Regardless of your political predilections, I think we can all agree that this past Saturday’s rally was a happening unlike anything we’ve seen in this county.
The 2,000 or so people who clogged Greenfield’s Town Common may been a relatively small piece of the Jan. 21 protest pie, but it was, for these parts, an incredibly impressive gathering of concerned residents looking to turn their political angst into action.
The thing that impressed me most about Saturday’s rally, aside from the peaceful tone, was the variety of people who came out. Granted, we saw a lot of the same faces we do at just about any protest rally, but there many others, including a few of the center-right bent that I would never have expected to show up. This leads me to believe that maybe this movement may extend beyond those who might be identified as “the usual suspects.”
Though I might not have agreed politically with many of the people there, I found the whole experience energizing, which quickly turned to discouraging when I read some of the online critiques of the day. Some were quick to dismiss its importance, some going so far as to characterize it as an “exercise in hate,” which was about as far from reality as one could possibly get. If anything, it was a “call to action,” and a living example the kind of powerful statement Americans can make when they unite behind a common cause.
The question now is, what to do with that energy? We keep hearing about how Donald Trump’s election is helping trigger a new spirit of interest in public service, especially at the local government level. I sure hope so, because if not, last Saturday will be remembered as just another Woodstock with signs and pink hats, instead of the harbinger of change it could potentially end up being.
Anybody who knows Greenfield Mayor William Martin is aware that he has a temper, but rarely has it bubbled to the surface publicly during his time in office.
That streak ended at the most recent Greenfield Town Council meeting, when Martin went off during his report to the council — coming at the end of a two-hour public comment session that focused mainly on a proposal to remove the zoning overlay restrictions from a section of the French King Highway.
Martin’s pilot light got lit initially by a comment by resident Matthew Kuzmeskus, who questioned the qualifications of Dan Kelly, Martin’s choice to run the town’s new municipal broadband company. But as he went on, it became apparent that His Honor did not appreciate the tone of some of the other comments that openly questioned what, if anything, his administration is doing to help fill vacant retail spaces in the downtown area.
“Government and property owners don’t mix like that … if you see a vacant storefront, it’s got nothing to do with the government!” Martin snapped. “We accommodate and facilitate. That’s been our motto since I became mayor. When you see someone charging $600 for rent, that’s their choice … it’s your choice not to rent the space.”
“When you see something that should have in town, then you might go and start it,” Martin added. “Don’t wait for someone else to come in. If you don’t like what a business is doing, don’t go there. Everybody has that right.”
It was the first time I’d seen Martin really get hooked, and though he apologized later for the outburst, it was good to see him show some spunk as he delivered his impromptu civics lesson, which most likely fell on deaf ears among most of the people in that room, and the many waiting outside.
Christmas may come a bit early this year for members the Gill-Montague Regional School Committee.
The committee is considering whether to replace the Indian as the Turners Falls High School logo, with an eye toward a decision sometime by or before the end of the current school year. But there is a chance the state might beat them to it.
Democratic Sen. Barbara L’Italian of the 2nd Essex and Middlesex District has filed a bill to ban the use of Native American mascots and imagery in Massachusetts high schools. L’Italian filed the bill at the urging of a Tewksbury resident, who isn’t wild about having the “Redmen” as that high school’s logo and mascot. It’s not known when L’Italian’s bill may come up for debate or vote, but I’m guessing it’s likely to have wide support among this Democratically-controlled ultra-PC Legislature, which has never been shy about enacting this type of social change.
Either way, I’d get used to the idea of seeing something other than the Indian on Turners Falls uniforms this coming fall.
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.