Amherst Town Council business to stay remote through summer

AMHERST — Town Council will continue to have its regular sessions done in a completely remote format, despite a vocal appeal from a councilor asking to bring back in-person meetings.

At Monday’s meeting, the first held in a hybrid format where most councilors were at the Town Room at Town Hall, with others participating via the Zoom platform, the council voted 6-4, with three abstentions, to reject At Large Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke’s motion to schedule similar hybrid meetings through Sept. 1. 

“This was very valuable, and I would hate to have to go back (to remote) because some people do not want to make the trek to Town Hall,” Hanneke said. “The convenience factor should not be a reason we don’t show up in Town Hall.”

“For our benefit, we should be in the same room together,” Hanneke added.

Though Hanneke’s motion was also supported by District 2 Councilor Pat DeAngelis, District 3 Councilor George Ryan and District 5…

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