This election, it’s three men and one seat up for grabs on the Marion Board of Selectmen.
With the stepping-down of long-time Selectman Jonathan Henry, three others view this as their chance to make a real difference for their town.
The three candidates – Norman Hills, Stephen Gonsalves, and Dale Jones – each have significant experience working for the town as elected and appointed officials, but voters can only choose one. We spoke with the candidates to ask them why they think voters should choose them as Marion’s next selectman and why they are seeking your vote.
There are still a few boards and committees Norm Hills has yet to have a seat on, including the Board of Selectmen; however, Hills has served 13 years on the Conservation Commission, is a current Planning Board member, a member of the Marion Energy Management Committee, and is on the Capital Improvement Planning Committee. He is a retired Navy submarine qualified engineering officer who served 21 years operating, designing, building, and overhauling submarines.
For years he has pushed for and worked towards an updated Master Plan for the town and, now in the throes of the formation of a new Master Plan, Hills sees a seat on the Board of Selectmen as his next step in taking the Master Pan all the way to fruition.
“Being the co-chair on the Master Plan subcommittee, I think, going forward, if I get elected I can have a lot more impact on some of the goals in the Master Plan and getting them implemented,” Hills said during a phone conversation.
Hills thinks “the big gorilla” in town that needs tackling is the wastewater treatment plant and the imminent cost to the town of lining the lagoons, upgrading the plant, and possibly more.
“That thing is impacting everything else that’s being considered in town,” he said. “There isn’t just one simple solution and, whatever solution it’s going to be, it’s going to take years and it’s just not a simple solution.”
Hills sees the lack of communication between town boards and municipal departments as a problem in need of fixing and says his experience in working together with others will help him build the lines of communication for the benefit of everyone at Town Hall. He said the town needs someone to “prod them along” towards better communication and understanding of each other’s roles in town government.
“I don’t think there’s anything preventing it now,” said Hills. “It’s just so easy to get fixated on your particular problems.
Hills says his hands-on style of serving the town is just what the Board of Selectmen needs, citing his proactive involvement with Conservation Commission site visits and ability to go out into the field to better understand situations that arise in town.
“And I’m persistent. I believe in being prepared. You don’t just show up and try to wing it.”
Hills said he has scheduled a number of ‘meet and greet’ sessions at the Taber Library every Saturday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm starting April 2 and continuing through May 7. “Stop by and say hello,” he urged voters.
Stephen Gonsalves, a 12-year member of the Planning Board, Conservation Commission member, and local business owner, said running for selectman was something he said would never do. Now, he says, “Never say never.”
“I don’t consider myself a politician as much as a public servant,” said Gonsalves. But, reflecting on his 12 years serving the town, “You know what? This is the next logical step, if the people will have me.”
Gonsalves is concerned about the rut the town now finds itself in. He cited rising water, sewer, and tax rates as issues, especially when you combine them with little to no business growth in town. And with looming wastewater treatment plant costs in the foreseeable future, he wonders how residents will pay for it all without commercial growth.
Gonsalves specifically recalled the long, expensive process it took for Dan Crete of Saltworks, a Marion business, to receive permission from the Planning Board to expand his business location. “Did you see what we put him through to do that?” Months and up to $60,000 in fees and associated costs, he said. We need to make it easier for businesses to grow in Marion, he said.
“We all know there’s a problem,” said Gonsalves. “It doesn’t matter how we got here. We just have to say to ourselves, we’ve got it, how are we going to fix it?”
With the EPA “breathing down our necks” and no commercial growth, he asked, “How does a town sustain itself?”
“Am I the smartest person in the room? Absolutely not. But do I love this town and do I want to do what’s right? That’s how I’ve always been.”
A rising tide lifts all boats, Gonsalves said. “Everybody should be able to survive and thrive in Marion.”
Dale Jones is no stranger to the ballot. He has vied for a seat on the Board of Selectmen four times now.
Having served many years on the Marion Fire Department and on boards and committees such as several building committees and the Water Board, Jones is another familiar face in Marion town government.
We were unable to reach Jones in time for an interview before deadline; however, Jones once told The Wanderer that he has experience as a chief engineer, including skills in capital budgets and planning. He has expressed in the past his support for term limits for elected officials and, during the 2014 election, The Wanderer reported in its May 8, 2014 issue that Jones cited the imminent wastewater treatment plant as “one of the issues left unattended.” The EPA would later issue the town its ominous draft NPDES permit in December 2014.
Election Day is Friday, May 13. The polling station is the VFW Hall at 565 Mill Street (Route 6). Polls open at 8:00 am and close at 8:00 pm.