Call in the Cavalry

Alan Cote, Supervisor of Records
Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
McCormack Building, Room 1719
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
8/15/2011

Dear Mr. Cote,

I am requesting further assistance from the Public Records Division concerning my previous public documents request of the Amherst Schools for employee settlement agreements over the past five years with a value greater than $5,000.

In a 7/20/2011 letter to the Amherst schools your office, responding to my 4/7/11 appeal request, found in my favor saying, "The school has failed to show that the responsive separation agreements include personal information sufficient enough to withhold the agreements in their entirety under Exemption (C)."

On 8/2/2011 I met with Amherst School Superintendent Maria Geryk and Human Resources Director Kathy Mazur to pick up the documents. The Amherst officials, however, refused to provide any of the 13 settlement agreements, offering instead a "summary" with no names, job titles, dates or any other information besides the total amount of each individual settlement (document attached).

Could your office please issue another administrative order clarifying for the schools how to properly comply with your original order to provide the settlement agreements in question? As always, thank you for working to maintain transparency within our government.

Larry Kelley
596 South Pleasant St.
Amherst, Ma 01002

Settlement Agreement Summary

Gateway is Gone

The Gateway Corridor Project, born September 1, 2010, died Wednesday August 4, just shy of age one, after contracting an all too typical case of NIMBYism.

The ambitious Gateway was conceived out of an optimistic, rare partnership between Amherst and UMass, as an urban renewal project with a mixed-used commercial development of high end student housing, commercial retail, and office space, a signature building or two plus significant green space, to revitalize the corridor connecting downtown Amherst with our flagship University.

The Amherst Redevelopment Authority adopted the infant and acted as nursemaid.

But the generational pessimism ingrained in the nearby neighborhood by seasonal waves of rowdy students, combined with overly inclusive public officials who allowed self interested "stakeholders" to hijack the public process, inflicted a heavy toll.

Gateway supporters were so concerned about negotiating the Town Meeting gauntlet--where a two thirds vote is required for zoning changes--that they watered down the project immensely, thus alienating a major player.

On August 4th UMass rescinded the offer to transfer ownership of Frat Row, the Gateway's crown jewel, a two-acre swath of open land dubbed a critical "catalyst" by ARA consultant Gianni Longo. The prime piece of property that ignited the very idea of a "Gateway."

With its heart and soul gutted the grand idea is gone. Now, Gateway belongs to the ages.



9/1/10

Todd Diacon, UMass deputy chancellor (center). During the intensive design charrette he was seated at the only table of ten that came up with a "minimalist" plan for Frat Row: keeping it wide open and green. They called it, "King Philip Street Park."

They got their wish, for now

The Springfield Sunday Republican reports

A Special Run

From law enforcement rookies to top brass, and a few civilians

Lt. Robert O'Connor, Chief Scott Livingstone

While the distance from the Amherst Police Station to the finish line at the UMass Southwest towers quadrangle may have been only three miles, the resounding good cheer generated could have echoed from sea to shining sea.


About 30 runners participated in the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics this evening sponsored by the Amherst Police Department. The workout culminated with a rousing reception at the finish line by the athletes who benefit from the money raised (suggested donation per runner was $15) as they let out a resounding cheer when the entourage--all wearing distinctive black t shirts--arrived and the Flame of Hope met the cauldron, sending up a whoosh of orange flames.

Let the games begin!

Amherst's Twin Towers

Boltwood Place, downtown Amherst

Although Boltwood Place will be a single five-story building on completion, this morning it resembled an iconic place, now but a memory.

And the sign says

Groff Park Pavilion

Coincidentally enough the Leisure Services and Supplemental Education Commission (folks outside the People's Republic would call it "Recreation Department") last night discussed 24 new "No Smoking" signs for the playing fields and playgrounds around town, 12 going up this year and 12 the next.

But you have to wonder if those signs will be any more effective than this "No alcoholic beverages allowed sign" at Groff Park pavilion?

The Amherst Board of Health had considered a total smoking ban on all town owned land--including the Town Common--but pressure from local business owners and the Chamber of Commerce, college students (mostly UMass), and perhaps ardent libertarians caused them to back down to just banning the foul habit around playing fields and playgrounds.

In 1999 the Amherst Board of Health spearheaded a smoking ban in the workplace that included bars. The volatile episode became known as "The Smoking Ban in Bars War." The Board of Health won as the bars rendered an unconditional surrender; today smoke free environments are as routine as cell phone reception.

And now that environment extends to the outdoors, mostly.

A simple act of kindness

With the anniversary of that dark day but a month away, and the recent catastrophic loss of 30 American soldiers ardently doing their job still fresh in our memory, please consider a donation to assist two men who have already paid their dues but now find the government lacking when it comes to repaying them for their service.

Do it out of compassion, Christian moral values or plain old self interest. Because when the guardians start to fall, who is left to protect us all?

Into the Belly of the Beast

Senator Scott Brown: dressed for a hike

Senator Scott Brown came a calling this hot afternoon, picking one of the highest locations in Amherst, the top of The Notch state run visitors center, as his stage .

The Senator was supposed to talk about the economy and tourism, but he was immediately set upon by demonstrators so he and his entourage crossed over Rt. 116 and headed up the steep slippery incline to Bare Mountain, the nearest peak to the visitors center--but still a good workout.

Yes, I managed to shake his hand, although I forgot to take off my bike gloves. I had taken the long route to get there from my house which is normally a three mile ride but going the long way to avoid the Atkins Corner construction was 12 miles with a sprint up the, thankfully easier, south side of The Notch.

I arrived a minute or two after 2:00 PM but had little to worry about as the Senator was about 20 minutes late in arriving. When he did appear I was still sweating and as he shook my hand he complimented my American flag bike shorts and mentioned that he just did the Pan Mass Bike Challenge (with Lance Armstrong.)

It was then the demonstrators started to get (verbally) pushy.

A republican Senator in the People's Republic of Amherst is about as rare as a white whale; and this one in particular strikes me as a tad more formidable than Moby Dick.

A few fans and lots of media showed up

Political Welcome Wagon

The opposition was organized