Opinion: A Wish for New Blood on Town Council

On this Election Day, my hope is that Amherst chooses town councilors who still believe in the usefulness of dialogue—where people actually listen before answering, and where disagreement is not seen as treason. I hope for candidates who see a level playing field as essential, not as a quaint notion; who are curious enough to ask what the unintended and long-term consequences of every “bright idea” might be.

We call ourselves a college town, but the word “balance” too often gets lost. Amherst needs leaders who can hold the scales steady—between town and gown, homeowners and renters, faculty and staff, families and students, long-timers and newcomers, the idealistic and the skeptical. It should be possible to honor progress while keeping our footing.

We also need a planning board and department that live by the bylaws we already have, instead of bending them to fit the next development proposal. We should fill boards and committees with a real range of views—people capable of collaboration rather than confirmation. And please, let’s not keep spending money we don’t have or promised not to spend. Trust in government begins with keeping your own word.

Amherst has wasted too much community talent by circling the wagons around one political action committee, convinced it alone holds the moral high ground. Meanwhile, its bias toward monetizing the endless demand for student housing grows ever clearer. We are told this is “helping the housing crisis,” when what it’s really doing is expanding student capacity while crowding out everyone else. Amherst is now roughly 69 percent students.

I wish for new blood on our Town Council—people with progressive values and a deep respect for common ground and fair process. That, more than anything, would be a sign of real progress.

Ira Bryck has lived in Amherst since 1993, ran the Family Business Center for 25 years, hosted the “Western Mass. Business Show” on WHMP for seven years, now coaches business leaders, and is a big fan of Amherst’s downtown.