 Hi, my name is Nicola Usher and I am very excited to be a candidate for District 1 Town Counselor. I relocated from Brooklyn to Amherst in 2013 with my husband and our then-18-month-old daughter. We are a multiracial family and we appreciate that Amherst is diverse and progressive like New York while offering a closer sense of community. We care about seeing Amherst grow and evolve with the needs and interests of our daughter and her friends. We value the vibrant community we are a part of and hope that town leadership will become more inclusive of the different perspectives in town. Amherst is a wonderful place to raise a family and I want to see it continue to attract young families. Part of my motivation for running to be your District 1 Counselor is to demonstrate, particularly to working women with young children, that we can and will be part of the decision-making process in this town. I want to preserve what makes Amherst great while identifying and working on the areas where progress will benefit all of us who choose to make Amherst our home. I am eager to serve on the inaugural town council to help ensure that policies and procedures are established that enable the council to be accessible to both those who serve and constituents alike. As a town meeting member, since 2016 I have learned a lot about how Amherst functions and about the varying needs and often competing interests of our diverse population. My intention as a District Counselor is to truly listen to what is important to the residents of North Amherst, with the goal of connecting with those in the community who have traditionally been underrepresented in local governance. The immediate priorities I see for the council are supporting new and improved elementary school facilities that are fiscally responsible and include expanded, affordable preschool options, increasing our commercial tax space so that we can afford to take on the large capital improvements that are important to us, like schools, playgrounds, libraries, roads, a new fire station and DPW building, and overcoming divisive arguments of the past while working together to make transparent policy and legislative decisions, keeping our most vulnerable populations in mind. In North Amherst, I am particularly concerned about white bikeability, walkability, and traffic flow, especially as we welcome many new neighbors to the mill district in the spring of 2019. If elected, I will work hard, think critically, admit what I don't know, actively listen and work collaboratively with the rest of the council. I will be reasonable, kind, and effective. I ask for one of your two votes to become your district one counselor on November 6. In the meantime, you may learn more about me and my campaign at VoteNakola.org or follow me on Facebook at VoteNakola. Thank you.