New Appointments to Social Justice Committee, Council on Aging, and Human Rights Commission

In memos to the Town Council and the Town Clerk dated September 24, 2024, Town Manager Paul Bockelman recommended appointments to the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC), The Council on Aging, and The Human Rights Commission (HRC). These appointments were endorsed unanimously (3-0 with two absent for the CSSJC and Council on Aging and 4-0 with one absent for the HRC) at the September 26, meeting of the Town Services and Outreach Committee (TSO) and will come before the full Town Council for final approval at their meeting on October 7.

Community Safety and Social Justice Committee
Nominated for a three-year term expiring June 20, 2027

Patricia Romney, of Carriage Lane

Bockelman’s appointment memo noted, “This appointment meets the requirements of the following elements of the committee charge: No fewer than five of the seven voting members shall represent Black, Indigenous, People of Color, or other historically marginalized communities. Appointments shall strive to represent a broad range of the town’s socioeconomic diversity.”

Bockelman was asked at the TSO meeting on September 26 why he was only making one appointment to the CSSJC, when there were three vacancies on the committee. The CSSJC has been short-handed for more than a year and has failed to field a quorum at three of its last four meetings and the failure of the Town Manager to fill these openings has been a source of consternation within the CSSJC. Bockelman responded that there have been “major scheduling difficulties” in trying to set up interviews with other candidates and noted that there has been a general shortage of residents volunteering to serve on committees, with barely enough applications coming in to cover existing openings (see also here). Bockelman said that he had scheduled more interviews for CSSJC the following day and that more appointments would be forthcoming. He noted that, while volunteers are generally scarce, the town has received many applications to serve on committees from Amherst College students, including several to serve on the HRC, where one Amherst College student already serves.

Those wishing to volunteer to serve on town committees can apply by filling out a community activity form.

The CSSJC works to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and community safety in Amherst. The committee may provide advice and support to all town government entities including the Town Council, Town Manager, and town committees to fully realize the resolution “Affirming the Town of Amherst’s Commitment to End Structural Racism and Achieve Racial Equity for Black Residents” adopted by the Town Council, December 2020. The Committee works to support all members of the Amherst community to understand and enjoy the benefits of a community that is truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive of all and shall serve as a voice to marginalized and underrepresented residents. The charge of the CSSJC can be found here.

Council on Aging
Nominated for three-year terms ending June 30, 2027

Helena Donovan of Jeffery Lane
Fred Hulme of Cherry Lane

The Council on Aging acts as an advocate for the elderly of Amherst before local, state, and national bodies. The Council makes its recommendations to the Executive Director and the Town Manager.

Human Rights Commission
Nominated for a two-year term ending June 30, 2026
Silas McClung of Main Street

Nominated for a three-year term ending June 30, 2027
Jayendran (Jay) Pillay of Spaulding Street

The HRC promotes the Town of Amherst’s Human Rights Policy, to ensure that no person, public or private, shall be denied any rights guaranteed pursuant to local, state, and/or federal law on the basis of race or color, gender, physical or mental ability, religion, socio-economic status, ethnic or national origin, affectional or sexual preference, lifestyle, or age for all persons coming within the Town of Amherst.

Biographical Profiles
The town manager provided the following biographical profiles of the nominees.

Patricia Romney has been a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) activist trainer for over 60 years. She has led anti-bias trainings for the Amherst Police Department and is the founder of the Roger Wallace Excellence in Teaching Foundation, as well as a founding member of Amherst Neighbors where she serves as co-chair of the Amherst Neighbors Communication and Outreach Committee. Romney has extensive experience, as her life has been about fighting for social justice and utilizing respectful dialogue to address power dynamics and conflict.

Helena Donovan is an intermittent user of the Senior Center and is interested in ensuring that seniors in the community are more engaged to promote better health and wellness. She is concerned that seniors need to develop habits to socialize to combat loneliness. Her background is in public health and she serves as a member of the Amherst Medical Reserve Corps. She has assisted the town’s Board of Health at flu clinics and teaches CPR at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

Fred Hulme is a recent retiree who has used the Senior Center to learn about issues all retirees face like Medicare and Social Security. He said many of his friends are not aware and are not engaged in the Senior Center which he would like to change. His professional career had been in plant sciences and agricultural matters. He continues to be engaged in the community and hopes to engage with others.

Silas McClung is a new resident to town and wants to continue working on human rights advocacy. McClung met with the town’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion who encouraged him to apply to serve on the Human Rights Commission. As a person of mixed heritage, McClung brings his personal history to the conversation about race, slavery, reconciliation, and reparations. He is comfortable in using his management skills to encourage civic dialogue and to support the Commission’s numerous events.

Jayendran (Jay) Pillay is an ethnomusicologist who has done work on post-aprtheid South Africa. He was the affirmative action representative for over a decade at Hampshire College while serving as a professor there. Pillay would like to work on the safety and well-being of new residents of the town and ensure that the voices of minority populations in Amherst need to be better heard.