NORTHAMPTON — Outgoing City Council President Jim Nash channeled a little help from country singer Johnny Cash to put a musical cap on his eight-year run as a member of the city’s top legislative body.
At the council’s final meeting of the year last Thursday, Nash — together with Ward 5 councilor Alex Jarrett — performed a cover of Cash’s song “I’ve Been Everywhere,” with Nash on guitar and Jarrett on vocals. The lyrics of the song, however, were changed to reflect current traffic issues in Northampton. For example, instead of, “I’ve been everywhere, man, crossed the deserts bare, man,” the lyrics were changed to “Slow ’em everywhere man, across Northampton fair, man.”
Later, at the conclusion of the meeting, Nash sang another song, this one an original, bidding a formal farewell to the council.
“Good night Northampton. may you sleep well tonight,” he sang. “Your passions and missions can’t take an intermission, as you slumber through this long winter night.”
The songs reflected an overall festive and congratulatory tone of the meeting, the last one of the year before the new City Council takes over in January. Nash, along with Ward 2 councilor Karen Foster and councilor at-large Jamila Gore, did not seek reelection for the upcoming term, meaning that this meeting was also their last.
Nash took the time during the meeting’s announcements section to thank members of the current council for all of their accomplishments. The council was first formed in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and began by meeting remotely.
“I’m really proud of the work that we’ve done as a council, the way we’ve come together and the way we’ve shared leadership,” Nash told the council. “It’s been the honor of a lifetime. I’m looking forward to stepping down, but I am incredibly invested in seeing the work continue.”
Some highlights cited by Nash included the creation of the Commission to Investigate Racialized Harms, distributing of American Rescue Plan Act funds and approving the purchase of the former First Baptist Church for a Community Resilience Hub.
Nash noted that there were several issues which had divided the council over the last two years, such as votes on a cap on cannabis dispensaries and upgrading police dashcams, but the councilors always maintained cordiality when discussing such issues.
“Through it all, we’ve remained collegial and respectful for one another. And for that, I’m deeply grateful,” he said.
Prior to his work on the council, Nash served on the city’s Zoning Revisions, Public Transit and Passenger Rail Advisory committees, as well as the Disability Commission. He has spent most of his professional life working with special needs students and founded CareerWorks in 2001.
Foster, who will be switching from the city council to the school committee next year, also told the council she was grateful for her time on the council. Foster works as the executive director for All Out Adventures, which organizes outdoor activities for people with disabilities.
“It’s definitely a little bit of a bittersweet thing to be stepping out,” she said. “It really has been a tremendous experience and the reason is all of you here in the room.”
Gore is ending her tenure as councilor at-large after one term, but told the council she wasn’t done serving Northampton. Before joining the council, Gore was known for her writing and poetry, as well as her political activism.
“I would definitely like to continue serving the city in some capacity,” she said. “I feel like (my tenure) was short, but I learned a lot.”
Nash’s Ward 3 seat will be occupied next year by Quaverly Rothenburg, who also attended Thursday’s meeting. Foster’s Ward 2 seat will be represented by Deborah Pastrich-Klemer, and Gore’s at-large seat will be filled by current Ward 4 councilor Garrick Perry, whose current seat will be occupied by Jeremy Dubs.
The swearing-in ceremony for the new council will take place at 10 a.m. on Jan. 2, at the Northampton Senior Center.
In other business, the council approved several Community Preservation Act-funded projects, accepted an additional $200,000 from Smith College for roadway safety improvements along West and Elm streets, and passed a resolution that calls on the United States to lead a global effort to prevent nuclear war.
Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.
