The Power of the Web

State Senator Stan Rosenberg, Dave Sullivan (our new DA) and Congressman John Olver march in the Amherst 7/4 Parade.

So I noticed yesterday in the Springfield Sunday Republican "How they Voted" section that Amherst's long-time state senator Stan Rosenberg had voted against a bill (proposed by those miscreant Republicans) that would have mandated roll call votes also be posted on the state website in addition to being available in hardcopy buried deep in the recesses of an office somewhere at the State House in Boston.

Unfortunately "How they voted" doesn't explain why they voted that way. So naturally I took to Stan's Facebook page to ask:

I'm a little surprised, sitting here reading my Sunday Republican ("How they voted"), that you voted No to Rule S-6 requiring Committee roll call votes cast by our duly elected legislators on bills in their committee to be posted on the Legislature's website.

You were an early adopter of the 'Power of the Web' and have this wonderful Facebook page and are extremely accessible via email, so you know well how the Internet has fostered greater interaction between politicians and their constituents.

The average person these days (or I guess above average, since they would actually care about these "inside politics" voting sessions) could not easily make the trip to the Statehouse in Boston--especially in the winter--to view hardcopy available in the offices of said committee.What is wrong with greater transparency and a far superior means of dissemination?

And, true to form (even on a Sunday), I did not take long for a response:

Larry,
Nice to hear from you as always. I have no problem with the proposal to post roll call votes in Committees. The problem is technical at this point. We are going through a complete changeover of our legislative website and while we are making progress expanding what is on the site we are having growing pains. We have not yet even been able to perfect the site enough to have all of our roll calls from Senate floor actions on the site. That is the plan and it is being worked on but not perfected. I expect we can add roll calls from committee action at some point but we just can't at this point so putting it in the rules will not work until we can actually do it.

Also you should know that probably 90 percent of committee actions are taken by voice vote so when it is finally able to be done there will not be that many bills actually moved by recorded vote. Not a reason to slow it down but just a point of information
Stan

Thanks Stan. I knew there was a good reason. And this exchange kind of proves my point about the power of the web and it's usefulness to democracy. Stay warm!

That's Entertainment

Amherst Brewing Company hosted a catered meet-and-greet "Open House" last night at their proposed new location: Newmarket Center on University Drive, a busy direct artery leading to the heart of our economy, Umass.

The new-and-improved location would essentially double their footprint, double their seating capacity and provide bountiful parking--all for roughly the same rent they now pay in Amherst center where parking is hardly plentiful.

And since Amherst enacted a local option meals tax, what's good for a restaurant is good for the taxbase.

The previous tenant, The Leading Edge (formerly Gold's Gym), expired last fall after falling behind in rent so by now the vacant tomb has cost the landlord over $100,000 in lost revenue. No wonder the property manager did not hesitate to allow a viable prospective tenant to throw a party.

The three member Zoning Board of Appeals will hear their case February 10 and, unfortunately, the Special Permit requires a unanimous vote. Neighbors will be out in force to rail against increased noise and traffic.

And so it goes.
Looks like former owner Peter Earle did not put back ALL the equipment he snatched on Christmas day


A commercial location (for many years now)

Amherst School Super $earch: The drama continues...

UPDATE: Saturday 1:25 PM

The Springfield Republican reports


UPDATE 1/20/11 8:00 PM

So the venerable Amherst Bulletin went to bed late this week trying to keep up with this fast moving story, and at the very least they conjured up an adequate above-the-fold headline "...as controversy swirls around the search process." Indeed.

Center-of-the-storm Amherst School Committee member (and fellow blogger) Catherine Sanderson recently posted why these new developments make her "Disappointed in our community."

And I could not agree more. For almost 30 years I have watched the well organized "insiders" take advantage of voter apathy in our local elections and use fear and intimidation to squelch dissent.

Fortunately for us, Ms. Sanderson is not a wuss.

