NEWS BRIEFS: Angela’s Absence, and DA Endorsements
Councilor Angela Plassmann has missed her second Public Safety Committee meeting in two months.
Ward 3 Councilor’s Absence Derails Cop Shop Vote
Actually, the three councilors present – Jesse Adams (at-large), Maureen Carney (Ward 1) and Chairman David Murphy (Ward 4) – all said yesterday that they support the planned new $17 million station and the override, and will urge their constituents to vote “yes” on the Nov. 2 ballot. The override measure – which Mayor Clare Higgins says is needed for the new station to be built now – is already on the ballot, making any committee vote largely symbolic.
Councilor Jesse Adams said he wants all four committee members to vote on supporting the police state override. (David Reid photos)
The problem, at least for Adams, was that the fourth committee member, Ward 3 Councilor Angela Plassmann, was not there for the second committee meeting in a row.
“I’d rather have all four of us present,” Adams told his colleagues after the meeting was called to order. Adams said he wanted the public to see unanimous support from the City Council committee that oversees the police department. “What do you guys think?”
Carney and Murphy acquiesced, and supported Adams’ motion to table a vote, for now. After all, they said, it was he who had requested the meeting, which is regularly held the first Monday of each month; but Monday being Labor Day, the committee had voted last month not to meet this month unless something came up.
Chairman Murphy scheduled yesterday’s meeting after Adams said he wanted a vote supporting the debt-exclusion override ballot question. Plassmann, who had originally said she could make the meeting, later sent an email saying she was tied up with work.
With nothing else on the agenda, Murphy closed the brief meeting. Afterwards, Adams said he was frustrated. In August, he had wanted the committee to vote to support the police station funding, but it was Plassmann’s absence at that meeting which had caused the first postponement. “There’s a big difference between 4-0. . .and 3-0,” said Adams.
In July, Plassmann had joined other councilors in a unanimous vote to place the override on the fall ballot, but questioned the timing of such a big-ticket item. “This is a difficult decision for me to vote on,” Plassmann said at the time. Yesterday, the three councilors said they don’t know if the Ward 3 councilor is for or against the measure, since she has remained publicly mum.
Murphy said he will urge constituents to support replacing the 40-year-old police station, which he said is inadequate and needs $3 million just to patch it up. He predicted that construction bids will come in low and that the $17 million-plus overall project investment will pump money into the city’s economy.
Of course, Murphy said, some constituents may feel unable to pay extra taxes, which he understands. But, he added: “We really do need it. It’s not a luxury.”
Nine Easthampton City Councilors Endorse Sullivan for DA
EASTHAMPTON – The campaign of David E. Sullivan for Northwestern District Attorney forwarded the following press release:
Easthampton City Council President Joseph P. McCoy (At-Large), Andrea Burns (At-Large), Donald L Cykowski (At-Large), Ronald D. Chateauneuf, (At-Large), Daniel C. Hagan (District 1), Justin P. Cobb (District 2), Joy E. Winnie (District 3) Salem Derby (District 4) and Daniel D. Rist (District 5) have all endorsed Dave Sullivan for Northwestern District Attorney.
“What resonates with me about Dave Sullivan is his empathy for those people who are often times overlooked by the justice system. Dave will bring a commitment to social justice, fairness and common sense to the DA’s office,” said Joe McCoy, president of the council. “Don’t be fooled by Dave Sullivan’s big smile. He will be fair, but firm when dealing with crime in the Northwestern District.”
Cobb said, “I have known and worked with Dave Sullivan over the years as a City Councilor and can attest to his dedication as a true public servant. Sullivan, said Cobb, “has clearly demonstrated to me the strong leadership skills, legal experience, creativity and judgment that I believe make him the best and only candidate for the Northwestern District Attorney’s office.”
School Committee Chairman Supports Cahillane for DA
AMHERST – Northwestern District Attorney candidate Michael A. Cahillane’s campaign forwarded the following letter to Northampton Media.
“I am Irv Rhodes, chair of the Amherst School Committee and member of the Regional School Committee and I am writing to endorse and support Mike Cahillane for District Attorney.”
“Mike has extensive prosecutorial experience as can be witnessed by his experience working as an Assistant District Attorney in the very office that he seeks as a candidate for District Attorney. I am particularly impressed as a former educator, with Mike’s track record of fighting cybercrime by going into schools to conduct workshops with kids as young as those in the first and second grades. Additionally Mike has done a number of training sessions with school administrators, guidance counselors and other staff on how to identify and prevent bullying behavior and he wants to expand this outreach, if elected, because he knows that it is important to prevent crime as well as prosecute those who break the law.”
Irv Rhodes
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