 Good evening. Thank you for participating in tonight's forum. This is the third of our three little mini forums Thank you to our candidates My name is Kathy Campbell. We had planned to have a moderator from the Northampton League for this evening, but she's Woke up sick this morning, so I'm going to take over. I am a member of the Amherst League But I do not live in Amherst, so I won't be voting in this election And so I hope you will accept me as an unbiased alternative Tonight We're going to hear from the candidates We are hearing from the candidates for the new Amherst town council as you know There are 26 of these and in order to hear from all of them in the space of three hours We've organized these forums differently than our usual forums All the candidates have been given three open-ended questions in advance They're based on questions that we received from members of the community during our August forums There won't be any opening statements, but each candidate will have an opportunity to make a short closing statement at the end We have a timer on here that's down here on the table That's visible to the candidates and I have a version up here that has three little buttons on it that you can see We thank the town of Amherst for making this timer available to us For the 90-second questions Answers the yellow light is going to come on at 30 second when you have 30 seconds remaining We all I also want to thank the Amherst schools for making this facility available to us and Amherst media Which is recording the event For rebroadcasts during the next two weeks and the run-up to the election on November 6th Candidates will need to wrap up very quickly when the red light starts blinking at the end of their time and If necessary, I will interrupt you We ask that the audience silence their cell phones and remain quiet until the end of the last closing statement So now we have going to hear from the candidates from districts four and five They are seated to me starting with district four David Resson Evan Ross Jacqueline Maidana Maidana and Steven Schreiber and from district five the candidates are Darcy Dumont Paul Bobrowski I Guess we got a little Samuel McLeod and Shalini Balmill the first question Is going to be the as follows The shift to a town council Manager form of local government is a big change for Amherst What is one of your biggest concerns about the role of town council in this change? And what will you do to address that concern? We'll start with the candidates from district four and we'll start with Steve please Lucky me So first and foremost we need to make sure that the council is focusing on the right problems So we need to set priorities We've heard a number of campaign promises that range from parking meters to climate change And so really that's an ominous task for the the council to wade through those And to really figure out what the highest priorities are Secondly, we need to make sure that the council is focusing on the right job So we are moving into a system. So when we had town meeting Select board form of government There was some intermingling of the executive branch in the legislative branch where basically the select board was both The town manager was both and the finance committee and others were both So now we have a complete separation of the legislative and executive branches So we need to make sure that the town council is willing and able to serve as the legislature and really let the executive branch Do its job? The council needs to move quickly on some issues. We're inheriting things like two crumbling elementary schools Some an impasse it sounds like on what to do with downtown which was largely developed as a 1950s automobile focused one-story strip malls and really competing Priorities for what that should be so the town council needs to take leadership on that, but we need to take that leadership quickly Thank you Jack The new Form of government will have enormous powers and will bring new challenges I'm because I'm concerned that the town council will be slanted in one direction I want to work to bridge that divide We are a diverse community and I believe that all citizens deserve to be heard I Intend to meet more than twice a year and that's what the charter had recommended But I think that it's important that we meet more frequently with our community and our constituents and I also plan on attending the other district meetings and There'll be weekly meetings. I believe in town hall bulletin boards and and Perhaps even something in the newspaper that we could have a column in the newspaper informing Our citizens about what's going on in town we will have this opportunity to Hear what people have to say and learn about their concerns Who will need to work together genuinely listening to many perspectives compromise With needed when needed and come to informed decisions This will be an exciting opportunity to develop better communication among people of all ages and persuasions with new methods of keeping The public informed of our government's activities. Thank you Evan Okay So can you all Henry one of the things that's important to me is making sure that town council is not just responsive But also representative of the communities that it serves Amherst has a number of diverse communities from students to seniors Renters home owners young families People of color immigrants and we need to make sure that everyone feels like they're being represented On town council and so throughout the campaign I've heard a lot of people say things like I want to elevate the voices of the LGBTQ community or I want to elevate the voices of people of color Well, if you want to elevate their voices elect them right put them in government And so I'm happy to see that we have a somewhat diverse pool of candidates I'm happy to see that we have a student running I'm happy to see that we have a working mom of a school-aged child running I'm happy to see that we have immigrants running And I think the first step is to elect them But then we have to do more and that's where the community participation officer plays a role This is a position that was designed to help engage