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Northampton Media

Be All That you Can Be

by Mary Serreze | Feb 5, 2010 9:22 am | Comments (0)

Ward 3 Councilor Angela Plassmann to ConsCom: Public Process on Fairgrounds, Please

by Guest Columnist | Jan 28, 2010 7:55 am | Comments (0)

Dear Wayne and Members of the Northampton Conservation Commission:

On behalf of the residents of Ward 3, I respectfully request that the Conservation Commission allow a two-week period for the residents to view all plans relating to the Fairgrounds, specifically the storm water plan, prior to the Commission’s meeting to consider said proposal. This period would allow residents and land owners the opportunity to view the plans and ask appropriate questions well in advance of the hearing.

Additionally, in keeping with Best Practices, I also request that the hearing time be set back at least one hour to 6:00 p.m. in order to reasonably accommodate the personal scheduling needs of the residents. It’s unreasonable to assume that residents’ work schedules and parental/personal obligations would allow most to make a 5:00 p.m. meeting. If need be, please schedule the hearing as the last agenda item to provide the maximum opportunity for residents’ input.

Lastly, I would appreciate it if you could notify me when the plans have been submitted so that I may view the plans and perhaps copy a set for my constituents. The Ward 3 Neighborhood Association should also be apprised so that they too may notify their members.

Thank you for your consideration and anticipated cooperation.

Angela Plassmann
Ward 3 City Councilor

cc: Councilor Jesse Adams Councilor David Narkewicz Maria Tymoczko

Angela Plassmann
Ward 3 City Councilor
180 Fair Street, Ext.
Northampton, MA 01060
angela@angelaplassmann.com
413-727-8770 Home
413-265-1260 Cell

HIggins to Cohen: No Violation of Open Meeting Law in Chamber/ZRC Confab

by Guest Columnist | Dec 14, 2009 6:26 pm | Comments (0)

Dear Mayor Higgins,

On viewing a 13-minute portion of the 12/2 Zoning Revisions Committee meeting at http://www.vimeo.com/8047389, I became concerned that a planned 12/15 meeting between members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Zoning Revisions Committee may not conform to the Open Meeting Law.

I request that you ask the city’s legal counsel to review the situation and take appropriate action. If the planned 12/15 meeting does in fact conform with the Open Meeting Law, I would appreciate a brief explanation as to how it conforms.

Sincerely,

Adam Cohen

Hello Adam,

The meeting between some members of the Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Committee and some members of the Zoning Revisions Committee is not a violation of the Open Meeting Law because only four members of that group volunteered to attend the meeting; no deliberation will happen at that meeting; and it is not a meeting of the Zoning Revisions Committee or any sub-committee of that group.

The Chamber’s committee invited members of the ZRC to attend their meeting to listen to their feedback. Four members of the ZRC volunteered to attend and to listen and to report back to the larger group. They are not an official or an ad-hoc subcommittee of the ZRC; they are the four members who were able to attend that meeting.

The ZRC has 9 members and a quorum of that committee would be 5 members.

No ZRC deliberative business will be conducted at this meeting. The ZRC members who are able to attend will be listening to feedback from private property owners and business people.

Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Mary Clare Higgins

Mayor of Northampton

Mazza: Preliminary Elections, Money, and You

by Mary Serreze | Sep 16, 2009 12:13 pm | Comments (0)

City Clerk Wendy Mazza gives Northampton voters a piece of her mind. Preliminary elections, she explains, are very expensive—yet very important. Mazza remarked that Tuesday’s election cost Northampton taxpayers about $25,000.

What does she have to say about low voter turnout? Well, if you didn’t vote on Tuesday, your ears should be burning…democracy, in Mazza’s view, is too important to take lightly…Listen to her opinion using the embedded flash player below her photo.

Inauguration Schedule 2010: Monday January 4

by Mary Serreze | Jan 3, 2010 4:43 pm | Comments (0)

10:00 a.m.: Inauguration Ceremony: Northampton High School Auditorium

12:30 p.m.: A lunch reception for officials, their family and friends, and the public at the Northampton Senior Center at 67 Conz Street.

3:00 p.m. The new City Council will meet at 3 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the Puchalski Municipal Building to appoint a clerk, approve rules for the new session and elect a president.

Mayor Clare Higgins Joins English Works Campaign

by Press Release | Dec 14, 2009 6:54 pm | Comments (0)

The English Works Campaign and the City of Northampton are pleased to announce that Mayor Clare Higgins has committed to support Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Mayor Higgins has officially signed on to the English Works Campaign, a statewide coalition of immigrant community leaders, labor unions, and businesses working together to increase the availability of English classes for immigrants in the workforce. Along with the Mayors of Boston, Revere, Everett, Somerville, Melrose, Cambridge, Salem, and New Bedford, Mayor Higgins is now a member of the English Works Mayors Circle, a group of elected officials who have joined the Campaign to encourage local businesses to invest in ESOL.

Mayor Higgins has long been a supporter of local programs such as the Center for New Americans and the International Language Institute and characterizes her support of English Works as a natural extension of that support. “Providing new Americans, immigrants and refugees with the tools they need to become self-sufficient and successful in their new home is a winning strategy for the whole community. It’s a smart investment in building a strong workforce here in the Pioneer Valley and across the Commonwealth,” Higgins said.

The English Works Campaign is led by a leadership circle composed of 11 high-profile members, a steering committee, and a campaign committee of 65 organizations that work together to increase the availability of English language classes that will benefit immigrant workers, the businesses that employ them, and the Commonwealth. The campaign was launched in June of 2008 and already had several successes. In November, the campaign celebrated the release of the Massachusetts Learn at Work Program, a $1.4 million fund dedicated for workplace ABE and ESOL, which the campaign strongly advocated for over the last year. Business partnerships can now apply and receive funding from Commonwealth Corporation programs that will offer workers a chance to learn English, and businesses a chance to improve communications, customer service and workplace safety.

With the support and leadership of Mayor Higgins, the English Works Campaign will encourage business leaders in Northampton to invest in their employees and in the future of the Commonwealth for a strong and skilled workforce.

Sponsors

North Street Neighborhood Association

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