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Hey, Greylock Nation —
Welcome to this week’s episode of the Top Left Corner! Here in Williamstown, we’ve had a string of beautiful spring days over the past week or so. Naturally, we’ve got to ask ourselves how we’re going to be punished for this. A late April snowstorm? A May frost? We’ll see.
We are in the process of interviewing all of the candidates for the contested races that will be decided at the ballot box on May 11.
Today we’ve got interviews with Wade Hasty, who is running against Al Cumming’s for the 1-year Select Board seat. And also Steve Dew, who is running against Joan Diver for a seat on the board of the Williamstown Housing Authority.
We’ve had great audience participation during our candidate interviews. You can make comments or ask questions using the chat box on our show page, via email, [email protected], or our Twitter handle: @RadioFreeBerks.
If you’re here for the first time, the Top Left Corner is a locally focused weekly live internet radio show and podcast based in Williamstown, Mass. We do our best to wade through the spin and biases and cowardice and bring back the important stuff that most of us really care about. Every Wednesday, we’re going to tell you what we think about local current events and the national stories that directly affect the people of Williamston and Berkshire County. We also interview amazing guests.
–Jay and Steve
LIGHT (OR NOT)
Your co-hosts are just going to gab for a bit.
Jason’s never-ending battles with his chickens and Steve’s neurotic obsession with his cats are just two of the many subjects we’ll be riffing on.
OUR GUESTS THIS WEEK
Wade Hasty is running for the 1-year seat on the Williamstown Select Board. After Niko White and Barbara Rosenthal dropped out of the race over the past 10 days, Wade will be facing local contractor and bluesman Albert Cummings on May 11. Visit Wade’s campaign Facebook page here.
Steve Dew grew up in Williamstown in the 1970s and 1980s and attended the public schools here. He returned to live in town full-time in 2004. Steve is running for a 5-year seat on the board of the Williamstown Housing Authority. Steve will face Joan Diver on May 11. Visit Steve’s campaign Facebook page here.
LOCAL
If you’re eligible to be vaccinated in Massachusetts (we’re currently in Phase 2), the easiest way to get an appointment is by following @vaccinetime on Twitter and turning on notifications. When you get a notification that there are appointments available in your area, just click on the link provided to begin the sing-up process.
THE COMMONWEALTH
In a March 16 column for the Boston Globe, Adrian Walker discusses the precipitous decline in Gov. Charlie Baker’s approval ratings, which peaked at 78% in August 2020. We’ve been highly critical of Charlie “Blue Cross/Blue Shield” Baker’s handling of the pandemic. It seems like our fellow citizens are finally catching on.
WHO WE’RE READING, WATCHING, AND LISTENING TO THIS WEEK
Ross Barkan is one of the sharpest political observers out there. We’ve been impressed by his coverage and commentary on scandal-plagued NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo. In this essay, Barkan lays out a thought-provoking taxonomy of the sub-groups that make up the “American left.”