underrepresented groups in our government And I think at first it likely will not be a full-time position the money just isn't there But I think over the long term our goal should be to make that a full-time position to make that a position That has the resources To accomplish that goal to make sure that no matter who you are in Amherst you feel like you are being represented on council That's one of the reasons I decided to run as a millennial as a renter as a member of the LGBTQ community I wanted to make sure those communities had a seat at the table And I think that with the council needs to work to make sure that every community has a seat at the table Thank you David First thank you to the league for holding this forum that I press a button here that shouldn't have been put you're fine I'm okay. Thank you My main concern is how well counselors will listen to all sides of an issue with an open mind and a willingness to compromise Unlike other opponents in district four. I have not pledged any group or pack to vote in a certain way How can a candidate promise a vote when we don't have all the information that's needed? Counselors must be flexible thinkers who carefully study issues and show respect to each other Another important concern is how the council establishes procedures for choosing members of three critical communities the planning board Zoning Board of Appeals and the finance committee in the past residents have only had to complete a citizens activation forum we need a more detailed process including interviews Committees need to have members with a variety of experience and points of view We also want dedicated volunteers to represent a diversity of residents and we must develop ways to make that possible. I Have served as a case manager with the Hampshire County Sheriff's Department for many years and in that capacity Nothing and I truly mean nothing phases me anymore My common sense and respectful approach would be a strong asset to the council. Thank you for your time Thank you moving on to district five Charlene So I'll be sharing what Many others have shared on this Forum and it also echoes the voices of the people I've been speaking with So having spoken with over 400 people what a common concern I've heard is Will the 13 member council be representative of the diverse voices and the perspectives? So I'd like to approach this Concern by focusing on three specific areas one diversity to communication Channels and three building trust. So in terms of diversity, I think people have already mentioned. We're looking at not just People of color or immigrant families at different income groups, but students senior citizens businesses different stakeholders And also just making sure the different perspectives are being heard what I want to emphasize here is also inclusion and equity as the Educator Verna Myers's diversity is being asked to the party and Inclusion is being asked to dance so just making sure that we are doing that and creating equal opportunities for everyone to participate the second thing I want to emphasize is setting up some systems of communication online and offline and Making sure that we have multiple avenues for people to speak with us and the last is building trust Which means creating policies so everyone feels safe to speak up and be heard. Thank you Let's go on to Sam, please Hi, can you hear me One of the concerns that I have for the new council is that we have a smooth and smooth process of transition And that we continue to offer high quality services to our town I want to ensure extensive resident input and transparent government. I want us to reach out to our residents All the way from South Point to Amherst Woods in District 5 I think it's crucial that we understand that our role as a council is a representative leadership role and An oversight role we need to set up processes to make sure that all of our residents have a voice I Have an MBA and I've been working in the field of management effectiveness and human resources for the last 19 years Organizations come to us seeking solutions. I have an in-depth understanding of workplace processes and effective processes We need to define the vision policy and set goals as we move to best practices We need and we must empower our town manager and our dedicated employees to do the tasks that we set for Worth for them to do I Want to avoid any semblance of micro management of our employees because we need to set the broad objectives and the goals That they can achieve this is going to be a major transition for our town and it needs to go smoothly for all of us We need to work together. We need to understand our roles We need to have clear procedures and maintain open lines of communications and I'll see to it that occurs. Thank you Thank you Paul Good evening. Thank you to the league My concern my biggest concern about the new council is the fact that there are there's a serious division in the town Largely around the schools, but somewhat also about the charter and I think the council plays a role in either enhancing that divide or fixing it and I hope that the council can heal that division and part of that is how we set things up I act as special counsel to towns in western, Massachusetts on zoning and regulatory work and I can tell you that I also teach seminars for the citizen planning training Collaborative and a lot of those seminars are about how to have meetings how to have transparent fair In equitable meetings both in terms of substance and in terms of appearance I mean, I think both are important when the council gets started so I think I can bring those skills to the council and The best I can say about trying to heal the divisions is that I will reach across the table to anybody that I don't agree with And I think the key word here is compromise Because politics is messy democracy is messy and what that really means is that no one gets what they want exactly? Compromises the word for the day, and I will follow that Thank you. Thank you Darcy My greatest concern is making sure that all members of our community have access to the council that our actions as a council are Transparent and that we're responsive