AMHERST — A mix of incumbents and newcomers are taking out nomination forms to run for office at the November election, where all 13 seats on the Town Council, five seats on the School Committee and six library trustees positions will be decided.
A week after nomination forms for the Nov. 4 election became available at the town clerk’s office, and as of Tuesday, eight residents have pulled papers to run for Town Council, which has three at-large seats as well as two seats in each of five districts.
For councilor-at-large, incumbent Mandi Jo Hanneke of Foxglove Lane, has gotten nomination papers. Also getting papers are current District 2 Councilor Lynn Griesemer, of Flat Hills Road, Andy Churchill, of Pomeroy Lane, who chaired the Charter Review Committee and previously served on the School Committee, and Dillon Maxfield, of North Pleasant Street, who ran for a council seat seven years ago and has been on the town’s Board of License Commissioners.
At-Large Councilor Andy Steinberg on Thursday announced, in a piece posted on The Amherst Current website, that he would not be running for reelection after serving since the inaugural council was seated in 2018. Before that, Steinberg was a member of the town’s Select Board.
In District 1, where Cathy Schoen, another member of the inaugural council, is not running for reelection, Louis Conover of Pulpit Hill Road has pulled papers. The other incumbent is Ndifreke Ette.
In District 2, where Pat De Angelis, who like Steinberg and Schoen has served for seven years, is not running for reelection, only Griesemer has pulled papers.
In District 3, incumbent George Ryan of Dana Street and Patrick Drumm of West Pomeroy Lane, who ran unsuccessfully two years ago, have gotten nomination forms. The other incumbent is Hala Heather Lord.
In District 4, only Maxfield has pulled papers. The incumbents are Jennifer Taub and Pam Rooney.
In District 5, where Bob Hegner is not running for reelection, Samuel A. MacLeod of South East Street has pulled papers. The other incumbent is Ana Devlin Gauthier.
Nomination forms must be filed by Sept. 16 and those who have gotten papers for more than one council seat will have to withdraw from one by Oct. 2.
For the five School Committee seats, incumbent Sarah Marshall of Eames Avenue and newcomer Meaghan Fitzgerald of Sunset Avenue have obtained nomination forms.
For the six library trustees, four incumbents have pulled papers: Austuin Sarat of Snell Street, Eugene Goffredo of Middle Street, Farah Ameen of Glendale Road and Lee Edwards of Wildwood Lane.
There are no takers yet for three positions on the Housing Authority and the elector under the Oliver Smith Will.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
