No Challenge!

Opponents of Amherst For All's effort to collect the 3,215 required signatures to place on the March 29 ballot the question of forming a 9-member Charter Commission to come up with a new and improved local government failed to challenge a single signature.

After a simple majority vote of the Select Board,  the measure goes on the ballot.

List of candidates who have taken out papers:

One addition:  Gerry Weiss (former Select Board member)

Of these 11 potential candidates for the 9 member Charter Commission only Gerry Weiss and Janet McGowan refused to sign the Charter petition itself.

DUI Dishonor Roll

William O'Neil, age 24, stands before Judge John Payne

Amazingly Amherst police did not make a single DUI arrest over the New Year's holiday weekend, normally peak time for drunk driving. Hadley however, had a doozy:

   Egregious New Year DUI

Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Amherst Select Board 12/21/15.  Jim Wald on right

Amherst Select Board member Jim Wald was arrested by Amherst police over the weekend and charged with "Assault on a family member," arraigned before Judge John Payne this morning in Eastern Hampshire District Court where his case was continued to January 28th for a Pretrial Hearing.

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I have not felt this lousy about reporting an event concerning an Amherst town official since that sad Sunday morning in late September when I broke the shocking news of Town Manager John Musante's death at too early an age.

The relatively new Domestic Violence Law, in order to protect victims, requires police to purge from their daily logs any domestic abuse incident, aka Chapter 56A.

In addition, Eastern Hampshire District Court will not provide the police "Statement of Facts" that I rely on with my usual drunk driving or party house arrest reports.

I reached out to Mr. Wald asking him for a statement.   But other than pointing out, "Not everything you read or hear is true or as characterized -- which is why in this country one is innocent until proven guilty," he did not have anything further to say.

Had it been a DPW worker, Dispatcher or Town Hall janitor you would not be reading this report.  But Mr. Wald is a high ranking town official (although at $300/year he makes far less pay than any of those three other examples) who simply must be held to a higher standard.

And a reporter who decides whether or not to report a story based on personal feelings -- good or bad -- towards personalities involved, is a lousy reporter.

Audit This

Cable Advisory Committee and Amherst Media Director Jim Lescault (rt)

The Cable Advisory Committee voted unanimously today to "formally request the town of Amherst authorize via our special counsel an independent 5 year audit of Comcast."

The $28,000 study is meant to uncover any under reporting over the past five years of cable revenues generated in Amherst.

According to the current license agreement -- which expires in October -- Comcast pays the town 5% of television revenues (but not Internet or phone) which goes to fund Amherst Media.

In the most recent quarter Comcast reported $1,569,509 in qualifying revenues and cut a check to Amherst Media for $74,599.44.  The committee is also sending a memo to the Select Board on Friday outlining key negotiation requests they are seeking to be included in the new ten-year contract.

Should other cities and towns in the region join in with the audit process the $28,000 cost would be divided up equally, sort of like a class action lawsuit.

 CAC member Sean Hannon, also the town's Information Technology Director, was going to hand deliver the $28,000 formal request to Interim Town Manager Dave Ziomek. 

Second Chances

The coolest retro neon sign in Amherst will light up once more

Perhaps the greatest ally a small business owner can ask for is a supportive partner.

Either one in the actual business itself to help deal with the infinitely long to do list, or an understanding spouse who knows what you go through 24/7 and offers encouragement when circumstances conspire to overwhelm you.

The main reason Metacomet Cafe closed down somewhat suddenly last fall, after taking more than two years to serve its first burger, is because one of the two business partners -- a blood relative -- took ill, and is no longer in the picture.

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The most recent note (dated 11/19/15) on the door from Spenser Hopton, who is decidedly still in the picture, said the Cafe would reopen by "next month."  But now we're in the cold month of January and they still have not reopened.

So I called Spenser to inquire and was assured he has not given up.  Metacomet Cafe will reopen by St. Valentine's Day.  Yes I know, the dates seem to keep getting pushed into the future just far enough to allow breathing room.

And when you're now going it alone trying to run a business in town center -- the high rent district -- in a market where UMass unfairly competes with you and Internet trolls can savage you on Yelp (or those damn blogs) it's no wonder normal breathing is hard to come by.

Spenser learned a hard lesson from the brief time they were open last summer and will tweak things accordingly.  The Cafe will offer a wider array of food -- serving breakfast, lunch and dinner -- with sit down friendly service.

Sounding more upbeat Spenser closed with, "I still have hopes the Metacomet Cafe will be cherished by the entire population -- both students and town folks."

And he's well aware this second chance is also a last chance.  

Bern Bernie Bern

Bernie Sanders spoke first to a crowd of 1,000 in front of the Fine Arts Center

And then spoke to a capacity crowd of 2,000 inside

Bernie Sanders, that lovable looking grandfather type we all wish we had, enthralled a crowd of 1,000 outside the UMass Fine Arts Center speaking for around 15 minutes prior to entering the concert hall (only 3 minutes late) which was filled to capacity with another 2,000 admirers.

And if he missed a single liberal talking point in his brief outdoor speech (gun control?) he probably made up for it with his longer remarks indoors.

 Huge line at 11:30 AM waiting to get in Fine Arts Center for 1:00 PM speech

$15/hour Minimum Wage, Single Payer Health Care, protecting both a woman's right to choose and gay marriage, fix the broken criminal justice system, expand paid family leave, tuition free higher education, and lowering interest rates on current student debt.  Whew!

And of course all of this will be financed by increasing taxes on the (predominantly Republican) "1%".

 UMPD estimated outside crowd at 1,000

Mr. Sanders also pointed out that Tom Brady is fine and all that, but maybe we New Englanders  should spend a bit more of our time "transforming America."

Bernie Sanders speaks to capacity crowd of 2,000 inside Fine Arts Center.  Photo by Michael Seward 

Max Hartshorne reports

Obviously not a Bernie supporter.  He was later ousted for heckling him inside the Fine Arts Center

A Moveable History?

12 Hallock (circled) will be demolished for parking  and house in front razed for a new multi-level commercial building

The Amherst Historical Commission will hold a demolition delay hearing on Tuesday night regarding two adjacent structures in the north end of downtown owned by two prominent local developers, Curt Shumway and Barry Roberts.

   12 Hallock Street Amherst

Besides dripping in local history the other main factor working against the immediate demolition is both buildings are in excellent condition with a lot of visual curb appeal.

 12 Hallock Street

236 North Pleasant Street

Perhaps a downside of the two local developers being responsible owners over the years and actually taking good care of the structures.  

   236 North Pleasant Street Amherst

The Historical Commission can only impose a maximum of a one-year delay and they appear to be not overly influenced by the status of an owner.

For instance back in July of 2014 they voted to impose the one year delay on Cinda Jones -- dubbed by neighbors as the "Donald Trump of Amherst" -- for a historic barn on Montague Road in The Mill District.

 Cowls barn 134 Montague Road in The Mill District, North Amherst

Although that demolition delay has now expired the barn is still a stately presence looming over the North Amherst Village center.

Vestry now at 12 Hallock Street was originally just behind what is now College/Memorial Hall, owned by Amherst College

Editor's note:  In the interest of transparency Curt Shumway is an advertiser and I was one of the 10,000 babies delivered by Dr. Merzbach