AMHERST — A three-year member of the Conservation Commission is appealing to members of the Town Council to be given a second term on the panel, a request made after he contends he wasn’t interviewed for the reappointment that he requested in June.
In an Oct. 1 letter sent to the Town Services and Outreach Committee, which among its tasks includes reviewing committee appointment recommendations by Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Alex Hoar wrote that he was never interviewed about remaining on the committee, and was told in a mid-September conversation that he wouldn’t be offered an interview opportunity.
“At that meeting, I was informed by the town manager that he did not intend to nominate me for reappointment,” Hoar wrote. “I asked for his reason(s) and was told he did not need reasons.”
He continued, “The rationale for not allowing me to fill the third available seat at this time escapes me, and I remain ready, willing and able to continue to serve.”
While traditionally those who have only served one, three-year term on a town board or committee and seek a second tenure are granted that opportunity, that is not always the case.
During the Oct. 2 subcommittee meeting, councilors unanimously recommended two candidates Bockelman brought forward for other vacancies on the commission. They include Sarah Matthews, a practicing attorney who served three years on the Kestrel Land Trust board and co-founded Western Mass Rights of Nature, a group advocating for the Connecticut River, and Carol McNeary, who served on the Satilla Riverkeeper Alliance board and the Pierce County Planning Board, both in Georgia, before becoming involved in the Fort River Watershed Association.
The Town Council on Monday then approved, with no discussion, both McNeary and Matthews to take their places on the commission through June 30, 2028.
District 4 Councilor Jennifer Taub, a member of the TSO Committee, raised concerns at the Oct. 2 meeting that an “extremely well-qualified” member who has served admirably would not be reappointed. She said it could appear to be personal to not provide a second term to a member who is prepared, responsible and attends meetings and site visits, and that both councilors and the town manager need to be appreciative of all resident volunteers.
“I’m really challenged to understand how somebody this qualified, who’s willing and able to serve, would not be granted the courtesy of a second term,” Taub said.
The process also is problematic, she said.
“The process is you don’t have to provide an explanation, that I find very concerning, that speaks volumes for the process. If you don’t need to provide an explanation, (then) you really do serve at somebody’s very subjective pleasure,” Taub said.
Bockelman said Hoar continues to serve and will do so until an appointment is made, and then he will will explain the situation in the detail he can and to the best of his ability.
“When that times comes I’ll give a full explanation for what my thinking is,” Bockelman said, though he also cautioned, “I’ll have to be judicious about what I say.”
Hoar has been a vocal member of the commission at recent meetings in expressing concern about the requests made by the developer of a mixed-use project at Atkins Corner on behalf of Hampshire College, which has included seeking leeway from the town’s wetlands bylaw. Hoar has expressed concern about the time this project is taking up, suggesting that the commission deny additional continuations of hearings.
This week, Bockelman, in an interview at Town Hall, confirmed that a member is eligible for reappointment, but that he hasn’t yet submitted a name for the council subcommittee to consider.
Like what he told the subcommittee, he said once a decision is made on the nomination for that position, he will provide a more comprehensive explanation.
Hoar’s experience includes 38 years with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, retiring in 2018, and missing only one or two commission meetings in recent years, showing up for most site visits, and chairing a subcommittee that reviewed and revised regulations, guidelines and policies governing Amherst’s 2,300 acres of conservation land.
His volunteer service has included working with an Indigenous tribe that spans the international Maine and New Brunswick border, with an effort to restore important fisheries to the St. Croix River that are culturally important to the Passamaquoddy people. This included the negotiations needed to remove a hydroelectric dam, built in 1881, at the mouth of the river.