There is growing awareness that climate disruption is a crisis that requires our immediate attention. On the municipal level, a great deal needs to be done, not only to be part of the solution, but to show leadership to other towns and cities about what meaningful actions can be taken locally. For these reasons, it is important to know the positions of the candidates running for the Northampton City Council on our city’s role in addressing these issues. Two forums (one on Sept 11 and one on Sept 12), will be held to give constituents a chance to hear from city council candidates on crucial climate and environmental issues. The forums are focused on seats with more than one candidate running, and those with single candidates running unopposed but who have not been on city council and are therefore not well known to voters.

Specific information is given below.

Sept 11, 2019:
Location: Northampton Senior Center, 67 Conz St.
6:30-7:20pm Ward 1 candidates forum- Andrew Smith and Michael Quinlan Jr
(7:20-7:30pm transition)
7:30-8:20pm Ward 2 (Karen Foster) & Ward 4 (John Thorpe) forum

Sept 12, 2019:
Location: Lathrop Community Room, 1 Shallowbrook Ln.
6:30-7:20pm Ward 5 candidates forum- Alexander Jarrett & David Murphy
(7:20-7:30pm transition)
7:30-8:30pm Ward 7 candidates forum- Hanuman Goleman, Penny Geiss, & Rachel Maiore
Forum cosponsors: Climate Action Now, Western Mass; Massachusetts Sierra Club; Appalachian Mountain Club; Northampton Mothers Out Front; Broad Brook Coalition; 2degreesatgreenneighbors.earth; Friends of Northampton Trails and Greenways; Mill River Greenway Initiative; Northampton/Florence Unitarian Universalist Climate Action Group; Tikkun Olam Committee of B’nai Israel; League of Women Voters; Succeeding Without Additional Pipelines (SWAP); Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership; Co-op Power; Western MA Medicare for All; MA Audubon; Sunrise Northampton; Grow Food Northampton; Kestrel Land Trust.