Letter:  Sunrise Amherst Opposes GOL Proposal To Remove Specific Climate Action, Affordable Housing, And Racial Equity Priorities From Town Manager’s Goals

Sunrise Amherst demands that the town sustain climate action and racial equity priorities in the Town Manager’s goals to be presented at the Town Council meeting on Monday, December 5. We denounce the suggestion by Councilor Hanneke to disregard large sections of these fundamental priorities. The removal of mandates for climate action provides a direct message to our generation: we will not fight for this planet and our future. Climate change will be irreversible by 2030. That is eight years to fight for our generation, and for future generations, our children and grandchildren. In a time of unprecedented global warming, destruction of livelihoods and habitats, mass pollution, and an overall climate emergency, we must take action locally, state-wide, and federally. Actions locally matter. Hauler reform is a critical local action we can take here and now. Priorities, and Town Manager action matters. 

In light of the July 5 incident this summer, the establishment of CRESS, and the overall necessity of racial equity measures, we must put racial equity and action at the forefront of the Town Manager Goals. By deprioritizing racial equity, we send our community a clear message that this does not matter to us. 

Lastly, the cost of housing nationwide went up by over 14 percent. Amherst, an already hot real estate market, is even more prone to these price increases as out-of-town investment firms buy up affordable homeownership opportunities. Removing affordable homeownership and sheltering goals actively makes our town less welcoming to diverse families who will send their kids to school here, contribute to our tax base, and oftentimes make a career within the municipal workforce. 

Councilors, please vote your conscience to uphold climate action, affordable housing, and racial equity measures in the Town Manager Goals. Uphold them for our generation. Uphold them for future generations. Most importantly, uphold them for this community. 

Sunrise Amherst

Sunrise Amherst is the Amherst hub of the Sunrise Movement, a national youth-led climate and racial justice movement.