Monday is the deadline, theoretically anyway, for the homeless tent city on the Greenfield Common to come down. But what happens if the campers refuse to leave?
For those of you expecting to see the Greenfield Police Department sweep in and clear the area by force, think again.
“The Board of Health’s order to vacate that property is a civil matter, not a criminal one,” Greenfield Police Chief Robbie Haigh said. “We don’t have the authority to simply go in and clear people out.”
Haigh said the only way his department will get involved is if the civil order is violated, and even then, there is another step in the process.
“There would have to be a complaint filed, which would have to go before a judge. The (Franklin County) Sheriff’s Department would have to serve notice, and if they still refused to vacate, they could be declared in criminal violation and subject to arrest.”
Haigh didn’t say whether he agreed with the health board’s ruling, but did say he and his officers will do what they need to do to enforce the law, if and when the time comes.
“That’s all we can do, and that’s all we have done up until now,” Haigh said.
That’s all anyone can, and should, expect.
A long year
If Wednesday night’s City Council meeting is any sort of barometer, Greenfield Mayor Bill Martin’s final year in office is going to be his longest and most difficult yet.
His Honor got both barrels from a number of councilors over the course of the four-hour-plus session, especially over what some believe is a somewhat precarious fiscal situation largely related to overspending.
It was pretty obvious from the level and depth of the questioning that the council’s recent vote of “no confidence” was no joke. These people clearly don’t trust this guy’s judgment, especially as it relates to his efforts to bring a new public safety complex to downtown — which, if it goes badly, could wind up making the disastrous middle school renovation seem like a leisurely stroll through Shattuck Park.
As difficult as it was, the night ended up being a win for Martin, as the council passed a resolution necessary to keep the project alive. But His Honor would do well to keep his eye on the ball, lest he incur the further wrath of a council that has pretty obviously supplanted him as the single most powerful force in Greenfield government.
Activist or representatives?
Who would you rather send to Beacon Hill — a representative or an activist posing as same?
I think it’s a legitimate question, given what we’ve been hearing from some of the candidates for the legislative seats most recently held by state Rep. Steve Kulik and state Sen. Stan Rosenberg.
I understand it is a Democratic primary, and candidates are going to try to play to the base. But these people should remember that it won’t only be Democrats voting in that primary.
Massachusetts allows unenrolled voters to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primaries, and the dearth of GOP contenders this year means there will be a lot of “U’s” pulling Democratic ballots on Sept. 4.
I will be one of them, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit alarmed by the amount of red meat being thrown to the left, including a few hunks that don’t seem to have a whole lot of basis in reality when it comes to the issues representatives and senators are likely to face.
My personal favorite this year is “Medicare For All,” which makes for a nice sound bite. The only problem is, Medicare is a federal program, and as such, is not subject to alteration by the Massachusetts Legislature.
Then there was this idea floated during this week’s Senate debate that the Legislature should pass a bill to scale back the potential for large scale retail development, a question which grew out of the town of Deerfield’s current battle over a potential Dollar General store on Routes 5 and 10.
There were a lot of interesting answers to that one, but not the one this voter wanted to hear, but didn’t, which is that it is completely improper for state lawmakers to involve themselves in local zoning fights. Ask anyone who has ever held one of those seats and they will tell you exactly how monumentally stupid a move like that is.
I’ve also heard more than a few references to the desire some of these candidates have to not just be representatives but “community organizers.” Big red flag there, because the last thing this region needs is a freshman class of legislators focused on anything other than representing all the citizens of their districts — not just the ones they agree with politically.
You can say what you want about Kulik and Rosenberg, but no one could ever seriously question their focus when it came to doing the best job they could for the people who put them in office.
We deserve nothing less from their successors, which is why it is critically important to pay extremely close attention to what happens during what should be an eventful two-week sprint to Election Day.