The Bulletin Reports
########################################
ORIGINAL POST 1/19/11 12:15 PM

From: Julia Rueschemeyer
To: Amherst Regional School Committee
Sent: Wed, Jan 19, 2011 11:44 am
Subject: Concerning campaign to undermine the search process

I am writing to inform the Committee of how disappointed I was to receive the following bulk email encouraging me to support Maria Geryk for superintendent. Please note that I received this email before the outside candidates have even had the chance to meet and speak to the community. This email calls into question the candidate’s willingness to relocate to Amherst. Certainly not something to be assessed simply from their resumes. It indicates to me that there is a well-orchestrated, deliberate campaign to subvert the selection process and keep Maria Geryk in control of the schools at all costs.

I am concerned that Jennifer Welborn, a District teacher, appears to be leading the charge to promote her current boss (who impacts her evaluations, work policy, promotion, etc.) This seems to be an extreme conflict of interest. Further, promoting her agenda to parents who might have students in her class, and might fear retaliation for a differing viewpoint, is also tremendously problematic. It would be one thing to write a letter expressing her personal opinion directly to the School Committee, but it is highly inappropriate to participate in an organized effort to recruit others to write on Maria’s behalf.

This campaign is being conducted by email blast, largely by, and directed at, affluent, white parents. Therefore the letters received by the school committee about candidates will be dominated by this socioeconomic group, disenfranchising other segments. It is also an effort to specifically thwart two outside candidates with significant expertise and experience with students of color, and is directly in conflict our critical District goal of social justice, our desire to have all segments of the community participate equally in the process.

The public opinion process had already been damaged by Maria’s releasing her name in the newspaper before the Search Committee announced the finalists, creating more press coverage for her than for any of the others. This campaign further corrupts the community responses.

If Maria were to be selected by the School Committee these actions will forever taint her appointment. People will always assume that she was hired not because she was the best candidate, but because she had the backing of the Amherst political machine.

I hope that the School Committee can rise above these political tactics, and make the right decision on the individual merits of each candidate, and what is best for the children in the school system.

Julia Rueschemeyer
##############################################

From diana@spurginfamily.com
Sent: Mon, January 17, 2:00 PM

Please read the letter below from Jennifer Welborn, a well-respected member of our teaching community, and contact our school committee members to (1) Delay the appointment decision (for at least a couple of days, instead of the currently planned couple of hours) after the last interview to allow for public input and thorough consideration of this extremely important appointment, and 2) indicate your preference for a candidate - and I am endorsing Maria Geryk for the same reasons as Jennifer - she has a proven track record in Amherst, she has roots here, and she has the support of our teachers. Please join Jennifer and me in urging our School Committee to come to the rational decision to not gamble on another potentially transient superintendent!

PS - As I was selecting you to receive this email I got the all-call from the school delaying tomorrow's start of the interviews due to the threatening weather forecast. That renders some of this message moot but it still is a good message to sent to the school committee to take their time, take the time to get public input, and make their time well spent by picking the best candidate. Many thanks for YOUR time!

Here's Ms. Welborn's message:

From: Jennifer Welborn Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 5:30 Here is a copy of the letter I am sending to all members of the school committees. Feel free to copy/use as you wish and/or forward to other people.

I am writing to you with regards to the upcoming school committee vote for the next superintendent of the Amherst-Pelham Regional School system. I am: an Amherst resident; the mother of two children in the public schools and a teacher at the middle school. As a member of the aforementioned 3 different groups of people in town, I believe I have my finger on the pulse of both the community and at the very least, the teaching staff at the middle school.

Both my children are very active in the schools, in sports, and in the community so I am out and about every minute that I am not planning and grading! Everywhere I go, people--even people who do not have children in the public schools- talk about the need for STABILITY, CONTINUITY and COMMITMENT in addition to the skills and experience needed to cope with the challenging job of being a superintendent in our system.

Unfortunately, as you know, the superintendency has been somewhat of a revolving door the past few years. Of the three candidates, I believe that Maria Geryk is the one who shows the most promise of providing the long-term stability, in addition to the requisite skills and experience, (which she has ALREADY DEMONSTRATED) of leadership that we sorely need at this point.

I am sure, after reading the bios of the other two candidates, that they are fine men, with abilities and experience that may well be valuable and helpful to our system. I am not convinced, however, that either one of them, would/could commit to the position over the long haul.

