Council Passes Pro-Democracy Resolution Amid Concerns Raised by Councilor Ette. Rooney Appointed to DPW Building Committee

Council Passes Pro-Democracy Resolution Amid Concerns Raised by Councilor Ette. Rooney Appointed to DPW Building Committee

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Town Council, August 18, 2025

This meeting was held in hybrid form in Town Hall and was recorded.

Present
Lynn Griesemer (President, District 2), Andy Steinberg, Mandi Jo Hanneke, (at large), Cathy Schoen and Freke Ette (District 1), Pat DeAngelis (District 2), George Ryan and Hala Lord (District 3), Pam Rooney (District 4), Bob Hegner and Ana Devlin Gauthier (District 5). Absent: Ellisha Walker (at large) and Jennifer Taub (District 4)

Staff: Paul Bockelman (Town Manager) and Athena O’Keeffe (Clerk of Council)

Resolution in Support of Democracy Sparks Lecture from Councilor Ette
The “Resolution in Support of Democracy and Calling for a Return to the Constitutional Principles that are the Foundation of our Republic” introduced by Sarah Marshall and sponsored by Town Councilors Lynn Griesemer and Hala Lord was on the Consent Agenda, meaning it would be approved without discussion unless a councilor objected. The resolution passed the Governance, Organization, and Legislation (GOL) committee of the council by a 4-0 vote at their August 12 meeting. However, Frekke Ette, who is on GOL and voted that the resolution was “clear, consistent and actionable” at the August 12 meeting, asked that the resolution be removed from the Consent Agenda.

Community sponsor Marshall stated in public comment, “The United States faces a moment of unprecedented danger in which the very people who have been elected to uphold our Constitution and enforce our laws are deliberately doing the exact opposite. Elected representatives, as a body, in every town, city, and state must go on record as opposing the unconstitutional and illegal actions of the president, his appointees, and other bad actors. Silence is consent. Amherst will join a growing list of jurisdictions around the country that are passing such measures. The resolution before you closely follows the one passed unanimously by the Boston City Council earlier this month.”

The resolution states in part: “NOW THEREFORE, we the Amherst Town Council do hereby resolve that the unconstitutional and unlawful actions of President Trump and his appointees should be condemned; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge the Massachusetts Congressional delegation to continue to push their Congressional colleagues to exercise their legislative authority to enforce the Constitution, to work with the Judicial Branch to restore the separation of powers, and to ensure that illegal or unconstitutional acts, including acts of corruption, are overturned.” It additionally recognizes Constitution Day on September 17, marking the day the Constitution was ratified in 1789.”

In explaining his reason for removing the resolution from the Consent Agenda, Ette spoke for over 10 minutes. After presenting a summary of the resolution, he said, “Not all action is good action, and public speech, while still free, is not always efficacious. I would support a resolution that is rewritten to address how these actions have a local impact. The resolution contributes to the divisiveness in our current political discourse. It lacks or downplays the effects of the administration’s actions on our community in Amherst, and ultimately, its final objectives are unachievable. Amherst did not create the divisiveness that we observe, however we can contribute to fanning the flames. The resolution would do that by alienating people who agree with the administration and by emphasizing partisanship in the council. There are people who support specific actions by the administration. One need not agree with these positions to recognize that these voices exist and deserve to be heard. Councilors who oppose the administration can form a caucus and speak for themselves without having to speak for the entire town.” He concluded, “Ultimately, the resolution as it is written will amount to an empty gesture, because it can’t actually be put into effect. If you believe the resolution should pass even if its logic is constitutionally incoherent, then the request amounts to hypocrisy.”

The objection to the resolution drew support only from Mandi Jo Hanneke, who thanked Ette for “stating some of the concerns I also had.” There was some mention of interested councilors working with Ette to recraft the resolution to emphasize the local impacts, but the original resolution subsequently passed 8-0-3 (with Ette, Hanneke, and Bob Hegner abstaining and with Jennifer Taub and Ellisha Walker absent).

Rooney Will Represent the Council on the DPW Building Committee
At the July 21 Town Council meeting, the council was deadlocked 6-6 with one absent in choosing either Pam Rooney or Mandi Jo Hanneke to serve on the DPW Building committee. The issue was postponed to this meeting. George Ryan changed his original vote and decided to support Rooney rather than Hanneke after Rooney said she would resign from the Jones Library Building Committee (JLBC) if chosen to serve on the DPW committee. Six councilors expressed support for Rooney to five for Hanneke. Ryan, Ette, Lord, Hegner, Rooney, and Cathy Schoen supported Rooney. The formal vote to appoint her was 10-1, with only Pat DeAngelis voting no.

Rooney said she would like to participate in the plan for a new DPW from the ground up. Most of the decisions for the Jones project were made before she was appointed to that building committee. She stated, “My background from the last decades has been directed toward the development of plans and projects in which one has to analyze space needs, circulation and traffic needs, storage and functionality requirements—and that is everything from site planning to building planning and construction. The types of projects that I’ve been involved in as a project manager and as a participant have ranged greatly, but all of them require serious consideration of the desires of the people who will be working in the building.” 

