Do supporters really need to bring the card in the polling booth?
UPDATE: 4:55 PM
Lawrence O'Brien says if elected he will not serve. (See his comment/statement 4:39 PM)
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Original Post 11:00 AMSo apparently Lawrence O'Brien changed his mind about changing his mind over the March 31 School Committee election.
Lawrence O'Brien (right) is current member School Committee
First he was in, having collected the requisite 50 signatures of registered voters, then suddenly within 48 hours of handing in his nomination papers he withdrew within time to have his name NOT appear on the March 31 ballot.
Well maybe Ms. Hazzard not so much"normal."
Unlike Amherst Housing Authority candidate Emilie Hamilton whose name does appear on the ballot but she has publicly stated she quit because AHA meetings are "too contentious."
Sarah Auerbach was Katherine Appy's campaign manager last year
Geeze, and to think I once considered this election boring. (But I'm still comfortable predicting an awful voter turnout, as in under 10%).
54 comments:
Two words. Three syllables.
Or as Mr. Spock would say, "Fascinating."
Well, sort of.
I wonder if this means Lawrence's mother is getting better, so he doesn't need to dedicate as much time as he thought to take care of her. I hope that's the case because it's great news on both sides. Lawrence did a great job on the committee and is pretty much the only one I have any faith in.
Bring back The Clock!
There may be hope for our schools after all.
Does O'Brien support this write-in campaign for him to serve another School Committee term, or are zealous supporters doing this on his behalf without his consent?
Either way, I am sure that the school administrators who signed Hazzard's nomination papers (& signed for their family members as well) are pleased.
Lawrence does support this grass roots effort and will be happy to serve another term.
why is this write-in campaign happening now just 6 days before the election? If this was decided upon earlier, Mr. O'Brien could have at least participated in the League of Women Voters candidates forum.
..... and after all, O'Brien was originally on the ballot until he officially withdrew. Why the change now?
Serving as a School Committee member in this town (especially at this time) seems like a particularly thankless & challenging job.
I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
The Administration didn't have a full slate of candidates.
It's the only explanation that makes sense, along with Ms. Hazzard's rush shop to get nominations ( just follow Ms. Auerbach.) So now there's a full slate of candidates the Administration likes and a full slate of candidates the Administration clearly doesn't like.
Take your pick.
Yeah, "grass roots" if you consider stemming from the Central Office to be grass roots.
Central office has nothing to do with this. It's a group of concerned parents.
What a waste. It's a shill group with no power and no purpose but to rubber stamp the Superintendent.
I wasn't going to vote for her, but one has to notice that Vira has been the only one who has played it straight through the whole process: got her nomination papers well in advance without signatures from school employees, and their kids, and then showed up for candidate forums. I'm reconsidering.
How much do we want the process to manipulated by The Friends of Maria Geryk?
Vira is also the only one to run an ad in the Amherst Bulletin. The ad has a significant number of names from all over Amherst.
With the schools falling all over themselves to address racial issues it is going to look a little odd if the two white candidates (one on the ballot and one write in) win the two seats.
Proposition for debate:
We don't have a school administration knee-deep in involvement in town politics.
That's all it takes to win an election around here, huh? Get your nomination papers in on time, show up to the 2 or 3 events you're expected to.
The current administration has set the bar so low, I guess all we can expect from our town officials are a bunch of nobodies with nothing ideas arguing petty debates.
Anon 2:40 p.m.
Yes, right now, that's all it takes to win an election around here. Unless you'd like us to write in your name.
Would be kind of funny if "Cowardly Anon Nitwit" won a seat.
Hey... there's already two write-ins, why not a third.
A vote for CAN is a vote for progress!
Of the 4 candidates Vira certainly does stand apart from the other three. She is the only one who hissed and booed with others when people she disagreed with spoke at a recent School Committee meeting. She is definitely the kind of person I want sitting on the School Committee and making decisions about my kids. NOT! We need someone who respects all people. Whether they agree with her or not. Without mutual respect we are all doomed. Disagreements are OK. Even welcome. Disrespect though is never ok and never welcome.
Lawrence O'Brien winning a seat on a write-in campaign over Vira might be a seat not worth winning.
We probably need this election to get through our White Supremacy Period.
Is Amherst really for diversity? If people of color are elected to this school committee I'll finally start believing.
What is "Cowardly Anon Nitwit's address?
Does or doesn't CAN's address need to be included in the write-in?
I don't believe so.
But I just emailed the Town Clerk to inquire.
Since I vote strictly on the basis of age, race, and gender, because diversity is, of course, everything, could you please tell me which Cowardly Anon Nitwit is?
Anon 3:09 PM
Do you have proof that Vira booed and hissed or are you just repeating an ugly rumor? I was there and I did not see her participating, although a couple of people at that end of the room did.
I have not and still am not actively campaigning for reelection to the Amherst School Committee. As you know, I dropped out of the race back in early February in order to devote more time to visit my mother who is in hospice care, while wrapping up my School Committee duties and working my day job.
