WHATELY — As the federal government continues to invest more money into nuclear weapons, a series of Franklin County towns are calling for nuclear abolition by becoming members of Mayors for Peace.
Mayors for Peace, an organization of approximately 8,600 cities and towns, grew in the aftermath of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. According to the group’s website, at the second United Nations Special Session on Disarmament in 1982 in New York, Takeshi Araki, the mayor of Hiroshima at the time, asked cities around the world to push for the abolition of nuclear war and weaponry. The push led to the establishment of The World Conference of Mayors for Peace through Inter-city Solidarity — shortened to Mayors for Peace in 1991 — as a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
“The purposes of the ‘Mayors for Peace’ are to contribute to the attainment of lasting world peace by arousing concern among citizens of the world for the total abolition of nuclear weapons through close solidarity among member cities, as well as by striving to solve vital problems for the human race such as starvation and poverty, the plight of refugees, human rights abuses and environmental degradation,” the website reads.
Greenfield and Leverett joined the organization, which does not require members to have mayors, in 2005. Bruce Stedman, the New England representative for Mayors for Peace, has been speaking at selectboard meetings across the state since April to “reengage” the members and encourage new towns and cities to join the organization’s mission.
In a unanimous vote in late September, Whately joined Mayors for Peace as well. Stedman told the Whately Selectboard that he is fighting for nuclear abolition for his grandchildren.
“This will not happen probably in my lifetime, but for their sake, I have to work on this. I think we all have to work on this,” he said. “Becoming a member builds the momentum for improvements in this arena, both at the international level and the federal and state level.”
Reuters reported that the United States spent $69.2 billion on nuclear weapons in 2025, an increase of 22% from 2024 and more than all of the other nuclear states combined.
“Personally, it’s something I’d be happy to see Whately sign off to,” Selectboard Chair Fred Baron said.
“I say go for it,” agreed Selectboard member Julianna Waggoner.
The Selectboard will pay roughly $12.50 per year to be part of the organization.
To show, or grow, their commitment to the cause, the Selectboard plans to plant a tree on Smith College property, given its relationship with the college through the MacLeish Field Station, or at the 250 acres of forest and pasture that Smith College owns in Whately. Stedman said the tree would most likely be a male ginkgo tree, a common non-invasive plant in New England, and grow beside a plaque explaining its significance.
The tree would sprout from a seed that survived the Hiroshima bombing.
“Lots of people will walk by that tree [and ask] ‘What is this? Why is that there?’” Stedman said. “They will read and they will begin to understand that this campaign, this momentum, is needed, and they can join, too.”
Stedman warned the Selectboard that the tree project may take some time to come to fruition, as he has had difficulty reaching the people who hold the seeds in Hiroshima.
Since the start of Stedman’s tour visiting local selectboards, New Salem, Gill and Deerfield have also joined Mayors for Peace as member towns.
New Salem Selectboard member Susan Cloutier said her town became involved earlier this year after a local activist addressed the Selectboard at a meeting.
“And we are pleased to be supporting it,” she said.
Cloutier explained that she recently had a Zoom call with a Mayors for Peace secretariat in Hiroshima.
“She was a very gracious young woman who was in charge of making the first contacts with towns and cities that have made the commitment to participate, in some fashion, with Mayors for Peace,” Cloutier recounted. “It’s hard to say no to peace.”
She said participation in Mayors for Peace is a good fit for New Salem, which is known for its left-leaning politics and anti-nuclear sentiment.
“I’m basically a nature nut that cares about human rights,” she said.
In Gill, the Selectboard voted on Sept. 8 to join the initiative.
Stedman first presented the idea to the Selectboard in August, with members agreeable to the idea, but they opted to take a closer look at the proposal before making a decision. In discussing the proposal again, one of the ideas voiced was about the peace tree that Selectboard member Charles Garbiel II said he’d like to see planted in Gill.
“I would think if we’re going to put it anywhere, maybe the Gill Elementary School,” Garbiel said, “because then it becomes a teachable thing for the kids.”
Gill resident Ray Steele also brought up the idea that students at UMass can come by to care for the tree, which Selectboard Chair John Ward said is a “perfect teaching moment.”
Erin-Leigh Hoffman and Domenic Poli contributed reporting.
