Nothing demonstrates the mood of a somber nation like the American flag at half-staff.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Echoes of 9/11
Nothing demonstrates the mood of a somber nation like the American flag at half-staff.
Power to the people (in the Peoples Republic)
In a fitting display of turn about fair play a Special Amherst town meeting will discuss the fate of the Cherry Hill Golf Course, just as it did on the night of April, 29, 1987.
Yes, it has been twenty years since Amherst took by eminent domain the bucolic former cow pasture turned golf course. The Special Town Meeting that long ago night (mainly called by immediate neighbors) invoked an “emergency preamble” to the warrant article thus making it Referendum proof.
In the twenty years of town operation the course has lost money in thirteen of them now totaling over $900,000 (not including the original $2.2 million purchase price). And in only ONE year (FY90) did Cherry Hill show profits equal to what Niblick Management is now guaranteeing us for the next three consecutive years ($30,000/year).
The warrant article (sponsored by Amherst Taxpayers For Responsible Change) for the special town meeting reads:
To see if the town will strongly urge the Select board to strongly urge the town manager to accept the recent bid of Niblick Management for privatization of the Cherry Hill Golf Course with a new condition allowing for a three year contract; and if Niblick is no longer interested, to reissue the new RFP (with the three year provision) before September 1, 2007
http://www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1176796967319050.xml&coll=1
Yes, it has been twenty years since Amherst took by eminent domain the bucolic former cow pasture turned golf course. The Special Town Meeting that long ago night (mainly called by immediate neighbors) invoked an “emergency preamble” to the warrant article thus making it Referendum proof.
In the twenty years of town operation the course has lost money in thirteen of them now totaling over $900,000 (not including the original $2.2 million purchase price). And in only ONE year (FY90) did Cherry Hill show profits equal to what Niblick Management is now guaranteeing us for the next three consecutive years ($30,000/year).
The warrant article (sponsored by Amherst Taxpayers For Responsible Change) for the special town meeting reads:
To see if the town will strongly urge the Select board to strongly urge the town manager to accept the recent bid of Niblick Management for privatization of the Cherry Hill Golf Course with a new condition allowing for a three year contract; and if Niblick is no longer interested, to reissue the new RFP (with the three year provision) before September 1, 2007
http://www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1176796967319050.xml&coll=1
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The Republican (newspaper that is) Rocks!
http://www.masslive.com/news/topstories/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1176623476180640.xml&coll=1&thispage=5
Naturally Amherst town officials gave the reporter a bad figure. Yes, Cherry Hill was scheduled to lose $35,649 of taxation in FY06 and that was the budget Town Meeting approved…. however:
Cherry Hill overspent its budget by $13,419 and missed target revenues by $10,745 more than $24,000 over original projections conjured up by Pollyannaish town officials, thus costing taxpayers $59,649 in FY06—not $35,000.
On April 3, 2006 I publicly challenged “acting Town Manager” John Musante to a $10,000 bet--with all proceeds to charity--that Cherry Hill would not intake $207,000 in FY06. He refused. Cherry Hill only generated $196,667.
I will make the same bet now with current Town Manager Larry Shaffer that Cherry Hill will NOT intake $220,000 this year. As of April 1’st (no foolin) Cherry Hill was $8,000 behind last year's revenues to date, and so far the weather has been a lot worse this April than last.
Can you imagine how much revenue is lost when it snows on a Sunday (especially on this prime holiday weekend)?
How about it Mr. Shaffer: try walking the walk.
Naturally Amherst town officials gave the reporter a bad figure. Yes, Cherry Hill was scheduled to lose $35,649 of taxation in FY06 and that was the budget Town Meeting approved…. however:
Cherry Hill overspent its budget by $13,419 and missed target revenues by $10,745 more than $24,000 over original projections conjured up by Pollyannaish town officials, thus costing taxpayers $59,649 in FY06—not $35,000.
On April 3, 2006 I publicly challenged “acting Town Manager” John Musante to a $10,000 bet--with all proceeds to charity--that Cherry Hill would not intake $207,000 in FY06. He refused. Cherry Hill only generated $196,667.
I will make the same bet now with current Town Manager Larry Shaffer that Cherry Hill will NOT intake $220,000 this year. As of April 1’st (no foolin) Cherry Hill was $8,000 behind last year's revenues to date, and so far the weather has been a lot worse this April than last.
Can you imagine how much revenue is lost when it snows on a Sunday (especially on this prime holiday weekend)?
How about it Mr. Shaffer: try walking the walk.
Friday, April 13, 2007
When the people lead, the politicians follow
Let’s hope the Peoples Revolt in Amherst fares better than the one in South Hadley.
The ‘Amherst Taxpayers For Responsible Change’, with the key word being RESPONSIBLE, just launched a petition drive to collect 200 signatures to call a Special Town Meeting to “strongly urge” the Select board to “strongly urge” the Town Manager to take the offer of Niblick Management to privatize our floundering golf business.
Town Meeting passed an advisory warrant article last June saying they “strongly urge” the Select board to put Cherry Hill out to bid. In August Mr. Shaffer said he had no problem with issuing the RFP so that the private sector could “save our bacon.”
