Friday, March 19, 2010

"Brother Against Brother" Civil War


Hmm...a Yes and No sign on the same lawn. Perhaps a husband going one way and his spouse the other. Kind of like Select Board incumbent (with no competition thus guaranteed reelection) Alisa Brewer (Yes) and Umass Prof husband Steven Brewer (No) fighting it out over on Localocracy.org

(And yeah, I gave him 5 of my 10 ratings points to drive his comment to the top.)

Override ruminations

Override passes
Override fails

So yeah, I have trouble sleeping at night being the big meanie I am. Maybe that lead to the late night visit from the 'Ghost of Christmas Future' who showed me the two possible scenarios for the average homeowner after the March 23 Override vote.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

"...failure to communicate."

Click photo to read lettering on the Bus

So I guess if you don't trust the professional DPW (who are, after all, at the bottom of the town pay scale) to get the job done on time-even with last minute notification, you call in the convicts.

But don't get me wrong: I believe that hard labor--chain gangs or cycling up Mt. Washington--is a good thing. And in Northampton, the Honor Court (recovering alcoholics) keeping the city clean is a great thing.

But you still have to wonder if these noble efforts by convicts could be put to better use other than sprucing up the most exclusive endeavor in recreation--golf ? (Well, #2 if you count those indoor Japanese downhill ski facilities.)

But hey, at least the Town Manager did not put them to use fixing up his humble abode on Amity Street now up for sale.

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Trial Court Community Service Program

"Our goals are to promote public safety by making participants stakeholders in the community and enrich communities by performing meaningful service."


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(key word being "meaningful")

Even the Town Mangler can't afford the Override...


Click to enlarge/read


Maybe he's moving to South Hadley.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Peyton Place/Harper Valley continued...

Click to enlarge/read (2 of 3)

"Helen" (Vivian) and "Al" (Sprague) are/were the married $125,000 interim Co-Supers who flew the coop almost exactly a year ago,four months early with full pay. "Jere" is of course the Golden Boy long-time (six whole years!) Super described by long-time School Committee Chair Elaine Brighty as a "rare event."

(Page 3 of 3)

Peyton Place meets Harper Valley PTA

Click to enlarge/read (1 of 3)So yeah, I thought twice (maybe three times) about actually publishing this. It is of course Anonymous. And over the past three years, I've gotten ever so adapted to Anons and their wild claims and obnoxious insults.

But...something about this snail mail Letter--sent to Catherine Sanderson as well--rings believable. So I've redacted the names (not necessarily to protect the innocent.)


To Be Continued...

Cherry Hill Golf Course: Municipal bloodsucker


Bad enough the golf course produces more red ink than a Chinese flag factory, but now they're sucking the lifeblood from other departments.

Because the foundering LSSE Recreation Empire is down ten$ of thousand$ they can't afford to spruce up the golf course, so the Town Manager orders the DPW Parks and Recreation Department to drop everything, run out to North Amherst and get the business ready for its Grand Opening (in two days.)

Forget the town common, the ball fields, or the soccer fields; in the People's Republic of Amherst when a White Elephant bellows--you run!

On a losing course at the half way point