Greenfield’s “great compromise” is now a reality, and hopefully with it comes an end to development battles that have split this community for more than a quarter of a century. And while I’m perfectly happy to join those looking to bask in the glow of this new-found spirit of cooperation, there are still a few moments that have left me both scratching and shaking my head in amazement.
Consider this quote in Josh Solomon’s coverage of the Greenfield Planning Board’s decision not to support the plan to relax commercial zoning restrictions on the French King Highway.
“We’re planners, not politicians,” Planning Board member George Touloumtzis said. “As such, we’re obliged to take the long view.”
The shocking part was not the substance of the quote, but the person putting it out there. Because anyone who has been watching this little developmental Kabuki dance from the beginning knows that Touloumtzishasn’t been exactly apolitical when it comes to the issue of large-scale retail development in Greenfield.
In fact, George T has been one of Al Norman’s chief allies ever since he rode into town, so much so that it was borderline shocking when a supposedly pro-growth mayor decided to appoint him to the Planning Board.
That being said, George T is absolutely correct. Planning boards should not be subject to the political process, and do need to be more deliberate when deciding zoning issues, especially one as drastic as this could wind up being.
And anyone who was shocked by the board’s decision not to support this change shouldn’t be. They were right not to recommend it, and should never have been put in this position of having to do so. A zoning change should be a proactive rather than a reactive process, and this has been anything but.
Fortunately, that board will have another chance to work on this, as it works with the council to further amend the zoning in that area to allow for both commercial and industrial development, which appears to be the next frontier in the ongoing discussion regarding the future of Greenfield’s eastern economic gateway.
After flying under the radar for much of her time in public life, Greenfield School Committee Chairwoman Adrienne Nunez has suddenly become one of the more intriguing political figures in a community chock full of them.
At the same meeting where she was chastised for filing an open meeting law complaint against her own Finance Subcommittee, Nunez made a motion to direct that any expected increases in state Chapter 70 education aid go to support the school programs exclusively.
“We are projected to receive more this year in Chapter 70, and I just think, given the present situation, that we should insist that money go directly into the classroom,” Nunez said.
The only problem with that theory is that Chapter 70 aid is not controlled by her committee, but by the city, which tends to like to use those funds for expenses like health insurance for school department employees, which is paid for by the city, not from the school budget.
Not surprisingly, Nunez’s motion was opposed by Mayor Bill Martin, who voted “no” along with his fellow finance board members Susan Hollins and Cameron Ward which, along with two committee abstentions, was enough to defeat the measure with a 3-2 vote.
The recent infighting and perceived dysfunction among the School Committee’s members may end up benefiting one of the three announced candidates for Greenfield mayor.
In addition to serving 16 years on the aforementioned Planning Board, RoxannWedegartner is the only candidate with previous School Committee experience, having served as chairwoman back in the 1990s.
In fact, Wedegartner is the only mayoral candidate with actual School Committee experience, a reality that I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more about between now and what’s looking like a pretty crowded September mayoral primary.
Chris Collins is a former staff reporter for the Recorder, and is a Greenfield native. Over the years he has continued to keep his eye on local politics from a variety of perches for different news outlets, including Frontier Community
Access Television, where he is
executive dir ector.