For the past year, I have been attending Select Board meetings and posting recaps of those meetings on this site. In that time, I have learned an enormous amount about what the Select Board does and how it works. I have learned about how it responds to the public; how it deals with the Town Manager, Town staff and committees; how it approaches the budget; and how it makes decisions on matters large and small. I have learned so much about how the Select Board serves the community and I have written about it so that others might learn it too.
Along the way, I have also been critical. The more I learned about the Select Board, the more I recognized that I have a fundamental philosophical disagreement with many of its members about what role it should play and how it should provide leadership to Amherst. At the core of my criticism is how the Select Board chooses to use its authority and prioritize its time. I strongly believe that different choices would yield better results for the town.
Over these many months and meetings, I have also developed great respect for the people who sit at those desks. I see how hard they work to try to fulfill their own ideals for that role, and I know that they sincerely believe that their decisions and actions are best for Amherst. I don’t have to agree with them to respect their efforts and dedication.
So having become both increasingly knowledgeable about and increasingly critical of the Select Board, I feel that I should run for one of the seats that will be up for election in the spring. I could just continue to offer my critiques from the peanut gallery, or I could step up and work to create the kind of clear focus and collaborative productivity that I would like to see on the Select Board.
And so I will.
Mark your calendars. The election is April Fools’ Day.
-- Stephanie O’Keeffe
Comments
Way to go, Stephanie.
Posted by: Mary Carey | November 29, 2007 04:58 PM
I applaud your decision and your reasons for it. I believe that you will communicate with your constituents and do right by them. You may even have inspired me to run for Town Meeting.
Posted by: John Coull | November 29, 2007 05:55 PM
Congrats!! Looking forward to your positive changes.
Posted by: John Thibbitts | November 29, 2007 06:13 PM
Count me in as a supporter and add my name to any lists endorsing your candidacy.
Posted by: Nina Wishengrad | November 29, 2007 07:28 PM
Stephanie -
We're so happy you have decided to run! As you know, you have lots of support.
Jeff and Marilyn
Posted by: Jeff and Marilyn Blaustein | November 29, 2007 08:21 PM
I'm delighted to hear this Stephanie, and look forward to helping your effort any way I can. What a remarkable and wholly admirable statement of your love for this town that you will willingly shoulder the considerable burden of SB membership!
Posted by: Stephen Braun | November 29, 2007 09:21 PM
Add my name to the list of supporters. Your voice, insight, and level-headed thinking will continue to serve Amherst.
Posted by: Todd Felton | November 29, 2007 10:06 PM
Well...you can't possibly be worse than Kusner.
Posted by: Larry Kelley | November 30, 2007 02:04 PM
Yay!
I feel like DOING something to help you win by a landslide, but I suppose it's a little too early to put up a yard sign...
Posted by: Gavin | November 30, 2007 04:23 PM
Alisa won by a "landslide" and look what she has done.
In 1860 Lincoln won with only 40% of the popular vote, and look what he did.
Posted by: Larry Kelley | November 30, 2007 04:51 PM
I am very excited about your decision to run for SB.I hope you will train someone to do your blog after you are elected. Many of us depend on it
Posted by: nancy gregg | November 30, 2007 05:57 PM
Stephanie:
There is no doubt that you would be a terrific Select Board member, and so it is kind of awkward to suggest that you think of not running for the Board. Here is my thought about that. I have lived in Amherst for over thirty five years and we have never had information about town events with the scope and accuracy of your blog reporting, which dozens and dozens of people take as the definitive record of town history in our times. It is clear that almost anyone might run for the Select Board and have a fragmentary impact on what happens there, but if you were to take that route, we would lose you as the town historian, and I cannot imagine finding a suitable replacement for the invaluable job that you do in that role, which I believe you could not continue if you were to be on the Select Board. In short, my analysis is that while the town would profit from your services in either role, by moving from town historian to the Select Board, as assessed against the probable counterfactual consequences, you would be doing us all a disservice. Please give this plea some thought in making a final decision. If prestige is in any way involved, I would be happy to join a movement to find some official recognition of the invaluable service you play for the town in your current role.
Thanks for the blog in any event.
Bob Ackermann
Posted by: Bob Ackermann | December 1, 2007 09:22 AM
I too will miss the benefits of Stephanie's thorough and informative accounting of the political process in town. I've felt for a long time though, that we would reap even more benefits as a community by having her on the other side of the podium. I'm thrilled, and extremely grateful that she's willing to give it a go.
Thanks Stephanie!
Posted by: Marcy Sala | December 1, 2007 03:32 PM
Hey folks get a clue: This is the digital age. The “blogging colleen” of Amherst does not work for the crusty Gazette or Bulletin and as such she can do whatever she damn well pleases with her blog or Inamherst.com even after election.
I so vividly remember (and regret) almost five years ago when my editor Nick Grabbe informed me I would sacrifice my Bulletin column not only during the 6 week election period but also for the entire 18 months I would serve as Charter Commissioner.
And I figured I could do more good for the Charter change writing my column and occasional Letters to the editor. In 2004 that Mayor/Council/Town Manager change lost by 14 lousy votes. And it all came down to a fateful 5-4 decision of the Commission (ever so strongly urged by Chair Bryan Harvey) to make the Mayor a weak, ribbon-cutting figurehead and maintain the Town Manager (because Barry Del Castilho needed the job).
Had I been a Commissioner, it would have been a 5-4 vote in favor of a STRONG Mayor.
This time that mistake will not be repeated. And I can assure you, if Stephanie is elected (fairly safe bet) she will most definitely NOT serve out her three-year term.
Posted by: Larry Kelley | December 1, 2007 04:14 PM
Presumably Larry doesn’t mean he’ll put a hit on me in year two… :-)
Writing about the workings of Town government has proved to be an effective way of making this information accessible and useful to many. I will continue to do this; indeed, I can’t imagine not doing it. If I am elected, the Select Board meeting accounts would likely take a different form than the current recaps, but I am certain that on balance people will know more than ever before about what the Select Board does, how, when and why.
My efforts thus far have identified and addressed needs for information, transparency and accountability. Each was based on a hunch that others would care about this stuff as much as I do. I am confident that if I am elected, the opportunities for me to learn and share more will increase. And the more we all know about how our government is working on our behalf, the better off we are as a community.
I hugely appreciate all of this support. Thank you very much.
Posted by: Stephanie O'Keeffe | December 1, 2007 06:37 PM