and accountable to all parts of our diverse town This is key because we'll only have 13 members of our new legislature Representing 40,000 people I'm going to work actively to recruit a pool of volunteers diverse and race class gender age and viewpoint Including parents and guardians of school children for participation on our boards and committees I'll call off. I'll call for sending out a mailer to all town residents in Spanish and English and Advertising on social media inviting parents to apply for the positions The people we need to hear from are not necessarily the ones who'll come forward. So we'll have to seek them out Frequent open roundtable dialogue sessions must also be implemented between the council and the public and also with boards and committees I'll hold regular office hours and monthly constituent meetings in district 5 Will hold listening sessions for groups with special concerns meetings in the common rooms of the apartment complexes and I'll participate in district 5 events and provide a rapid response to constituent questions and concerns Thank you for our second question There has been a lot of discussion of development in the central downtown Amherst But for this question, we're asking you to consider areas that are not contiguous to downtown Specifically what options do you see for commercial development and affordable housing in your district and what concerns? Do you have about these options? we'll start with district 5 and Sam could you start out for us, please? We have a lot of opportunities in district 5 for commercial development and affordable housing We have some of the majority of a larger group of affordable housing in our district than in other districts already Atkins corner and West Pomeroy Intersections village centers of the primary locations We need to understand that commercial development is driven by entrepreneurs and businesses and our task is to Set the field and make it inviting for people to want to invest Multi-use buildings with designs that accommodate resident concerns Changes from some of the issues that happen downtown form-based zoning will assist in this area I want us to enforce inclusionary zoning with affordable and workforce housing We can have first floor wheat retail shops coffee shop merchants Retails there's a lot to do District-based events that will support our businesses We can have partnerships with the local colleges and Hampshire College where some of the students will set up events And they'll hold them downtown some of the actions that we can take as a council is to expedite the installation of appropriate sidewalks and Crosswalks at Atkins corner West Pomeroy village centers and intersections We need to prioritize our inspection services for commercial requests Expedite the process so that our businesses don't lose time when they're investing. It's a critical factor to encourage development We need to market Amherst as a business-friendly and sustainable community. It starts at the top Sorry out of time You need to Continue with shall shall any please So one of the viable options that I want to share today and having spoken with Many community Neighbors around there and professionals is the creation of an Atkins cultural trail District and what that means is we could create a cultural district that has trails and sidewalks Bike paths crosswalks between the different points of interest in the Atkins corner We already have amazing institutions there like the Eric Carl museum You dishbook store Hitchcock Center, Hampshire College Applewood at the Arboretum There's the Atkins market and so if you could create a very lively cultural district And there's a lot of funding that's available for Facilitating these cultural districts such as from the mass cultural council The state recreational trade trails program and what this would might look like is Encouraging our tourists our neighbors employees to walk along the trails experiencing art colorful signage pop-up performances historic storytelling to really build a sense of place and Down the road a future idea could be to invite development. That's mixed used mixed income in that area That's not yet developed. We can build a model of what a resilient Community looks like with maybe housing that has shared community gardens We have mixed we have the kind of businesses that support our art spaces and thank you cultural district. Thank you Darcy Mentalist I believe that development should be concentrated in downtown and the village centers and fully support thoughtfully developing our district five centers It would provide both needed revenue and affordable housing to the town as As with downtown, I would want to make sure development is inviting Maintains the character of the town as a whole has adequate parking and connections to bike paths and public transportation I'll seek the opinions of district five residents about development atkins corner in Palma Roy Lane Both are places where we could develop low and moderate income housing And appropriate commercial space according to what residents want Each proposal has its issues has had its issues in the past for example Traffic calming is needed at Palma Roy Lane for development to be workable and really should happen now We need more development in order to keep our property taxes as low as possible Amherst is in need of moderately priced housing for low and moderate income folks like town staff College staff and faculty and new families I propose encouraging moderate scale and price development such as the green river commons in Greenfield Which provides net zero ready town houses? That's the type of housing we need so moderate income folks like me can afford to live in Amherst Thank you Paul We have two village centers as was mentioned earlier We have the Palma Roy Lane area and we have the Atkins corner area both our zoned Residential Village Center, which means that you can have some small business there and different types of housing Then you would find in the outlying areas of town We also at Atkins its business Village Center, which allows for a little more intensive business things like shops Tailors attorneys accountants that