Opinion: Conflict Over Vacancy on Charter Review Committee Epitomizes Political Split in Town

The Government, Organization and Legislation Committee of the Town Council (GOL) declined, at their meeting of August 12, to schedule interviews to fill an open seat on the town’s Charter Review Committee. The GOL appointment discussion can be viewed here, beginning at the 28 minute mark.

Dan Muscat resigned from the Charter Review Committee in January. Since then, GOL has maintained that the applicant pool has been insufficient to consider filling the vacant seat. When GOL chair Ana Devlin Gauthier (District 5) was pressed by Councilor Jennifer Taub (District 4) at the Town Council Meeting of July 21 to contact those applicants who had not been chosen in the first selection round, she stated that she had contacted all previous applicants, but two of them told the Indy that they had not been contacted and both applied again when they learned that the open seat might be filled.

The two applicants who were not named at the GOL meeting are Anita Sarro and Darcy DuMont. Both have attended most of the committee meetings, were originally part of a sufficient pool, and have better attendance records than some of the current committee members. DuMont is a former Town Councilor from District 5 and was one of the leaders in the League of Women Voters of Amherst’s charter review, which involved hundreds of participants and produced an extensive report. Sarro, like DuMont, is an attorney who has covered the review committee for the Indy.

But the two applicants have run into an Amherst Forward brick wall. Sarro stated that when she submitted her community activity form (CAF), she was initially told by Executive Assistant to the Town Manager Angela Mills that the council had decided not to fill the position. Mills later backtracked when informed by Devlin Gauthier that a decision to leave the position vacant had not been made. Meanwhile, Council President Lynn Griesemer (District 2) has said several times that the position should not be filled at this late date in the committee’s work. The committee is slated to wrap up its work by January 2026.

Although Charter Review Committee chair Julian Hynes has advocated for filling the vacancy, apparently Amherst Forward stalwarts and review committee members Bernie Kubiak and Andy Churchill agree with Griesemer. Many excuses have been offered for not filling the open seat, e.g. that the applicant pool is not sufficiently diverse because DuMont and Sarro are the same gender, age, and race. Or that there need to be more applicants in the pool. But the main unstated objection seems to be that both DuMont and Sarro have openly advocated for more transparency and public participation in government. Both opposed the elimination of Town Meeting and both have been vocal opponents of the Jones Library demolition and expansion project. So when Devlin Gauthier moved, at the August 12 GOL meeting that the pool was sufficient, no other committee member was willing to second her motion. She then suggested that GOL bring Hynes to its next meeting to discuss the need to fill the vacancy. But Griesemer objected, wanting to get input from the entire Charter Review Committee (and knowing that Churchill and Kubiak objected to filling the open seat with either DuMont or Sarro).

Griesemer seemed anxious to prevent anyone else from joining the Charter Review committee, and her excuses for keeping the position vacant were all over the map. She noted that there had initially been a debate as to whether the committee should have seven or nine members, so having eight was not really being short a member. She said that the committee was merely advisory, and couldn’t make any real decisions so filling the position would be inconsequential. She said that Muscat had resigned early in the process, so the committee is used to functioning with eight members. She felt that the committee functions very well now and it might be “awkward” to add another member at this time. After noting the lack of diversity of the two  applicants, she said that those who are on the Charter Review Committee bring different strengths, and that it is a very good committee. 

Devlin Gauthier tried her best. She pointed out that, although the two candidates are similar, only two sitting committee members (Meg Gage and Erica Mijliin) have their demographic. Gage and Erica Mijlin are the only two women on the committee. Devlin Gauthier also  suggested adding an interview question to gauge how familiar the applicants are with the committee and its proceedings. But her appeals gained no traction with the other GOL members. 

What is Griesemer so afraid of that she is willing to twist herself in knots to prevent DuMont or Sarro from serving on the Charter Review Committee? They are both qualified and knowledgeable. Can our council president not tolerate any dissent? 

Although the Charter Review Committee holds little real power, since it will be up to the town council to accept or reject their recommendations, this dispute is emblematic of why the town needs new leadership open to diverse points of view.

Maura Keene is a retired obstetrician-gynecologist at Bay State Health Systems. Her four children are graduates of the Amherst schools. She has lived in Amherst since 1982. She is a frequent contributor to the Amherst Indy.