Mattapoisett Candidates Make Their Pitch

Mattapoisett Select Board Chairman Jordan Collyer told a large gathering at Old Hammondtown Elementary School that he is hoping to serve one more three-year term to see through a tumultuous transition for the board and the town.

            Collyer called the past two years a “rollercoaster” while addressing a May 4 candidates event organized by The Wanderer and moderated by Don Cuddy of the Mattapoisett Land Trust.

            Prior to the event, little was known about Collyer’s challenger, Don LaMarr, who happens to live on Tallman just off the edge of the Old Hammondtown campus. The devastation of losing his mother to Alzheimer’s Disease motivated him to look after Mattapoisett’s elderly.

            “I realized how important it is to help our seniors,” said LaMarr, 67. “They should spend their golden years in their own home,” with all the necessary services at their disposal.

            A 25-year Mattapoisett resident and self-described “newcomer to politics,” LaMarr said, “it’s time for a change.”

            His experience is in emergency management. He served as a deputy sheriff, worked for Homeland Security where he taught seniors how to deal with scam artists. He also serves as a major of training divisions and law-enforcement training units. He served at Ground Zero after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

            LaMarr said he retired two years ago and enjoys his hobby of building and collecting cars, but his passion is the citizens. “If elected, I will do my very best,” he said, emphasizing a balanced budget spent on “the right things, like the school budget and the library because that’s so important for the youth.”

            Both candidates gave five-minute opening statements followed by prepared questions from the moderator, then questions from the floor and finally a closing statement.

            Asked for a plan to offset the cost of living and taxation by Kathleen Costello, a resident and administrator of the Board of Assessors, Collyer said Bay Club housing provided a windfall, “but finding growth after that has been tough.” Collyer discussed a PILOT program for solar farms, asserting that Mattapoisett is “the only town in the commonwealth that can do this.” He said that the ability to have more solar in town without deforestation can help residents economically.

            Resident Rich Taber asked the candidates about electric vehicles, noting that 9 percent of Boston public school buses ran on electric power.

            Enthused by the idea, LaMarr said he had run a large Toyota dealership and was acquainted with electric-powered cars, including a new Ford Mustang and said that police departments across the state are increasing their purchase of electric-powered cruisers.

            “The biggest thing is Green Communities,” said Collyer, pointing to grant-funded purchases. He also noted that Mattapoisett has made strides with LED street lighting and the new fire station’s capacity to add solar.

            With 18 years on Mattapoisett’s Select Board, Collyer has been the constant on the board while other seats have changed hands and member John DeCosta was lost to cancer. Collyer has served as chairman through the town’s confrontation with Covid-19, a passionate divide over the local school budget (finally approved at Monday night’s Town Meeting) and an emerging interest in school-building consolidation.

            Stability has been his calling card, as Collyer noted that during the pandemic “we didn’t furlough or lay anyone off.” On his watch, Mattapoisett has maintained its AAA bond rating, which maximizes borrowing power for municipal projects. “Seniors, fixed income (residents) … keeping tax rate under control will be our primary focus,” he said.

            The late John DeCosta’s father, the late Jackie DeCosta, served a record 21 years on the Select Board. One more term for Collyer, and he would equal DeCosta’s 21 years.

            Collyer said that regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s election, he will remain involved.

            Two of the three candidates vying for two seats on the Trustees of the Public Library, Bill Coquillette and Don Fleming, appeared. Incumbent Mike Rosa, who is running for reelection, was traveling and could not be present on May 4.

            While Coquillette’s experience is more library specific, Fleming’s experience is more Mattapoisett specific.

            Fleming considers the Mattapoisett Public Library, the Council on Aging and the Mattapoisett Museum to be the town’s jewels. A recent widower, Fleming was disappointed by the lack of candidates for open seats on various board and committees. He is the former moderator for the town with five children who were educated at Mattapoisett and Old Rochester Regional schools.

            Coquillette emphasized the financial challenges that town facilities face to remain top class and able to support the residents. He pointed to investment in new media for an entity “expanding to being a library of things … a new kind of business has to be developed.”

            In commenting on the decline in enrollment in Tri-Town public schools, Fleming cited conflicting information and acknowledged a budgeting challenge made more difficult.

            The Mattapoisett Election is scheduled for Tuesday, May 17, at Old Hammondtown Elementary School.

By Mick Colageo

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