Panel recommends Sara Brown for Greenfield City Council seat
Published: 10-10-2024 1:41 PM
Modified: 10-10-2024 7:54 PM |
GREENFIELD — Committee Chairs recommended Sara Brown, president and co-founder of Valley Housing Co-op, to fill former At-Large Councilor Penny Ricketts’ seat on Wednesday, narrowing the candidate pool from five to one.
The recommendation came a week after all five candidates — Brown, Mpress Bennu, Stephanie Gale, Thomas Bledsoe and Charlotte Treiber — introduced themselves to councilors who are members of Committee Chairs.
After hearing from all the candidates, members of Committee Chairs had one week to submit their votes to City Council President Bottomley.
In an interview Wednesday, Bottomley said every councilor who voted listed Brown’s name, with some listing Brown among other candidates, as their top choices. Bottomley said he encourages all other candidates to run for the seat in November 2025, noting that all were promising. When Ricketts stepped down from the council in August, her term had not yet ended. Her term ends at the end of 2025.
Brown echoed Bottomley’s remarks in an interview Wednesday, noting that although she felt “optimistic” about her selection, she thought the other candidates were all “very qualified” and considered it a close selection process.
“It was a hard decision to make. All the candidates have a history of service and are thoughtful, caring people,” Bottomley said in a written statement sent to the Greenfield Recorder. “I feel proud that our city has candidates of this quality. In the end, I went with the majority of the Committee Chairs, and am confident that Sara Brown will serve the people of Greenfield well.”
Brown will appear before City Council on Oct. 16, when a motion to appoint her to the position will be put to a vote. Should the council vote in favor of Brown’s appointment, Bottomley previously explained, Mayor Ginny Desorgher will swear her in the same evening.
If voted in by the council, Brown said she plans to run in the next election when her term expires in 2025.
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“I’m very excited and I’m looking forward to getting to know the rest of City Council and the constituents,” Brown said in an interview Wednesday afternoon. “I’m also excited to learn. … I would plan on running again in 2025 and I’m hoping to serve for the long term.”
Last week, Brown explained to councilors that she hopes to tackle issues related to environmental preservation and affordable housing.
In a matter of months, she said the co-op raised $400,000 from about 70 community donors to purchase, and permanently designate as affordable, 32 acres of land on Stone Farm Lane. She said her work played a significant role in the trust’s ability to secure $1.47 million in housing bond bill authorizations.
“This project is deeper than the single issue of affordable housing, which is incredibly important. It also demonstrates fundraising and community organizing, learning how to lead well and make decisions together,” Brown said last week. “I believe my systems-thinking approach will benefit Greenfield, not just in putting out fires, but moving toward a more resilient system that benefits all of our community.”
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.