At-large Town Council Candidates Stress Need for More Housing at League of Women Voters Candidate Forum

By Maura Keene

This League of Women Voters Amherst held a candidate forum on October 23, featuring candidates for school committee and At-large Town Council. The forum was held in the Amherst Regional High School library and was livestreamed and recorded by Amherst Media.

Four candidates for the three at-large seats on the Town Council responded to questions submitted by the audience. The four candidates are incumbents Mandi Jo Hanneke and Ellisha Walker and new candidates Allegra Clark and Andy Churchill. Each candidate was allowed 90 seconds for each question and one minute for a closing statement. All candidates answered the same questions in varying order. Franklin County resident and League of Women Voters of Amherst member Cathy Campbell served as the moderator.

Amherst Media also has five-minute recorded statements from the candidates on its website.

The following is a summary of the candidates’ answers to the questions posed.

Increasing Turnout and Engagement with the Town Council and Other Committees

Churchill said, “I’ve been involved in town government in a number of different ways, and one of the things we’ve been thinking about on the Charter Review Committee is transparency and communication.” He pointed out that there are a lot of ways for people to be involved and to have a voice in town, but that many people aren’t aware of them. Aside from making a public comment at meetings, elected representatives should be translators to the community and from the community, He concluded, “I see my role as being a translator, somebody who can take in from the community what I’m hearing and then also distill back what the government is trying to do on your behalf.”

Walker agreed that the town “struggles with providing consistent, accessible, and transparent communications to residents.” She faulted community outreach as being too narrow, reaching out to affluent homeowners and missing large populations of the BIPOC and immigrant communities, as well as renters. She cited committees that meet during working hours as limiting participation, and of the need to honor the time and service that volunteer residents give to the town.

Clark noted that town meetings are not translated into different languages, meaning that they are not accessible to many who have limited English. She recommended that town elections be combined with state elections to increase voter turnout but Hanneke stated that this was not allowed by state law. Clark stated that the alert system on the town website was not robust, and that she often was not informed, even regarding meetings with her own district councilors.

Hanneke stated that in her role as vice chair of the Charter Commission she ran the website that posted all comments received and all drafts of the charter, as well as creating a public forum for people to comment and ask questions. She also mentioned the town’s pocket translators that are available for those with limited English.

Protecting Civil Rights and People from ICE

Clark recommended seeing how other towns have dealt with a heavy presence of ICE have come up with innovative legislation to protect residents and those documenting ICE activity. She said that Chicago has made it illegal for ICE to operate in courthouses, and she would recommend also prohibiting them from municipally owned properties and schools.

Hanneke cited a resolution she co-sponsored to protect healthcare and abortion access and supports bills at various levels to protect civil liberties. She gave the example of possible state laws that would allow police officers to charge ICE agents with violations of state laws, as California is proposing.

Churchill noted that the town reaffirmed its commitment to being a sanctuary community last year, but that might make us a target for the federal administration. He said that there is “an urgency in coming up with a real plan, working with our police, working with our schools, and working with our Town Manager and regionally.”

Walker said that an important role of the Town Council should be to look at ways to protect all rights and civil liberties, when so many are in danger at the federal level. She was proud that Amherst maintained its status as a sanctuary city, but said that the community needs to be informed about their rights and what resources are available through the town, and the town has to provide adequate funding for resources that can protect vulnerable residents, such as the CRESS program.

Working with the School Committee on the Budget

Hanneke admitted that the past year was not a good example of the Town Council and School Committee working together, but she thinks all have learned a lot. She noted that Amherst has been working with the other towns in the region to understand how each town’s budgeting works. But she said, “The town needs to find ways to increase our revenues, because if we don’t, we cannot increase the budgets the way they need to increase, because expenses are outpacing inflation and our revues can only go up so much. So, we have to be willing to look at development. Everyone is facing crazy insurance costs, and we have to find a way to have the conversations in a manner that allows us to fund every important service for all our residents.”

