School Committee/Union 26 accept $uper counter

Permanent Amherst School Superintendent Maria Geryk (far left)

3:20 PM

The Amherst Regional School Committee and Union 26 quickly voted last night during an executive session to accept Maria Geryk's counteroffer, doubling her length of tenure as "permanent superintendent" from one to two years with an annual salary of $140,000 but closer to $145,000 (when factoring in annuity/life insurance) up slightly from her current $139,000 salary that previously escalated from $109,000 when appointed to the position of "interim superintendent" last year.

Whew, that was a mouthfull.

School Super Search: Secret meeting to decide

UPDATE: 2:27 PM
Still waiting, with finger poised over the publish button. Really l-o-n-g lunch they are having.
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UPDATE: Tuesday 12:45 PM
So yes, I'm still waiting for official word that the ink is dry on the new Super contract, because Regional Chair Rick Hood told the Springfield Republican last night that they had a verbal deal and the signing of the contract was only a formality that should be done by noon. Maybe they are having a long lunch.
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Original Post Last night 8:00 PM
So the Amherst Regional School Committee and Union 26 met just long enough in open session tonight to amend Irv Rhodes "compromise" motion passed on February 6, by striking the 6/30/12 end date on the contract offering the Superintendent position to Maria Geryk for one year, with an evaluation to take place six months into said contract.

Safe bet she came back with a counter offer requiring a minimum of three years.

The joint meeting retreated into Executive Session with the announcement that they would not return to open meeting. I actually questioned the committee's actions, inquiring as to whether they needed to come back to open session to adjourn? They said no.

Tonight's Gazette editorial (championing a two year contract) states: "Under the Open Meeting Law, the panel must return to open session to vote on awarding a contract." Hmm...

Party house of the weekend

Over the weekend Amherst PD issued twice as many warnings (six) for "noise violations" as they did actual tickets (three). Probably a good sign, as the perps must have come into instant compliance with orders from responding officers to lower their late night decibels.

But two locations (out of eight) failed to get the message and as a result garnered an expensive Scarlet Letter: a $300 ticket for violation of the town's noise bylaw. Rolling Green apartment #18 gets the not-so-coveted 'Party House of the Weekend' award since two responsible parties (both age 20) each received a ticket and the runner up at 1 Edgehill Place (age 19) only garnered a single ticket.
1 Edgehill Place

A public apology: the backstory

Amy W February 8 at 12:37pm via Facebook
please remove my name from your blog. it was not intended for your blog. you may use my comments but not my name.

Larry Kelley February 8 1:30 pm via Facebook
Doesn't matter for whom it was intended. It was "published" (with full advance knowledge that it written was for publication) in a VERY public place. Yesterday Ms. Sanderson's blog had more readers than mine.

Amy W February 8 at 1:56pm via Facebook
just please be a decent person and remove my name. you may keep the content. it's a very simple request. thank you.

Larry Kelley February 8 at 2:26pm via Facebook
Maybe you should be a decent person and apologize to Catherine, either on her blog or mine. Preferably hers.

Amy W February 8 at 2:44pm via Facebook
it's not your business if i apologize to her or not. i don't see why you cannot just remove my name. i said you could keep the content. that should be sufficient. or at least remove my last name (you can post amy w.) thank you.

Larry Kelley February 8 at 6:31pm via Facebook
(quoting from Amy W's follow up comment left on Catherine Sanderson's blog): "...if you are a public official and you choose to blog, you end up with all sorts of public comments on your blog. create a problem - suffer the consequences. finally, cathy, today's post made my day!!! thank you for your decision!"

As you said Amy, "create a problem--suffer the consequences".

Amy W February 10 at 7:44pm via Facebook
i apologized on cathy's site. now you can stop having me slandered on yours.

amy w (on Catherine Sanderson's Blog) February 10, 2011 4:35 PM

i wanted to issue an apology for name calling feb 7th on this blog. i was really angry, but in hindsight, it didn't solve anything. i realize now that name calling is not a good role model for our children. my anger was the result of the situation in the school committee and as a concerned parent with a child in the school. i know there are always better ways to channel my anger. i hope people can accept this apology. thank you.

Larry Kelley February 10 at 10:07 pm via Facebook

I removed your name as per your original request

District Court upholds Noise Bylaw

This past Friday the U.S. District Court dismissed a case brought against Amherst filed in October, 2009 by a disgruntled tenant alleging his arrest for violation of the town's Noise Bylaw (now carrying a $300 fine for the first offense) was a violation of his "civil rights" along with 13 other choice charges, and that the noise bylaw itself was "unconstitutional."

Of course the perp made two mistakes: being a repeat offender (although on the second offense APD apparently only gave him a "warning") and using himself as an attorney.

Lincoln Avenue blockade redux

Ed Cutting (left), DPW chief Guilford Mooring (center) who would probably rather be dealing with a Nor' easter, Steve Braun (rt) Committee Chair and Lincoln Ave resident.

Strangely enough the Public Works Committee hearing tonight--postponed by last week's snowstorm--heard more of an earful from folks who do not live on Lincoln Avenue and had no sympathy for folks who would purchase their homes in the shadow of Umass, the largest employer in Western Massachusetts, and then wish to turn their neighborhood into Walden Pond.

Five individuals spoke against, and only three (all residents of Lincoln Avenue) spoke dispassionately in favor of the blockade. One of those opposed, Ed Cutting, is also a Lincoln Avenue resident.

Not surprising I suppose, since the survey I did (see results top right) indicate over 90% of respondents opposed permanently closing one end of Lincoln Avenue--the end abutting Umass.
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MIA: Phil Jackson, lead architect of the blockade, and any Umass External Relations/PR folks, who will have to deal with the tsunami of protest from their workers should the embargo be enacted.

A failure to communicate

10:55 AM (Original Post)
So the B-I-G news today is not who turned in nomination papers for a spot on the March 29 local election ballot but, she who did not. Indeed, now we know for whom the bells toll. They toll for all of us who care about accountability and transparency in our expensive system of governance--particularly for those who work incredibly hard to better the Amherst schools for all our kids.

For almost three years Catherine Sanderson has been a lightening rod for controversy--all too often resulting in an avalanche of rude public comments within earshot of a husband and children. Thus, she's decided to take a breather, step back from the breach, let somebody else lead the Charge of the Light Brigade.

In other words she will not seek, nor will she accept the nomination to Amherst School Committee for a second term. A dark day indeed for those who respect the rays of sunlight she brought to a system that prefers operating in the shadows.
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Take this for example, posted yesterday on Catherine's blog:

catherine sanderson - you are an embarassment to this commmunity. your arrogance and self serving behavior are unconscionable. you had an agenda prior to the search - you wanted an ivy trained PhD and would settle for nothing less. you don't listen to your constituents either. many SC members mentioned that maria had overwhelming support from parents, community members AND staff. you ignored all of it. you are a disgrace and i hope your loss in the upcoming election is HUGE.

as for comments about you being outspoken, you are not outspoken. you are a BULLY. you only do things for your own ego - not for the common good. you didn't even look at maria during her interview. for all i know, you were doodling on your notepaper the whole time. i never saw you look her in the eye. how can you possibly know what she had to say if you weren't even listening????

you are a LOSER.

February 7, 2011 11:28 AM

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UPDATE: 5:45 PM So no competition for the two open Select Board seats or the School Committee seat now occupied by Catherine Sanderson in the upcoming election. Seems like Amherst is a $65 million enterprise that nobody wants to actually compete to oversee. A race for the two Jones Library Trustee seats, but they only absorb under 2% of the overall budget. Only in Amherst.