For Immediate Release
Contact: Alisa V. Brewer (413) 549-5539 brewera@amherstma.gov
Paul Bockelman (413) 259-3002 bockelmanp@amherstma.gov
(November 21, 2016) On December 12, 2016, a vacancy in town office will be filled at a joint meeting of the five member Select Board and the remaining five voting members of Board of Trustees of the Jones Library, also known as the Jones Library Trustees. Interested candidates must submit a Letter of Interest to the Select Board office by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 7, 2016.
Letters of Interest may be submitted by email to selectboard@amherstma.gov (preferred) or via hard copy to Select Board, Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Ave. Amherst MA 01002. Letters of Interest that arrive at 4:01 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and later will not be considered.
Letters of Interest should include a summary of reasons for wishing to serve on the Jones Library Trustees, as well as qualifications and experience. All submissions will be distributed to Select Board and Jones Library Trustee members as they are received, and will be available to the public on the Town web site in the Select Board’s packet materials for the December 12, 2016 meeting. Certain personal information will be redacted upon request.
Please note that while candidates are welcome to make the public aware of their interest, members of the Select Board, Jones Library Trustees, and staff will not release the number of candidates, or candidate names or other identifying information, until after the Letters of Interest appear in the Select Board packet materials for the December 12, 2016 meeting.
Candidates who have submitted a Letter of Interest must attend the Monday December 12, 2016 joint meeting beginning at 6:45 p.m. Interviews and the election will take place during the regularly scheduled Select Board meeting in the Town Room on the second floor of Town Hall, and will be broadcast live by Amherst Media on channel 17.
Vacancies in elected Town-wide office are governed by MGL Chapter 41 Section 11. A roll call vote of both bodies is required, and at least six positive votes must be made for the selected individual, regardless of how many members of the Select Board and Jones Library Trustees are present.
The person elected on December 12, 2016 will serve until the next Annual Town Election, to be held on March 28, 2017, and has the option to seek election to a three year term on the Town ballot through the standard nomination process. The new Jones Library Trustee must be sworn in at the Amherst Town Clerk's office prior to participating in Jones Library Trustee meetings
If you have questions please contact Debra Puppel in the Select Board/Town Manager’s Office at 259-3001 or puppeld@amherstma.gov
Additional information:
Select Board Policy: Filling Elected Board Vacancies (includes MGL Chapter 41, Section 11)
http://amherstma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/36164
About the Board of Trustees:
http://www.joneslibrary.org/155/Board-of-Trustees