Editing Amherst, Massachusetts (section)

===History of town government ===
The Town converted from an [[open town meeting]] to a [[representative town meeting]] form in 1938.<ref name="ALWV-YAG">Amherst League of Women Voters, [http://www.lwvamherst.org/sites/default/files/YourAmherstGovernment-reduced.pdf "Your Amherst Government"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305063826/http://www.lwvamherst.org/sites/default/files/YourAmherstGovernment-reduced.pdf |date=March 5, 2018 }} (2009).</ref> In 1953, Amherst voters passed the "Town Manager Act", which established the office of a town manager and reduced a number of elected positions.<ref name="ALWV-YAG" /> In 1995, a charter commission was approved to study Amherst's government; the charter majority recommended a seven-person Council and a mayor, while also maintaining a reduced size representative Town Meeting (150).<ref>[http://www.votenooncharter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/1996-Charter-Commission-Report.pdf 1996 Charter Commission Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802200348/http://www.votenooncharter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/1996-Charter-Commission-Report.pdf |date=2018-08-02 }}.</ref> This proposal failed in two successive votes.<ref name="ALWV-YAG" />

In 2001, the [[League of Women Voters]] Amherst made a number of recommendations that were adopted in 2001 in the form of a revised "Amherst Town Government Act".<ref>[http://www.lwvamherst.org/sites/default/files/75thProgramBook.pdf League of Women Voters of Amherst 75th Anniversary Program"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304173503/http://www.lwvamherst.org/sites/default/files/75thProgramBook.pdf |date=March 4, 2018 }}, p.11.</ref> An effort shortly thereafter to amend the charter to eliminate the town meeting, and establish an elected mayor and a nine-member Town Council,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.votenooncharter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/2002-Charter-Commission-Report.pdf|title=2002 Charter Commission Report|publisher=votenooncharter.org|access-date=2018-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802200356/http://www.votenooncharter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/2002-Charter-Commission-Report.pdf|archive-date=2018-08-02|url-status=dead}}</ref> was rejected by voters twice, first in spring 2003 by fourteen votes and again on March 29, 2005 by 252 votes.

In 2016, a charter commission was approved to study Amherst's government. A majority of commissioners proposed a charter that would establish a 13-member council with no mayor.<ref>Amherst League of Women Voters, [http://www.lwvamherst.org/sites/default/files/LWV_final_version.pdf "League of Women Voters Offers Evaluative Criteria"].</ref><ref>Amherst Charter Commission, [https://www.amherstma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/41986 "Final Report and Home Rule Charter"].</ref> This proposal was voted on the March 27, 2018 local ballot,<ref>Amherst, Massachusetts, town website, [https://www.amherstma.gov/2248/Charter-Commission "Charter Commission"] (last visited March 4, 2018).</ref> and was passed by over 1,000 votes, a 58% majority.<ref>[https://www.gazettenet.com/Amherst-residents-decide-fate-of-charter-proposal-16453548 "Amherst voters approve charter change in historic election"], ''[[Daily Hampshire Gazette]]'' (last visited August 18, 2018).</ref> The new town council was sworn in on December 2, 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.amherstma.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=15612 |title=Amherst Town Council Inauguration Celebration |access-date=April 25, 2019 }}</ref>