AMHERST — Two incumbent School Committee members will be joined by three newcomers following Tuesday’s town election, according to unofficial results from the town clerk’s office.
Incumbent member Irv Rhodes earned the most votes, with 2,753 votes, followed by newcomer Sarah Marshall with 2,555 votes. Jennifer Shiao, who also ran for reelection, finished third with 2,392 votes. The fourth and fifth place finishers, who also will be seated on the committee, are newcomers Deborah Lee Leonard, with 2,121 votes, and Bridget Hynes, with 1,988 votes.
Marshall and Leonard, along with Rhodes, earned endorsements from Amherst Forward, and Hynes, like Shiao, was endorsed by the Progressive Coalition of Amherst and also ran as part of a slate of Candidates for Change.
Not elected were Martha del Carmen Toro and Laura Jane Hunter, who received 1,870 and 1,798 votes, respectively.
Interest was sparked in positions on the School Committee following the allegations of mistreatment of LGBTQ+ students by middle school counselors and a Title IX investigation, with some calling for an investigation into the leadership of then-Superintendent Michael Morris, who resigned, and the resignation of Assistant Superintendent Doreen Cunningham.
That was followed by the resignations of three incumbent School Committee members, who have since been replaced, on an interim basis, by residents jointly appointed by the Town Council and School Committee.
— Scott Merzbach
