I met Benjamin Spencer, candidate for Northampton City Council, in 2020. I was the relatively new Ward 2 Councilor and had stopped by his house to discuss traffic concerns at a nearby intersection. During our conversation, I mentioned a proposal from then-Mayor David Narkewicz that had been shared just days before: to build a much-needed municipal animal control facility on one of the last undeveloped parcels from the former Northampton State Hospital — land that abuts Benjamin’s backyard and neighborhood.