I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on my campaign for Amherst’s School Committee, now that the smoke has cleared and dust has settled, so to speak. I am truly thankful beyond words to everyone who has helped me along the way. I have been fortunate to have met so many inspiring people over the last couple of months.
It certainly isn’t a great feeling to have lost such a close race, but I prefer to prioritize what I have gained from the process, so that I can use this experience as a lesson moving forward. One thing I have gained is access to an impressive network of people-Amherst residents. Going door to door and talking directly to people has given me so much more of a sense of community beyond my immediate neighborhood. The connections I have made with people have been energizing, and I hope to create more over the next year and a half…
While I came up short in my bid for School Committee, I did manage to secure a seat in Town Meeting, representing Precinct 7. There is certainly a feeling of heaviness in that we are losing a very large part of Amherst’s history and overall character. For me, there is somewhat of a sense of pride. I get to serve on the last stretch of a more than 200 year old tradition and I will be doing so as a member of a very diverse group of precinct representatives (half of Precinct 7’s town meeting members elected this year are people of color with a very broad age range). While it is certainly disheartening to see the change I have been working towards and hoping for come to a close (in terms of town meeting’s ability to reflect our town’s diversity) it also gives me hope and encouragement to see so many unique perspectives coming into the overall conversation. Let’s continue this new trend.
In these final months of our tradition of Town Meeting, I will be an open book and a voice for the people of South Amherst (and beyond). Feel free to reach out to me at any point, I’m here.
Love and Light,
Ben Herrington
