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Date: 1/11/2022
AMHERST – The second Town Council of Amherst met in person in the chambers of Town Hall to officially begin their term on Jan. 3.
In what District 2 Councilor Lynn Griesemer said could become a new tradition, the meeting began with the acknowledgement of the conch shell, the device used in the early days of the town’s history to give word that a town meeting was about to begin to the townspeople.
Six new councilors and seven returning councilors took their oath of office together from Town Clerk Susan Audette. All members of the town government present together were masked, and just one councilor joined the meeting via zoom.
All but one member on the new council are women. Ellisha Walker was sworn in as the new addition to the at-large councilors, joining Mandi Jo Hanneke and Andy Steinberg.
Some other new faces to the council were District 1 Councilor Michele Miller, District 3 Councilor Jennifer Taub, and District 5 Councilor Ana Devlin Gauthier. District 4 saw both incumbents lose their seats to new members Anika Lopes and Pamela Rooney.
District 2 Councilors Pat DeAngelis and Griesemer, District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen, District 3 Councilor Dorothy Pam, and District 5 Councilor Shalini Bahl-Milne all returned for a second term in the council.
For nominations of council president, Pam nominated Griesemer to serve again as Town Council president. Griesemer accepted and was sworn in after an 11-0-2 vote for her second term.
For the vice president position on Town Council, Miller nominated Devlin Gauthier who was quickly voted unanimously to fill the position. Gauthier fills the role of former Councilor Evan Ross.
The council then moved on to make a decision on in-person meetings for the council and the rules to abide by in that context. Ultimately, the council voted 9-3 in favor of hosting in-person meetings until April 1, the current end date set by the governor’s orders for virtual meetings for local government. Pam abstained from the vote.
The public must still only attend meetings virtually as a way to limit capacity in the meeting room. Councilors as well have the option to meet virtually if they are not feeling well or do not want to put themselves in the room while COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
Steinberg gave his support for in-person meetings, saying that he feels relationships are built better when being able to connect in person.
At the end of the meeting, each councilor had an opportunity to speak directly to the community on their goals for the Town Council. The need to promote equity and social justice, climate change action and improving the overall scene of the town were common points made by councilors.
Walker, who worked with the Community Safety Working Group (CSWG) and helped bring forth recommendations for the town’s public safety operations to the last council said she hopes to see the new council make substantial progress in making Amherst a more inclusive place for people to live their lives.
“I’m fully committed to keep every door, window, elevator and portal open for every young person of color,” Lopes said.
“We share the same goal, which is to make the town the most vibrant, just and equitable community that it can be,” councilor Taub said.