Letters

Published on October 31, 2008

Boost the CPA surcharge

To the Bulletin: I enthusiastically support full funding of the Community Preservation Act. The master plan that is in the final stage of development lists key directions for the Amherst community. CPA funding will significantly help us achieve several of these objectives:

* "Maintaining the town's existing charm and existing community character." The CPA helps fund historic property purchases and renovations.

* "Promoting an ethic of sustainability in all town activities." The CPA contribution toward an APR Agricultural Protection Restriction) on the North Amherst Community Farm is a fine example of support for sustainability.

* "Striving for diversification of community amenities to meet the needs of all residents." CPA support for affordable housing and public recreation helps meet the needs of our growing minority population.

The master plan is an ambitious document that is based on input from all segments of the Amherst community. It is Amherst's "blueprint for the future." Fully funding the CPA on Nov. 4 will help us achieve the goals enunciated in the master plan.

Larry Orloff
Town Meeting member
Precinct 3
Comprehensive Planning Committee member
Amherst

Rise above the darkness, people

To the Bulletin: Regardless of the outcomes on Nov. 4 with the important votes on our next president and the repeal of the state income tax, and regardless of whether international stock markets rebound in the coming weeks and months, it will still feel, I think, like we've entered a new era of "localness."

This year, we've experienced our collective share of rude global awakenings about climate disruption, the end of oil, and, now, the end, and the disruption, of the modern financial system. I am hopeful that I live in a community that is well prepared to make compromising, selfless, moral decisions about our local finances, our local priorities, and more importantly, about our immediate personal behavior toward one another.

Times are just beginning to get tough, and as our personal resources diminish, I hope we can find hidden benefits as we draw closer together by necessity. What those benefits are, is still unclear, and they will surely be camouflaged as hardship, but ultimately we measure ourselves against our response to difficult circumstances. Let's hope we're all up to the task, and most importantly, let's make sure our local leaders, political and otherwise, are prepared to lead us in the right direction.

Bob Saul
GMO Renewable Resources
Amherst

Vladimir Morales for Select Board

To the Bulletin: Vladimir Morales has been a local hero of mine for many years. His is a strong and eloquent voice for community and social justice. Indeed, the intensity of his passion can sometimes seem to overwhelm the strength of his compassion but I know him to be an advocate of the sort of inclusion that community leaders in Amherst have long striven to attain. A Select Board with Vladimir at the table will provide leadership that the whole town will listen to. I am proud to support his candidacy.

Michael Greenebaum
Amherst

Aaron Hayden for Select Board

To the Bulletin: I am writing to express my appreciation and support for Aaron Hayden's candidacy for Select Board. Amherst would be lucky to have someone of Aaron's character and experience seeking the office of Select Board at any time. But during this particular time in the life of our community we are especially fortunate to have him as a candidate.

We, like many towns across the state and nation, are facing a time of immense fiscal challenge and uncertainty. It is a time that calls for steady guidance and thoughtful, well-informed leadership. It is a time in which well rounded reasoning and a collaborative orientation towards problem solving need to trump personal interest and special issue advocacy. Aaron Hayden has demonstrated the kind of broad based community investment and understanding that will be needed to see us through these tough times.

Aaron is someone who knows not only how to roll up his sleeves and get things done, but how to encourage others to roll up their sleeves with him in pursuit of making a meaningful difference for our town. He has a belief in our ability to find common ground and to build a shared sense of purpose and direction as a community. And, it is that spirit of neighborly faith and optimism that Aaron brings to the table, as much as his knowledge and experience about the issues before us, that will earn my vote on Nov. 4. I hope it will earn yours, too.

Marcy Sala
Amherst

Fully fund the CPA

To the Bulletin: I'm going to vote yes for Question 4 to fully fund the Community Preservation Act. The state matching money means that Amherst can afford to help protect farms and open spaces and make repairs to the beautiful historical buildings that grace our town. As a member of the Joint Capital Planning Committee, I am aware of the many renovations needed for public facilities but postponed for lack of funds. As a trustee of the Jones Library, I know the library is among those facilities.

Patricia G. Holland
Amherst

Busy day a'coming

To the Bulletin: Nov. 4 is a very long day for me. I will be working in Precinct 10 in the Bangs Center.

There will be two separate elections, two separate ballots, two separate check-ins and check-outs. There are more than 1,000 voters who vote in Precinct 10 and I hope to see all of you that day. One thousand voters will mean that the other election workers and I will be working very hard and very late that day; we will be exhausted.

But since I am obsessed with this election, I watch every debate, I check the polls a dozen times a day, read political blogs while watching MSNBC, working 18 hours that day will be like therapy for me.

I just hope the Amherst Brewing Company is still open after those 1,000 ballots are sealed and carried over to the Town Hall. So, please, everyone, show up and vote. I know it will make me feel better and you will feel better, too.

