Bill Dwight Show



 


He's local, he's funny, progressive, irreverent and topical and he's on the radio airwaves on Northampton's choice for news, entertainment and the arts, WHMP! Weekdays from 9:00-10:00am it's "The Bill Dwight Show" and Saturdays from 7:00-8:00am its "The Bill Dwight Rewind Show." Contact Bill at bdwight@whmp.com.

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November 6, 2009

November 6th, 2009 by Jaz

Hey, here’s a head’s up: DON’T go to the Arts and Industry building this weekend for Open Studios. Because it’s not happening THIS weekend. It’s NEXT weekend. Too bad Hilary Price wasn’t available to correct our egregious mistake. But it’s okay - she’ll be here Monday.

Anyway, today we talked to Chris Smither, who’ll be at the Iron Horse tomorrow night. Plus Russ Peotter, General Manager of WGBY, talks about this weekend’s Northampton Independent Film Festival.

Then Jaz, Kelsey, and Monte all gang up on Bill about running The Mayor Higgins’ Hot Chocolate Run to benefit Safe Passage.

November 5, 2009

November 5th, 2009 by Jaz

Bill and Jaz get popped on a glass of cider each when Terry Maloney and Charles Olchowski come in to talk about this weekend’s Cider Days celebration.

November 4, 2009

November 4th, 2009 by Jaz

It’s the post-election breakdown, with Liberal Oasis host Bill Scher and re-elected Northampton Mayor Clare Higgins.

Oh, and Maine? Bite me.

November 3, 2009

November 3rd, 2009 by Jaz

It’s election day! Get out and vote! Do it for Daily Hampshire Gazette reporter Bob Flaherty, who thinks he should still be able to vote in Northampton despite not living here anymore. We also talk to author and local economies advocate Michael Shuman, who will be speaking at River Valley Market this Sunday.

November 2, 2009

November 2nd, 2009 by Jaz

Happy Birthday to an organization we wish didn’t have to exist. Heidi Nortonsmith and Rebecca Neimark of the Northampton Survival Center tell us about 30 ways you can help them celebrate 30 years.

Plus, Bill gives his endorsements. Since he tends to run on a bit, he didn’t even have time to read his whole endorsement for mayor, so I’m posting it - along with links to other endorsements - below.

Full text of Bill’s mayoral endorsement:

Well, my endorsement for Clare Higgins doesn’t qualify as a surprise, I know.

But, I haven’t actually said why I support her yet…at least not during this election.

Part of the problem with putting this off until the day before the election is that the endorsements for Clare Higgins in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, the Republican and La Prensa have already said much of what I was inclined to say … so I’ll just tell you why I admire Clare Higgins and why I have grave concerns about Michael Bardsley.

I have known Clare for sometime… I first encountered her when I went along as a board member of People’s Institute with the director, Maryann Ryan to lobby for Community Development Block Grant Funds for an elevator. The deal is… you apply for these federal monies that the City allots for qualifying projects… projects that improve the lot of people in need. Before we made our pitch Clare got up to speak in favor of a children’s play structure for Pulaski Park. It’s there today.

We were astonished at her casual advocacy and her command and understanding of the processes. She was a day-care manager who sounded like an uber policy wonk with a compassionate agenda and an amiable style. If you’ve seen any of the debates you’ll know what I’m talking about. When she talks… it isn’t studied or rehearsed… she knows and understands the most complicated matrixes of government and she combines that with clear, considered honest explanations.

Anyway, the director and I were so impressed that we encouraged her to run for mayor then and there. She was modest and laughed and said she was just trying to get a place for moms to take their kids downtown.

A couple of years later when she decided to run for City Council I volunteered for her campaign because I discovered that she was also one of the most effective champions for people who did not enjoy access to wealth and the privileges it brings. She was a social justice activist before it was called social justice. She was fighting and lobbying for not just play structures for kids… but housing for single mothers and the under-employed… and security for victims of abuse… and shelter for the homeless… and above all… dignity for people who suffered from bigotry and oppression. And she did this at a time in our City when there was considerable resistance to those ideals… and she succeeded with grace and humor… where many failed.

That is the way she conducted herself as a Councilor as well… she garnered the most votes in every election she was in … I mean the most votes of every candidate for every office… more than the mayor… more than any other councilor…. because she was thoughtful, intelligent and compassionate and effective and the voters knew it.

I later came to serve on the Council with both Michael Bardsley and Clare. Mary Ford was mayor. I was sworn-in while a fight was brewing over the housing project at Hampton Gardens. The complex was built with federal money from Housing and Urban Development to provide affordable and subsidized housing. The owners were inclined to take up Bill Clinton on his short-sighted decision to allow them to opt out of their loan agreement early and convert their property paid for by you and me… to market rate apartments. Clare and Mary Ford were doing all of the heavy lifting with the negotiations trying to preserve the affordability. Mary Ford was taking an enormous amount of heat from all sides… as was Clare. But, they pushed and persuaded the divided Council to approve a call for rent control… which forced the owners to negotiate a settlement to preserve affordable apartments. It was hard and it was ugly.

Just like the search for a location for an emergency shelter for the homeless. But, Clare was there… she was the firewall along with Mary Ford…fighting to see that it happened despite some of the most vile neighborhood reactions.

She was the same way as the Mayor. She governs from her conscience and her convictions. Clare Higgins has never made a politically expedient choice in her life. She negotiates and compromises and makes decisions for the city…. not for her career or her personal legacy or her personal gain.

