Revenge Firing?

Paula, Dylan, Steve Akalis June 6

Bad enough that Amherst Regional High School Principal Mark Jackson forbid Dylan Akalis to march with his classmates at the Mullins Center graduation ceremony last weekend -- but did allow a shrill senior to march who violated Dylan's privacy with a bullying Internet petition.

Or that Dylan essentially lost the last four months of his senior year because school officials favored three black youths who bullied him to the point of making a desperate Facebook threat about "packin" a weapon to school for self defense. 

But now Amherst Regional Public School Superintendent Maria Geryk has gone one better -- or I should say worse -- by firing Dylan's dad, school electrician, Steve Akalis.

As you may remember back in late January when Mr. Akalis was trying to get school officials to do something about his son being bullied, he was suspended without pay for three days for using company time to ever so briefly discuss the scary situation with Dean of Students Mary Custard.

Now he's been fired for using the common electrician (and computer) term "slave unit,"  in the presence of a school employee who happens to be black.

Being an overly polite kind of guy (like most former Marines) Mr. Akalis said to the employee, "No offense, but the slave unit will not work unless the master unit is plugged in."

So yes, I suppose you could interpret that in one of two ways:  either he is invoking the sad history in our country when blacks were enslaved (but somewhat apologizing for it) or he could simply have been saying that she should take no offense ... he was, err, not questioning her intelligence.

Either way, summary execution for an innocent expression used without malicious intent is a tad draconian. 

When it comes to alleged racial issues it seems the public schools have lost sight of the expression, "teachable moment."

Masslive (co) reports

DUI Dishonor Roll

In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Monday before Judge Mary Hurley first time offender Tyler Chambers, age 25, took a standard DUI 24D disposition for his April 26 arrest, which involved leaving the scene of a (potentially fatal) two car motor vehicle crash. 

 Tyler Chambers, age 25 stands before Judge Mary Hurley

Chambers will lose his license for 45 days, pay $600 in fines, $250 bar advocate fee, and $567.22 for drug/alcohol school and be on probation for one year with an additional $65/month probation fee. 

An expensive lesson learned (we hope).

APD "statement of facts"

When Products Compete

Over the strong objection of Shumway Street neighbors and Marvin Spence, who has owned and operated Spirit Haus, a College Street institution in town for 40+ years, the Amherst Select Board unanimously approved the relocation of an all alcohol off premisis liquor license for Amherst Wines & Spirits from 233 N. Pleasant Street to 308 College Street.

308 College Street

Amherst Wines & Spirits has been in business for over twenty years in the heart of downtown Amherst.  But due to the impending sale of the Carriage Shops building, they needed to find a new home.



The town has 8 All alcohol licenses available and all of them are taken.  So it's not like this is a new competitor for the nearby Spirit Haus or an additional store selling mega packs of cheap beer.

 

Spirit Haus, 338 College Street

There He Goes Again

33 Phillips Street

The poster boy for lousy upkeep of student rental housing, Stephan Gharabegian, is at it once again.  On good old Phillips Street naturally, where he owns almost half the houses on the slummy street. 

Building Inspector Jon Thompson has given him until June 24 to either demolish a bootleg four bedroom basement apartment or file for a Special Permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals, where he's been turned down in the past.

And since the illegal basement apartment did not have a second means of egress in case of fire Gharabegian is lucky the town did not file endangerment charges!

   33 Phillips Street - Cease and Desist

Important Positions Quietly Filled

With no fanfare or even just a basic announcement (other than updating the town website), Moderator Jim Pistrang made two appointments -- Stephen Braun and Bernie Kubiak -- to the all important Finance Committee, a sort of watchdog financial adviser to Town Meeting.

Former FinCom Chair Andy Steinberg resigned after winning a seat on the Select Board in the 3/25 election, and rookie member Sarah Swartz recently resigned for personal reasons.  Probably the bigger of the two losses since she had experience running a small business. 

Oddly, FinCom does not make recommendations concerning the viability of projects financed with Community Preservation Act money.

Which always seems to be used for funding controversial articles, like the recent $1.25 million in public money spent to keep 41 private units of housing at Rolling Green Apartments affordable. 

Yes, the FinCom recommendation was unanimously in favor of that warrant article.   With any CPA article, however, their deliberation is to simply confirm the purchase falls within the state guidelines for use of CPA money -- and not on the merits of the purchase itself.

And I'm quite sure more than a few Town Meeting members do not get the distinction.

Since the town attorney also goes over any use of CPA spending for legality issues, the Finance Committee duplication is a waste of time.

This becomes even more important as Town Meeting voted to place an increase in the CPA surcharge from current 1.5% to 3% on the November election ballot.

I shudder to think of the excesses we will see at future Town Meetings if that double down is enacted.  All of them unanimously approved by the Finance Committee.

Steady, Aim, Release

The Amherst Archery Academy held its annual "Spring Gathering" today at Bramble Hill Farm,  an in house event where students get to practice under tournament like conditions.  The targets were set at 15, 20, 25 and 30 yards respectively.

 

Archers taking score

Mysterious Explosion

 Residents on N. East Street, College Street and South East Street all heard/felt it

Dispatch received multiple calls last night around 8:15 PM reporting a huge explosion somewhere in east Amherst.  The reporting party on Jenks Street said it "shook the house," and upon first arriving on scene an Amherst police officer noted smoke off in the distance woods.

But by the time he hitched a ride out to the suspected area, the smoke was gone.  I went outside immediately after the first 911 call aired to scan the skies for a military jet, but did not see or hear one. 

Mystery solved.  Or NOT