Nobody asked me, but … . We now know how certain members of the Greenfield Town Council feel about charter school expansion in Massachusetts. I don’t know about you, but I’m already sleeping better.
If any voters who saw the recent Question 4 forum on marijuana legalization were on the fence, I’m guessing the loutish behavior of the people in the audience didn’t help the “Yes on Four” case. I’ve been involved in a lot of debates, but I’ve never encountered such an unruly bunch, which certainly belied the stereotype that pot smokers are a quiet, mellow group.
If “none of the above” was a ballot option this year, it would win the presidency in a landslide.
Speaking of the “big race,” those of you considering voting third party this year should keep in mind that if neither of the major party candidates wins in the electoral college, the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Paul Ryan, will select the next president. Just one more thing to consider.
One last thought on the presidential race. Does anyone have any idea why my cat runs away every time I put my Donald Trump Halloween mask on?
The town of Deerfield is going to miss interim town administrator Doug Finn, but not nearly as much as I am. Seeing Wendy Foxmyn’s face around Town Hall, however, does take a little bit of the sting out of it.
Democrat Adam Hinds’ likely ascension to Ben Downing’s Berkshire-Hampshire Senate seat begs the question — can anyone with a full head of hair actually represent that district?
While we’re on that race, I very much respected Democratic candidate Ronaldo Del Gallo’s debate pledge to respect the referendum process if elected. It didn’t help him win the primary, but at least he promised to defend the will of the people if elected, a position I haven’t seen a lot of incumbents willing to take.
Greenfield takes a step toward addressing its “Parkageddon” with today’s lottery for the 460-plus parking spaces in various downtown lots. I admire the town’s efforts to deal with the problem, but it’s still going to be a mess once the courthouse opens later this year, one likely to be cleaned up only by construction of a new parking garage, that the commonwealth has yet to fund.
Now that we have “rules” in place, I’m sure Tuesday’s Gill-Montague School Committee’s hearing on replacing the Indian mascot will go just swimmingly. My personal favorite? The one that asks speakers to refrain from “personal judgments or accusations, speaking more about their opinions on these issues than about their opinions of other speakers’ opinions.” Good luck enforcing that.
And, while I think there are strong feelings in the community about keeping the mascot, does it really need to manifest itself in threats of physical violence against those who speak publicly in favor of changing it? I think we are better than that, Powertown — at least I thought we were.
Looks like Greenfield’s Clay Oven is getting ready to reopen just in time to book those holiday parties. I think I’ll take a pass.
Speaking of Greenfield’s restaurants, it’s good to see everyone adhering to the new Styrofoam ban, including the new “Wings of Greenfield,” which recently converted to paper. It wouldn’t matter to me if they wrapped those things in bamboo, I’m still going to eat them.
The “Source To Sea” Cleanup continues to be a huge event, but it seems to me the larger story is that, 20 years later, people still pull huge amounts of trash out of our rivers each fall. Pretty sad commentary.
Curt Schilling vs. Elizabeth Warren? It won’t be just the sock that gets bloody in that one.
Speaking of Senate races, has anyone heard from Stan Rosenberg’s opponent this year? Me, neither.
It’s probably not going to go anywhere, but put this boy down in the “Yes” column for the idea of extending Daylight Savings Time year-round. I doubt Beacon Hill will go for it, but it sure would be nice for certain people not to spend half the year having to go to work and come home in the dark.
I’m very much looking forward to Tuesday’s Paul Mark “Festival Fundraiser” at Hope and Olive, for no other reason that I find it amusing to see people stuff money in the pockets of an incumbent who’s probably never going to need it.
It looks like I’ll be spending much of Election Night in a Northampton radio studio with Bill Newman again. But if I weren’t, I’d probably spend it at Green River Dog Park, because if there is an adage Campaign 2016 has reinforced for me, it’s the one that reads “in politics, if you need a friend, get a dog.”
Chris Collins, who worked in local radio in a number of capacities, has observed political life in Franklin County for years. He also is a former staff reporter for The Recorder and a Greenfield native.