AMHERST — In advance of Tuesday’s biennial town election, the Amherst Business Improvement District’s directors issued a statement expressing concern about “recent negative campaign rhetoric” that put the organization, and its executive director, in the middle of the Town Council campaign.
The statement outlined the BID’s mission of providing downtown Amherst with supplementary services, such as beautification projects, and marketing and advocacy for over 200 small businesses in Amherst center.
“A strong downtown benefits the entire community,” the directors wrote. “We want to create a place where people want to visit, shop, eat, congregate, and enjoy a wide range of cultural offerings. We are very proud of our partnership with our community.”
In addition, the directors praised Executive Director Gabrielle Gould’s work to help businesses survive during the pandemic and recruiting new businesses.
As part of its mission, the BID directors explained the organization’s support for the renovation and expansion of the Jones Library, more and better parking in downtown and the need for cultural opportunities, including The Drake music venue and the performance shell on the Town Common.
Those projects have been vocally opposed by one of the at-large candidates, Vira Douangmany-Cage, who has used her Facebook page to critique the BID and also posted a link to an Amherst Media interview of Gould with former State Senate President Stan Rosenberg that read, “Meet the force driving the vision for Downtown Amherst: installing a permanent bandshell on the common, building up a parking garage and skywalk behind CVS and placing footprints on sidewalks.”
Douangmany-Cage said she doesn’t feel her posts had a negative tone and that no personal attacks were intended.
The Amherst-Pelham Education Association made endorsements this week of candidates for both School Committee and Town Council who the union says will support well-funded schools and social and racial justice for students, and will value educators and their professional experience.
But some of the candidates opted against seeking the endorsement that required filling out a questionnaire. Peter Demling, an incumbent School Committee member seeking reelection, wrote on his Facebook page that an endorsement from the union could create the appearance of a conflict of interest, and risks an actual conflict of interest because the committee is responsible for negotiating contracts with the teachers and paraprofessionals.
The School Committee candidates endorsed are incumbent Ben Herrington and challengers Phoebe Merriam and Jennifer Page.
For Town Council, candidates endorsed are At Large incumbent Andy Steinberg and challenger Douangmany-Cage, District 1 candidate Michele Miller, District 3 candidate Jennifer Taub, District 4 candidate Pamela Rooney and District 5 incumbent Shalini Bahl-Milne and candidate Ana Devlin Gauthier.
District 4 Town Council candidate Anika Lopes is being endorsed by Jim Collins, a retired Juvenile Court justice who served as state representative for the 3rd Hampshire District from 1973 to 1986.
“You are a compassionate listener who makes each person feel respected, listened to, and truly valued,” Collins wrote in a letter to Lopes.
Evan Ross, incumbent District 4 councilor, is being endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund as “a critical LGBTQ voice.”
“Evan has used his position to advocate for housing affordability, economic vitality, and climate action,” the fund wrote. “As an openly-gay councilor, Evan wrote and sponsored Amherst’s first-ever LGBTQ Pride Month proclamation, which led to an annual Pride flag raising every June.”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
