ARA update

Yeah, we met again this evening (at least Town Hall is air conditioned) and Jeanne Traester was MIA, but the rest of us troopers reported for duty--that evil duty of development. And of course we four were outnumbered 2-1 by "concerned neighbors."

Former Amherst Redevelopment Authority member Nancy Gordon, who was elected to the ARA a few years back (when we were dormant) could not make the meeting but sent along a letter of concern. We are trying to schedule a "field trip" to Storrs, CT. to view "Husky Village" which is a development project along the lines of what we are considering for the Amherst/Umass Gateway project.

She writes: "Although I have never been to Storrs, CT, both my sons have so I asked them for their opinions of the proposed "model" being talked about in Storrs. Here is what they had to say:

Son #1: Although he had not been there often, he recognized the part of the Storrs campus being referred to, and he told me that he understood that was the area of Storrs where most of the student unrest has occurred. Is this perhaps "Hobar Lane #2?

Son #2 has been to Storrs on more than one occasion, I suspect in connection with his band, and he laughed when I mentioned the area. That, he said, is where "all the strip joints are." Is that what we want in Amherst?"

Back when I toiled in Town Meeting the ultimate boogeyman used to sabotage any zoning change was "gas station." Folks would "rise in opposition" saying if we change this zoning now for the current owner with this lovely plan to open a flower shop or veterinary clinic they could suddenly drop dead and some evil republican robber baron could absorb the property and turn it into a, gasp, GAS STATION.

Well I guess we've come a long way. The boogeyman has morphed from a "gas station" to a "strip joint." Heck, that sounds like progress to me.

By any other name

Gotta wonder how Amherst state Senator and Umass bodyguard Stan Rosenberg is going to handle this vote.

The House passed by 126-21 and sent to the Senate a bill allowing six state colleges to change their designation to universities: Bridgewater, Fitchburg, Framingham, Salem, Westfield and Worcester.

Of course, now hard pressed students will be more inclined to shop on price when comparing Umass/Amherst to these former "colleges."

Tree huggers unite!

So the uber-left, anti-development crowd is in a full-court press to get Denise Barbaret reappointed to the Planning Board after Town Manager Larry Shaffer failed to reappoint her when her term expired June 30.

Of course it was the town manager who first appointed her three years ago, and now apparently wants to "move in a new direction," as in the real world.

One of the major "goals" for the town manager outlined by his volunteer bosses the venerable Amherst Select Board is to enhance the tax base via commercial development.

And it's kind of hard to carry out that charge, when Ms. Barbaret votes against every economic development initiative to come before the Planning Board. And she always makes the effort to give Town Meeting a "minority report" (often where she was the only "nay" out of nine.)

This should be fun to watch. My prediction? The town manager holds firm; the tree huggers wither at the roots.

Glad it was the before shot

So our journalism ethics discussion this week covered graphic photos--and we all know how viseral they can be.

According to my Prof: "Finally, journalists must take great care with the use of graphic photos.We must be courageous enough to use them when the message they send is important, but smart enough not to use them to shock or for their sensational value. Graphic photos that illustrate the consequences of government policy are often used even if they might offend."

And to drive home the point her discussion question asked, "Can you think of a recent photo or video that you found disturbing or offensive? Was there a good reason to run it, even at the risk of offending people?"

I used as an example when the Gazette two years ago put an AP photo on page one of a small child's lifeless hand sticking up out of the rubble clutching a pen--which more than graphically illustrated the damage the earthquake inflicted on China's Sichuan province where schools, because of shoddy construction, collapsed like a house of cards.

Today's AP photo graphically illustrates the government policy in Iraq for animal control. No question about that. My only question is, did they have to use such a cute dog?

My previous complaint

There but for the grace of God

My old time business acquaintance, Ross Scott, was busted recently for diverting $45,000 in employee pension money back into his faltering Holyoke based direct mail business, failing to provide the 3% match--but still claiming that amount as a tax deduction.

I first met Ross about 25 years ago when he was highly praised by another successful Amherst small business owner for saving him money on direct mail, mainly because he was super efficient about his services. And indeed he was...plus, a nice guy as well.

About then Amherst axed $4,500 late in the budget year (mid-April) for the July 4th fireworks. I instantly formed a committee and raised more than enough money to save the display that year, later turned it over the Amherst Chamber of Commerce who then returned it to the town's Leisure Services department, who continues to fund them via private/business donations somewhat competing with the July 4th Parade I'm now "somewhat" involved with.