kind of thing And both areas allow for apartments By special permit which means that inclusionary zoning for affordable housing would be part of any Apartments that were built there that were permitted The other idea that I think we're pursuing now and it's not my idea. It's been around for a while State law was passed in 2004 for chapter 40 are In chapter 40 are allows for an overlay zoning district which allows for more intensive Affordable housing projects the beauty of 40 are overlay districts, which we don't have yet But I think the town is trying to identify some areas is that We have control over the look and feel of the buildings We have control over the design standards and we get incentive money from the states So for example in North Hampton, they have a 40-hour district They got over three hundred thousand dollars from the state and that money goes into the general fund and they can spend it any way they want Thank you Jacqueline will you start off for us for district four? My district does encompass the town center But one area that is not contiguous with my district is the University Drive And we need to encourage landowners and the University to develop more affordable housing for students without negatively impacting the town center In addition, I support the Amherst Municipal Housing Trust recommendation to sell East Street School Attracting builders who share our commitment to affordable housing the new North Amherst Development is an example of Adding affordable housing Along with commercial use Development must be environmentally sustainable. It must take into consideration the community and the butters and and how the residents feel and I think keeping scale and sight line in mind is really really important This is something that has not happened in the center of town So I think that it's really important that we Keep an open mind about new development, but it's also important that we be very careful about keeping affordable housing For forefront Thank you. Thank you, Steve Thank you, so I Think about this question all the time Because I've been on the planning board for almost 10 years and I'm an architect And I'm the chair of the architecture department at UMass So in fact my students right now are looking at This exact issue on an area that we're not supposed to talk about which actually is in district 4 Which is the area next to the old virtuos cheese? so they are looking at how affordable housing and mixed-use development can be designed in that area in a way that isn't as Confronting as perhaps what we all read in the newspaper over the summer I also have a series of questions that I so rather than answering your The question with an answer I have some questions that I think that the town council should be pursuing So we are getting this started in the midst of a vital town-wide Conversation about what we want and expect from development in town How do we want our downtown and village centers to look like in 20 years? I think these are important conversations. How much development is too much development? How much do we want in need in order to diversify our tax base? Serve our residents and keep our downtown bustling while also preserving the trees and green space that make Amherst such a great home This is one of the great opportunities of town council to have these conversations In a group of 13 involving the community Thank you, David Thank you District 4 does include downtown I am concerned that the current planning board has given so many waivers and special permits which have created some problems Large apartment projects marketed to students must include affordable housing Handicap units parking and green space which currently they're lacking It is an honor to build in our famous college town and Developers need to work with us for a balance between their private property rights and our needs Zoning laws must reflect our town's priorities We need an overall plan for smart growth with a variety of buildings not just a few stories Stores on the first floor and student-oriented housing above Any commercial commercial development outside of town must be accessible to all residents by walking on maintained sidewalks shuttle transportation biking and PVA bus routes We need to attract developers willing to build affordable small cluster housing with a combination of strategies The East Street School is one of those buildings that could be a small cluster affordable housing unit New and interesting commercial development could both attract residents and visitors I know my time is short, but I'm committed to a creative art center And if you listen carefully to what's going on I would invite these folks to come and serenade us When they're through over here, and this is an example of the creative arts that could be endowed in our town. Thank you Evan so one of the areas that we haven't talked about yet that is in district four is East Amherst over by Southeast Street and College Street already there. There's a decent amount of commercial development. We have Stores retail. We have services. We have offices. There's also a diversity of housing in that area You have single-family homes. You also have apartment complexes like Aspen Chase But there's also a decent amount of underutilized land in that area if you're going down College Street if you're at that intersection There's a lot of potential there for infill development that will allow us to increase residential and commercial space Without encroaching on our neighborhoods And doing so outside of Amherst Center. It's also an area where we already have a lot of Focused on affordable housing. We have Watson Farms there, which is an Amherst housing Authority complex There's also the proposal as mentioned before to sell the East Street school and use that to develop affordable housing So already we're looking at East Amherst as a place for affordable housing What we have to make sure of course is any any time not just in East Amherst But any time that we're increasing residential or commercial development We're making sure we have the infrastructure to support it So any time that we're going to increase traffic whether that be vehicle