On April 22, the League of Women Voters hosted a candidates’ night at Old Hammondtown School. All six candidates vying for a seat on the newly expanded Select Board vowed to work amicably amongst themselves and other boards, help the town to maintain its Triple A bond rating, and find new ways to handle lingering issues such as maintenance of schools and town-owned properties.
They also were of a like mind when considering the need for shepherding to completion multi-million-dollar projects awaiting action on the fiscal horizon.
The candidates for the three open Select Board seats are: Eric Beauregard; Judith “Judy” Mooney; Ned Kaiser; Frances-Feliz Kearns; James Harlfinger; and Nicole Doyon Lynch.
Beauregard said that from day one he would be committed to the town and the responsibilities therein. He stressed that projects with large price tags such as the reconstruction of Long Wharf were overdue in getting started, resulting in higher costs. He also said that each department head needs to dial into fiscal matters, do an internal audit, more than simply listing expenses but a deep dive into long-term maintenance planning.
Harlfinger is a retired first responder whose concern for the town includes the high cost of living, especially as it pertains to housing. He also expressed the loss of beaches from erosion, primarily related to global warming, as troubling and needing more attention. He also commented that it would be important to find out “how they (the Select Board) do things.”
Feliz-Kearns said that a top priority from her perspective would be better access to meeting minutes and the accessibility of Select Board members by the public at large. She noted that being able to contact Select Board members has at times been difficult with no direct access such as email or voice mail with the computer and telephone systems currently in place at Town Hall.
Doyon Lynch said that if elected her early focus would be to listen and learn. She said that keeping office hours to continue that listening-learning effort will help her to become better informed, adding to her pragmatic approach to decision making, decisions honed from her business experience and understanding with the matters at hand.
Mooney said a steady, thoughtful approach to a variety of issues facing the town was paramount. She said understanding how the financials work, given her background in municipal financial matters, will be top of mind. Mooney wants to use her more than 20 years of municipal experience to help Mattapoisett.
Kaiser shared that possibly, if Long Wharf had a maintenance plan, today’s multi-million-dollar reconstruction estimate would be smaller. He said he brings the perspective of a business owner who lost everything in a catastrophic fire. Now after rebuilding and taking care of customers and employees, he’s ready to give back to the community.
The election ballot also includes Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger running unopposed, Raymond Andrews for 3-year term as Assessor, Daniel Chase for a 3-year term on the Water and Sewer Commission running unopposed, and Carmelo Nicolosi is running for re-election and a 3-year term on the Board of Health, which also has a one-year term open to fill a vacancy, the candidates being Kathy Eckland and Mike King. Karen Field seeks a five-year, re-election on the Mattapoisett Planning Board, and Leda Kim seeks a five-year term and is running unopposed in her re-election bid to the Mattapoisett Housing Authority. Running unopposed for a three-year, re-election term on the ORR School Committee is Feliz-Kearns, and seeking a 3-year term on the Mattapoisett School Committee is Margaret Daisy Pullo Breese.
Next on the agenda was an informational session by Town Administrator Mike Lorenco, who went through the Annual Town Meeting warrant.
In a follow-up, Lorenco said voters will be deciding the fate of a town budget topping out at approximately $30,000,000. The warrant will also include changes to the zoning bylaws that would allow the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) and cluster, cottage-style housing units.
Also on the warrant will be an article to authorize the Select Board to engage in negotiations with property owners for easements along the route of the Village Roads project.
The full warrant is available on the town’s website: Mattapoisett.gov. The Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for May 11. The Town Election is scheduled for May 19.
By Marilou Newell