 Hi, my name is Steve Schreiber, and I'm running to serve as Town Counselor for Amherst District 4. I'm running for many reasons that I'll touch on in just a bit, but first and foremost, however, I think it's important for you to know that I'm the only candidate with a professional background in design and planning. Why do I think that's so important? Because our Town Council is getting its start in the midst of a vital townwide discussion about what we want and expect from development in town, particularly downtown. How do we want our downtown to look in 20 years? How much development is too much development? And how much do we want and need in order to diversify our tax base, serve our residents, and keep our downtown bustling while also preserving trees and green spaces that make Amherst such a great home? How do we encourage development that nurtures diversity and caters to a broad spectrum of residents and visitors? These are the types of questions I've grappled with professionally for decades, including nine years on Amherst Planning Board. I'm also the founding chair of the Department of Architecture at UMass, and my wife and I are both designers and serve as UMass faculty members. During those nine years on Planning Board, and almost eight years in which I was an elected member of Town Meeting, I learned so much about what this town values and expects from development, as well as what it wants to avoid. That's learning that it will bring to every Town Council meeting. I'm also passionate about these decisions personally. After all, in District 4, downtown development affects us all directly. I want us to be proud of the changes we see in terms of buildings, parks, and infrastructure. I'm a frequent user of our libraries, our pools, our trails and sidewalks, our buses and bike lanes. Our daughter is an alumna of Wildwood Amherst Regional Middle School and Amherst Regional High School. Over the years, I've built a great record as a team player, as someone who can listen, take a large view of important issues, and take on complex problems in a careful, thoughtful, rational way. I'll be looking to establish a Town Council with a structure and culture that embraces multiple perspectives and where there's respect for all. As an architect, I have particular problem-solving expertise that will be useful on the Town Council as it works with the community and with Planning Board to update the master plan to ensure that the master plan has a guideline for sustainable development and conservation. In particular, there should be a clear connection between that master plan and land use regulations. I support another look at form-based owning and infill development in our village centers. Infill, if it's done strategically and thoughtfully, will sustainably increase our tax base, breathe new life into our downtown and other centers, and increase the diversity of our community without expanding the infrastructure. I also support the implementation of a capital plan that will fund, with state and private support, necessary building projects in the town, renovation and expansion of Jones Library, the replacement of two elementary schools, and the updating or replacement of the Central Fire Station and DPW buildings. Thank you so much for listening, and I hope you will vote for me on November 6th.