1. Campaigning full-time for a better ward, as told on Twitter
I want to bring the full range Zoning proposals to 11 Jul to ensure that infill is
of Ward 3’s concerns and ideas to affect Ward 3. I a ended handled with care |
Tickets are on sale now
City Hall. And I’ll bring information the 7/14 presenta ons bit.ly/pURF90
for August 6’s Vegetable
back to you—on my website, on at the Planning Bd. See 7 Jul
Garden Tour in Ward 3. I
my Twitter feed (shown to the videos, public's con- encourage you to go! Visited
right), and through good old- cerns: bit.ly/q8JaZ4 bit.ly/oRFbZi @TheChamber01060 to
fashioned face-to-face housecalls, 17 Jul #NorthamptonMA discuss new King Street
so you can participate effectively
Just a ended a mee ng 11 Jul zoning, regional tour-
before decisions are made. The
with the Northampton Met with Laura Hanson ism, and a rac ng new
future of the Fairgrounds, of Bridge
Preven on Coali on. at #NorthamptonMA businesses to
Street School, of infill, of the
90% of American addicts DPW about "No Trucks" #NorthamptonMA
economic life of our city, are all
begin using before age signage for Lincoln, Or- 7 Jul
too important to be left to a small
18 | abcn.ws/q2DKUH chard, and Elizabeth Visited @CocaCola plant
group of insiders. Doing things the
15 Jul Streets to discuss truck route
right way—the transparent way—
might be a bit messy, might take a See a video of my re- 11 Jul signage, noise mi ga-
bit longer, but it brings the whole marks during the public Spoke with staff at Flor- on, idling trucks, and
city forward together, so that all comment period at the ence Savings Bank about avoiding late night deliv-
sides feel respected and heard, no July 7 City Council restoring their spon- eries
matter what the outcome. That’s mee ng: bit.ly/o7Et5C sored speed-measuring 7 Jul
my vision for Northampton, and I #NorthamptonMA sign at Island Road to Visited Arcadia Sanctu-
ask for your vote on August 2. 12 Jul calm traffic ary, another underap-
Spoke with Suzanne at #NorthamptonMA preciated local jewel.
whoospace.com about 9 Jul Day camps, classes,
Come to my Campaign restoring streetlight hikes, birdwatching... |
Last night spoke before
Headquarters missing from Market the City Council to con- bit.ly/roTwDJ
Street vey urgent requests #westernma
Opening Party! 12 Jul from residents for traffic 7 Jul
Just spoke with Mr. Bao calming and road repair Ge ng great feedback
Saturday, July 23, 3-5pm
Lang, MassDOT District in Ward 3 going door-to-door. Am
11 Market Street 2, about reloca ng 8 Jul concerned to hear about
@CocaCola signs near See the final report of renewed dumping at
Refreshments will be Exit 19 to improve visi- Island Road and wet-
the Zoning Revisions
served bility and truck rou ng lands by the river...
Commi ee. I will watch
Visit www.arnielevinson.com to learn more, follow me on Twitter at @arnielevinson, or call 570-3243
2. Need help at City Hall?
Who are you going to call?
If you’re an ordinary ci zen trying to change a project that might cause problems, it’s easy to feel that the
odds are stacked against you. The mayor’s office, developers and special interests have plenty of power.
They have ample access to money, lawyers, consultants and the ear of the city’s professional staff. The
mayor appoints the members to the Planning Board, the Conserva on Commission, the Zoning Board of
Appeals, the Board of Public Works, and other important bodies.
When residents have legi mate concerns, I believe it’s a city councilor’s duty to advocate for them—in
public mee ngs—and bring balance to City Hall. It’s not enough to just cra policies. Their actual impact is
hammered out project by project. Nor is it enough to promise to represent ci zens’ concerns in private
board mee ngs behind closed doors—there’s no accountability. My opponent appears to have a different
a tude:
[Owen Freeman-Daniels’] condo on Woodmont Road is only a stone’s throw from the 5-acre site
of the planned development called North Street Condominiums. The 20-unit complex, proposed by
Hadley-based developer Douglas Kohl, won city approval last year, following months of intense
controversy and debate about traffic, wetlands and density.
Though Freeman-Daniels said he understood the opposition, he didn’t fight the project himself or push
the [Ward 3 Neighborhood] association to do so. A separate group, the North Street Neighborhood
association, took on that battle.