traffic pedestrian traffic Bicycle traffic. We need to make sure that we're also Have that have a corresponding investment in our sidewalks and our roads in building bike lanes as someone who is Biked down College Street and through that intersection It's a little harrowing and so if we're going to encourage people to live there in a walkable bikeable community We need to invest in the infrastructure in that area to make sure that that works. Thank you For this last question we're asking you to select one of your top Priority goals for the new town council over this over its three-year term What is that goal and how will you translate this goal into explicit town council actions? Let's start with David in district four please Thank you The council needs to prioritize capital projects and develop a financial plan that taxpayers can accept My wife and I have raised six successful graduates from Amherst public schools So believe me when I say this I know a lot about budgeting Taking our loans were necessary and obviously paying back debt I'm going to talk a little bit later when it comes to my Closing statement about other aspects of my work life that have a lot to do with this budgeting aspect My top goals when elected will be a solution to the elementary schools followed by a south Amherst fire station a DPW building and perhaps those two last projects could be on one site Other capital projects need to be examined carefully to see if they are needed or if existing town buildings Can be used in new ways Most important the council needs to be conscientious about hearing all sides and either either to reach consensus The council needs to listen carefully to the details of projects proposed by the school committee the Jones library the DPW fire station advisory committee Since taxes from the new developments cannot be counted on to make a significant dent in our property taxes We need to question the need for borrowing and overrides and live within our means So they're really the question comes down to what do we want? What do we need and most of all what can we really afford? Thank you. Thank you, Evan So it's hard to pick just one priority There are a number of need the town needs from the capital projects that David referenced to Lessening the burden on our residential taxpayers who are feeling that But as a renter who is grappled with Amherst difficult rental market Affordable housing is one of my top priorities and I think it needs to be one of the top priorities of the council And it's a it's a priority that affects a lot of different communities from low and moderate income renters who are being Who feel like they're being forced out of town? To young families who are looking for a dwindling number of starter homes to seniors who are looking to downsize and looking for an affordable apartment To homeowners who are on High Street or North Whitney Street Who are worried that an LLC is going to buy that home next door and turn it into a student rental and change their Neighborhood so there's a lot of pieces to this There's no silver bullet But part of that is looking at our zoning and our permitting to unlock housing production Part of that is pursuing form-based code as Sam mentioned earlier to make sure that new housing projects are Acceptable to the character of our community It means utilizing the tools that we have like our inclusionary zoning by-law or like our affordable housing property tax credit That helped create 26 affordable units in North Amherst It also means pursuing a 40-hour district that it allows developers to More densely develop but in exchange for creating affordable housing and also opens us up to some state funding Paul mentioned the three hundred and twenty thousand dollars of state money that went into North Hampton for its village Hill Neighborhood in the 40-hour district. That's hundreds of thousands of dollars that we could invest into schools and into infrastructure So there's a lot of things there Jacqueline Thank you It's clear that the new town council will be facing many complex issues prioritizing capital projects a new master plan and Appointments and reappointments to boards and committees One major concern is the large dorm like buildings in the town center The fact that the current planning board has given so many waivers and variances without requiring affordable housing or Adequate parking is a serious problem Amherst clearly needs affordable housing Many young families cannot afford to live in our community Student housing in the heart of town does not provide desirable housing For individuals like seniors or young families The town council will appoint new members to the finance committee Planning board and the ZBA it will be our job to make sure That the new members will respect Amherst's commitment to affordable housing while working to maintain our small-town charm I think this is really Our job to make sure that people in this community can afford to live in this community I've lived in Krishman Village. I've lived down by the Gris Mill and now I live in the heart of town and I'm really grateful to Amherst That I can actually afford to live here now. Thank you Steve So the number of my number one priority is focuses on smart growth How do we encourage development that nurtures diversity and caters to a broad spectrum of residents and visitors? I'm proud to have been Volunteered on town meeting for eight years and planning board for ten years working on this issues I think that we have achieved a lot in those ten years including Basically unlocking development on these 1950s strip malls in downtown. So where there used to be we filled lots There is now five stories of new residents in Amherst 300 new beds have been added in In downtown Amherst of people of all ages So I'm very proud of those accomplishments that were Really a great example of town meeting and planning board working together And I'm looking forward to future collaborations like that with town council and planning board I have particular problem-solving expertise that will be useful on town council as it works with the community and planning board To update the master plan and to ensure that