AMHERST — With President Trump railing against the news media, and sources of independent reporting and newsgathering diminished, the death of citizen journalist Larry Kelley and the end of his blog is affecting Amherst residents on a deeply personal level.
“In a time when free speech is under attack, I’ll particularly think about him,” said Demetria Rougeaux Shabazz, board vice president for Amherst Media.
Amherst resident Andrea Battle said Kelley gave voice to the underrepresented and in his decade-old blog, Only the Republic of Amherst, wasn’t afraid to take the town manager, school superintendent and elected officials to task.
“I feel like he spoke truths to power,” Battle said.
They were among 50 residents who gathered on the Town Common Monday evening holding a variety American flags, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and having a moment of silence to honor the lifelong resident who was killed Friday in a two-car accident in Belchertown.
The crash, in which Kelley’s vehicle collided with a vehicle driven by an 18-year-old Belchertown man, remains under investigation, said Mary Carey, a spokeswoman for the Northwestern district attorney’s office. Carey said she anticipates “exhaustive” work will be done to determine what happened, though there is no timeline for when more details will be released.
Monday’s vigil was organized by Bonnie MacCracken, a mother of an Amherst firefighter and a military veteran.
“People needed to come together,” MacCracken said. “People are really mourning his loss.”
A celebration with patriotism was the most appropriate way to pay respects to Kelley, she said, because he was a champion of public safety and the American flag, and had long pushed for commemorative flags to be flown every Sept. 11.
In recent years, Kelley, 62, became most known for his blog, which many described as appointment reading covering town government, school affairs, and the impacts of alcohol-fueled behavior by college students on Amherst, as well as publishing aerial photographs using his drone.
“It’s not the same thing on my computer any more,” MacCracken said.
“I felt like all I had to do was read the blog and I’d know the full story,” said Amherst resident Stephanie Jernigan.
Shabazz said whether readers agreed or disagreed with Kelley, his commentary on public meetings and activities brought Amherst residents together.
Many of those at the vigil were fellow Town Meeting members, often on opposite sides of issues. Still, Maurianne Adams of Precinct 10, said she marveled at Kelley’s commitment, vitality, energy and even silliness. Rolf Karlstrom, also of Precinct 10, said Kelley personified an ability to work with others, even when disagreeing on topics.
Finance Committee Chairwoman Marylou Theilman said Kelley attended the meeting last Thursday when budgets for the police and fire departments were presented. That night, firefighters praised his use of the drone to get insights into the blazes they battle.
“He was told how wonderful his drone was for seeing fires,” Theilman said.
Also attending the vigil were Kelley’s brother, Tom Kelley of Hadley, and sister Peggy Garcia, of Virginia.
A wake will be held at Douglass Funeral Service, 87 North Pleasant St., from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, and a funeral from St. Brigid’s Church, 122 North Pleasant St, at 10 a.m. Friday.
MacCracken said a GoFundMe account is being set up to raise money to pay for the education of Kelley’s daughters, Kyra, 15, and Jada, 10.
Just two days before his death, Kelley appeared before the Amherst School Committee as its members responded to an Open Meeting Law complaint he filed, contending that three members illegally strategized out of public view prior to the Jan. 30 Town Meeting vote on authorizing borrowing for the Wildwood School project.
Chairwoman Katherine Appy, who along with her colleagues denied any wrongdoing, that night described the complaint as fitting a pattern.
“I don’t know if this action is a purposeful distraction. However, I do know this: In my six years of serving on School Committee the complainant and others have opposed and attacked hard-working people on the committee more times than I care to count,” Appy said.
“This complaint seems just the latest in a long line of attacks on the character and motivation of people based on their public service This kind of public discourse is a terrible model for our community, and most especially for our children.”
In the early years of his blog, Kelley was apt to criticize officials, including dubbing then-Town Manager Larry Shaffer as “the town mangler,” and snapping photographs of former Amherst Select Board member Anne Awad outside her new home in South Hadley.
In 2008, the Select Board considered adopting a resolution to “stand in opposition to accusations of wrongdoing and efforts made by various members of the community that have led to the premature resignation of Miss Awad from the board.”
The motion, which was withdrawn at the time, was seen by some observers as a reference to Kelley, whose blog featured regular commentary on Awad’s residency status.
The blog also featured party houses of the week and photographs of arrested drunken drivers at their arraignments in court.
Zac Bears, a 2015 UMass graduate, is one of those who questions some of Kelley’s tactics, even while acknowledging that he faithfully read the blog when he was an undergraduate.
“The core work he did to bring attention to issues was an incredible service to the community,” Bears said.
But when Bears’ friend Hannah Frilot was struck and killed by a vehicle in 2014, Kelley posted graphic details about the accident that affected her family and friends. Bears said Kelley also made disparaging remarks following the revelation of the 2013 heroin overdose of Eric Sinacori.
“In both cases, when we talked to him about changing his coverage, he was not responsive. He was rude because we had made that request,” Bears said.
In 2012, when a UMass student died in an off-campus fall, an anonymous commenter on his blog complained that Kelley had revealed her name, when neither the Amherst fire or police departments nor the Gazette had released her identity.
“Why did you think you should?” the commenter asked Kelley.
Kelley responded, “It’s called ‘the public’s right to know.’”
Denise Barberet, a Precinct 9 Town meeting, said she understands people didn’t always like Kelley’s views, but she said he was was genuine.
“I’m sure it was distinctly unpleasant for people to be called out by Larry,” Barberet said. “But he called them out because he cared deeply about this town and its residents.”
Rob Kusner, a Precinct 3 Town Meeting member, said he called Kelley a friend, even though they disagreed on many issues.
“I admired his dogged persistence on so many issues of public importance, even when I was his occasional target,” Kusner said in an email. “At the same time it was a pleasant surprise to witness his growth as a photographer, as a reporter and as a commentator on all things Amherst. ”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
