Amherst Climate Justice Alliance Releases Candidate Survey Results

Source: Amherst Climate Justice Alliance

The Amherst Climate Justice Alliance (ACJA) surveyed Town Council candidates about their views on climate action and climate justice. The candidates’ survey responses are available here.  The ACJA has also published online an index of the votes incumbent candidates have made on climate-related issues. Together these two provide important information for voters.

Seventeen Council candidates responded to the survey, including At Large Candidates Walker, Steinberg, Hanneke, Daniels and Holloway; District 1 candidates Schoen and Ette, District 2 candidates Greisemer,  DeAngelis, Cano-Martin and Clark, District 3 candidates Drumm, Lord and Ryan, and District 4 candidates Taub, Rooney and Lopes. The survey asked whether candidates “prioritize”, “support”, “don’t support” or have “no answer” to 26 questions on the topics of greening our buildings, transportation, and energy, and on sustainable land use, zero waste and overarching budget and staffing matters.

The survey responses did not necessarily reflect how incumbent councilor candidates have voted, as shown on the ACJA Index of Town Councilors’ Climate-Related votes. For example, on the survey Councilors  Greisemer, DeAngelis, and Lopes indicated that they prioritize many of the climate actions. However, their past voting records don’t reflect such prioritization. Likewise, while Councilor Steinberg responded that he supports making climate a top priority in the operating and capital budgets, as Finance Committee Chair he supported deprioritizing spending on climate action and stated that the town should not apply for available climate related grants because the operating budget does not provide for the staff to manage them. 

On the other hand, some candidates answered survey questions more candidly. For example, Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke didn’t prioritize any of the actions on the survey and only supported 10 of the 26 actions. Candidate Ndifreke Ette prioritized none and supported only 11 of 26 actions. Candidate Matt Holloway prioritized only 3 of 26 actions and supported only 13. 

Candidates who either prioritized or supported all 26 actions listed on the survey included Allegra Clark, Amber Cano Martin, Ellisha Walker, Jennifer Taub, Jamie Daniels, Hala Lord, and Pat DeAngelis.

When looking at overarching support for climate action, eleven of the seventeen candidates prioritized and four supported fulfillment of our climate action goals as a top priority in our capital and operating budgets. (Hanneke and Drumm stated “no answer”.) All either prioritized or supported  holding the Town Manager to implementing his yearly climate action goals.

Twelve candidates prioritized and four supported creating a solar canopy on the ARPS parking lot. (Ette stated “no answer”.) Twelve prioritized and two supported siting large scale solar arrays on parking lots, rooftops and brownfields and not on forested land and would prioritize agricultural land to support food security. (Hanneke, Ryan and Ette stated “no answer”.)

On “Greening Buildings”, more candidates “supported” than “prioritized” climate actions.

No candidate failed to support the “Greening Transportation” actions.

In the “Sustainable Land Use” category, Ryan and Hanneke did not support and Ette, Holloway, Lopes and Steinberg gave no answer on banning. the use of artificial turf on Town Fields; 11 candidates supported or prioritized this. On “Zero Waste”, twelve prioritized or supported the waste hauler bylaw proposal that would require a town contract including universal curbside compost pick up and a pay as you throw fee structure. (Greisemer, Hanneke, Lopes, Holloway and Ette stated “no answer”.) Twelve candidates supported or prioritized reconstituting the Solid Waste and Recycling Committee and a Waste Reduction Coordinator position. (Hanneke, Lopes, Holloway, Schoen, and Ette stated “no answer”.)

The index of Town Councilors’ climate-related votes looks at actual non-unanimous votes of candidates who are current or former incumbents from 2018 through the present. Readers can view individual Councilor pages where items are highlighted in green if climate-helpful and red if not.

We urge readers to use the index and to look at candidates holistically. Their overall voting records on issues related to racial and economic justice and good government are interrelated. You may also be interested in the endorsements from Amherst Sunrise and the Progressive Coalition of Amherst, Your Vote Matters (also from Amherst Sunrise), and Candidates for Change.

For more information contact:
Lydia Vernon-Jones – lvernonjones@gmail.com
Darcy DuMont – dumint140@gmail.com

Amherst Climate Justice Alliance was formed in 2022 with a mission to support accelerated climate action by the Town of Amherst, identify priority strategies and actions for the Town to take, help foster a community-wide, unified commitment to significantly lowering our public and private carbon footprints, and prioritize racial and economic justice.  Members include:

Amherst Sunrise 
Climate Action Now, Western MA
Extinction Rebellion, Western MA
First Congregational Church in Amherst – Earth Ministry Team 
Jewish Community of Amherst Green Team 
Local Energy Advocates of Western Mass
Mothers Out Front Amherst
Progressive Coalition of Amherst 
Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst Green Sanctuary Committee
UMass Sunrise 
Zero Waste Amherst