On Oct. 10, the Recorder published an article about “A new report from the Massachusetts Municipal Association says cities and towns across the state are facing a “perfect storm” of financial pressure.” This article featured our state Sen. Jo Comerford and her years’ long effort to correct this commonwealth’s unjust funding formulas that are heavily slanted to eastern Massachusetts. Now Comerford is a great public servant and I’m thankful for her but Boston has been taking advantage of western Mass. for at least 250 years. Just read about Shays’ Rebellion. We must do what we can locally and be thankful for whatever marginal gains she can eke out.
So want can we do about it as citizens of this city? Vote “No” on Question 1 and vote for Goodwin/Terounzo/Moscaritolo for a sensible School Committee.
Adding housing to downtown increases tax revenue while minimizing infrastructure spending. In basic math you’re increasing the numerator while keeping the denominator near constant. Bringing in more money while spending the same. Large businesses and industry won’t come until there is more housing. Most of our children won’t stay because they can’t find or afford housing resulting in more lopsided school budgets, more building closings, and super regionalization because we will no longer have any other options. Blue states are expected to lose a dozen electoral votes in 2030 because the boomers won’t pass the baton and have frozen our local politics in 1970s amber (go read Abundance); so our kids are driven to Texas and Florida and North Carolina out of affordability.
Last year our top line appropriated school budget was held constant in dollars year over year. Our per pupil spending increased due to declining enrollment. The runaway administrative spending and murky contracted school business director was questioned. Melodie Goodwin has served on School Committee with pragmatism and experience as a Greenfield school principal. Mike Terounzo has been dedicated to this as a Greenfield parent and City Council Ways and Means Chair. Dave Moscaritolo asked questions fairly and has served the city as the public safety chair as a true progressive in reforming the Greenfield Police Department to one that more closely supports our liberal ethos in a few short years. This is true progressivism. Not claiming up is down, not saying 2+2=3, not expecting others to pay for your trash, not using culturally appropriated pseudonyms while implementing student policy allowing cultural and religious garments, such as hijabs, yarmulkes, feathers, and turbans, to be removed as distractions.
School Committee is supposed to be non-partisan. Saying vote for us because we are progressive shows they do not understand the assignment. Advancing budget increases on so-called needs, or should we say virtue signaling, and then claiming cuts when they don’t get what they want is indicative of the post-truth era we live in on both sides and must rise above to save our democracy. Saying we’re going to get Boston to pay for it is just naive and sad.
John Anhalt lives in Greenfield. He is a retired naval officer and is currently a technology program manager. He volunteers for the Greenfield Parking and Traffic Commission. His views are his own.