AMHERST — Some members of the Amherst Town Council are continuing to express frustration about not getting enough information about the reasons the town manager is choosing people to serve on various town committees.
Though the Town Council voted Oct. 21 to appoint three residents to the Community Preservation Committee, the decision only came after the Outreach, Communications and Appointments Committee, which offers advice on appointments by Town Manager Paul Bockelman, recommended taking no action.
District 2 Councilor Patricia DeAngelis, who joined three others in voting against the appointments, said she was left unsatisfied with requests to Bockelman for additional information about his selections.
“I am disturbed by aspects of the town manager’s responses, and I feel like he needs to address the concerns of the committee,” DeAngelis said.
DeAngelis described the situation as “a territorial spat here that the town manager needs to get over.”
Bockelman, who was at a conference in Nashville and absent from last week’s meeting, said Thursday that he endeavors to provide sufficient information for councilors to make good judgments about his choices.
“The council and manager both want the council to have enough information so the council can vote in the affirmative on the appointments of the manager,” Bockelman said.
While the town charter is silent on how much background he has to provide on candidates, he understands the need for it. “Names alone are not adequate to do the job,” Bockelman said.
District 4 Councilor and appointments committee Chairman Evan Ross wrote that the subcommittee voted narrowly, 3-2, to recommend taking no action on the appointments, which would have still allowed the candidates to be seated 30 days after being selected, on Nov. 14, following what he termed a “process dispute.”
“There was a broad agreement within the committee that the appointees are competent, and no member of OCA sought to prevent their appointment, but several members expressed frustration with process given the time and energy OCA has spent working with the town manager to clarify OCA’s expectations,” Ross wrote.
Some members, Ross said, felt they didn’t understand how certain individuals would bring skills and experiences to meet the needs of the committees and to make those committees successful.
District 1 Councilor Sarah Swartz noted that the majority of appointments committee members wanted to take no action. “We’re trying to do a service to all of you to give you the best information we can,” Swartz said.
A stronger message that appointments that come with insufficient information should not be brought forward should be sent to the town manager, said District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen.
But Council President Lynn Griesemer urged approval.
“I am sorry that this is feeling to OCA like we’re going against your recommendation,” Griesemer said. “But believe me, I’m sure the town manager has heard the message tonight.”
An 8-4 vote, with DeAngelis, Swartz, At-Large Councilor Alisa Brewer and District 5 Councilor Darcy DuMont voting against and District 5 Councilor ShaliniBahl-Milne abstaining, meant the immediate reappointments of Nate Budington and Diana Stein and the appointment of Sam MacLeod to the Community Preservation Committee.
Brewer said she was skeptical about whether the vote and discussion would change what information is being received.
“Actually, he hasn’t heard the message,” Brewer said in response to Griesemer.
Brewer said she is concerned that applicants not feel rejected, but wants to be sure that people who applied and weren’t chosen understand why.
“We are not providing enough information to our community to show how amazing these people are in comparison to the global,” Brewer said.
Despite efforts by the Gazette to obtain the names of all applicants, the town, following a ruling from the Secretary of the Commonwealth, provided only a spreadsheet form of those who filled out community activity forms to serve on panels. The spreadsheet showed applicants’ work experience and qualifications, reasons and interest for serving, and other details such as age, gender, racial and ethnic background, and languages spoken.
Meantime, the council unanimously appointed five people to the Council on Aging based on Bockelman’s recommendations, including Rosemary Kofler and Ivette Palacin to serve through June 30, 2022, and Sue Dierks, Patricia Rector and John Wollensak to serve through June 30, 2021.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
