Selective Demographics

Well if this is the best Town Meeting Loyalists can do, us common sense folks in favor of common sense change in our antiquated form of government have a lot less to worry about this coming March 29 town election.

Click to enlarge/read (but try not to laugh)

 3,500 voters signed the Charter Petition, the vast majority NOT  "landlords and developers"

Amherst has the lowest average age for any municipality in the state -- because of our dearly loved college students of course -- yet Town Meeting is grayer than a retired battleship.

While over half the residents of Amherst rent yet the vast majority of Town Meeting members own their own home.

And let's not even talk about skin color.

But yeah, Town Meeting is gender balanced.

Amherst Town Meeting in 2011.  The night they voted overwhelmingly to allow Town Manager to sign contract for solar array on ye old landfill. A very contentious issue at the time (and still today)

Hold Your Drugs Hampshire

Hampshire College founded 1965

Last weekend was pretty good for alcohol runs, with UMass being way down from the usual.  Any time they are under 50% for emergency medical calls relating to ETOH (overly intoxicated) that's a good thing.

But notice Hampshire College had one incident with two students under the influence of Ectasy and another two incidents of wasting AFD resources due to "malicious pull station" false fire alarms.

   AFD End of Feb weekend Runs

And again I would point out UMass pays the town an extra $80,000 per year (on top of the regular $375,000) to increase AFD staff on weekends, while Amherst College paid us $130,000 for AFD services and Hampshire College paid nothing.

 Zero. Zip. Nada.

##### 

UPDATE:

 E2 aka "The Quint" enroute to Hampshire College

Five minutes after hitting the publish button as I was enroute to town center AFD Engine 2 passed me enroute to Hampshire College for a "fire alarm sounding", which turned out to be the usual "cooking smoke."

Meanwhile AFD Assistant Chief Lindsay Stromgren had to respond by himself to a Carbon Monoxide alarm call in a town center apartment building.  

Click to enlarge/read

Advisory Town Meeting article calling for support of Stephen Kulik state bill  to allow municipalities to get money out of tax exempt institutions like Hampshire College

Party House of the Weekend

24 Summer Street

This party house bust at 24 Summer Street in North Amherst is kind of a throw back to the bad old days in our little college town prior to the Rental Registration and Permit Bylaw.  A few years ago there would have been three or four more events just like this on the same weekend.

Progress is a good thing.

In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Monday all four of the arrested had their cases continued until later this month as the Commonwealth has to confer with the police officers assaulted during the event.

   Amherst Party House

Jensen Gauthier and Bailey Smith (female) stand before Judge Hadley

 Dennis Trujillo

 Mychal Carter

Opportunity Lost?

 Amherst PD and ACPD arrest Justin Lewis and Abdoulaye Sanogo Sunday around 1:00 PM

 Justin Lewis, 21 (left); Abdoulaye Sanogo, 19 (right), both from New York

Amherst police, with an assist from Amherst College PD, arrested two young men -- one of them a 2nd year Amherst College student -- for passing counterfeit $100 bills two days in a row at the CVS on University Drive.

In a bail hearing before Judge William Hadley this afternoon a public defender countered the Commonwealth's request for $1,500 bail by pointing out Abdoulaye Sanogo was on a full scholarship to Amherst College, and he was cooperative with police at his arrest.

He also said his client was acting on orders from the other guy (Justin Lewis).  Both perps are from New York, which is why the Commonwealth is worried about them being a flight risk.

   Amherst Counterfeit Caper

Clerk Nagle had refused to set bail on the day they were arrested saying to a few police officers he would not trust whatever cash they might come up with.

Judge Hadley mulled over the facts for a few minutes and decided on $800 cash for Abdoulaye Sanogo and $1,000 for Justin Lewis.  Their cases were continued for pre trial to March 28.

And you can bet the Clerk's Office will closely scrutinize any
$100 bills.

9 of 19

If the average Amherst voter bothers to read the survey responses from the 19 Charter Commission candidates it is pretty clear which of them are open to an actual change in our current creaky form of government.

So write down these names and bring them into the voting booth with you on March 29: Andy Churchill, Thomas Fricke, Nick Grabbe, Mandi Jo Hanneke, Phil Jackson, Bernie Kubiak, Maureen Raab, Irv Rhodes, and Julie Rueshemeyer.

Bring on change!

Amherst For All

What Are They Afraid Of?

 Select Board (2/22) to Larry Kelley:  Go away

Last week the Select Board wasted a golden opportunity to ascertain the will of the voters by turning down my request to ask voters if Town Meeting should be maintained.  The non-binding question is pretty straight forward and a voter is as free to choose no as they are yes.

#amherstma Blogger Larry Kelley appeals to Select Board for nonbinding charter question on 3-29 ballot. pic.twitter.com/Wbt3la4287

— scott merzbach (@scottmerzbach) February 23, 2016

Using the Charter change process to simply tweak Town Meeting is like using a backhoe to plant a daffodil.

Obviously voters who support forming a Charter Commission at the upcoming March 29 election have strong concerns about our current form of government.  So why not ask them more specifically what those concerns are?

   Amherst Charter Wannabes

And why is it only the Town Meeting loyalists wanted it blocked from the ballot?

You know, the same three who refused to sign the Charter petition in the first place (that 3,500 other voters did sign) but now want your vote to be elected to that Charter Commission.

At least the Select Board did not tell me to drop dead

Construction Update

UMass Design Building (Yes, they were working on a Saturday)

Amherst College 4 Greenway Dorms (on left)

Olympia Place private dorms from low/moderate height

Olympia Place from maximum height