Election Musings

I listened to the Bill Dwight show this morning and he did a good job of summing up what this whole election season has been about. "This whole election is about hurt feelings," he said. And he's right. We've heard a lot about the need for "change" and "transparency" and "openness," but I think what that really boils down to is that a lot of people are hurt because Mayor Higgins doesn't agree with them. So they've flocked to a candidate who promises to listen and to study issues carefully and to gather people together to examine things. What I don't see in that sentiment, however, is a plan for getting things done. Let's face it, whoever the next mayor is, there will still be potholes on the streets, solid waste to deal with, a difficult economy, eye-popping class sizes, and the specter of even deeper state budget cuts. And you can be damn sure that the next mayor will raise property taxes as much as he or she is allowed to by law. In other words, there's a lot that needs to be done, and I just don't think that Michael Bardsley has presented a coherent plan for how he's going to get things done. Take the landfill, for example. I've heard the question posed to him at least 3 times: what will he do with the landfill? His response, let's see how we can reduce waste and then see what happens. I don't want the landfill to expand, but in the light of no viable alternatives, what are our options? I don't think waiting and hoping is the way to go.

And let me also say that I find it ironic that the candidate who's promising transparency and openness crows on his website about how a "majority" of Northampton voters "sent a strong message for change in city government" when they made him top vote getter in the primary. About 20% of registered voters participated in the primary. Bardsley did get the most votes, but he got roughly the same amount of votes that Gene Tacy got in the 2007 election. Using Bardsley's logic, Tacy should be the mayor right now. Yes, this could be politics as usual, but this is the guy who's supposed to be above all that.

I'm glad the election is in a only a few days because all of the electioneering going on around town has just about worn me down. I'll be drawing the line for Clare Higgins.