 Hi, I'm Steve Schreiber, a candidate for Town Council District 4. My family and I have lived on High Street in the center of Amherst for the past 13 years. My wife and I both work at UMass, and our daughter, a college student, is an alum of Wildwood, the middle school, and the high school. I'm running because I have a lifetime commitment to life in the public realm, to public service and to public education at all levels. In addition to serving as the founding chair of the Department of Architecture at UMass, I have been an elected member of Town Meeting for about eight years, and a member and current chair of Planning Board for 10 years. I was appointed by Governor Patrick to serve on the State's Board of Architects, and I was recently elected to the National Organization of Architecture Boards. I'm also a former president of the Association of Architecture Schools. I have a lifelong curiosity and commitment to understanding and improving systems and infrastructure at the civic scale. I'm a frequent user of our libraries and pools, our bike trails and sidewalks, and our buses. I think I'm one of the very few people who has figured out how to get from Amherst to Browley Airport by public transportation. At UMass, I've chaired the Campus Planning Council, and I served as a university rep on the original Town Gown Committee. I have a great deal of expertise and success in starting, participating in, and running organizations that deal with complex problems in transparent ways. These are very important skills for this new Town Council as it gets established. It is very important that we establish a structure and culture where multiple perspectives can be heard and where there is respect for all. I have a great record as a team player, a good listener who can take a larger view of important issues. As an architect, I think I have particular expertise that will be useful on the Town Council as it works with the community and planning board in updating the master plan and ensuring that the master plan is a guideline for future development and conservation. In particular, there should be a clear connection between the master plan and land use regulations. I support another look at form-based zoning and some infill in our village centers. Infill, if done strategically and thoughtfully, will increase our tax base, breathe new life in our downtown, give a place for new businesses, and increase the diversity of our community. I would really appreciate your vote on September 4th in the primary and on November 6th in the general election.