This election has been an eye opening experience for me. I’ve learned a lot about what folks around me value and what people in town expect from the school committee. Having a truly diverse committee with a spectrum of ideas and approaches is of the utmost of importance. All that being said, I choose to use my voice right now to amplify the campaign of one candidate: incumbent Heather “Hala” Lord.
In the interest of transparency, it should be noted that I have known Hala for the majority of the time that I have lived in Amherst. My oldest son and her daughter were in kindergarten at Crocker Farm together. I’ve seen her consistently exhibit a growth mindset and have always seen her as insightful and caring. Those elements of her character have shined during her tenure on the school committee.
Hala has served on the Amherst School Committee and the Regional School Committee with integrity and grace and has been a moral sounding board, at times, for myself and for our colleagues. Her thoughtful approach to entering into discussions has been a welcome addition. Although we both come from similar circumstances (and even live in neighboring apartment complexes) her perspective is often different enough from mine to give the complete picture of what is most important to our low income, working class families and caregivers in Amherst.
I could write a book about why I admire Heather “Hala” Lord but my main motivation for endorsing her wholeheartedly is that her commitment to the cause of humanity shines through in all that she is and does and we absolutely need that on our school committee.
As for qualifications, she holds Master’s degrees in Education and Social Work. She has been committed to anti-oppression and anti racist work for decades. Hala is a single parent and renter who raised an ARHS graduate who now studies at Harvard. Her campaign is centered around the concept of “intentionally seeking to reduce harm.”
All in all, Heather Lord is someone who genuinely walks it like she talks it and that resonates with me. If we are truly seeking forward progress, we need thinkers and doers like Hala to play an active role in that progress. Please join me in casting a vote for a candidate that really and truly cares and who has proven that she is capable of doing the job. Let’s vote for Heather “HaLa” Lord to remain a voice of reason on the school committee.
Benjamin Herrington for School Committee 