A friend of mine paid to me what I took as a twisted compliment the other day. He said if he doesn't hear me complaining about something, "they," must be doing okay. Ha! Good one.
Regarding recent events almost everything has been said somewhere by someone somehow. Whether concerning the local and state elections or the alleged arsons people have weighed in via the print and broadcast media or through blogs, online forums and social networking sites like Facebook. Today a more savvy public has access to new platforms for information and communication.
As Redoubt approaches its third anniversary in February, the face of the local media has changed considerably with the addition of Northampton Media, the North Street Neighborhood Association, the renewed Northampton Community Television and countless other online venues for news, information and commentary. More issues are covered more often shedding light on the pros and cons of various scenarios.
As well I've found the first two meetings of the new City Council encouraging. All four of the new councilors ask thoughtful questions though clearly a learning curve exists for them in the ways of the board.
It wasn't long ago that Paul Spector, Maureen Carney, David Murphy and David Narkewicz were the Council's newbies. For the most part members of this now veteran group of councilors share a similar political acumen. Thus far the current crop of four newly elected councilors has changed the tenor of the board's discussions by providing pertinent and candid commentary.
Additionally under the stewardship of Ward 7 Councilor Gene Tacy the city seems to have reached consensus on the proposed purchase of a portion of the Bean Farm along with the abutting Allard Farm in Florence. With the acquisitions the city could add to its conservation land holdings, preserve agricultural land uses in the vicinity and begin the process of developing much needed recreational playing fields for our city's youth.
Due to its new members the Council is presently in a somewhat pliable standing and residents have an opportunity to step up and participate with the board before policy makers become too set in their ways. If the public comment portion of the last City Council meeting is an indication other citizens think similarly. Twenty-nine people signed up and the public comment portion of the meeting ran until nine o'clock in the evening.
Moreover, this Council has a full agenda with issues before it like the aforementioned purchases of the Bean and Allard Farms respectively, the rezoning of the city, the proposed landfill expansion, the proposed flood plain zoning changes, the preservation or removal of the Chesterfield Road dam, the redevelopment of the Three County Fairgrounds, the proposed Interstate 91 expansion at Exit 18, the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel and public safety issues not to mention the impending budget shortfall. It will be busy and there's a governor's race to consider on top of that.
As Northampton moves further into the age of information technology it should be an exciting year as the community grapples with various decisions and new unforeseen issues creep into the public consciousness.
