AMHERST — Amherst’s next Town Council, when sworn in next January, will be more racially diverse, will have more women serving on it and will have six new members, based on unofficial results of Tuesday’s biennial town election.
While at-large incumbents Andy Steinberg of Hitching Post Road and Mandi Jo Hanneke of Foxglove Lane both retained their seats in contested elections, the other two incumbents who faced competition, District 3 Councilor George Ryan and District 4 Councilor Evan Ross, lost their reelection bids.
New Councilor Ellisha Walker of Autumn Lane, co-chairwoman of the Community Safety Working Group (CSWG), won an at-large seat. She is joined by new District 3 Councilor Jennifer Taub and new District 4 Councilors Anika Lopes and Pamela Rooney, who won contested elections, and new District 1 Councilor Michele Miller and new District 5 Councilor Ana Devlin Gauthier, who both ran unopposed.
Incumbents returning in uncontested elections are District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen, District 2 Councilors Patricia DeAngelis and Lynn Griesemer, and District 5 Councilor Shalini Bahl-Milne. District 3 Councilor Dorothy Pam, prevailed in a contested election.
Of the town’s 16,187 voters, 4,962 cast ballots, for a turnout of 30.7%.
The three at-large winners were all endorsed by the Amherst Forward political action committee, though Walker rejected that endorsement. Walker was endorsed by the Progressive Coalition of Amherst.
Walker, with 3,164 votes, topped a six-person field, besting Hanneke’s 2,661 and Steinberg’s 2,617. The three winners were followed by former School Committee member Viraphanh Douangmany-Cage of Longmeadow Drive with 1,701 votes, longtime Town Meeting member Vincent O’Connor of Summer Street with 1,087 votes, and Holyoke Community College professor Robert Greeney of McClellan Street with 1,030 votes.
Progressive Coalition Chairwoman Pat Ononibaku said the victory by Walker, a Black woman and mother of three, shows that the working group’s proposals for alternative public safety services and reforms to police department oversight are in line with Amherst values.
“Ellisha’s popularity with voters indicates to us that our community is eager to make the major changes to emergency response services which the CSWG has recommended,” Ononibaku said.
In District 3, Taub earned 238 votes and Pam 227, to take the two slots, with Ryan trailing with 190. Three years ago, in the inaugural council election, Ryan narrowly earned a spot on the council by 11 votes over the then third-place finisher.
Taub said she is ready to join Pam in representing District 3.
“Having so many new, independent voices and a wider spectrum of viewpoints on Town Council can only benefit Amherst as a whole,” Taub said.
In District 4, Lopes got 568 votes, with Rooney narrowly edging Ross, 454 to 451, for the second spot.
Of the 11 candidates endorsed by Amherst Forward, nine will be on the new council, with only Ross and Ryan losing their spots.
“We’re thrilled that we had so many diverse candidates with different experiences and backgrounds running in this election,” Clare Bertrand, a member of the Amherst Forward leadership team, said in a statement.
Bertrand said the results also show that Amherst voters want to see progress in their community.
“We hope that our democratic process continues to be strengthened and improved by the civic engagement of our voters and their representatives,” Bertrand said.
Of the six candidates endorsed by the Progressive Coalition, four earned spots on the new council: Walker, Pam, Taub and Lopes. The coalition didn’t endorse in uncontested races, and also endorsed Douangmany-Cage and O’Connor.
Ononibaku said the new councilors will provide important perspective and insights into issues including improving public buildings and programs, creating appropriate zoning and affordable housing, and establishing a reparations program for Amherst’s Black heritage residents.
“We are also very grateful for the groundswell of public support for our candidates, and our goal of building a more inclusive, vibrant local democracy in Amherst,” Ononibaku said.