Churchill said that he thinks the town will continue to have “bad budget years that drive us into our respective corners fighting over inadequate resources if we don’t figure out some new revenue sources.” He noted that new housing developed over the past decade is contributing $2 million in taxes a year, which has obviated the need for an override. He said he would adopt a problem-solving mindset to figure out ways to best utilize resources.

Walker stated that the schools are not adequately funded, and that was clearly expressed in the forum with the School Committee candidates. She said that staff and programs have been cut from the schools for the entire seven years that she has been on the Town Council, and probably before that. She recommended that school funding not be looked at only during budget seasons, and that the Town Council make sure that the schools have the budget and resources they need to provide students what they need. She said that this means changing the school funding formula in the town and using free cash to support some school needs while a long-term solution to the revenue shortfall is sought.

Clark said that she graduated from Amherst High School at a time when the schools received 60% of the municipal budget, and the school was in the top 10 in the state. However, many programs have been cut since that time. She urged everyone to “listen to the voices of the students. The school newspaper just put out a series of articles that highlight some of the impacts of the cuts.” She advocated a more collaborative relationship between the School Committee and Town Council to think creatively and look at the data, and also to think about how some of the budget surplus can be used for operating expenses, because the surplus over recent years has been three times the amount cut from the school budget.

Housing Availability and Affordability

Walker stated that housing availability is one of the biggest crises that our town is facing at this time and is also a issue statewide and regionally, but there is also a need to support both renters and homeowners regarding affordability. She said rents and taxes are increasing, and that residents are having a hard time affording them. She said that the Town Council must find ways to pursue plans to accomplish the capital plan for new buildings without increasing taxes and therefore rental prices. She suggested zoning for strategically placing mixed-use buildings to generate more income and offering emergency assistance fund for residents in need.

Clark cited her role as a member of the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust and the co-chair of the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC) as making her aware of the need for affordable housing in town. She hoped that reparations funds could be made available to help BIPOC residents purchase homes in the soon to be completed Amherst Community Homes project in North Amherst. She also spoke for creating a 40R smart growth overlay district for low to moderate income housing.

Hanneke advocated for zoning changes to increase housing, and stated that she has actually proposed some changes, such as proposing legislation that would allow transfer fees on high cost real estate sales to be used for affordable housing and an unsuccessful zoning proposal that would lower barriers to building new housing. She said she also co-sponsored state legislation providing the right to attorney in eviction hearings and sealing eviction court records to prevent future discrimination. She supports the recommendations in the Housing Production Plan to create “missing middle” housing, redefining apartments, and facilitating infill.

Churchill said he believes in the role housing is playing and will continue to play in expanding town revenues and thinks that revenue generation through housing development should be a priority. He noted that incoming Finance Director Sean Mangano has worked for both the town and the schools and could encourage various committees to come together to set a target for additional revenue growth and identify the types of projects that will contribute.

Community Safety Working Group Recommendations

As co-chair of the CSSJC, Clark says that she meets regularly with the CRESS director and DEI director, and that neither has been adequately resourced. CRESS especially does not have enough responders and does not operate in the hours that would be most impactful. Also, the fact that a Youth Empowerment Center has yet to be created is particularly concerning, especially in light of cuts in the schools.

Churchill noted that several of the CSWG recommendations have been realized, such as a DEI director, but several of the recommendations regarding police department policies have not occurred. He agreed that unarmed CRESS responders could probably be utilized more, but suggested looking at different models, such as the public health model used in Northampton.

Walker, who was co-chair of the CSWG, said that a main reason she ran for Town Council was to see the actualization of the recommendations. She agreed with Clark that creation of a Youth Empowerment Center was important, because youth, especially BIPOC youth, need safe places to be in the community, and none exist now. “This is a safety issue,” she said, “Our youth are being profiled.” She also agreed that both the DEI and CRESS departments are underfunded and understaffed,

Hanneke said she agreed that CRESS is not working as envisioned and is still not getting dispatch calls, but she thought as Churchill that other models for civilian responders should be considered to improve the program.

Priorities for the Town Council

Churchill said two of his top priorities are working closely with colleagues on the council and on the School Committee to support excellence in the schools and to expand revenues by identifying appropriate sites for housing development to make budgeting less difficult.