Earlier this week I was told that some residents of Amherst, without my knowledge, had organized a campaign to draft me as a write-in candidate in the upcoming election, which was quite gratifying because I felt that it was an expression of appreciation for my service over the last three years. Even though I had already made my peace with not serving on the Committee, I responded to the news about the write-in campaign by stating that, if elected, I would give serious consideration to continued service on the Committee.
Now I realize that my response to the news earlier this week was a mistake, for which I deeply apologize to the voters of Amherst. There are two candidates on the ballot for two seats, plus another known write-in candidate, all of whom have participated in School Committee campaign activities. I encourage voters to cast a ballot for two of them. Furthermore, if I am elected, I will not accept a seat on the School Committee.
Best regards,
Lawrence O’Brien
I think that Phoebe Hazzard could be a good School Committee member. However, the issues around her nomination papers, including
(1) how some signatures that were collected on her behalf weren't actually signed by the people listed on the papers (as required by law)&
(2) the fact that some APRS central office staff signed the papers for people in absentia
still trouble me greatly.
Just because Ms. Hazzard's name remained on the ballot despite the complaint that was made (though not in a timely manner), does not mean the complaint itself was not valid.
I question a candidacy that started on such footing.
It is so nice to see that people still care who is on the SC. Get over it people, the schools are firmly in the control of our pleasant to speak to, pleasant to look at, but none the less dictator Maria Geryk. It is her way or the highway, just ask Rob D. (oh we can't he disappeared).
Save your time and the time of others, Vote CAN, the guy or gal has enough time to post on Larry's blog, surely must have time to waste as useless SC meetings.
Larry, you should start a campaign next year to write in CAN, maybe get lawn signs, I'll pitch in. It would be hilarious.
I saw her participating.
There are some community members who I have seen boo & hiss & snap their approval/disapproval at almost every School Committee (SC) meeting they attend.
I have never seen Vira Douangmany Cage engage in such behavior at SC meetings.
I already asked the town clerk about procedures for write in candidates. You must include their address.
No, actually you do not.
Please, Sarah Auerbach, please step back from the political process for a bit.
You've done enough.
May I be written in as a candidate, as well?
My address:
The sewers of Kurt Geryk's psyche.
-Squeaky Squeaks
p.s. I promise to cannibalize ~not a single~ ally.
Vira has also been busy with the Holyoke school controversy regarding the state takeover. So much free time to stir so many pots.
Masslive is also now reporting that O'Brien does not want to be elected, & includes a statement from him apologizing to the voters.
I feel bad for the guy. He has always tried to do the right thing as an SC member. He will be missed.
I wonder if Sarah Auerbach will be sharing the latest news of O'Brien not running with all the people she emailed her "vote for O'Brien" msg too.
Some of us were never convinced he was running again to start with.... he intentionally took himself off the ballot just a short time ago.
Today's episode involving O'Brien as a write-in was simply not a good idea, especially if Dr. Appy is looking for greater civility within the membership going forward.
Vira's quote on MassLive suggests that she's really pissed.
Oops.
If you're fed up with everything that's gone on here, please join me in the "None of the Above" strategy:
1) Take a ballot.
2) Try to figure out whom to vote for in your precinct for Town Meeting.
3) Cast any other votes you wish.
4) Leave the School Committee race blank and don't write anyone in.
If the total number of SC voters turns out to be considerably less than the total ballots cast, perhaps the message will get across that these candidates are not speaking to our concerns. (Vira told the forum last week that the curriculum must affirm every group in town.)
Everybody is in favor of diversity until someone offers a point of view they don't agree with.
Here's what I suggest:
Write in Lawrence O'Brien (22 Harris St.)!!
If he wins,he will not serve. That will leave a vacancy. A vacancy is much better than the other choices.
That vacancy will be filled by the school committee.
Anon 12:55 PM
The vacancy is filled by the Select Board, not the School Committee.
I am bullet voting Lawrence O'Brien for School Committee. He is the most qualified.
By the way did any one notice that most of the letters supporting Vira were written by non- Amherst residents?
I'm going to write in Carol Sharick. Anyone else we can write in that doesn't want the job?
appy
appy, hazzard--oh, one is on already and the other is on the ballot (was hazzard auerbach's bright idea too?) clearly she is pgo material and not comfortable with public scrutiny and pressure
If you only saw a couple of people booing and hissing you were not at the meeting. It felt like an angry mob. No sense of how to act at a meeting. It was clearly all orchestrated to make a big splash. All of those participants cooperated to create that spectical of anger and hate. School committee? I don't want to deal with that circus twice a month.
One of Vira's supporters has characterized a write in campaign for School Committee as a racist event.
Quite a commentary on Vira and her crowd.
the darndest thing white people will say and call out openly, freely and to each other! struck by the ease and comfort level of some people...ughhh!
To me the idea that you should vote for someone only because they are a person of color without regard for anything else about that person is the epitome of racism.
We love diversity. Except diversity of thought. The word is merely code for skin color. Which I was brought up to disregard.
Hey, you elected the POTUS largely based on skin color, didn't you?
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