About 25 members of the Amherst League of Women Voters gathered at the Bangs Center on Thursday night, to discuss whether to remove or revise a printed position supporting a "selectmen-manager form of government." Another meeting, during which the League will try to arrive at a consensus, will be held next Thursday (Sept. 14.) Members … Continue reading Amherst League of Women Voters Debates Removal of Policy Favoring Select Board, As Vote On Town Council Plan Looms
Tag: Charter Commission
Concerns Over New Town Government Proposal Raised at Public Hearing in Amherst
A plan to replace Amherst Town Meeting, which has 240 elected members, and the five-person Select Board with one 13-member elected Town Council received mixed reviews at last night's public hearing. About 40 people attended the 7 p.m. hearing at Town Hall, and 17 testified. All were limited to three minutes each. Some praised the … Continue reading Concerns Over New Town Government Proposal Raised at Public Hearing in Amherst
Slim Majority on Amherst Charter Commission Approves Preliminary New Town Government Plan
The nine-member Charter Commission (https://www.amherstma.gov/2248/Charter-Commission) voted last night to approve a preliminary version of a new town charter, which will dramatically alter local government if passed by Amherst voters next winter. Although commission members are divided about Amherst's future, with a majority favoring a small, potentially more "efficient" government, and others defending the public participation … Continue reading Slim Majority on Amherst Charter Commission Approves Preliminary New Town Government Plan
Amherst Charter Commission, Still Divided, Reduces Proposed Town Council Size from 60 to 13 People: Adds Mayor & Town Manager (UPDATED)
The Amherst Charter Commission, which is working on proposal for a new form of town government, voted last night (Monday April 24) by a slim majority to drop a "middle ground" proposal for a 60-person town council. The plan came under fire at a recent Charter Commission listening session, and Chairman Andy Churchill and others … Continue reading Amherst Charter Commission, Still Divided, Reduces Proposed Town Council Size from 60 to 13 People: Adds Mayor & Town Manager (UPDATED)
Conflict Runs High at Amherst Charter Commission Meeting (UPDATED)
The growing discord on the Amherst Charter Commission was clear last night, where a few members expressed their unhappiness with the online communications they received from one another, and from the public. Commission member Julia Rueschemeyer said she is concerned that a "special interest group of developers" is trying to control the nine-person commission, and … Continue reading Conflict Runs High at Amherst Charter Commission Meeting (UPDATED)
Guest Column: An Amherst Town Meeting Member’s Letter to the Charter Commission
By JOANNA MORSE. Dear Charter Commission, Thank you for your work on democracy in Amherst.  I write to you in my support of keeping Town Meeting as our legislative branch of our local government. I have participated in many town meetings through my life, and have now served on Amherst Town Meeting for one … Continue reading Guest Column: An Amherst Town Meeting Member’s Letter to the Charter Commission
Sixty, Twenty-Three, or Thirteen People: Amherst Charter Commission Debates Councils to Replace Town Meeting & Select Board
Nearly all the chairs were filled last night at the start of an Amherst Charter Commission meeting, where two members, Meg Gage and Nick Grabbe, offered a "middle ground" proposal to replace the historic 254-member Amherst Town Meeting with a "legislative council" of sixty people. There was frequent reference to the failed elementary school building … Continue reading Sixty, Twenty-Three, or Thirteen People: Amherst Charter Commission Debates Councils to Replace Town Meeting & Select Board
