strongly urge the Select Board to rescind their September 17, 2007 3-2 vote as Sewer Commissioners to waive effluent fees to Umass, Amherst over the five years of the “strategic agreement.”

According to the final clause of the "Strategic Agreement":

9. Termination - In the event that if the University of Massachusetts, the Town, Amherst Regional Public Schools (APRS) or Amherst Elementary Schools (AES) experience changes that materially affect the equity of this agreement, or if relevant, new information becomes available, the party so affected may initiate, and the other party must agree to participate in discussion of amended terms and conditions to this agreement so as to preserve the underlying principles of equity and the allocation of the cost of this agreement. Any modification or amendment shall be made by written mutual agreement, and shall become effective only when signed by all parties. Either party may terminate this agreement by giving written notice to the other party 180 days in advance of when the termination is to take effect.

Since the Select board was told the effluent waiver would only cost town taxpayers $38,000 per year, but now "new, relevant information" indicates that usage will double therefor doubling the cost to the taxpayers, that part of the agreement needs serious reconsideration.

911 at ease

Just one of the (many) things I respect about Amherst Public Safety folks—police, fire or EMT—is they simply ooze love for what they do. So when they host a public event like the FD Central Station Open House or Citizens Police Academy, the professionals involved don’t simply go thru the motions.


Yesterday Kira and I—after a busy morning of soccer and karate—arrived late, around 2:15 and the Chief and Assistant Chief were still there answering questions and giving tours (probably the same question they have heard a 1,000 times before).



Now Kira wants to be a firefighter when she grows up. I could not be more proud of that; although, unsure how I would handle the worry.

Shots fired!

Well the crusty old Gazette was a tad optimistic yesterday saying I had collected almost as many signatures as necessary. Actually by close of business yesterday the Town Clerk certified 33 signatures, while throwing out about half-dozen (couldn’t read the name or giving a P.O. Box for address rather than mailing address).

Although they did give me a weird look when I handed in the first sheet with the warrant article text writing in bright red ink.

And while I don’t mind the term “self appointed troublemaker for the Select board” (what about the Town Manager?) I prefer “conservative watchdog.”

By Monday noon we will have all 100 signatures (and then some) and the Town Clerk’s office has been fastidious about confirming them. The (ping pong) ball is in the Select board’s court.

WANTED: Definitely Alive!

Hey dude! Where the Hell are you? Amherst is cold and clueless enough as it is. Don’t abandon me here with all these tree hugging, Volvo driving, quiche eating, anti-war drones.

Come on folks, The People’s Republic of Amherst also has 444 bloggers out of Massachusetts’s 31,700: Let’s find this guy.

UPDATE: WE FOUND HIM. His sister posted on his blog that he is alive and "recovering." I'll try to hold down the fort until he returns.

Life is hard your Lordship

"Chilling effect." You mean like the DA finding you in violation of Open Meeting Law twice in the last three years? Or an Ethics Complaint where two of your five members have a conflict of interest? Rules can be tough. It's way more fun when you don't have to follow them. Can't stand the heat? Then vacate the kitchen!

Town Meeting to take up Umass water giveaway

By Monday morning Amherst Taxpayers for Responsible Change will submit over 100 voters names to the Select board office on the following Warrant Article:

“To see if the town will strongly urge the Select Board to rescind their September 17, 2007 3-2 vote as Sewer Commissioners to waive effluent fees to Umass, Amherst over the five years of the “strategic agreement.”

The Select board is scheduled to sign the warrant for the Special Fall Town Meeting on Monday evening. According to Mass General Laws Chapter 39: Section 10:
“The Selectmen shall insert in the warrant for every Special Town Meeting all subjects the insertion of which shall be requested of them in writing by one hundred registered voters.”

I’ll drink to that! (Clean water of course)

The stench worsens

When it comes to the smelly case of gifting over a half-million dollars in effluent to Umass (over 5 years), for once I agree with the Town Manager: My Ethics Commission complaint concerning two Umass connected Select board members does not endanger the “strategic agreement.”

Umass beat up the town manager so badly formulating this one-sided deal, there is simply no way in Hell they are going to take their toys and go home when the free effluent component gets vetoed.

And I find it a tad disconcerting that the Town Manager seems to suggest in yesterday’s Gazette article that the state ethics commission may not have the authority to “void member votes even if it does find a violation.”

Hmmmm. So Mr. Shaffer, if the state finds one or two Select board members acted illegally but lacks the authority to change that illegal vote you are still going to declare victory? Kind of the like the NE Patriots electronically stealing the opposing teams defensive signals.

And I also find it interesting that, after consulting with the new town attorney (at $150/hour) Shaffer states: “We don’t think the complaint has standing under that portion of the statute.” Sounds to me like it may have standing under some other portion of the statute.

I also completely agree with Mr. Shaffer’s closing quote: “The university and the town will continue to seek out opportunities to engage in agreements that can be to the benefit of both.”

This silly “strategic agreement” certainly doesn’t qualify!