My Priorities

• Maintain high-quality town services

• Repair decaying roads and sidewalks

• Address long-term infrastructure needs

• Encourage "smart growth" in the Downtown and Village Centers

• Broaden the tax base

• Address housing affordability issues at all levels

• Plan for the needs of a growing senior population

• Support and promote the Town’s Climate Action Goals

My Vision

I want government that is accountable and transparent but also one that is not afraid to put forward a vision and a concrete plan for how to move Amherst forward in the 21st century.

Our town faces a number of daunting fiscal challenges that will involve careful and prudent planning. Voters have overwhelmingly approved a bond for a new, 21st Century school but this will substantially raise property taxes — how will we be able to budget for this genuine community good and still meet other pressing community needs? While two of the four major capital projects are now well underway, two remain in limbo. The DPW desperately needs a modern facility to better do its job of caring for Amherst's roads and infrastructure and the downtown fire station needs replacing. The Senior Center needs to be upgraded to serve our aging population. Longer term we need to be thinking about the future of the Middle School facility and our second elementary school in the face of a steadily declining student population. And we need to be addressing important infrastructure needs around water and sewer.

I believe we have an obligation to the next generation to see that these things happen -- but it must be done in a way that does not unduly burden the Amherst taxpayer. Amherst homeowners carry an excessive share of the property tax burden compared to most Massachusetts towns.  

I believe the best way to reduce that burden and to fund these needed projects is to broaden and expand our tax base through smart growth in our downtown and village centers. Development in my lexicon is not a dirty word -- but it must be responsible and sensitive to the needs of the community. Thoughtful, well-planned, and socially responsible development is very much in the common good. Change is always unsettling, but we must not fear it --  we must manage it.

I also want Amherst to be a community that is supportive and friendly to local business. Amherst cannot be a vibrant and flourishing community without a vibrant and flourishing local business sector. We need to look for more ways to encourage and promote that vital part of our town.

I want the town to address the issue of affordable housing from a broader perspective. We must consider the housing needs not only of those at the bottom of the income ladder, but also those in the middle who work in town but cannot afford to live here. I also want us to continue to seek ways to assist those living on fixed incomes who struggle with an increasing property tax burden.

I also want a government that stands for progressive values. Issues of racial equity and fairness need to be addressed in our schools. We as a town need to work hard at meeting our climate action goals. I would love to see universal pre-K in Amherst.

Realizing these goals will require good governance, fiscal responsibility, and a vision forward.  Help me make that vision a reality.

My Three Years on the Town Council: A Snapshot

·      Served on three standing Council Committees:  Chair of Governance, Organization, and Legislation (GOL), member and temporary Chair of Town Services and Outreach (TSO), and member of (now inactive) Outreach, Communications, and Appointments (OCA)

·      I published and continue to publish a monthly Newsletter (50 issues and counting) to help keep District 3 residents informed and aware of what is happening on the Council and in the Town (you can go here to subscribe)

·      Regularly attended meetings of the Campus and Community Coalition which on a monthly basis brings together University officials, Amherst Fire and Police, UMass Police, DA’s Office, UMass Off-Campus Student Life, Hadley Police, and many others around issues involving student behavior and the use/abuse of drugs and alcohol

·      Voted to approve Finance Plan to Fund 4 Major Capital Projects

·      Voted to approve funding for renovated and expanded Jones Library including use of CPA funds to support the archives

·      Voted for a feasibility study as the first step towards securing a possible Massachusetts School Building Authority grant to replace the Fort River and Wildwood schools

·      With Councilor Evan Ross proposed a zoning amendment to make it possible to build a destination parking garage on Town-owned parking lot behind CVS in support of downtown business community, Jones Library, Amherst Cinema, and The Drake — at no cost to the taxpayer

·      Voted to support activating the North Common and remove parking in front of Town Hall as part of a larger vision of a more vibrant, active downtown core, one which is pedestrian friendly and a place that invites people to gather

·      Voted to approve CPA funding for the 28 unit affordable housing project at 132 Northampton Road

·      Voted to make East Street School property available for affordable housing

·      Voted to support Town purchase of Belchertown Road site as possible large scale affordable housing project

·      Voted to authorize creation of a Civilian Responder Program (CRESS) to handle certain calls traditionally handled by APD (e.g. mental health, homelessness, wellness checks)

·      Voted in support of the Inclusionary Zoning Bylaw to help make Amherst more diverse and equitable community

·      Voted to implement Ranked Choice Voting

·      Voted to enact a Temporary Zoning Bylaw to allow outdoor dining and ease permitting to assist local restaurants during COVID-19

·      Voted to adopt a Wage and Tip Theft Bylaw to provide protections and enforcement mechanisms on behalf of those working in our many local restaurants and food establishments

·      Voted to adopt the Responsible Employer Bylaw to ensure that the Town of Amherst awards contracts for goods and services and public construction as well as grants for tax relief only to responsible contractors who certify their compliance with existing wage and hour laws

·      Voted to enact the Percent for Art Bylaw to promote the enjoyment of the arts by establishing a funding program to ensure that public art is acquired, created, and otherwise made available in Amherst through the allocation for public art of an amount equal to .5% of the capital costs of any eligible Town construction project budgeted at a minimum of $1,000,000

·      Voted in support of Community Choice Aggregation to authorize the Town Manager to initiate the process to aggregate the electrical load of interested electricity consumers under MGL Chapter 164, Section 134 for the primary purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency and the development of local renewable distributed energy sources

·      Voted on to approve the acquisition of the Hickory Ridge Property for the purposes of passive recreation and open space and the possibility of a portion to be used for housing

·      Voted to adopt Climate Action Goals as recommended by the Energy and Climate Action Committee (ECAC) to seek a 50% reduction in Town-wide greenhouse gas emissions below 2016 levels by 2030 and be carbon neutral no later than 2050 but be prepared to achieve carbon neutrality as early as 2030 by planning and advocating for state and federal action and taking advantage of technological advances

·      Helped create Council’s Town Services and Outreach Committee (TSO) as a way to connect residents and their elected leaders around issues that involve the provision of services by the Town

About Me

I have lived in Amherst with my wife and family for 36 years. We raised our two daughters here, educating them in the Amherst public schools from Wildwood to ARMS to ARHS.  Both my wife and I are teachers, and I coached my daughters' soccer and basketball teams. 

I am proud to have served as District 3 Councilor for three years after having served my neighborhood on Amherst Town Meeting for 12 years. Over the years I have been active as a volunteer, delivering Meals on Wheels to Amherst seniors and currently helping out at the Wednesday Community Breakfast sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst. My particular civic focus has been centered around the issue of affordable housing.  For 12 years I was a member of the board of Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity, eventually serving as Vice-President and President of the affiliate. 

That experience reinforces one of my key drivers: I like to get things done. I listen, I work well with people, I work hard, and I want results.

How You Can Help

To bring responsible and accountabIe governance to Amherst I need your help! Here are a few ways you can help me be elected:

• Go to this site and complete my Google form How can I help?

• Donate to my campaign to help pay for printing, signs, and this website. You can go to this link and make a donation directly or you can write out a check to: "Committee to Elect George Ryan" and mail it to The Committee to Elect George Ryan, 46 Pomeroy Lane, Amherst MA 01002.    (Note: Contributors who give $200 or more in a calendar year are asked by state law to provide their occupation and employer.)

• Like my Facebook campaign page.  https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeRyanforAmherst

Questions? Ideas? Suggestions?  Send me an email at GeorgeRyanForAmherst@gmail.com.