The original business owner who recommended Ross ran a print shop so he donated 1,000 nice red-white-and-blue fliers (color was expensive back then.) Ross donated his mail services and paid the postage for a mailing to all Amherst businesses, almost instantly returning enough to cover the patriotic extravaganza.

But 20-25 years ago the direct mail business (like newspaper advertising) was booming W-A-Y more than today; now the Post Office itself is dying--all for the same reason: the Internet. Unsurprisingly, his once thriving ARA Strategic Mail Services went into a steady if not steep decline.

After my initial direct mail experience I liked it enough to purchase my own bulk mailing permit for Karate Health Fitness Center (although I took it out in my personal name so I could use it for other causes), thus I no longer required Ross.

But two years ago I sacrificed my long-time permit to save on the $150 annual cost of renewal just as I stopped all newsprint advertising (peak year approaching $15,000). The start--or more like final stage--of a downward spiral.

So this past February when Stan Gawle asked about using my (former) permit once again for a 4,000 piece anti-Override campaign mailer (as we did in squashing the 2007 Override), I looked up Ross and found him as efficient as ever. After all these years.

But knowledge, skill, bravado and endless hours only goes so far. You cut corners--at first you do it with a scalpel, then a butcher knife, then an ax and, finally, a chain saw. If every small business in America followed government regulations 100% to the absolute letter of the law, 90% of them would fail.

And yeah, if a business owner circumvents regulations to fund a fancy car, exotic vacations, gambling or prostitutes--that's one thing. But if they do it in order to keep the lights on--that's another. I suspect Ross, like a lot of recently deceased small businesses, occupies the latter.

Sounds like he informed his employees of his deception years ago (if they were that concerned they could have blown the whistle then) and probably told them it was either that or lay them off.

What's worse, losing a 6% retirement benefit somewhere W-A-Y down the road or losing your job now (which ends that retirement benefit anyway)? At least he always paid them their take home salary.

Who is worse off? Ross faces a possible sixteen month prison term and his business, his baby, his life these past decades gets filed in the dead letter office. Unlike his employees, he can't collect "unemployment insurance"--although he is not accused of reneging on that burdensome overhead.

Small business owners are the backbone of America--but they routinely engage in a high-wire act, working without a net. And even the Flying Wallendas took a tumble.

The Republican Reports

The Republican also reports Post Office problems

I'm here from the government...

How many teachers, cops or firefighters could $5 million fund here in historic Taxachusetts? Or...just give thousands of state workers a couple days off and be required to pay overtime to those deemed "essential."

I'm a patriotic guy, and if state workers in Suffolk County all attended day-long educational teach-ins and a ceremony celebrating Bunker Hill Day (historically speaking they may want to teach that the battle mostly occurred on Breeds Hill and that technically the Brits won) or Evacuation Day (which sounds like a medical term for bowel movement) then maybe I could live with the $5 million tab...maybe.

But like Columbus Day, the "holidays" have lost any meaning. Even the most meaningful of holidays--Memorial Day--is lost on some clueless folks.

Unsurprisingly, Amherst's state government dynamic duo--Senator Stan Rosenberg and Representative Ellen Story voted to keep the hack holidays alive. After all, Amherst only has a pathetic 9.9% commercial tax base--thus taxpayer/voters gainfully employed by the private sector are in a distinct minority.

September 17 is Constitution Day. Since state and federal workers do not get it as a paid holiday, nobody seems to care. But the Feds, mainly due to Sen. Robert Byrd, decided six years ago that any publicly funded educational institution must have an teach in that day focusing on the most important document in our history.

Since the Feds decided not to come up with any extra money for this auspicious occasion, thereby making it an "unfunded mandate," you have to wonder what the adherence rate is here in our most historic of states?

Do any of the Five Colleges or the venerable Amherst Public School system hold a teach-in that day? We already know the Amherst schools ignore the requirement for reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance," so it's a pretty safe bet 'Constitution Day' falls into the same void.

But our state can continue to squander $5 million to "remember" two encounters that helped lead to the adoption of the Constitution, while not taking a little time remembering what the Constitution is all about. Only in Massachusetts!

The Republican Reports

ARA update

So the Amherst Redevelopment Authority met again last night and started with an Executive Session to discuss land acquisition. While I can't go into the details of that privileged aspect of the meeting, I can say the update was good news and that the "Gateway" urban renewal project is coming along faster than I anticipated.

When Umass turns over the 1.83 acre undeveloped parcel (formerly Frat Row) things will then kick into high gear. Although that is going to require the okay of the state legislature.

One of the many advantages of having a powerhouse senator like Stan Rosenberg is he can shepherd that kind of legislation.

My previous report (liveblogged no less)