AMHERST — More effectively evaluating and prioritizing issues introduced to the Town Council and providing a greater understanding to the public of how decisions will affect them are among steps District 2 Councilor Lynn Griesemer is pledging to take in continuing to serve as the council president.

At the abbreviated first meeting of the new Town Council on Tuesday, with four new members joining the 13-member panel, the leadership structure from the past two years remained intact, with both Griesemer and District 5 Councilor Ana Devlin Gauthier, as vice president, both fending off challenges — Griesemer from At Large Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke and Devlin Gauthier from At Large Councilor Ellisha Walker.

“With five years of this form of government under our belts, if you will, I look forward to taking a hard look at our charter, our rules of procedure and along with that, the role of president and vice president,” said Griesemer, who has been president continuously since the inaugural Town Council was seated in December 2018.

Griesemer, nominated by District 3 Councilor George Ryan, earned reelection on a 10-1 vote, with only Walker voting for Hanneke. Hanneke and Devlin Gauthier both abstained from the vote.

Griesemer said she would like to explore ways to make the role of president more manageable, including for those who have full-time jobs, and to shorten the council meetings, which drew laughter from those in the audience at Town Room at Town Hall. Griesemer said she will also invite councilors to be part in setting the agenda on a more regular basis.

Hanneke said her decision to seek the presidency was to offer a choice in leadership, hearing from some of her colleagues there was a desire for change. “I will not only bring positive change to the role of the president, but I will also ensure that the vice president is ready to assume the role,” Hanneke said.

She also advocated for more teamwork among councilors. “Choice is good and change is healthy,” Hanneke said.

But District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen said she doesn’t think change alone is a value, praising Griesemer for growing in the role over the past five years, allowing all councilors to have a voice and ending often five-hour or longer meetings with a good temper. “She really does an amazing job in juggling what is often an exhausting agenda,” Schoen said.

Ryan said he often tells people that, in a town without a mayor, the 13 councilors are each an Amherst mayor, and the council president is responsible for moving toward a common goal.

“While I can understand desire for change, and I share it to some degree, I think Lynn is the right person at this time to continue to try to get 13 mayors to find some kind of common direction,” Ryan said.

Devlin Gauthier, nominated by District 4 Councilor Pamela Rooney, won her second term as vice president in a 9-3 vote, with only Walker, District 3 Councilor Heather Hala Lord — who nominated Walker — and District 4 Councilor Jennifer Taub voting for Walker. Griesemer abstained from the vote.

New members

The new iteration of the council has four new members, including Lord, District 1 Councilor Ndifreke Ette and District 5 Councilor Robert Hegner, and Ryan, who returned after losing reelection in 2021. In addition to Hanneke, Walker, Schoen, Griesemer, Rooney, Taub and Devlin Gauthier, the others returning the Town Council are At Large Councilor Andy Steinberg and District 2 Councilor Pat De Angelis.

Griesemer told her colleagues that they should soon let her know of their interest in serving on the four council committees, which she will make appointments to. Those are the Finance Committee; the Governance, Organization and Legislation Committee; the Town Services and Outreach Committee; and the Community Resources Committee. Grisemer said it will be a juggling act to get those committee seats filled.

After being reelected as president, Griesemer also offered thanks to the three School Committee members who served on an interim basis in the fall, Gabriela Weaver, Roger Wallace and Katie Lazdowski.

The first Town Council meeting, with both official and ceremonial swearing-ins of elected officials by Town Clerk Sue Audette, also brought out interim Police Chief Gabriel Ting and Fire Chief Tim Nelson, Personnel Board Chairman D. Anthony Butterfield and outgoing Councilors Dorothy Pam and Shalini Bahl-Milne, as well as spouses and friends of those elected.

Aside from councilors, those who came to be sworn in included Deborah Leonard for the School Committee, Farah Ameen, Eugene Goffedo and Robert Pam for the Jones Library trustees, David W. Williams for Housing Authority and Judith Souweine as elector under the Oliver Smith Will.

Before the night ended, with people gathered enjoying refreshments, including miniature cupcakes from Carefree Cakery, state Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, said she and Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, admire local officials and have an understanding of the hard job councilors have.

Koby Gardner-Levine, regional manager for U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, said the congressman looks forward to a continued partnership with Amherst.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.