Brewer Will Not Seek Reelection

Near the end of the June 28 Town Council meeting, at-large councilor Alisa Brewer surprised the rest of the councilors by announcing that she will not seek reelection. She has served in Amherst’s town government for more than 20 years. Below is the text of her announcement.

Some of you may know that my husband and I closed on our first and only home, a former student rental, just a month before our second child was born. And less than a year later, I realized with a gracious mother-in-law living with us, I had the privilege to serve as a Representative Town Meeting member from what was then known as Precinct 3. I am honored that the people of Amherst have placed their trust in me since 1999, first as that 34 year-old Representative Town Meeting member, the one asking, “When’s the precinct meeting?” and later through at-large elections for School Committee, Select Board, and Town Council—especially through spirited, contested elections in 2005, 2007, and 2018, never mind the multiple operating and debt exclusion override votes. And I believe the residents of our community continue to value the things I always worked for: transparency, honesty, building and rebuilding partnerships with constantly evolving stakeholders and a consistent focus on learning from our municipal history while constantly moving forward. 

I’m still learning every day about how we can do better, as I have for over 20 years, and one of the things I’ve learned is, “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” And while I certainly could keep doing elected municipal office, as well as providing ongoing administrative support that no part-time Town Councilor earning $5000 a year should really have to do, I think it is time for this new plane we’ve been building since 2018 to fly on without me. I won’t be pulling signature papers on Thursday, because for the first time in almost 20 years, I’m not running for reelection. So, you’ve still got me for six months, but the clock is ticking.

Thank you for your indulgence.