It is Time for Representative Jenny Balinsky Armini to Represent Us All.

8th District Representative Jenny Armini was recently featured in a local newspaper guest column gushing about the collective good allegedly to be served by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts force feeding G.L. c. 40A (MBTA Community Zoning Act) to the town of Marblehead.   Like a porcupine swallowed by another animal, however, that Act was not ingested at Town Meeting on May 7th.  A majority of Representative Armini’s constituents in Marblehead rejected her advice to just take the medicine as it comes or else.

Not only did Representative Armini feature all the good intentions and vibes that come along with allowing developers to come into town and construct high density multi-family dwellings “as of right” to use the terms of Section 3A of the statute, she – and others in favor of this overreach – provided a detailed rendition of the evil that would befall Marblehead should it decide to determine its own land use fate.  One may form the notion that not only was the in terrorum aspect of the Healy-Driscoll Administration’s approach to this “mandate” something about which Representative Armini and the G.L. c. 40A acolytes quick to outline – it was something they took pleasure in threatening opponents with. 

There is a clue about the duties and obligations of the job in its title: “Representative.”  The title should clearly indicate to Ms. Armini that her job isn’t to espouse and shove doctrine she personally believes down the throats of her constituents – which include everyone in her district whether or not they voted for her.  Her job is to represent those constituents in the Massachusetts legislature – as a whole.   It sometimes seems that she (and other legislatures) lose sight of that fact far too often.

A majority of Representative Armini’s constituents in Marblehead spoke last night – and they were loud and clear.  Not only was Art. 36 of the Town Warrant defeated, a particularly underhanded attempt to disenfranchise the majority by motion to reconsider, filed after 300 or so people left town meeting, was resoundingly also rejected by those who hung in there. 

So, it is time for Representative Armini to sharpen her pencil and get to the representation part of being a Representative.    

There is a split in the constituents of the 8th District.  Some towns have or will vote to comply with G.L. c. 40A.  Marblehead has voted not to do so.  Representative Armini should get to work filing emergency legislation for towns and cities to safely opt in or out of compliance.  That very issue is now pending before the SJC as I understand it.

But we need not wait for a decision, the legislature can act.

So, I call upon Representative Armini to propose and Amendment to G.L. c. 40A to make it clear that the choice it up to the cities and towns as to whether they do or do not wish to adopt the MBTA overlay scheme without fear of reprisal. Because that would be what it would take for her to do her job and represent us all.

Representative Armini may be reached by email at Jennifer.Armini@mahouse.gov or via telephone at 617-722-2140.    Please make your voices heard and call and write your 8th District Representative and ask her to get to work representing the whole of her constituency.