the master plan is a guideline for sustainable development and conservation In particular, there should be a clearer connection between the master plan and land use regulations I support another look at form-based zoning which I've been working with for 30 years and infill development in our village centers Thank you Darcy we start first District five. Thank you I'm proud to be the only district five candidate to be endorsed by the Sierra Club and my record demonstrates that Sustainability will be central to be my approach as a counselor. I Want to talk now though about what I'm hearing from fellow residents in South Amherst We've been talking to a lot of residents And the sense I'm getting that is that most of them have concerns about money What the town spends it on how much it spends? How high taxes are how it's really hurting them They also talk about downtown development Mostly in a critical way regarding the new buildings and share concerns regarding parking sidewalks style, etc About downtown buildings, I plan to ask the new council to pause approvals Just long enough to amend the zoning bylaw to make sure that downtown development is proceeding as residents want And about property taxes in addition to increasing the commercial tax base We need to do a deep dive into the budget to find where we can save with the least impact on residents One area ripe for savings is an energy efficiency and conservation Our being a sustainable town will mean major cost savings over time With both our zero energy buildings and initiating a program of community choice energy Also, I intend to critically analyze the budget and find ways to reduce spending We need to be able to maintain quality services while reducing the impact on residents. Thank you I was going to talk about the four or five capital projects, but I think I'll address the Situation downtown. I think the situation downtown comports with our master plan it comports with smart zoning If you read the UN climate change report that came out earlier this month We are in a severe crisis and it were further along in it than we thought even a year ago and Part of the conclusion of that report states that the entire world Needs to learn how to live a different way and part of that is Density and living and the buildings downtown are a good example of smart growth Less carbon use because people won't have to drive. They're on a transit route It also helps our town. There are problems with those buildings, but it also helps our town Those buildings will generate roughly a million dollars in revenue a year every year not one year, but every year and The people that live there will patronize the businesses downtown and that will generate more revenue And that will help us with our four or five capital plans So I support that I also support small zoning changes for the look and feel of those projects that we don't agree with Rather than a large building moratorium Which will create dissension at the council level and I don't think we want to start out that way so I support that Thank you Sam I've made it very clear since I started campaigning how I feel about the need for common-sense solutions for our downtown development The buildings that are currently there don't pass the test of my 90 year old mom who passed away three years ago There's not adequate sidewalk space in front of them There's not parking and they also lack affordable housing having said that they're not inherently a bad thing We need to adjust to hear the needs of all of our residents I'm gonna talk about a different goal though, which is I want us to adopt in our first term a complete streets and sidewalks Policy to ensure future safe access and use of our primary roadways for all of our residents and Transparenly generate and display and updated and prioritized listing of our safety concerns by June of 2020 Based on an urgency and expense our transportation advisory committee is already working on this We need to do the following things we need to approve and appointed members of the transportation advisory committee We need to support this committee's advancement of completes streets policy planning We need to appoint a council member liaison between the committee and the board and we need to actively promote and advocate for Resident input for issues that they have in their own district. This is significant for South Amherst residents We need sidewalks and crosswalks at the Atkins corner and at the West Street and Pomeroy Village Center intersection We also have safety concerns at South Common Middle Street and East. Thank you. We can make this work So we're all coming in with different priorities that we'd like to start with mine, but my personally is to make decisions that lead to a resilient Amherst for all our residents and to be a strong and Clear voice for district 5 residents But the question is whose priority will be a priority which means How do we make decisions? So I feel a first order of business as a council is to set up the new structure of governance of Setting up the processes of how are we going to prioritize and how are we going to make decisions? I'd like to focus on assessing and shaping the council processes our committee structures and community engagement So we have more than 30 committees Deciding defining what are their job descriptions and how can they work with the community participation? Officer for more community engagement How can we set up the processes for more public engagement to make sure that the public our district 5 is Informed of what we're doing in the town council What's going on over here and to incorporate ways for them to be heard to participate not just the usual people who participate But really reaching out to people who don't have the time and figuring out what are their obstacles to participating? I'd like to take all these inputs and create a shared vision Who are we as a town and set our strategic planning and goals accordingly? Thank you. All right, each candidate will now have 45 seconds for a Closing statement the yellow light will come on when you have 15 seconds left and I'll start at that end shall any you all right So as y'all can