Michael Bardsley has very little to show for his sixteen years in public service. He was the Council president for much of the time I was on the Council. And when he was confronted by the councilors for his ineffectiveness he promised to reform and be more responsive and more pro-active… he continued to disappoint until he was voted out of the position almost unanimously.

His offer of change …now…is a platitude. Whatever change he is talking about was never been realized in the sixteen years he has been in office. No one was in a better position than Councilor Bardlsey to arrange, promote and participate in public conversations then the Council President who was also one of two Councilors who represented the entire City.

The discussion about the Landfill expansion started over ten years ago. Council Bardlsey didn’t call for outreach or public conversation or facilitate information meetings. The same is true of every hot button issue on the table now… or that occurred over the sixteen years he served.

David Narkewicz, by comparison, did more in one year than Councilor Bardlsey did during his entire tenure.

But, my greatest concern is the budget and budget management. That’s where everything starts and ends. The budget determines the disposition of every municipal issue from the sewage back-ups on Bridge Rd to the landfill expansion to the school challenges.

Clare Higgins has maintained one the most stable city economies in the state… despite some unique challenges.

Michael Bardsley, on the other hand, has never met with the Financial Director of the City… that means I have had more conversations in the past several years about the city’s finances with the chief architect of the $70.5 million budget than the man who aspires to be the next mayor. That means anyone who has visited Chris Pile… the financial director, only once to discuss the budget has spent more quality time trying to understand the dynamics of the document than the man who hopes to be the guy in charge soon… the person who may very well have to make decisions about this year’s budget because the governor may end up cutting promised money because the state is coming up short.

Michael Bardsley has called for a ten-year plan… except when I asked him what his plan was for a few months from now he said it’s still being played out in his mind. That’s makes me very worried.

Michael has known for some time that he wants to be the mayor. But, it seems he’s never thought much beyond his ambitions for the position. He was always cautious… to a fault… as a councilor… so as avoid anything that might jeopardize his run for mayor and as a result many of his choices were often expedient and without conviction. They were based on a calculus that would lead to this point… to tomorrow .. to election day… to be voted mayor. I have seen no evidence that he has thought much beyond Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009.

Clare Higgins is the exact opposite. Clare evolved naturally into an administrator and a leader…she didn’t aspire to it. She always started and ended from a core of principles that are rock solid. As a result, I too have disagreed with her policy positions… maybe even more than I have disagreed with Michael’s, in fact… but I’ve always trusted her motives because she was working for a city she truly loved because she loved it….and all of its facets and permutations.

Clare Higgins is easily one of the best mayors this city has known…. And we’ve had some good ones. If you have moved here in the past ten years … and you came here because Northampton was vibrant and safe and respected and embraced difference… you should know… that’s not an accident. The city you cherish didn’t just happen… Northampton is the way it is today… in large part… because one of our greatest resources is the mayor we have now. The hard working, intelligent and thoughtful mayor we have now. The same mayor we need for two more years… Clare Higgins.

Here’s Tom Vannah’s endorsement of Michael Bardsley in the Valley Advocate

October 30, 2009

October 30th, 2009 by Jaz

Last Friday of the month, we’re live in the produce section of our favorite neighborhood market, Serio’s! We’re all about opera today: light and rock. Valley Light Opera performers stop by to perform a number from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzence.” We talk to some of the Come Again Players about their shadowcast performances of Rocky Horror Picture Show and Repo: The Genetic Opera. Plus - spooky thrills with the haunted theater at the Academy of Music.

October 29, 2009

October 29th, 2009 by Jaz

Once again, so much show, so little time…

Andrew Vidal-McNair sends a surrogate, Mike Kirby, to talk about the issues with Bill. Bill takes issue with some claims made by Mr. Vidal-McNair.

For some levity, we bring in Bob Cilman and Diane Porcella of the Northampton Arts Council, but they just bum us out talking about a show we can’t go to and reminding us how we’re all gonna die.

Finally, Ward 1 councilor Maureen Carney makes her case as to why she’d like to continue serving in that position.

October 28, 2009

October 28th, 2009 by Jaz

Only six shopping days left until the election! We spend the whole hour talking to Northampton mayoral candidate Michael Bardsley. Unfortunately, it turned out an hour wasn’t enough: due to some bad timing on Bill’s part, Councilor Bardsley did not get a chance to answer Bill’s last question, which the councilor felt was loaded. I have offered him a chance to respond, either in writing or in a recorded conversation, and will post it here.

October 27, 2009

October 27th, 2009 by Jaz

Bill pays tribute to another fallen Northampton icon. RIP Bonnie.

Bill Scher joins us by phone from his company’s conference in DC to talk health care reform and climate change legislation.

We also talk with former skate rat Jesse Adams, who is running for Councilor at Large in Northampton.

October 26, 2009

October 26th, 2009 by Jaz

Peak foliage season is winding down, and soon election season will follow suit. Bill pays tribute to activist George Markham, who passed away yesterday at the age of 100 (and who, contrary to what Bill said, was discharged HONORABLY from the military, despite his communist views). We fill the studio with librarians - well, two librarians. Not like it’s a clown car or a phone booth stuffed with them. Anyway, one of the librarians is Adam Novitt, our favorite nonthreatening human presence. The other is Beth Grishman. They’re here to talk about a community readalong. Plus we continue our election coverage with a chat with Northampton’s Ward 4 councilor David Narkiewicz, who’s now running for at-large councilor.