AMHERST — Three residents are competing for one open seat on the Select Board at the March 27 town election in what, depending on the outcome of the vote on the charter, could be the final election.
The matches up incumbent Douglas W. Slaughter, board chairman for the past year who is seeking second three-year term, against Robert E. Greeney and Ivan B. Babian. One of main points of disagreement is the charter, with Slaughter supporting its adoption and his challengers against it.
An opponent of the charter that would change Amherst’s government structure, Babian is running for a seat on the Select Board with a plan for the top policy board to take more quick actions to promote public safety.
“Why can’t we agree that it’s in the best interest of the community and build two more fire and emergency response substations?” Babian said. “Why do we talk about it for 12 years? Let’s get it done.”
Babian, 39, of 167 Colonial Village, who earned a bachelors of science in psychology from the University of Massachusetts, argues that compromise is necessary so government can work.
He points to the seeming conflict between Town Meeting and the business community over how development occurs in town.
“Being elected to the Select Board will put me in a position to break down those barriers and realize the best possible future for our community,” Babian said.
Babian said he worries a change in the charter, especially removing representative Town Meeting from Amherst government, will allow the majority to silence minority voices.
To show his disappointment in the charter he launched a website called Amherst Mutiny that elaborates on his views.
“The Charter Commission has the wrong idea,” Babian said. “What they’re doing is they’re consolidating power in the political elite.”
As a Select Board member, Babian said he would be supportive of police officers, firefighter paramedics and teachers. He said it’s evident that the public safety departments, in particular, are understaffed.
Economic development, he said, could generate tax revenue for hiring more municipal employees
But he also observes there are many people who need to get more assistance, including survivors of domestic violence, disabled individuals and homeless people.
“It pierces my heart to see them in the cold or turned away from the shelter because we do not have the resources to help all of them,” Babian said.
Bringing a different viewpoint to the Select Board is an important objective for Greeney, who is seeking a three-year term on the board after failing to get elected a year ago.
“The Select Board can and should be an effective executor of the will of the people,” Greeney said. “If the people are divided the Select Board should cultivate consensus and coordinate the collective wisdom.”
Greeney, 71, of 76 McClellan St., a professor of physics at Holyoke Community College, has been an Amherst resident for 24 years.
He said too often elections go uncontested, which reduces the power and effectiveness of participatory democracy.
“After 10 years of having no suitable choice in Select Board elections I decided I should run,” Greeney said.
Greeney said he considers the current form of government with a Town Meeting acting as legislature to be a superior form of participatory democracy than what is offered in the charter.
“I would even argue that the current form is superior to the proposed charter even by the standard of voting democracy and the notion of accountability so often used as an argument for a charter change,” Greeney said.
But he sees Town Meeting being blamed for failures of the Select Board, the Planning Board and the School Committee. Both the failed project to build a twin elementary school and the controversial project to expand and renovate the Jones Library are recent examples where flawed planning and policy making provoked division, he said.
As an appointing board, Greeney said the Select Board should make sure other boards and committees reflect a diversity of views and perspectives.
Greeney said economic development needs to be holistic and consistent with the values of the community, meaning that it should benefit people directly. He also supports incorporating principles of permaculture in any development.
“The benefit to the people should be obvious and exceed any benefit to the private sector or corporate entities,” Greeney said. “If that is not possible then we should engage in public development projects.
This could lead to creative housing initiatives that meets the housing needs that private entities aren’t doing, Greeney said.
Responsiveness to issues facing the town and its residents has been a hallmark of the Select Board for the past three years, Salughter said, whether it be addressing zoning for adult-use marijuana shops, finding a solution for farmers being charged sewer fees for irrigating their crops or helping to craft a new bylaw that allows a portion of capital projects to fund public art.
“These encapsulate how you hope government works,” Slaughter said. “We’ve continued to do well by our citizens, hearing about what they are concerned about.”
Slaughter, 52, of 5 Dwight Circle, works as a database analyst for the Amherst, Amherst-Pelham Regional and Pelham schools.
Slaughter said he supports approval of the charter, noting that the complexity and subtly of many issues facing the town no longer should be handled by a legislature that meets just twice a year.
“I think at this point in time the charter is the right direction for Amherst,” Slaughter said.
Whatever the outcome, the Select Board will either need to prepare for the transition, and do it well, or continue to operate on behalf of residents and employees.
Slaughter said he has appreciated being part of a group with a broad range of knowledge, noting that the current board members bring expertise in municipal finances and planning, school matters and historical topics.
“The kind of experience and talent on the Select Board is unmatched,” Slaughter said.
He observes that since his election in 2015, the board was challenged by the unexpected death of Town Manager John Musante in 2015, which affected him both personally and professionally.
Slaughter said he wants to continue to support the Planning Board as it tries to make zoning appropriate for the town’s growth, the fire department as it seeks sufficient staffing, the Downtown Parking Working Group as it adjusts parking rules and committees focused on development of affordable housing and promoting sustainability.
“Doing these projects poorly is harmful to the community,” Slaughter said.
Slaughter said he takes pride in the board’s time spent talking about the process for capital projects, including for a new elementary school and expanded Jones Library, as well as new Department of Public Works headquarters and fire station in South Amherst.
“We’ve tried to continue to move these projects forward and been diligent in budgeting so we can pay for these when they come,” Slaughter said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.