I attended the ZBA bio-mass Public hearing Monday night the 15th. It was scheduled for 7pm in the cafeteria of the middle school, and it didn't take long to fill that space beyond capacity. The ZBA moved the meeting into the auditorium, which proved to be much more comfortable, and conducive to the hearing for everyone.
I sympathize with the board members who sat through the meeting which lasted until just after midnight. Chairman Roy Cowdry was clearly in discomfort, and stoically listened to each speaker. Board member Tom McClellan gave each speaker two minutes, and allowed everyone to finish their thoughts after gently reminding them they had used up their alloted time.
I sympathize even more for the public which came out to share their views and concerns. Clearly, many of them were agitated and fearful of the consequences the proposed facility would have on their homes and quality of life.
This issue is not going away anytime soon. I've spoken with Mike Fritz, an intelligent, knowledgeable and articulate proponent of the Bio-Mass plant about appearing on Local Bias this summer. John Ward, selectman for the Town of Gill, and Co-owner of The Solar Store in Greenfield has also agreed to appear. I usually like to interview my guests one on one, but for this complex issue, I want to hear what Mike and John have to say to each other, as much as what they might say to me.
Our Mayor Elect Bill Martin, who sat through the entire meeting, had a great suggestion that we tackle each issue of the Bio-Mass plant in separate episodes. I don't have the funding to produce a series of that magnitude, but I am willing to set it up if funding is made available to hire crew. I'm grateful that my crew volunteer as much time as they do.
My next guest on Local Bias is Dan McKenna of Greenfield who owns Principle Profits Asset Management. We were originally going to talk about the world of finance, but I'm sure he'll have some expert information on Bio-Mass plants from a "green" investor point of view.
We'll be taping that program around 10:30am Thursday the 25th of June. Studio audience is always welcome.
Showing posts with label Bill Martin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill Martin. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Election Post Mortum
We recorded Local Bias yesterday, June 11 and had the good fortune to have Tim Farrell as guest. Those of you who follow Greenfield politics are no doubt aware of Tim. He's not even Forty years old, and seemingly has held office since Lake Hitchcock receded.
The interview will be shown on GCTV Wednesday June 17th at 5:30pm, and repeated Thursday and Saturday 9pm, as well as the following week.
Tim and I discussed the recent Town election. You'll need to tune in if you want to hear what Tim had to say, except he did announce that he is seeking the Town Council President position.
I was not surprised that Bill Martin won the mayoral election. He brought a lot of energy to the race, and did a great job of reaching out beyond his base.
I was surprised that Isaac Mass lost to Marcia Day for the one year school committee seat. He has much greater name recognition than Marcia. Chris Collins in his regular column in the Recorder suggested that her performance in the televised debate helped her cause. I also feel that Isaac didn't focus all his attention on the race. He's been very busy getting his law degree, and balancing that with meeting the needs of his young family. We will be hearing from Isaac in the future.
Keith McCormic defeating Donovan Eastman and Mike Phillips was perhaps even more surprising. Keith strongly supported Question 1 last year, which would have decimated funding for schools. I was so taken with his appearance in the "Grand Finale" debate Barbara Tillmans produced at GCTV, that immediately following it, I asked him to come on Local Bias. I didn't think he was going to win the election, but I thought he would make a great guest, and he has agreed to appear at a future date to be determined.
With seven televised debates, the voters certainly had the opportunity to hear the candidates. Kudos to all the groups and producers which sponsored the debates, as well as the staff at GCTV which provided valuable technical support.
The interview will be shown on GCTV Wednesday June 17th at 5:30pm, and repeated Thursday and Saturday 9pm, as well as the following week.
Tim and I discussed the recent Town election. You'll need to tune in if you want to hear what Tim had to say, except he did announce that he is seeking the Town Council President position.
I was not surprised that Bill Martin won the mayoral election. He brought a lot of energy to the race, and did a great job of reaching out beyond his base.
I was surprised that Isaac Mass lost to Marcia Day for the one year school committee seat. He has much greater name recognition than Marcia. Chris Collins in his regular column in the Recorder suggested that her performance in the televised debate helped her cause. I also feel that Isaac didn't focus all his attention on the race. He's been very busy getting his law degree, and balancing that with meeting the needs of his young family. We will be hearing from Isaac in the future.
Keith McCormic defeating Donovan Eastman and Mike Phillips was perhaps even more surprising. Keith strongly supported Question 1 last year, which would have decimated funding for schools. I was so taken with his appearance in the "Grand Finale" debate Barbara Tillmans produced at GCTV, that immediately following it, I asked him to come on Local Bias. I didn't think he was going to win the election, but I thought he would make a great guest, and he has agreed to appear at a future date to be determined.
With seven televised debates, the voters certainly had the opportunity to hear the candidates. Kudos to all the groups and producers which sponsored the debates, as well as the staff at GCTV which provided valuable technical support.
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