PCA’S ENDORSED DISTRICT TOWN COUNCIL CANDIDATES
DOROTHY S. PAM (TOWN COUNCIL DISTRICT 3) https://dorothypam.com/
Dorothy, who serves on the Town Council, Finance Committee and Community Resource Committee, was also a Town Meeting member. An Amherst resident since 2010, Dorothy (who holds degrees in theater) has taught for more than 40 years, including at Maria de Hostos Community College in the South Bronx and the Columbia University American Language Program. For the last 11 years, she has taught courses in English, communications, and theatre at Holyoke Community College.
Dorothy won 4 elections for party office in Western Queens where she formerly resided. She has fought for women’s rights, founded and ran programs for seniors and youth, and worked for cleaner air. A devoted mother and grandmother, she performed in Shakespeare festivals and off-off Broadway, and more recently, in major productions at HCC.
Dorothy will continue to be an independent voice of integrity and common sense on the Town Council. Her vision is to increase affordable rental and homeownership opportunities for families, young workers, and senior citizens; protect and create diverse neighborhoods and village centers; support responsible, affordable plans for four new net zero public buildings, including an elementary school, DPW, the Fire Station and renovated Jones Library; and establish better building maintenance funds. Dorothy will work to re-vision the delivery of public safety and social services, with creative citizen/town led programs. She supports a meaningful reparations program.
JENNIFER TAUB, (TOWN COUNCIL DISTRICT 3) https://www.jennifer4district3.org/
A graduate of Brown University and the Coro Foundation Fellowship in Public Affairs, Jennifer worked as a community organizer/project development manager with the federally-funded non-profit Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. In cities including Minneapolis/St. Paul, Des Moines, St. Louis and Los Angeles, Jennifer managed development of Neighborhood Housing Services programs. These programs were among the first to systematically combat redlining by the banking and insurance industries of older urban neighborhoods.
Later, Jennifer served as Deputy Development Director for Western Center on Law and Poverty, which provides legal support services to low-income Californians seeking health, housing, and public benefits.
After relocating to Amherst, Jennifer was Assistant Development Director for VentureWell in Hadley, where she secured grants to support faculty and students who were developing biomedical and clean energy technology, focusing on low-resourced communities..
On the Town Council, Jennifer will work to restore vibrancy downtown by supporting existing, and attracting new, retail businesses and will focus on what makes Amherst unique. “Once Amherst becomes “anywhere USA” – with cookie-cutter dorm-style apartments consuming downtown – we will no longer be an appealing place to live,” she said. Noting that from 2015-2020, Amherst permitted just 61 new single-family homes, but 505 rental units Jennifer will seek a balance in new construction to better serve families and the year-round population. Jennifer will apply a climate-conscious lens to all procurement, budgeting and policy decisions, and is committed to a transparent, inclusive government that respects residents’ priorities and concerns. “Public hearings must not be exercises in ‘going through the motions,’ but sincere exchanges of points of view, which are reflected in policies and bylaws, Jennifer said.
ANIKA LOPES (TOWN COUNCIL DISTRICT 4)
Anika is a milliner who attended Amherst public schools, went to New York to build a career, and then returned in recent years. She has designed hats for musical artists such as Usher and Madonna, and for television programs including “Gossip Girl” and “Sex in the City.”
She understands the challenges that small businesses face, and is dedicated to building a thriving, more engaging downtown Amherst. Anika will advocate for an abundance of cultural and recreational activities to help to fuel the growth of shops, cafes, and world-class restaurants.
Anika will seek better communication and dialogue with downtown developers, to assure that unmet. needs and neighborhood concerns are addressed collaboratively. .
She is committed to bringing forward and celebrating the African American and indigenous history of Amherst, while being a voice for today’s growing BIPOC community. She is motivated by her family’s six generations of African American and indigenous ancestry here, which includes Black soldiers who fought in the Civil War and are buried in the West Cemetery. Her great-grandfather, Gil Roberts, a banjo player who performed worldwide with Louis Armstrong, is featured on the West Cemetery mural.
“I’m dedicated to honoring and exploring our past while building a joint future. Like me, many professionals have chosen to live in Amherst, to open businesses, and raise their families. They should have more housing and career opportunities than exist today. I want Amherst to be the place where our young adults choose to stay, and where our parents can afford to retire,” she said.
Recently, Anika’s design work was featured at the Juneteenth fashion show, which she produced at the Mill District.
Note: The Progressive Coalition of Amherst did not make endorsements in the uncontested Town Council races, which include districts 1,2, and 5.
PROGRESSIVE COALITION OF AMHERST 
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