PAMOGRAM    January 1, 2022

DOROTHY PAM pa…@amherstma.gov

Amherst Town Councilor for District 3

Zoom into the TOWN COUNCIL SWEARING-IN, FIRST MEETING ON MONDAY, JANUARY 3RDI WILL JOIN THE MEETING VIRTUALLY AND INVITE YOU TO JOIN ME.

The Amherst Town Council will be sworn-in to office and hold their first meeting at a special meeting on Monday, January 3rd at 6:30 PM. This meeting will be held in person for Councilors, with the public being invited to attend virtually.

Swearing-in and Special Town Council Meeting Details: 

  • When: Monday, January 3rd at 6:30 PM
    • 6:30 PM – Oath of Office
    • 6:45 PM – Call to order
  • How to Attend: The public will be able to access this meeting virtually only*. Public may attend this meeting virtually via Zoom; by calling (310) 715-8592 and entering webinar ID  858 4985 8921; via Amherst Media Livestream, or by viewing on Channel 17. A meeting recording will be available following the meeting. There will be no public comment during this special meeting. 

*Pursuant to Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021, this meeting will be accessible via remote means. Members of the public who wish to access the meeting may do so via Zoom or by telephone. No in-person attendance of members of the public will be permitted, but every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time, via technological means.

~~~~Councilor Dorothy Pam’s Office Hours:

First Wednesdays 12:30—2:00— Jan 5, Feb 2, Mar 2, Apr 6, May 4, June 1, (July 6 tbd), Aug 3, Sept 7, Oct 5, Nov 2, Dec 7. And by appointment. Jones Library, 2nd Floor Meeting Room.

In addition, on  the Second Saturday of every month 10:00—12:00.  Dorothy will hold joint hours with newly elected District 3 Councilor Jennifer Taub—Jan 8, Feb 12, Mar 12, Apr 9, May 14, June 11, July 9, Aug 13, Sept 10, Oct 8, Nov 12, Dec 10 

Jones Library, 2nd Floor Meeting Room. If Library is closed due to Covid, office hours will be on my front porch at 229 Amity Street.

~~~~The FIRST DISTRICT 3 COMMUNITY MEETING of the new term of the  Amherst Town Council will be on SUNDAY JANUARY 30, 2022 from 2:00—4:30 in the Jones Library or on Zoom. Stay posted!  Other scheduled District 3 meetings are March 27, 2022 and May 15, 2022.

MY THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR

The poem that best captures this moment to my mind is Theodore Roethke’s “Root Cellar” which relishes in the fact that in times of darkness, life is still asserting itself in the hidden spaces, that times of shut down and hibernation may indeed be times of shoring up the riches of imagination and life.

Root Cellar

By Theodore Roethke

Nothing would sleep in that cellar, dank as a ditch,

Bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark,

Shoots dangled and drooped,

Lolling obscenely from mildewed crates,

Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes.

And what a congress of stinks!—

Roots ripe as old bait,

Pulpy stems, rank, silo-rich,

Leaf-mold, manure, lime, piled against slippery planks.

Nothing would give up life:

Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath.

~~~~~

To make my point obvious, although we are shut up in our houses like potatoes in a dark root cellar, ideas are germinating, actions are being planned, shapes are changing, growth is occurring, life is still creating. It is not lost time.

When we emerge back into the light and fresh air, it’s possible we can find solutions to our political, economic, and social problems with new energy and light.

Dorothy