John Kick
Precinct 8
Town Meeting member
Amherst

Protect the hounds

To the Bulletin: Please support the Greyhound Protection Act. Vote yes on Question 3.

On Nov. 4, citizens of Massachusetts can vote on a measure to rid our state of an anachronistic industry with a demonstrated record of indifference and inhumane treatment of dogs - greyhound racing. Two tracks still exist in Massachusetts.

The motive for greyhound racing is to increase gambling profits at the racetrack, but the costs are borne by the dogs themselves. Thousands of greyhounds endure lives of confinement, kept for 20 or more hours every day in cages barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around. The State Racing Commission, which is required to provide data, reports that more than 800 greyhounds have been injured since 2002, including dogs who suffered broken bones, paralysis and even death from cardiac arrest.

Please join with 17 animal protection groups including MSPCA and Humane Society of the United States; 29 Massachusetts animal shelters including our own Dakin-Pioneer Valley Humane Society; more than 60 veterinarians; and many lawmakers in support of the ballot initiative to phase out greyhound racing in Massachusetts. Please vote yes on Question 3 on Nov. 4. For more information, www.ProtectDogs.org.

Ruth Feldberg
Martha Spiegelman
Amherst

Put CPA into a global context

To the Bulletin: One issue Amherst voters will consider on Nov. 4 is whether to fully fund the Community Preservation Act. With the CPA, we can help our community be more affordable, diverse, food self-reliant, and ecologically sustainable.

The approach we take in Amherst on these issues should take into account how we fit into global trends. I support the proposed CPA surcharge increase, because adopting it will improve our town's capacity for supporting projects that enhance our community's resilience in the face of crisis. Economic instability, global climate disruption, and skyrocketing oil prices are converging in ways that many are already feeling to varying degrees, but that portend even more serious challenges for Amherst's future.

On a global level, there are astounding increases in social inequality, which tear apart the very fabric of society, while locally, many long-term Amherst residents leave town under the pressures that come with living in a relatively affluent area. Likewise, speculation on food markets in Chicago leads to food riots in Port-au-Prince and Cairo.

We live in an era where much of what we know now cannot be taken for granted. We need to use the tools available to us - like CPA funds - to develop a rational response to crises. I urge you to vote in favor of fully funding the CPA on Nov. 4.

Ben Grosscup
Town Meeting member
Precinct 9
Amherst

Yes on 6

To the Bulletin: In this coming election, there will be a ballot question, No. 6, whether we should reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts by 80 percent by 2020 - and phase out tax incentives for energy intensive projects which burn fossil fuels as well as expanding job creation programs for locally owned businesses and cooperatives involved in renewable energy, conservation and sustainable agriculture.

You may have noticed how our climate here in New England is becoming increasingly moderate. While this may seem like a nice thing on the surface, up in Greenland, ice is cracking up and raising sea levels. Northampton and Hadley, parts of Amherst may wind up underwater since the elevation is only 150 feet near the Connecticut River.

Rebuilding the community to improve energy efficiency, create alternative and more public transportation, install solar panels, create windmill farms, rebuild roads to make them more accessible for bicyclers, small scooters and microcars, rezoning so housing and a variety of services are all within walking distance - all of these would be opportunities for new businesses and jobs in this community, bringing us out of the economic crisis we are experiencing.

So do check "yes" on Question 6; it will be for your benefit as well as for generations to come. You can also sign the Secure Green Future petition via www.securegreenfuture.org.

John F. Bamberger
Amherst

Another override?

To the Bulletin:

How many times do we have to say no on schemes to raise our taxes? Why can't the town live within its means? I have to do so.

This time they are trying to double the Community Preservation Act tax. Their argument is that this will increase our chances of getting more state matching funds. Don't they know that the state is broke and that housing sales are down?

We are being asked to give the town more money while receiving less from the state. That doesn't sound like a good idea. A better one would be for the town to spend less time coming up with spending ideas that aren't really necessary.

A college may have a community outreach program, but this is no different that the many citizen volunteer serving the town. Citizens who are also being asked to pay more. Perhaps the colleges will add their "fair share" to the cost.

I intend to vote no on Question 4. It is nothing more than a mini override that will cost the tax payers close to $350,000 while the colleges get an almost free ride.

William Hutchinson
Amherst

Amherst needs Morales

To the Bulletin: Aaron Hayden's campaign manager, Robert Phillips, used his letter last week not to talk about Hayden's positions or qualifications, but rather to attack an opposing candidate, Vladimir Morales.

The claim was that Morales' participation on elected bodies has been marred by high absenteeism. To make this claim, Phillips used figures from just two of Morales' nine years on School Committee.

