Personal Statements of Candidates for Town Council for November Election

The following statements by candidates for Town Council were submitted to the Town of Amherst and posted on the town web site beginning October 6. Statements were limited to 900 characters and are reproduced below as they appeared on the town web site.  We are only posting the statements of candidates in contested races.  For the complete original postings, look here.  The Indy asked the candidates on October 9, to respond to a set of questions about challenges facing the town.  Candidate responses will be posted in the Indy on Monday, October 20.

Candidates for Town Councilor at Large (vote for three)

Ellisha May Walker (incumbent): I am a 32-year-old single parent raising my three children in Amherst, where I rent my home and work while pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy and a Graduate Certificate in African Diaspora Studies at UMass. Now in my second year, I am eager to apply the skills I’ve gained to strengthen my work on the Town Council. I also work as a Graduate Assistant in the Student Parent Programs office, supporting student parents in higher education. Having lived in Amherst my entire life, I bring a unique perspective as a lifelong resident, UMass graduate, and current At-Large Councilor. I serve on the Finance Committee and Elementary School Building Committee and co-chaired the Community Safety Working Group. If re-elected, I will prioritize affordable housing, education, infrastructure, community safety, and climate action while ensuring solutions are collaborative and community driven.

Charlotte Allegra Rice Clark: I graduated ARHS in 2003. I completed my Masters in Social Work and Urban Leadership at Simmons. I’ve worked in housing advocacy, substance and forensic treatment programs. I returned to Amherst in 2018 and parent 2 Wildwood students. I serve on the Affordable Housing Trust and chair the community Safety and Social Justice Committee. I’m running to build a safe, equitable Amherst. I believe the best solutions are driven by those most impacted by the issue, and would focus on community engagement. I’d bring curiosity, flexibility, clinical and policy skills to outreach and decision-making. I’d maintain open public communication to increase government transparency and accountability. If elected, I’ll prioritize affordable housing, well funded public education, infrastructure improvements, and community safety services, using a climate and racial justice lens.

Mandi Jo Hanneke (incumbent): As a three-term Councilor, I’ve co-sponsored legislation to address our housing affordability crisis, improve streetlighting, reform rental permitting, and protect students from cars passing stopped buses. My proposals have spurred crucial conversations about housing, government surveillance, and privacy. I’ve served on the finance, zoning, and legislation committees and sponsored measures with nearly all my colleagues. I’ve always been willing to step in and do the work to get things done.

If re-elected, I will focus my housing proposals on the strategies outlined in the Town’s new Housing Production Plan to address our affordability crisis. I will support responsible budgeting practices and seek to allocate our limited resources to our most pressing needs and that benefits the most residents. I will also keep the momentum going on meeting Amherst’s aggressive Climate Action Goals.

Andrew Churchill: I’ve lived in Amherst since 1995, I raised my kids here, and I love this town. I have a master’s in public policy, I spent my career in education, and I’ve served in many town roles, including Town Meeting, School Committee, Master Plan, and Charter Commission. So I know about budgets and town operations. Equally important, I’ve found you can get a lot done if you meet people where they are, listen more than you talk, and don’t care who gets the credit! I’m running now because I’m worried about Amherst’s fiscal sustainability. State aid is down; taxes are already high. Instead of fighting over tight resources, I want to expand the pie of town revenues. A key strategy is to build more housing, in appropriate locations, to increase both tax revenue and affordabIlIty. Priorities: 1) More Housing, 2) Excellent Schools, 3) Fix the Roads, 4) Fire & DPW Buildings, 5) Improve the Charter

Candidates for Town Councilor District 1 (vote for two)

Jillian Brevik: As a candidate for Town Council in District 1, I will bring technical expertise and community organizing skills to strengthen our local government. My priorities include fully funded public education with safe buildings and thriving special ed, arts and culture, and multilingual programs; equitable housing that centers residents over outside investors and preserves open spaces; reparative justice through CRESS, reparations, and ethical divestment; and paved roads and accessible sidewalks. I’ll champion transparent, participatory decision-making and meaningful community engagement. With professional experience in budgeting, revenue modeling, project management, and coalition-building, and with the underrepresented perspective of a parent with children in the public schools, I will bring both lived experience and bold, inclusive leadership to build a sustainable future for Amherst.

Ndifreke Ette (incumbent): I am running to serve a second term on the Amherst Town Council. As District 1 councilor, I have been committed to fostering cooperation to solve critical issues for the community. But there is more work to be done. Our aging infrastructure cries out for much needed repairs; our public schools deserve to be funded in a fiscally responsible way; we have yet to leverage the immense knowledge base from our surrounding higher ed institutions, and we continue to wrestle with quality-of-life needs of the year-long residents in tension with the demands of our student population. While Amherst’s resources are limited, our needs are numerous. I pledge to continue applying balanced judgment, consensus-building and dependable leadership as we address these present and future concerns. I will appreciate your vote on November 4.

Vincent J. O’Connor:
Roads. Some neighborhood streets are in deplorable condition, unsafe even for bicycling. A Council Public Works Committee should oversee and hold accountable that Department, and facilitate Council/public input into grant applications and paving decisions.

School Budgets. I support level-services school budgets. I’ll work to reform the Council Finance Committee’s and full Council’s processes for considering school budgets, which demean elected-town-wide School Committee members, and promote unnecessary conflict and misunderstanding.

Family Housing. I support state action to limit rent increases, will sponsor a Council legislative request to allow Amherst to adopt a rent control ordinance facilitating older apartment complex rent rollbacks, and will sponsor an ordinance prohibiting landlords/rental agencies from requiringthat prospective tenants’ weekly pay equal their monthly rent.

