Letter: “Candidates for Change” Will Advocate for Amherst’s Parents and Children

Tomorrow is voting day in Amherst so I want to take a moment to express gratitude to the Candidates for Change;  Ellisha Walker, Allegra Clark, Amber Cano-Martin, Jennifer Shiao, Laura Jane Hunter, Martha Toro, and Bridget Hynes. 

I have watched these candidates listen to impacted people, show up to advocate for vulnerable people and offer time, effort and vulnerability to a process and community that desperately needs their vision. 

When these candidates came together to support one another and chose “Candidates for Change” as a label they were showing voters that they are truth-tellers. They are willing to name that we can do better, but more importantly they are willing to show up and do the work themselves, to get us there. 

Amherst is in a period of necessary change and even necessary change can feel difficult for people who have been comfortable under the status quo.  Some voices in Amherst have suggested that the priority right now is for things to go back to normal, implying that change is inherently problematic or chaotic. The Candidates for Change understand that “normal” was working better for some of us, than others. They are willing to be uncomfortable and committed to staying in the work even when it becomes challenging. They understand that another word for change is progress. 

The Candidates for Change embrace progress and in doing so they offer the integrity and stable, consistent leadership we need right now. I am grateful to each of them for being willing to serve and so hopeful that Amherst voters will embrace the opportunity for something new. 

Regardless of who is elected tomorrow,  I am grateful that these candidates have already changed the conversations we’re having in important ways. They’ve been willing to amplify voices otherwise silenced. They’ve been willing to advocate for children who were otherwise unsafe. They’ve been willing to ask hard questions and name difficult truths. They have made themselves vulnerable and uncomfortable to make others less vulnerable and more comfortable. That is the kind of leadership we’ve always needed and we need it now more than ever. If Amherst is a community ready for progress then tomorrow the Candidates for Change will be met with gratitude and chosen to lead.

Ali Wicks-Lim

Ali Wicks-Lim is a former Amherst Regional Public Schools parent.