Park Hill Road

This is the first day of a blog I'm creating for my run as City Councilor at large in Easthampton, Massachusetts. It's rainy and gray, but the leaves are turning brilliant shades of orange, red and gold.

Yesterday I was on Park Hill Road and went to the farm stand there located on some of the most beautiful land in Easthampton. I talked to Elaine Hartley, who started the farm about 2 years ago with her husband, Russell. She said that there were 1000 acres in that area that are in an agricultural trust and that Easthampton "made it very easy," to buy and maintain the farm. She was talking about creating an "agricultural commission" which I greatly encourage.

When Elaine and Russell first moved to Easthampton (I think she said it was in 2006), they watched a City Council meeting in which the councilors gave awards to two officers who had peacefully disarmed someone with a gun. They were so impressed and turned to each other and said, "This is the way a town should be."