To the Editor:
Good grief, Great Barrington. What the heck is the Green Tea Party, why do we need one, who are they, and why do they keep making so much noise?
Good question. Let’s see if we can answer.
The Green Tea Party is basically anybody who has taken a deep breath before walking up to the mike at Town Hall and saying what you think.
It used to be that meetings in Town Hall were a snooze. Not all of them, but so many of them. The agendas and process were stiff and slow, the language was full of acronyms and regulations and jargon. (OK, that’s never gonna change.) But all too often, the public in the back of the room felt like we were eavesdropping on something. What was worse – we felt lonely. Most of the time, there were more people on the dais than in the audience.
Then something changed: Main Street. As the people of GB witnessed the DOT turn our downtown into something we hardly recognize, the implications became very clear. If we don’t pay closer attention, bad things can and will happen. So we started to speak up, more loudly, more often. And suddenly we filled the room and spilled into the hallway, and Searles School was saved from demolition and the Green Tea Party was born.
So hey, who appointed us? Nobody; we just stood up and found each other. You can stand up, too.
Turns out, this really is the way to influence the outcomes, the future of our town. Sure, the process can get messy. When you ask sensible questions like “Why do our taxes go up every year?” and “Why is the Town paying rent on the Old Firehouse?” and “How come the affordable housing goes on the worst piece of land?” — it can even get scary. And mistakes do get made, (we apologize in advance) — and pushback is inevitable. But isn’t that better than nothing?
The way GTP works still isn’t clear – it’s too soon. In some ways, it feels like an Occupy movement: meetings are open to all, friendly, lively bordering on the unruly, good-natured. Neighborly! We’ve met in cafes and libraries. We’ve invited guests, to listen and learn. We’re inviting you. (Find us on Facebook.)
We’re still scratching our heads over the name itself — Green as in Green Party (think: progressive, environmentalist) — Green Tea as in counterculture (think: farmer’s market, yoga) — Tea Party as in populist loudmouths. Mostly, we like the name for its humor. It’s NOT the Tea Party – not even close. It’s the un-cola! Much more importantly, it’s a few dozen people (and counting) who have decided to get involved and stay involved.
Our goal is to get the voters on their feet, to understand the way decisions get made, to play watchdog and increase the conversation. Grass-rootsy. And to use common sense as our No. 1 argument.
Our motto is “Do Your Homework.” So if you have read this far, thank you, and please join in.
See you Tuesday at the ZBA.
Ron Blumenthal
Nan Wile
Beth Carlson
Elizabeth Orenstein
Bobby Houston
Laury Epstein
Carol Diehl
Gabrielle Senza
Steve McAlister