I, and a plethora of other people (parents, community members, other teachers) believe we do not need to appoint someone from the outside, who will take at least 6 months to learn the ropes and get traction.

We need someone who already knows this community, has ALREADY demonstrated skill and expertise (Maria has successfully stepped up to the challenge two times now) and who is committed to staying for awhile and working with all stake holders to improve the schools. Thank you for taking the time to read this email.

Jennifer Welborn

BANANA byproduct

So it comes as no surprise that "new growth" is down fairly dramatically, and if some people had their way the town would see zero growth--as in a BANANA Republic (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone.)

In 2005 a Texas company tried to build 200 units of upscale student housing (50 of them "affordable") just off campus--a project that today would be generating a half million dollars in property taxes.

Town Meeting recently voted down a development modification to the zoning bylaw that would have encouraged smart development--something highly recommended by our expensive Master Plan.

Critics seemed to make it a referendum on the Gateway Project, a mixed-use commercial development that will significantly improve the main approach to Umass, add desperately needed housing stock to a terribly tight market, encourage pedestrian traffic into our downtown, and provide significant tax revenues. A win-win squared.

Patriotic Deja Vu (all over again)

January 2011

So back in 1988 Tae Kwon Do debuted as a "demonstration sport" in Seoul, Korea--a nation that takes Martial Arts deadly serious. My kicking karate buddy Arlene Limas, from the tough town of Chicago, won an Olympic gold medal.

Standing on the elevated podium the exuberant lanky Polish/Mexican lady in her crisp white uniform patiently waits for the sound system to play the "Star Spangled Banner"...and waits, and waits.

Finally, she single-handedly starts singing our national anthem acappella--quickly joined by friends and family in the crowd--and shorty thereafter by almost everybody in the cavernous arena.

And that was 13 years before the world changed. At the normally routine Buckingham Palace changing of the guard, on an extraordinary afternoon just after 9/11, our former enemy for the first and only time in their exceedingly long history struck up "The Star Spangled Banner."



A Brit newspaper reported

Innocent on all counts!

So the jury spanked the "Special Prosecutor," recently retired B-I-G city District Attorney William M Bennet, by coming back ever-so-quickly with a slam dunk verdict of not guilty on all four counts in the God awful manslaughter trial of former Pelham police chief Ed Fleury accused (by Mr. Bennet) of negligence in the horrific death of an innocent 8-year-old child.

Not only the most serious charge of "manslaughter" but even the three lesser ones of furnishing a machine gun to minors. The DA got greedy: in trying to make a major statement and a legacy case he ended up looking like a heartless buffoon.

Mr. Fleury was indeed guilty of something--but certainly no more so than the innocent child's father who signed a waiver acknowledging the activity could lead to "death," ignored a repeated suggestion that his youngest son handling the micro-Uzi was not a good idea and then cheered while filming the disaster, until his son disappeared from the viewfinder.

Or the laconic DA himself, who ignored these highly publicized "machine gun shoots" for seven years, or the numerous cops who were at the shoot that day and said nothing, or the Westfield Sportsman’s Club that probably operates with a skeleton part-time staff made up mostly of volunteers. Or calling an "expert witness" who points the machine gun at the jury, while the judge denies Bennet's attempt at a repeat showing of the snuff video.

Indeed it's a cliche to say that someone like Ed has already "suffered enough". But in this "case" it most certainly applies. To all of us as well.

The Springfield Republican reports (and yes, the AP picked it up)

Story goes International

Town Manager presents "No Override budget"

John Musante (center), Andy Steinberg Finance Comm Chair (in red), Stephanie O'Keeffe SB Chair

Rookie Town Manager and still Finance Director John Musante presented his maiden budget to the venerable Select Board and adhered to the watchdog Finance Committee's suggestion of a level funded budget ($18.5 million), in other words a "No Override budget."

And when I asked if the fiefdoms who represent the other two-thirds of our $60+ million overall budget budget (mainly the schools at $33.5 million and the Library at $1.5 million) were also going to follow this precedent he replied:

"No consideration, to my knowledge, of another Override to support Fiscal budget 2012."