Let the sun shine!

So today’s Sunday Republican struck me—journalistically speaking—as a tad schizophrenic. The awesome editorial from Editor in Chief Larry McDermott championed the Open Meeting Law (bureaucratic political nitwits otherwise known as the Boston City Council wants the state legislature to exempt them from OML because they love to do their duty under cover of darkness).

Larry's editorial

Yet in the same edition we also had a story by staff writer Stephanie Barry about a “retreat” of the Springfield School Committee with new Superintendent Alan Ingram and a quorum of that committee.

According to Barry’s article: Member Michael P. Rodgers said after the retreat that the dialogue was long overdue. He also commended Ingram for uniting committee members.

"He has a calming effect," Rodgers said. "A unified School Committee will result in a unified school system."

Sounds to me like a violation of the Open Meeting Law.

Stephanie's story

Chilling effect, indeed. And I thought Amherst officials were whacked.

Down in the Valley

Final loose end

Click to read: note the RETURN ADDRESS 11:45 AM

10:00 AM
I stopped into the Town Clerk's office on the way to the Jones Library where I am at the moment keeping my darling daughters occupied, to inquire if Mr. Hubley resigned his Town Meeting seat yet (I had asked to be informed when it came in--but Public Documents Law does not allow for asking in advance for a document).

Sure enough, Mr. Hubley did indeed resign his seat as of 8/31 (no mention in his resignation letter of stalking, harassment or aliens flying black helicopters).

Going green...or brown

Thursday 10:30 AM

So….Kendrick Park is much too good for the Amherst Pelham Boy Scouts to use for selling Christmas trees—a sixty year tradition—but, the Town Manager allows a patch of weeds, errrr—I mean wheat (maybe he figured they would use it for beer and give him a glass).

Memo to Happy Heads: come harvest your wheat.

And they're off!

Click photo to read

No it doesn’t surprise me that Aaron Hayden would get out the first piece of Select Board campaign literature, arriving at my humble abode yesterday on primary election day that voters seemed not to care about in the least.

What does surprise me—but only a little—is the Registrar of Voters predicting a 90% turnout on November 4! Amherst has always turned out in droves every 4 years for the Presidential election, even though Massachusetts is never in doubt and the highest federal office in the land has no impact on the town.

But come spring, for the annual local election that has everything to do with running our $60+ million operation, we get a 15% turnout. Only in Amherst.

Mixed message

So I’ve given up being concerned that an X-President (or current one) has suddenly died when I spot Amherst College’s majestic flag on Chapel Hill at half-staff.

Last night, coming home from those pesky uptown public meetings with a full moon as a direct backdrop, a steady breeze and powerful illumination from below, Old Glory was a stirring sight indeed—especially in THAT mournful position.

Yet last week on 9/11 Amherst's most prominently placed flag was not at half-staff as ordered by the President of the United States--as opposed to President of the College. Nor was it properly displayed on Memorial Day, December 7, or Peace Officers’ Day (May 15).

I just assumed it was to mark the passing of literary genius David Foster Wallace, an Amherst College graduate and former visiting professor. But according to their Intranet Announcements:

In Memoriam: Stephen L. Clark '75
The Johnson Chapel flag has been lowered to half-staff in memory of Stephen L. Clark '75. Clark, who passed away Thursday, Sept. 11

David Foster Wallace would probably love the irony: Amherst College forgets to fly the flag at half-staff last week on 9/11 to mourn 3,000 Americans; but remembers to do it now in honor of an employee who just passed away…on 9/11.

With all the best intentions

Even in Massachusetts

Preaching to the unconverted

The Amherst Select Board sponsoring an ‘Open Meeting Law’ forum is kind of like allowing the fox to teach hens how to lay eggs. At her reelection victory speech on ACTV in 2006 Anne Awad bragged that her regime is into open government as evidenced by the Select Board sponsorship of the Open Meeting Law seminar. Of course she neglected to mention her violation of that very law less than a year after that seminar.

Let’s hope the Regional School Committee takes notes (the 8 of 9 who voted in favor) concerning a “retreat” where presumably they will go off in the woods somewhere --out of the public eye--and perform a giant joint treehug while singing Kumbaya.

Unfortunately I have an Amherst Redevelopment Meeting (although it does not show up on the town website) tonight at 7:15 so I’m pretty tied up.

I would also love to start attending more Select Board meetings, as my name seems to keep popping up during Question Period and in the middle of public discussions. And what the heck is this untimed item presented by Chairman Weiss: Agents of the Select Board???

Do they get a badge and uniform?