Representative Town Meeting ended its 80-year history in Amherst this week by taking a stand against nuclear weapons hours after it voted to encourage more affordable housing.
That was a fitting way for Amherst to conclude its final annual Town Meeting, whose members often have expressed their views on global issues the same night they voted on zoning changes. That happened Monday when Town Meeting voted overwhelmingly to amend the town’s inclusionary bylaw so it requires large-scale developments to designate some units for low- and moderate-income households, before unanimously joining other communities in calling on the United States to exercise leadership by eliminating nuclear weapons.
After seven sessions, Town Meeting adjourned for the final time Monday night. It and the Select Board will be replaced later this year by a 13-member Town Council after voters overwhelmingly approved a new charter on March 27. Amherst adopted representative Town Meeting in 1938.
Though at least one session was marked by an unfortunate lack of decorum involving foul language and an obscene gesture, otherwise Town Meeting made several noteworthy decisions during the past month, starting April 30. That night, it affirmed the schedule approved in the new charter for electing Town Council members Nov. 6, with a preliminary election, if needed, Sept. 4. Those dates coincide with the state’s general and primary elections, respectively, and will allow the new council to convene Dec. 3.
While some residents argued for a delay in the election by claiming that the schedule would disenfranchise voters at the University of Massachusetts and Amherst and Hampshire colleges, Town Meeting members correctly concluded that was not the case and that a higher voter turnout would likely result from coupling the local and state elections.
Town Meeting also sent a message to state officials by adding $53,000 to the town’s transportation fund, some of which goes to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority. It plans to cut back some routes in September to help close a $3.1 million deficit.
Though the amount added by Town Meeting is relatively small, proponents said the action would send a message to the Legislature and Gov. Charlie Baker about the importance of fully funding regional transit authorities. The $80.4 million recommended by Baker for next year’s budget falls short of the $88 million need to maintain current service levels.
Precinct 3 Town Meeting member Robert Kusner pointed out that reducing bus routes has an impact on full-time residents, as well as students. “Some of the most severe cuts are going to happen on weekends when the university is not in session,” he said. “Those cuts affect real people.”
We commend Town Meeting for replacing a zero-energy bylaw adopted last fall with a more flexible compromise worked out by Select Board members and representatives of Mothers Out Front, which sponsored the original petition.
The new version addresses concerns that the original language was so stringent that it would have been virtually impossible to construct new municipal buildings that meet the goal of producing as much energy as they use on an annual basis. Among the original flaws was that there was no relief if the site chosen for a project did not have enough space for solar panels or other equipment needed to reach the zero-energy principles.
“It gives us better clarity as we move forward with these projects,” said Town Manager Paul Bockelman.
During its final week, Town Meeting also provided a lesson in democracy for nearly 30 seventh-graders at Amherst Regional Middle School. They brought a petition urging Town Meeting to adopt a resolution demonstrating Amherst’s accord with the Paris climate agreement that took effect in 2016, even though President Donald Trump withdrew the United States.
Town Meeting unanimously approved the resolution encouraging local officials to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions by between 26 and 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025. Tessa Kawall was among the students who addressed Town Meeting, saying, “This is not a political issue, it’s a universal one. We deserve a future with a safe and healthy planet.”
Social studies teacher Irene LaRoche praised Town Meeting members for their receptiveness to the students. “Townspeople have been really welcoming to their learning about the democratic process,” she said.
With Town Meeting now shelved, we hope that its members are among the Amherst residents who continue supporting that democratic process by seeking seats on the new Town Council this year.