But Mr. Shaffer must have turned vegetarian as he rejected Niblick Management’s offer of $35,000 a year for three years, preferring instead to risk the loss of many more times that of taxpayer dollars on keeping the White Elephant within the Leisure Services empire.
As I have said so very often: Only in Amherst!
The ‘Amherst Taxpayers For Responsible Change’, with the key word being RESPONSIBLE, just launched a petition drive to collect 200 signatures to call a Special Town Meeting to “strongly urge” the Select board to “strongly urge” the Town Manager to take the offer of Niblick Management to privatize our floundering golf business.
Town Meeting passed an advisory warrant article last June saying they “strongly urge” the Select board to put Cherry Hill out to bid. In August Mr. Shaffer said he had no problem with issuing the RFP so that the private sector could “save our bacon.”
But Mr. Shaffer must have turned vegetarian as he rejected Niblick Management’s offer of $35,000 a year for three years, preferring instead to risk the loss of many more times that of taxpayer dollars on keeping the White Elephant within the Leisure Services empire.
As I have said so very often: Only in Amherst!
Sad vote in South Hadley
The resignation of just elected Selectman Daniel Champagne over the continued funding of their municipal golf course—a much larger White Elephant than Cherry Hill-- demonstrated just how tough it is for somebody with a core to survive petty town politics.
God knows how often I tried to get our Select board to place on the ballot a non-binding question about continuing to operate our municipal tax drain, but town officials prefer to stick their head in the sand.
They will, of course, find out soon enough when the May 1’st Override sinks in a sandtrap.
A couple weeks back the Town Manger, when asked how he would react to an Override defeat arrogantly replied he would “give it a haircut” and bring it back.
So Mr. Shaffer, how do you give something that gets scalped a haircut?
God knows how often I tried to get our Select board to place on the ballot a non-binding question about continuing to operate our municipal tax drain, but town officials prefer to stick their head in the sand.
They will, of course, find out soon enough when the May 1’st Override sinks in a sandtrap.
A couple weeks back the Town Manger, when asked how he would react to an Override defeat arrogantly replied he would “give it a haircut” and bring it back.
So Mr. Shaffer, how do you give something that gets scalped a haircut?
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Town Manager, finally, caves!
Like the recent apology of radio jock Don Imus, the Town Manager taking Police (2) and Fire personnel (5) off the Override chopping block (proposing to fund them with or without a May 1’st approval) is one of those better late than never sort of things.
I’m sure a new Select board member, who champions the Override, realized that heavy handed political scare tactics could backfire (as, in fact, they already have).
Now if only Mr. Shaffer would come to his senses on the nixed Cherry Hill Golf Course deal...
I’m sure a new Select board member, who champions the Override, realized that heavy handed political scare tactics could backfire (as, in fact, they already have).
Now if only Mr. Shaffer would come to his senses on the nixed Cherry Hill Golf Course deal...
Three strikes and you're out!
Does anyone else get the impression the rookie Town Manager is going overboard to keep our famished White Elephant under town control?
Town Meeting “strongly urges” the Select Board to put out an RFP for Cherry Hill by “no later than August, 2006.” The town manager finally gets around to it on March 1’st, 2007; and according to state bidding law the offer requires a minimum of two weeks public notice.
In 2004 when the previous town manager put Cherry Hill out to bid he did so with two months notice.
One little ad in the legal section of the Daily Hampshire Gazette (exactly two weeks from response deadline) and placement on the town web page is hardly maximum exposure.
Plus the first RFP was written requiring a bidder to show up at the Clubhouse for a conference a week before bid deadline, otherwise you couldn’t bid. Thus the two-week notice was really only one-week notice.
So I called him on it (strike one) and Mr. Shaffer reissues a second RFP. Niblick Management responds with a $5,000 offer plus an additional $25,000 to $30,000 annual Payment In Lieu of Taxes.
The town manger instantly rejects it because, although he approved the RFP documents, somehow he forgot that the property tax payment was included and reported to the Select board only the $5,000.
Then when I call him on that (strike two) he “reconsiders” the deal; but then rejects it because Niblick, not surprisingly, wants a three-year deal.
Strike three!
Town Meeting “strongly urges” the Select Board to put out an RFP for Cherry Hill by “no later than August, 2006.” The town manager finally gets around to it on March 1’st, 2007; and according to state bidding law the offer requires a minimum of two weeks public notice.
In 2004 when the previous town manager put Cherry Hill out to bid he did so with two months notice.
One little ad in the legal section of the Daily Hampshire Gazette (exactly two weeks from response deadline) and placement on the town web page is hardly maximum exposure.
Plus the first RFP was written requiring a bidder to show up at the Clubhouse for a conference a week before bid deadline, otherwise you couldn’t bid. Thus the two-week notice was really only one-week notice.
So I called him on it (strike one) and Mr. Shaffer reissues a second RFP. Niblick Management responds with a $5,000 offer plus an additional $25,000 to $30,000 annual Payment In Lieu of Taxes.
The town manger instantly rejects it because, although he approved the RFP documents, somehow he forgot that the property tax payment was included and reported to the Select board only the $5,000.
Then when I call him on that (strike two) he “reconsiders” the deal; but then rejects it because Niblick, not surprisingly, wants a three-year deal.
Strike three!
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