Freeman-Daniels saw his role more as immersing himself in the pros and cons of so-called infill
development - encouraging growth near downtown services, rather than suburban sprawl - and the
pros and cons of the North Street development. “I think the association has to be careful not to get
embroiled in every development project,” he said.
-Daily Hampshire Gazette, 2/5/10
“Whenever there is a proposed project, we have to remember what a City Councilor can do. I
don’t believe it is the job of a City Councilor to try to adjudicate who has what property rights. In
general that job is for the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Planning Board, the Board of Health, the
Conservation Commission, the Department of Public Works, Building Commissioner, and a variety of
other boards and administrators in the city…
“What a City Councilor can do is facilitate a conversation between a project manager and the citizens
who will be affected by a proposed project. If the project manager gives the City Councilor a voice in
how the project will proceed, the Councilor can take that position and use it to represent the
legitimate concerns of the residents he represents… I've publicly stated that I’d join the Fairgrounds
Redevelopment Corporation’s Board (if they’ll have me) if I was elected to the City Council.”
-Public letter from Owen Freeman-Daniels to Mike Kirby, published on 7/13/11
My opponent sets up a false choice for the role of councilor: a neutral arbitrator like the Planning Board or a
cozy insider. Neither is appropriate. A councilor should take in a broad range of input and then be a public
advocate for the right thing to do, especially when the interests of ordinary ci zens are at stake.
Vote Arnie Levinson for City Council
on Tuesday, August 2 at the Senior Center
Paid for by The Committee to Elect Arnie Levinson—Frank Werbinski, Treasurer, 351 Pleasant Street, PMB 122, Northampton, MA 01060. Labor donated.
![Need help at City Hall?
Who are you going to call?
If you’re an ordinary ci zen trying to change a project that might cause problems, it’s easy to feel that the
odds are stacked against you. The mayor’s office, developers and special interests have plenty of power.
They have ample access to money, lawyers, consultants and the ear of the city’s professional staff. The
mayor appoints the members to the Planning Board, the Conserva on Commission, the Zoning Board of
Appeals, the Board of Public Works, and other important bodies.
When residents have legi mate concerns, I believe it’s a city councilor’s duty to advocate for them—in
public mee ngs—and bring balance to City Hall. It’s not enough to just cra policies. Their actual impact is
hammered out project by project. Nor is it enough to promise to represent ci zens’ concerns in private
board mee ngs behind closed doors—there’s no accountability. My opponent appears to have a different
a tude:
[Owen Freeman-Daniels’] condo on Woodmont Road is only a stone’s throw from the 5-acre site
of the planned development called North Street Condominiums. The 20-unit complex, proposed by
Hadley-based developer Douglas Kohl, won city approval last year, following months of intense
controversy and debate about traffic, wetlands and density.
Though Freeman-Daniels said he understood the opposition, he didn’t fight the project himself or push
the [Ward 3 Neighborhood] association to do so. A separate group, the North Street Neighborhood
association, took on that battle.
Freeman-Daniels saw his role more as immersing himself in the pros and cons of so-called infill
development - encouraging growth near downtown services, rather than suburban sprawl - and the
pros and cons of the North Street development. “I think the association has to be careful not to get
embroiled in every development project,” he said.
-Daily Hampshire Gazette, 2/5/10
“Whenever there is a proposed project, we have to remember what a City Councilor can do. I
don’t believe it is the job of a City Councilor to try to adjudicate who has what property rights. In
general that job is for the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Planning Board, the Board of Health, the
Conservation Commission, the Department of Public Works, Building Commissioner, and a variety of
other boards and administrators in the city…
“What a City Councilor can do is facilitate a conversation between a project manager and the citizens
who will be affected by a proposed project. If the project manager gives the City Councilor a voice in
how the project will proceed, the Councilor can take that position and use it to represent the
legitimate concerns of the residents he represents… I've publicly stated that I’d join the Fairgrounds
Redevelopment Corporation’s Board (if they’ll have me) if I was elected to the City Council.”
-Public letter from Owen Freeman-Daniels to Mike Kirby, published on 7/13/11
My opponent sets up a false choice for the role of councilor: a neutral arbitrator like the Planning Board or a
cozy insider. Neither is appropriate. A councilor should take in a broad range of input and then be a public
advocate for the right thing to do, especially when the interests of ordinary ci zens are at stake.
Vote Arnie Levinson for City Council
on Tuesday, August 2 at the Senior Center
Paid for by The Committee to Elect Arnie Levinson—Frank Werbinski, Treasurer, 351 Pleasant Street, PMB 122, Northampton, MA 01060. Labor donated.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)