see I'm an immigrant I'm a woman of color and I bring in many Qualifications and experience that can contribute to this new town council. I have a PhD In marketing. I'm a charted accountant. I'm a small business owner and I'm a certified mindfulness teacher from the UMass Medical School Center But I don't want you to believe what I'm saying right now. I would like you to Actually see what I was doing before my campaign see my work at downtown mindfulness my published research I'd like you to see how I'm running my campaign The recycled wood signs have used created collaborative Opportunities for the council to work together and that's how I'd like to work for you as your town council Inclusive collaborative and a creative problem solver. Thank you Sam We need to do everything we can to expedite a temporary bridge repair for the station road bridge that's out I just want to put that out there We need to pressure the state I've been a part of this community for 55 years I'm one of the candidates who have children attending our schools. I invested in this community We need common-sense solutions and somebody who is willing with an open mind to hear all different viewpoints and work together We need to bring our town back together. We can do this We need to look for win-win scenarios that respect our residents and reach out to everybody I'm very committed to this town I think we can have a very successful New town council, but you need to elect somebody who is independent Open-minded and has the appropriate background and capacity to listen to everyone. I'm asking for your vote I need your vote. Please vote for Sam McLeod. Paul, please There's not much I can say in 45 seconds except please vote for me The tagline for my campaign is experience matters and I believe that but it's really up to the voters to determine if that's and if that's a Component to my campaign that they care about I've served as special counsel to towns in Western, Massachusetts on land use on zoning and on smart growth initiatives and in town I've served on the finance committee the planning board the housing board the housing Commission and I've served on town meeting and some lesser committees if you want to hear about how I think I've produced some Unscripted videos on my website Paul for Amherst org And thank you for listening Thank you Darcy Thanks to the League of Women Voters for providing this forum I want to make Amherst a real model of sustainability inclusion and democracy I have the background and skills as a lawyer a teacher and a grant writer to collaborate with other counselors to do that I'm forward-looking and optimistic I'm optimistic that we can produce a proposal for our elementary school buildings that has broad support Agree on zoning changes that preserve the character of our beautiful downtown Increase revenue and conserve money while also reduced reducing our carbon footprint And make Amherst an affordable place to live I'm a big-picture thinker. I'm creative and bold and have a history of accomplishing what I set out to do Please vote for me Darcy Dumont on November 6th Steve Over the years. I've built a great track 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 I look forward to helping establish a town council with a structure and culture that embraces multiple perspectives and where there's respect for all I might be also the only candidate that lives and works in district 4 And I hope you come to the next cup of Joe with Paul which will be at my workplace Which is the John W over Design building and it's a particular honor that I just noticed that John over is dead center there in the audience So please come to the next cup of Joe with Paul which will be right after the election Thank you I'm really grateful to be here tonight. I've been a town meeting member for a number of years and Raised my children here in Amherst. They went to the public schools as I mentioned before I've lived in a number of places in town and I I feel that it's Really important to have independent voices independent thinkers, and that's what I am as a candidate. I'm Not taking any PAC money. I Have no obligation to the university other than the fact that I got several degrees from UMass. I Worked there for a number of years. I also have been a business owner and and as a psychotherapist I was I Learned active listening. Thank you Jackie. Sorry your time Evan So in the four months since I started this campaign, I've worked really hard to reach the voters of district forward and to talk to them I've personally knocked over 700 doors most of them more than once and had hundreds of Conversations with voters because I think it's those conversations that matter and those conversations I hear the concerns of the voters and it gives me a chance to talk to them about my ideas and my priorities And so there's been a lot that's happened in this election I we've filled out more surveys than I think I ever imagined I would ever fill out To inform the voters of where we stand I've been proud of the endorsements I've received from the Sierra Club from the LGBTQ victory front From run for something but in the end I know it's those conversations are what matter And in my hope is to continue those conversations because that's the tape of local responsiveness and engagement I'm hoping to bring to council. I'm Evan Ross. You can go to my website evan4amherst.com four is in district four David I've lived in Amherst for 34 years and intend to be here much longer. God willing My goal is to prioritize capital projects I'm a practical person With many experiences from teaching in a tech school Serving in the sheriff's department to planning future logistics in the international coffee market where I deal with multi-million dollar contracts Continuously serving as a counselor comes down to character for me. Can you trust me to represent your interest? Do I have the integrity necessary to make wise independent decisions? my supporters have answered yes and I know that I have the perseverance and Flexibility to deal with tense complicated situations. I'm David refson and I would appreciate your vote. Thank you Thank you very much to all of our candidates