Hanneke stressed her commitment to keep costs of the building down. “Money has to be considered,” she said, “and that might and will require trade-offs between optimal desires and what is minimally needed and can fit into what we can afford. And those questions must be asked regularly, repeatedly, and not forgotten.” 

Ryan supported Rooney’s nomination, saying, “I like the fit that Councilor Rooney provides, her background, her experience. I have no doubt that she will be cost-conscious and be paying close attention to the issues of budget.” 

Andy Steinberg felt it was important that Rooney stay on the JLBC. “We’re in a very precarious situation with that building, because cost factors have to be controlled very carefully,” he said, “And there are going to be potential changes that are going to come, and somebody who has the experience of being on that committee provides a very important role to play.”

Griesemer maintained that it is not necessary to be a construction expert to be on a building committee, and said that she had served on two committees that looked at the fire stations and one that looked at the DPW.

Devlin Gauthier said  that she was concerned that Rooney had not provided much information about the JLBC to the council. Rooney responded that Hanneke is a good communicator, and said,   “There are dozens of questions that I would have liked to have asked [about the Jones project] — I would have had a lot of questions on space” but she had not been on the committee during the formative process.

After Rooney was appointed to the DPW building committee, DeAngelis asked if perhaps there could be two councilors on the committee. Town Manager Paul Bockelman said that there are a number of other people who he feels would be beneficial to the committee, so he limited it to one councilor. He said he would reconsider, but “having one councilor is really the right way to go.”

Rooney will submit her resignation from the JLBC in writing to the Town Clerk. The council will select her replacement in September.

Borrowing to Study Upgrade for Wastewater Treatment Plant Referred to Finance Committee
Superintendent of Public Works Gilford Mooring asked the council to approve borrowing $750,000 to study how the wastewater treatment plant can be upgraded. Mooring said the funding would enable a complete study in order to develop a plan to bring the facility up to current state-of-the-art operations. The money would be repaid through additional assessments to sewer rates. 

He said that the matter had been inadvertently dropped from the capital budget and deliberations about it, but had been planned. 

Griesemer expressed her concern about the condition of the plant and said she looks forward to seeing the results of the study. The borrowing was unanimously referred to the Finance Committee, which will discuss the matter on August 19 and bring a recommendation back to the full council at the September 8 meeting.

Read more: Finance Committee Recommends $750k Wastewater Treatment Study (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

Housing Production Plan Referred to CRC
The Housing Production Plan (HPP) developed by the Planning Department with consultation from the Barrett Consulting Group was unanimously referred to the Community Resources Committee (CRC) of the council. The Planning Board adopted the plan, and Planner Nate Malloy urged the council to do the same. The HPP is required by the state, and Amherst’s previous plan dates from 2013. “It focuses on the unmet need of affordable housing at a range of incomes,” Malloy said. He explained that the state has a prescribed process for the HPP that includes a needs assessment, goals, implementation strategies, and a target number of units to create. “It’s a roadmap and a framework” for local action to try to achieve unmet need, he said. Local actions could include zoning changes, policy changes, or bylaw changes. However, he added that if the town adopts the plan, it is not obligated to do everything in it or even meet the production goals.

Ryan asked about prioritizing the many strategies proposed and whether decisions about the strategies would come from staff or the council. Malloy asked councilors with questions about the lengthy document to let planning staff know their concerns. CRC will hold a public hearing on the plan on November 13 and then bring a recommendation to the following council meeting. 

Construction of Amherst College Dorm Interfering with Access to Laughing Dog Bicycles
The construction of the five-story, 22-apartment building behind the former Hastings that will serve as a dormitory for Amherst College students means that large construction vehicles are parked in the alleyway between the buildings at 55 and 63 South Pleasant Street and are impeding the access to Laughing Dog Bicycles, which has been located at 63 South Pleasant Street since 1984. The entrance to the bicycle store is at the rear, through the alley.

In public comment, Krista Osterling Rising appealed to the council on behalf of new Laughing Dog owner Brian Ogilvie, whose business is being seriously impacted by the construction. She said Ogilvie purchased the business from founder Parker Ramspott, who had intended to help with the transition in ownership, but who died unexpectedly in 2024. Rising said that Ogilvie is a young business owner with two young children, whose business pays taxes to the town and is helping people to get out of their cars and bicycle around town. She noted that the return of college students to town is a particularly crucial time for the business. “Those construction vehicles need to be moved,” she stated. 

No Action on Heatherstone Mini-Roundabouts
Town Services and Outreach (TSO) Chairperson Steinberg said he hoped the council would be discussing whether to keep the mini-roundabouts on Heatherstone Road or replace them with other traffic-calming measures; the topic was not on the agenda because Griesemer wanted to obtain additional information. TSO had voted last week to recommend that the roundabouts be removed.

Schoen noted that the neighborhood strongly supported the removal of the roundabouts in favor of speed humps. She said that when the roundabouts were installed, Mooring had assured the council that they could be removed “easily.” Griesemer stated that the Clerk of the Town Council asked Mooring to prepare a memo that talks about the cost of removal, the alternatives, and the timeline to make those alternatives available.