Hubley, Awad buy home in South Hadley

By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer

Published on May 09, 2008

Amherst's former Town Manager Barry Del Castilho is the interim town administrator in South Hadley, and Amherst's past school Superintendent Gus Sayer runs the South Hadley public schools. Now, there is a possibility that a current member of Amherst's Select Board could join them in the neighboring community.

Anne Awad and her husband, Town Meeting member Robie Hubley, recently purchased a home in South Hadley. He formerly worked as a science teacher in South Hadley.

Awad, who lives at 222 North East St., said this week that buying the home at 4 Jewett Lane doesn't mean she will move there or leave her elected position.

"When I decide what we're going to do with the house in South Hadley, I'll let everyone know," Awad said.

But there are already several indications that Awad and Hubley, a former member of the Select Board who still serves as a Town Meeting member, will be moving to the new home which, according to a real estate transaction published in the April 21 Daily Hampshire Gazette, they purchased for $310,000 from the Trustees of Mount Holyoke College.

For one, Hubley on April 10 filed an Estate of Homestead for the South Hadley property, which allows homeowners to protect their property for up to $500,000 of the value of their primary residence.

According to the state law, "If you are married and you and your spouse own the property as tenants by the entirety, when one married person files a homestead, their spouse and family members receive homestead protection on the premises as well."

In addition, an advertisement placed by Prudential Sawicki Real Estate in the May 2 Bulletin listed an open house at Awad and Hubley's current home that took place May 4.

One who took notice of the ad was fellow Select Board member Alisa Brewer. "I saw in the Bulletin last week that their North East Street condo is for sale, which seemed odd since Robie just got elected April 16 to fill a Town Meeting vacancy in that precinct, so I'm surprised Anne hasn't at least mentioned their South Hadley purchase to her fellow Select Board members, especially given the past concerns raised about her relationship with then-fellow Select Board member Robie, which wasn't announced until after they married," Brewer said.

Awad, who has been a member of the Select Board since defeating incumbent Hill Boss in 2000, only publicly declared her relationship with Hubley when she made the announcement at an October 2006 Select Board meeting that she and Hubley had just married. The relationship had been long rumored prior to the announcement, and raised legal and ethical questions about whether a husband and wife could serve on the same board.

At the time, Awad made the announcement through a prepared statement. "Robie and I have wanted to be married for a long time now. Needless to say it is difficult to conduct a courtship as two public officials in Amherst."

Hubley sought re-election last year, but lost to Brewer.

Town Manager Larry Shaffer said he has known Awad and Hubley for about two years, and likes them both very much. "I wish them nothing but the best and hope things work out to their definite advantage," Shaffer said.

If Awad does step down from the board, Shaffer said the Amherst Town Government Act specifically addresses vacancies and defines a process. It mandates a special election, unless the departure from the board is within 90 days of an annual election: "If, for any reason, a vacancy or vacancies occur in the membership of the Select Board, the remaining members shall call a special town election to fill the vacancy or vacancies for the unexpired term or terms."

"If it does happen, we know how it will be handled," Shaffer said.

For now, though, there is nothing to force her to leave her position. Town Clerk Sandra Burgess said the rules that govern running and serving in townwide office - that a person must be a registered voter in Amherst - are the same that apply to all communities in the state. Even if a board member moves from town, it doesn't mean the status as a registered voter changes immediately. Unless that person registers to vote in the new community, the town clerk's office may not even be aware of the move until an annual census is completed.

David Keenan, a candidate for Select Board in the most recent election, said he is concerned about the house purchase Awad and Hubley made. He said that if Awad does intend to step down from the Select Board, she should have done so prior to the April 1 town elections and saved the town money from having to hold a special election.

Had there been a third position opened at this year's elections, it might have also changed the outcome of the election, Keenan said, as incumbent Hwei-Ling Greeney finished third to new Select Board members Stephanie O'Keeffe and Diana Stein. One who is already calling for a special election is Larry Kelley, a frequent critic of the Select Board. He writes on his Only in Amherst blog that "the Select Board, if they wish to remain relevant over the next year, need to call a Special Election and bring aboard a new member vested in the community."