Cathy Schoen (incumbent): I seek re-election to see the new elementary school open and use my skills to address our fiscal and growth challenges. As Chair of Elementary School Building, Finance, and Joint Capital Planning Committees I have knowledge to build on.

*Priorities: Shepherd the school to opening; Repair roads/sidewalks; Prioritize spending on urgent needs (schools and essential Town services); Ensure that development enhances communities, protects open space/farms & provides housing; advocate for North Amherst. *The next two years will require difficult choices. I will listen and act with accountability. Trained as an economist, I have more than 45 years of experience working on pressing public concerns and an ability to analyze complex issues. Amherst has been my home for more than 40 years. I pledge to continue to be a strong independent voice for District I and all of Amherst.

Candidates for Town Councilor District 2 (vote for two)

Amber Lee Cano-Martin: I came to Amherst in 2007 as a graduate student in International Education at UMass and immediately fell in love with the town. My husband William and I bought our home here in 2010.We now have 2 kids, Javier (9) and Carlos (14), and our family is biracial and bilingual. For the past 16 years, I’ve worked with the labor union SEIU as an educator and organizer. I have been active in local politics for 9 years; I was on Town Meeting, Amherst Sanctuary, and worked on 2 different school committee candidate campaigns. My priority issues are: making smart decisions about infrastructure, fully funded schools, good/safe roads, participatory, inclusive, and transparent local government, and immediate action on climate initiatives and racial justice. If elected, I will serve with transparency, kindness, and inclusivity.

Jason Michael Dorney: I want to see Amherst thrive, live the values we profess, and be a more accessible place to live for generations. However, we face perpetually rising expenses, and Amherst residents bear the burden of high taxes while being asked to accept cuts to all services. Our schools, roads, and municipal department buildings fall apart, while housing becomes increasingly inaccessible for many. My main priorities are: to address our consistent budget shortfalls by increasing town revenues through smart and thoughtful growth, forward-thinking planning, sensible zoning reform, and reasonable density increases in the Town Center and village centers, while maintaining our towns integrity and historical charm; to address our housing shortage by advocating for diverse types of housing; and to prioritize transparency and collaboration to avoid yearly budget conflicts.

Lynn Griesemer (incumbent): Our public schools face unprecedented challenges, from stressed local revenues to a long-term enrollment decline to the much different future our children will face. I’m committed to working with the school committees and the Council to develop a sustainable financial strategy for our schools that responds to our realities today and tomorrow.Our progress on the elementary school and library projects reverses years of neglect of public infrastructure. I want to continue the job with a comprehensive plan for roads and sidewalks, affordable solutions for Fire and DPW, and upgrades to the Bangs Center to better serve seniors. I’ve supported concrete steps to forge a safer and more just community: CRESS, our alternative response programs for non-violent and mental-health related emergency calls; the Town’s first Del Office; and process to establish a police resident oversight board.


Candidates for Town Councilor District 3 (vote for two)

Patrick Drumm: As a UMass Amherst alum, parent of two students in our public schools, and a project manager here in town, I’m deeply invested in Amherst’s success. I’m running to strengthen school funding, expand affordable housing for families and renters, and ensure our infrastructure, including roads, the fire station, and the DPW, meets community needs. I’ll collaborate with our colleges to offset tax shortfalls and bring shared resources to town. Above all, I believe in transparent governance, inclusive decision-making, and protecting the safety and well-being of all Amherst residents.

Heather Hala Lord (incumbent): no statement submitted yet

George Ryan (incumbent): I have served District 3 for five years. I am proud of my service and eager to return. If re-elected I will use my experience to focus on the specific needs of District 3 residents: roads, sidewalks, potholes, bike, traffic and pedestrian safety. I want residents to feel that their government works for them. I want to find a way to fully fund our schools that also recognizes the needs of the entire community and the services it depends
place, we must attend to their needs. I want to work with the Town Manager to help craft a five-year plan to address the growing backlog of road and sidewalk repairs as well as address badly needed upgrades to the Wastewater Treatment Plant, and I want to help create a plan that will ensure adequate maintenance of our extensive athletic and recreational fields.

Candidates for Town Council District 4 (vote for two)

Dillon Maxfield – no statement submitted yet

Jennifer Lynn Taub (incumbent): *Promote a healthy, sustainable balance between our year-round and student residents to reverse the trend of a declining non-student population.
*Ensure that any zoning and permitting changes incentivize new construction designed and priced for families, retirees and our local workforce.
*lncrease and prioritize funding for road and sidewalk repair.
*Provide timely responses to constituent concerns.
*Work with the School Committees to craft a school budget that balances immediate priorities with future needs.
*Adopt downtown design standards that retain Amherst’s small-town New England vibe, attracting visitors from the local area and beyond to support a 12-month economy.
*Ensure all voices are heard and have a seat at the table when policies are being formulated.
*Break ground on the new DPW facility and Fire/EMS Station.
* Align budgeting and procurement with environmental goals.

Pamela Susan Rooney (incumbent): Pam’s Vision:

• Increased State lands/UMass Payments-in-lieu-of Taxes and the right to tax privately operated (public-private partnership P3) dorms on UMass campus.
• Reduce conversions of homes into student rentals: zoning — keep the cap of 4 unrelated occupants, set distance limits; promote programs such as Amherst Community Land Trust.
• A downtown that looks like a college town, adaptive reuse of historic buildings, exciting public street spaces where people want to gather.
• Town Council that encourages public input makes it easier to find public cQmments, with clearer path to follow a subject through committees and council meetings.
• Get a new DPW complex built.
• Greater % of “Millionaire tax” dollars, plus Charter School funding formula reform.
• Possible Residential Tax Exemption that places less tax burden on owner-occupied homes.