Cathleen Mitchell and Jeffrey Robert Recommended as Non-Voting Members of Finance Committee

Report on the Meeting of the Governance, Organization and Legislation Committee, March 10, 2026

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Ana Devlin Gauthier (Chair, District 5), Amber Cano-Martin (District 2), Lynn Griesemer (at large), and Hala Lord (District 3). Absent: George Ryan (District 3)

Staff: Athena O’Keeffe (Clerk of Council)

The Governance, Organization, and Legislation Committee (GOL) interviewed three candidates at its March 10 meeting to fill two open resident (nonvoting) seats on the Finance Committee. A fourth candidate, Esther Azar, withdrew prior to the interviews. The committee voted 4-0 with one absent to recommend Cathleen Mitchell to fill an existing vacancy for a term beginning immediately and ending June 30, 2028 and Jeffrey Robert for a term beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2028, following Tom Porter’s term which ends this June. The other nonvoting member is Joseph Jayne, who will serve until June 30, 2027.

The three candidates, Mitchell, Robert, and Evan Naismith, were asked the same eight questions in rotating order. All had received the questions in advance. 

Mitchell has lived in Amherst for five years and has two children in the public schools. Her professional experience is in nonprofit data management and program evaluation. She said,  “In these roles, I have managed complex datasets, developed performance metrics tied to organizational goals, ensured grant compliance, and supported budget development, monitoring, and financial reporting. This work required careful analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data and the ability to translate data into clear, actionable insights.”

During her time in Amherst, she has immersed herself in learning all she can about the town and school budgets and has attended meetings of the Town Council, Finance Committee, Budget Coordinating Group, Joint Capital Planning Committee, School Committee, and Community Preservation Act Committee. 

Robert moved to Amherst recently to teach Finance and Real Estate at UMass. He has a PhD in Financial Planning, Housing, and Consumer Economics and an MBA with a concentration in Financial Risk Management. For five years (2011 – 2016), he “served as a senior fiscal and economic analyst for the Rhode Island House of Representatives, where he covered the finance committee. He said, “In that role, I prepared revenue and expenditure analyses, reviewed agency budgets, evaluated fiscal impacts of legislation, and briefed policymakers on short and long-term fiscal risks.” He also lived in Blacksburg, Virginia for five years, “a town with an economic structure overshadowed by a public land-grant university. That experience gives me insight into the fiscal dynamics of a university-dominated community, which is similar in many respects to Amherst. I understand the revenue challenges, service demand patterns, and town/university coordination issues that arise in such environments.” He has three small children.

Naismith is currently a second-year law student at the University of Connecticut. He has two children in the public schools and serves on the board of the Amherst Education Foundation. He graduated from the UMass Honors College with a degree in legal studies, and is currently working on a paper about participatory budgeting at a municipal level. He wrote in his statement of interest, “The project has required careful analysis of public budgeting processes, fiscal constraints, and democratic accountability—precisely the kinds of issues the Finance Committee confronts each year. It has also reinforced my appreciation for the balance between technocratic expertise and community voice in public finance.”

In answering the interview questions, all three candidates stressed the need to consider both short and long-term financial ramifications of decisions, and to look at the budget holistically. Naismith noted that economic plans from other communities need to be tailored to Amherst’s special situation as a small town with multiple educational institutions. Robert said that the Finance committee needs to determine whether delaying a decision will result in greater cost to the town. Mitchell pointed out that the committee is not acting in a vacuum, but must take into account the budget guidelines, the Master Plan, and the requirements for certain funding streams. 

As far as public input, Robert stated that every town exists for its residents. He said that the Finance Committee must listen to the wants, but it doesn’t mean it must follow them verbatim. It needs to look at the long-term fiscal health of the town and maintain a good bond rating to keep borrowing rates low and make fiscally solvent recommendations to the council. Mitchell said she would weigh public opinion against economic guidance. She thought it was important to attend Town Council meetings because more public input occurs there than at Finance Committee meetings.

Naismith said that public input is important, but the key is determining whether the loudest voices are the most representative. He said he would strive to get input from a wide swath of stakeholders.

Mitchell’s strongest point was the need to educate the public. She views her role as helping residents to better understand the fiscal policies of the town so that public input will be more constructive. She said that often people don’t understand how town finances work and the limitations placed on how money can be used. She felt that the Finance Committee could use someone who was skilled at explaining issues to people. Robert agreed that it was important for people to understand the budget in order to give informed suggestions. 

Committee Deliberation
The committee consensus was that, although all three candidates were highly qualified, Mitchell would be the logical choice to begin serving immediately, as she has been following this year’s budget cycle. The members then chose Robert to begin serving in July when Tom Porter’s seat opens up. 

The appointments will be brought to a vote by the full Town Council at its March 23 meeting.