Andrew Steinberg: At-Large
What would you say are the biggest challenges Amherst faces?
Amherst faces many challenges, but we should not forget that it also has many fine attributes. We have an engaged population that values education, health, safety, the arts, and the beauty of the Pioneer Valley. We are also committed to equity and fairness. The challenges:
1. We want quality schools, libraries and municipal services. Finding the resources to support them is a challenge. Town resources are limited. We must make difficult choices.
2. The town needs to find more resources and aggressively looks for grants. The only way to increase revenue without an override is to encourage new growth, development that will add taxable properties. Consistent with the Master Plan, the place for significant new growth is downtown.
3. We need to develop a realistic vision of downtown. New growth will not happen without investment in Amherst. And it must be a place to which people will come. A plan for downtown must consider the desires of residents, the confidence of developers, and the willingness of businesses to assume the risks.
4. The vision of downtown, and all of Amherst, will be implemented through zoning. Zoning can lead to change or stop it.
5. We must complete the four major building projects – a library, elementary school, fire station, and building for the Department of Public Works.
6. The Community Responder program is in its implementation stage. This program must work with our Police and Fire/EMS Departments to provide the best response to every call for help.
7. Other challenges include the proposed housing plan and implementing the Energy and Climate Action goals already adopted by the Council.
What relevant experiences and qualities would you bring to the Town Council that would help it work through these challenges constructively and effectively?
Service to others is my calling. My entire career was dedicated to service. After graduating from law school, I started in the field of civil legal aid, working for nonprofits providing aid to poor people, the elderly, and the disabled. I became the Executive Director of Western Mass Legal Services in 1980, which brought me to Amherst. As the director of a legal aid organization, I learned how to manage limited funds to provide the biggest impact for those in need. During that period, I served on the boards of two national organizations that supported legal aid nationally.
I have provided 25 years of volunteer service to the Town of Amherst. I applied many of the skills from my legal aid career to my volunteer work on behalf of the Town of Amherst. I was elected to Town Meeting in 1996. I served in various roles including as a member and then chair of the Finance Committee, and then on the Select Board. I have served on the Joint Capital Planning Committee (JCPC) and the Budget Coordinating Group. I was chair of a four-town board that explored options to reorganize how we provide education in the towns that are part of the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District.
When Amherst chose a new form of government, I hoped these skills would be of service to the Town Council and was fortunate to be elected. I have been the chair of its Finance Committee and served for one year on three other Council Committees. I represented the Council on the JCPC.
Have you ever served on an elected board or committee in Amherst and if so, what were 3 of your most challenging votes?
A vote may be challenging because the community is divided on it or because the issue is complicated. These are 3 issues that required significant time to understand and generated significant public comment:
A vote may be challenging because the community is divided or because the issue is complicated.
1. 132 Northampton Road. The question was whether to provide Community Preservation Act Funds for the renovation of and addition to a single family home into approximately 28 small studio apartments. Some people were opposed, stating concerns about the appropriateness of the location and the basic plan, including need for services for the people envisioned as residents. I voted for the appropriation because of the need for affordable housing for people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless, Valley CDC’s reputation for supporting residents at similar projects and commitment to do so here, and the lack of another suitable and available location.
2. Library. The authorization to borrow funds to renovate and expand the Jones Library generated significant discussion. I led the effort of the Council Finance Committee to study the costs, benefits and risks of going forward with the borrowing and the state grant. Based upon that analysis and information provided by Library Trustees and staff, I supported the plan and voted accordingly, as did the Council.
3. Library referral to voters. The library vote led to an attempt to use a Charter provision to petition for Council reconsideration or a Town election if the Council. The Town Clerk concluded that petitioners did not obtained the necessary number of signatures. Litigation was pursued challenging that determination. That led to another difficult decision, whether to schedule an election anyway. I voted to do so to end the dispute over signatures and move the library project forward.
