Amherst council announces Ventress Gibson as applicant for interim appointment; Aug. 12 meeting set

At a special meeting the Amherst Town Council announced Ventress Gibson as the applicant it intends to appoint to the vacant council seat, and scheduled the planned appointment for the Aug. 12 regular meeting.

Staff explained the code requires reading applicant names at a council meeting before appointment and emphasized the council may announce a candidate while also running a more open process later. "We are declaring our applicant... for the current vacancy on council due to the passing of Mister Driscoll as Ventress Gibson," the mayor said when announcing the council’s decision. Council member (Speaker 5) moved to proceed with the appointment steps and to name Ventress Gibson for the Aug. 12 meeting; the motion passed (vote recorded as 2 yes, 1 no, 0 abstain, 1 absent). Staff noted anyone wishing to review Gibson’s prior application materials may do so; the council also directed staff to begin a wider recruitment and application process starting in November for a January appointment if the elected process requires it.

Council members discussed how the code’s reading requirement is meant as a transparency measure and not a substantive limitation on how council selects an interim appointee. The vote to announce Gibson does not preclude others from applying during the later recruitment the council intends to run.