AMHERST — The Town Council will continue to hold its meetings exclusively in a remote format through September.
Councilors voted 6-5 Monday in favor of having meetings via the Zoom platform, rather than returning to Town Hall for in-person meetings or hybrid meetings in which some councilors and the public could participate remotely.
The decision comes just days after the Northampton City Council voted to keep meeting remotely for the rest of the year instead of using a hybrid model, citing concerns about the potential spread of COVID-19.
District 3 Councilor Dorothy Pam said in-person meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic are too clunky, with all participants having to wear masks in indoor spaces. Pam also expressed discomfort about the council earlier in the summer holding one hybrid meeting, attended by about 25 people, given the lack of social distancing in the Town Room.
Pam was joined by District 5 Councilors Shalini Bahl-Milne and Darcy DuMont, District 4 Councilor Steve Schreiber, District 1 Councilor Sarah Swartz and At-Large Councilor Alisa Brewer in supporting all-remote meetings through Sept. 30.
But others spoke to the need to be in person. At-Large Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke, who pushed for hybrid meetings in June, remains in favor of holding meetings at Town Hall and questioned whether there was an “endgame” to having remote meetings. She said meeting in person is important for conducting town business, even though the surge of the delta variant of the coronavirus has made her more cautious.
Also supporting in-person meetings was District 4 Councilor Evan Ross, who told his colleagues that he would soon be teaching classes at the University of Massachusetts and that it is hard to reconcile that he’ll have a classroom full of students to teach in person but can’t attend Town Council meetings in person.
“I’m actually ready to return to in person,” Ross said.
District 3 Councilor George Ryan said that he would prefer a hybrid format because it means working together.
Others who voted for in-person meetings were District 2 Councilor Pat DeAngelis and At-Large Councilor Andy Steinberg.
Council President Lynn Griesemer abstained from the vote, deferring to the majority, while District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen left the meeting before the vote.