Walker stated that her top two priorities were to lower the barriers to participation in town government, whether by serving on a committee or providing public input and to do a better job at “rooting our decision making in the values of the community, and we cannot do that if we do not hear from more of our residents.

Hanneke said that one of her goals is to propose some zoning proposals regarding affordable housing—creating more opportunity for building affordable and attainable housing. She also wants to begin conversations on the budget and school funding earlier to be open about all options, and that trade-offs will need to be made due to limited revenues.

Clark said she would like to see transparency and equity in the budgeting process. She would also like a more accurate forecast for revenue and expenses from the Town Manager, so the town does not have a $6 million surplus again. She also would like the budget process which gives the same percentage increase to all areas be changed to better reflect needs. She restated her support for the schools, the quality of roads, housing affordability, and safety of vulnerable populations.

Closing Statements

Hanneke: “In my three terms on the council, I have proven that I can forge collaborative relationships to make Amherst a vibrant, healthy town that respects all voices, addresses climate change, tackles our housing crisis, and plans for the future in a fiscally responsible manner. I’ve sponsored legislation to increase the diversity of housing in town, to generate more funding for affordable and attainable housing, to reduce our energy usage, to ensure access to health care, and to keep our kids safe when entering and exiting school buses. As can be seen, I don’t just talk about what needs done. I work to make it happen by proposing legislation. I don’t passively wait for others to propose the legislation on my priorities. I propose the solutions and usher them through the legislative process. If reelected, I’ll continue working to address our housing crisis, to improve our infrastructure and address the fact that our revenues are not keeping pace with inflation or the needs of the residents. If you put your trust in me, I’ll continue working hard to represent all of Amherst’s residents.”

Walker: “I think sometimes people don’t always see how policies and the language we use in government connect to real life experiences on the ground—how those decisions show up in people’s everyday lives. And that’s part of why I’m running for reelection. I’ve lived in Amherst my entire life. I have three children in our public schools, and I am a graduate student studying public policy at UMass where I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA average and I will graduate in May. I bring both lived and learned experience to this role. Our Town Council should reflect the true diversity of our community in terms of race, age, income, and family structure. And as a single parent, I understand the challenges that many families face here. I’ve shown up in communities across Amherst, from Village Park to Rolling Green, or, if you’re old school, from North Village to South Point, listening, learning, and amplifying the voices of my constituents. It has been a true honor to serve you all for the last four years, and I’m grateful for this opportunity and would really appreciate your vote on November 4^th so that I can continue to do this work with you and for our community.”

Clark: “I am a proud public school grad, a proud public school parent. I’m a social worker, which has taught me to listen and to meet people where they are. And I’ve worked grassroots organizing in this community and have sat on both the Affordable Housing Trust and the CSSJC, which I co-chair, which means I agenda set. I reach out to people to make sure they come to the meeting, and I share that information out with networks. So, I really want community involvement. That’s really important to me, as is transparency in the processes that we go through. So, I ask for one of your at-large votes. You can check more about me on my website allegraforamherst.org. On the ballot, my name will be Charlotte Allegra Rice Clark, because I was afraid that they would take my voting rights away if I didn’t use my full government name.”

Churchill: “Amherst has many pressing challenges, including insufficient revenues and housing affordability, but I believe the greatest barrier to addressing them is our division as a community. Too often, I see us drawing artificial lines or questioning the motives of others and lumping people into one camp or another. Yet, when I look at the various Town Council candidates, I see some broadly shared priorities—housing affordability, excellent schools, solid infrastructure, community safety, and climate action. Balancing these important priorities is made challenging by insufficient revenues, but these are things we can get our hands around if we think systemically, assume good intent, and focus on collaborative problem solving—“calling in rather than calling out.” I think that’s what we need to do in these tough times. We need to call each other in to figure out things together. I think our conflicts in some ways reflect our broader society’s culture, but they’re also difficult because the issues are complex, with multiple sides holding different perspectives and feeling threatened for different reasons. I think we can work together and solve problems together.”

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