Amherst rejects town operating budget

AMHERST – Voters said no to the proposed town operating budget Tuesday, but recent controversy surrounding the Board of Selectmen didn’t seem to hurt incumbent Dwight Brew, who secured reelection over three challengers John D’Angelo, a business management executive who said the current controversy prompted him to run for selectman, will be the new face on the five-member board. He garnered 1,117 votes, far ahead of challengers Reed Panasiti (627 votes) and Marilyn Peterman (617). Brew led the field with 1,232 votes. Peterman and Panasiti have served as selectmen, Peterman for 18 years before retiring in 2006 and Panasiti for one, three-year term that ended in 2009. On financial matters, voters turned down the proposed $11.4 million operating budget, 1,051 to 974, meaning a default budget of $11.27 million takes effect on July 1. It’s the second straight year voters have turned down the proposed operating budget. Just over 2,000, or about 23 percent, of registered Amherst voters cast ballots on Tuesday, a better turnout than many area towns experienced. D’Angelo, who moved to Amherst in 2010 and touted himself as “not a career politician,” said he’s looking forward to taking his seat at the table and work with his fellow selectmen to reverse the growing animosity residents have for the board. “I was appalled by the way the problem was handled,” D’Angelo said before the election, stating at the time that town government needs “new blood” and expressing confidence he has the skills to turn things around. “I’ve been making a lot of coffee and (putting out) a little wine and cheese,” D’Angelo said as his wife and daughter, followed by others, congratulated him Tuesday night. “I’m new in town. I had to get known,” he added. While the issues at Town Hall prompted him to run in the first place, D’Angelo said he believes the controversy also “prompted voters to take a serious look at me.” Voters soundly approved a series of other articles that call for expenditures. Among them is Article 23, which passed 1,401 to 621 and calls for the creation of a capital reserve fund and $200,000 for the fund to pay for repairs to the roof and “other structural deficiencies” at Town Hall. A companion article, which passed 1,387 to 623, appropriates $87,000 for the fund from the Land Juse Change Tax Fund. Likewise, voters were kind to their police officers, approving by a nearly 3-1 margin a $17,400 request to cover costs stipulated in the town’s contract with the police union. They weren’t as favorable to the fire department, however, voting 1,060 to 889 against an article that called for $410,000 to replace a fire engine, although selectmen and the ways and means committee supported it unanimously.