What steps would you take to engage low-income residents, renters, residents of color, and other underrepresented voices?
Amherst government has made significant progress since the Charter was passed and the first Council was inaugurated. The Charter requires the designation of a Community Participation Officer. We have three staff who allocate a third of their time to this work which has increased the diversity and skills over what one person could offer. The CPO’s provide significant outreach to developments with a large number of renters. Their efforts must continue.
When people serve on boards and committees, it helps the town and informs the members about our government and the laws and expectations, like the Open Meeting Law. We can be creative about how we inform people of these opportunities. We should consider stipends or reimbursement for expenses, based on income eligibility, to enable participation on these bodies.
Technology has become a major way that people learn about town activities, voice their opinions, and participate. This has been accelerated by Covid. We need to know what devices people are using and assure that the Town information technology works for everyone. Schools are doing this. Last year an effort was made to obtain hot spots as essential to school participation. The Jones Library provides these devices on loan. To fully enable participation, we should consider how to provide everyone with low cost internet access.
“One Town, One Plan” has been in development and in public discussion for over a decade. The plan is designed to meet the town’s most pressing infrastructure needs in a financially responsible way, and prioritizes the following four projects equally: the Jones Public Library Renovation & Expansion, the Elementary School Building Project, the Department of Public Works Building, and the South Amherst Fire Station. Do you support this plan? Why or why not?
I support the plan and was involved in its creation through my service on the former Finance Committee, Select Board, Joint Capital Planning Committee and the Council. These are the current buildings that most need substantial renovation or replacement.
• The Fort River and Wildwood Schools were built in the 1970’s in an open classroom design, then popular but abandoned as an educational approach soon after. They could not be easily redesigned into regular classrooms. Both buildings posed health challenges, Fort River in particular. The buildings do not serve current educational needs.
• The Jones Library has significant building deficiencies and needs for repair. The layout is confusing and difficult for staff to supervise. It lacks adequate space for programs for children, teens, and programs such as ESL (English as a Second Language). Many areas are not accessible for people with disabilities.
• The Central Fire Station does not meet current needs and cannot house much of our modern equipment. A new station south of downtown, at the Department of Public Works (DPW) location, will better serve South Amherst.
• The DPW building is an old trolley barn that cannot house and protect our equipment and serve the employees.
The borrowing to meet the needs for three buildings can be repaid without an override to increase taxes by more than the 2.5% annual increase allowed by state law. Voters will need to decide whether to pass a debt exclusion override to temporarily increase taxes to repay debt for one building project, most likely the elementary school.
As we make decisions about each project, we will consider the cost to construct a building and the future cost to use it to provide effective services. We will also comply with the net zero energy bylaw to reduce our carbon footprint and reduce energy costs.
As a member of the Town Council, how would you engage and communicate with your constituents, including those who have not previously been active in town politics?
Currently the Town Council communicates with constituents in many ways including direct email and phone, district meetings, and various forms of news media. At-Large Councilors do not convene district meetings. District Councilors invite at-large Councilors to their district meetings and I try to attend all of them. I encourage direct emails and phone calls. I make an effort to attend as many community meetings and events as possible to be accessible and interact with voters regarding issues of concern.
In my service to the former government on Town Meeting, the Finance Committee, and the Select Board, I valued all comments and suggestions. The volume and depth of public input has been far greater in my service on the first Council than in any capacity I filled in our previous government. I valued those comments and read each one. They were usually sent to the Council group email address which goes to all Councilors. When appropriate, I responded and explained that this was a response from me, not the Council, and was not shared with other Councilors due to the Open Meeting Law. After the contentious vote regarding the proposed moratorium on issuance of building permits for residential buildings in downtown, I replied to every email whether it was for or against the moratorium. I acknowledged all concerns and explained my vote. I did not vote for a moratorium because it would not solve the problems identified by proponents and would have possibly had unacceptable consequences.
Contact with the community is essential to open government.