Phillips also ignored Morales' public explanation for his absences. At the Chamber of Commerce candidates' forum, Morales explained that, during his final term, diabetes-related health problems limited his participation.

Happily, he is now in better health and looking forward to an active role on the Select Board.

Morales could have added that effective leadership involves more than meetings. Throughout his School Committee tenure, he facilitated parental access in a role often ignored by other members. Likewise, in Town Meeting, Morales has contributed more, through leadership on warrant articles and speaking for social justice and inclusion, than many who might claim better attendance.

Vladimir Morales represents values and leadership Amherst needs.

Jim Oldham
Amherst

Absences did not stop this candidate

To the Bulletin: As the Select Board campaign draws toward a close on Nov. 4, the campaign manager of one of my opponents in the race descended to mudslinging tactics similar to those used to drive Anne Awad from office.

This candidate's big override and economic development platform has been destroyed by a financial tidal wave, so his campaign is making charges against me that they understand are essentially false.

Much of the School Committee's work involves communication with the superintendent and others regarding implementation of school policy.

My wife's illnesses and my doctors' unsuccessful efforts to control my diabetes during my last School Committee term made it difficult to attend evening meetings.

Nevertheless, I worked every day to make our school system better for all students, more responsive to parents and fairer to faculty and staff.

Present and former School Committee members who wanted to repose all power in the school superintendent oppose my candidacy because they want to bring that top-down model to the Select Board.

My diabetes is now under better control with insulin. Amherst residents who believe we need more diversity and openness in government should vote for Vladimir Morales.

Vladimir Morales
Amherst

Vote yes on 4

To the Bulletin: Voting yes on Question 4 about the Community Preservation Act will help Amherst preserve some of its core values. We are community that cares about history, from Emily Dickinson to the vast collection of historic records at the Jones Library. We love nature and we value local farms. We care about social justice and recognize that with this housing crisis, it is more important than ever to invest in affordable housing so our community does not become a town reserved for the wealthy. The CPA surcharge is also a progressive tax with low income residents exempt.

Voting yes on Question 4 will allow Amherst to get hundreds of thousands of dollars more each year for preservation of open space and farmland, historic preservation and affordable housing. As one Town Meeting member commented, the fact that state matching funds are available through the Community Preservation Act makes this a "no-brainer." For more information, please visit cpaYES.org.

Please vote yes on Question 4.

Carol Gray
Amherst

Emphatic yes on Question 4

To the Bulletin: In these days of increasingly tight town budgets, matching funds can help make possible important projects that would otherwise be impossible. The Question 4 proposal to increase our CPA tax from 1.5 percent to 3 percent can make the difference in Amherst being able to carry out high priority projects for affordable housing, open space and historic preservation. A very small increase in the CPA tax (calculated with a $100,000 deduction on house value) will provide additional state matching funds. A modest increase in this progressive tax can make a huge difference in the future for things Amherst cares about deeply.

Margaret R. Roberts
Amherst

One for McCormic

To the Bulletin: Keith McCormic has been a close friend for more than 10 years. He is thoughtful, hard working and honest.

His greatest obstacle in Amherst is perhaps the "R" next to his name. I want to assure everyone that he is no neo-con. He is pro-choice, and supports gay marriage. His goal is to take the Republican Party away from the social conservatives.

Last spring, we heard him give a speech from the stage of the Extravaganga marijuana rally. That is something no Democrat has ever done.

He is courageous in every stand he takes, whether it be on education, health care, job creation, state finances or individual rights.

I disagree with the Bulletin's editorial of last week, especially the notion that equates Keith McCormic's alternative views with ignorance - in this case, his position that the dysfunctional Boston political establishment needs to be shaken up with necessary reforms. I urge you to vote for him on Tuesday.

Terry Franklin
Amherst

Vote to increase funds for Amherst

To the Bulletin: In a time of tight budgets, it makes sense to draw upon all available resources. Massachusetts' Community Preservation Act offers state financial help to towns in furthering certain goals: creating affordable housing, preserving farmland and open space and protecting historic sites. State generosity is conditioned however upon a town's levying a surcharge of up to 3 percent on its property tax.

Exempted from the surcharge are the first $100,000 worth of residential property, also property owned and occupied by persons eligible for low-income housing or by seniors qualified for moderate-income housing.

Fees imposed on real estate transactions constitute the source of state funds for CPA grants. First in line are towns like Hadley and Leverett which have set their CPA surcharge at the maximum allowable 3 percent. If Amherst votes to increase its surcharge from 1.5 percent to 3 percent the tax bill on a $300,000 house will rise by no more than $48 a year. If the increase is voted down, Amherst will remain near the end of the line.

To promote community preservation projects in Amherst vote yes on Question 4.

Nancy Foster
Amherst