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

Hornets construct their nests by mixing their own saliva with wood pulp and chew it into a compound that is woven into a geometrical pattern of outside covering. Underneath and deeper inside is a cell structure into which eggs are placed called “combs.”

            There are usually two kinds of hornets that build nests up in a tree interwoven with supporting branches and sometimes higher up under the corner of a building roof. The first is a very nasty Bald-Faced Hornet, and second is a recently invasive European Hornet that is just as mean.

            All hornets build their nests with a single-entry hole, as illustrated, for seclusion to discourage entrance of unwanted visitors as well as protection from outside weather elements. An active nest can be dangerous for nearby homeowners to be stung one or more times.

            You should not try to get rid of the nest no matter where it might be but instead call a professional control officer at 508-471-6437. Also, nearby may be ground-nesting yellowjackets down in a hole in the ground often near the foundation of a building.

            Yellowjackets are even more dangerous and when discovered quickly whip themselves into a wild swarm of revenge that will follow and attack anyone running away. These stings are even more painful because their serum contains a large amount of (5 percent) poison. Their stinger is very finely barbed to be able to withdraw it out quickly and sting you more than once. All this repeated potential should warn you to use extreme caution if stung and seek immediate medical attention afterwards.

            The lifestyle of a nest has begun already now in spring with a single queen who dominates the progress of reproduction of her many workers in all tasks of building the hive, seeking food and the disciplined ritual of fertilizing her eggs when the time comes. The queen implants them in compartments called “combs” where they progress through five stages of maturity called “metamorphosis.” As soon as the fertilization is done, the worker has finished his lifetime task and dies.

            In colder climates in the coming winter at thus location, the queen and any drones left seek a warmer refuge than the hive and abandon it for protection in the hollow branch of a tree or down a hole in the ground below the frost line. Once you are sure the Queen Matron and all her subjects are gone, the treasure of an empty nest can be carefully cut down and preserved for display in your home.

            You may point out that your treasure, like a bird’s nest, is woven into a pattern that seems to follow a clockwise direction of construction, like a favorable weather movement in the northern hemisphere. Your preservation of the hive will interest nature lovers of all ages with an environmental awareness of what anyone should know about hornet nests.

By George B. Emmons

Editor’s Note: Below are statements from Marion Planning Board candidates Tucker Burr, Andrew Daniel, W. Dale Jones and Barrett Levenson. The Town of Marion will hold its Election on Friday, May 13, at the Cushing Community Center.

Tucker Burr – Marion Planning Board

            My name is Tucker Burr and I am running for Planning Board. I’ve been living and working in Marion for almost my entire life. I grew up on Ichabod Lane, waited for the Sippican School bus, attended Tabor Academy, and then went off to college and got a degree in mathematics. I briefly worked out West before I returned home 13 years ago to work in the family business. I met my wife, Luiza, here in Marion, while sailing. We have a black lab named Gus, and a house on Olde Knoll Road. My life is in Marion. I love this town. The unaffordability of housing in Marion is an issue that should be at the forefront of the Planning Board. When I first moved back here there were no apartments available and so I rented a place in New Bedford. When I did manage find an apartment in town, I was forced out after only a year when it was torn down for condos. I imagine this is a similar experience for those looking to downsize. Marion has a wonderful inventory of family-sized houses but not many other options. For those that cannot yet afford, and those on a fixed income looking to reduce costs, staying in the community in a terrible challenge. The Planning Board can help address this issue by encouraging many different types of housing developments, so people in different stages of life and circumstances can stay here. I believe my experience working at Burr Brothers Boats will help me in many ways. In running the company for the past four years, I have experience organizing the operation to get things done. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, is the experience I have working for many years in the customer service department. The culture of the Planning Board needs to be a professional one but, in a small town like ours, it must also be welcoming and kind. Going in front of the Planning Board should be an efficient and well understood process. I look forward to bringing a level of professionalism, organization, and approachability to the Planning Board meetings. Ensuring this town is a place that future generations will want to move back to and work is a goal that is near and dear to me.

Andrew Daniel – Marion Planning Board

            Hello, my name is Andrew Daniel and I’m running for an open position on the Marion Planning Board. I have lived in town for 13 years, and my wife and I have three children. I have always felt it’s important to be active in the community we live in. I served on the board in years past and I am proud of the things we accomplished during that time and would like to continue that work. I am a licensed construction supervisor and currently the Facilities Director for the Town of Rochester. With my professional experience and previous time I served as the vice chair of the Planning Board, I do believe that I am the best candidate. I enter the race with no agenda but to make decisions that benefit “ALL” of Marion’s taxpayers. Marion is in need for business growth to ease the tax burden put on its residents. I would like to see smart growth and multi-use buildings. The property in the industrial zone being vacated by Lockheed Martin is critical for Marion’s future. We can’t see that property go to tax exemption; small businesses that could provide needed services to the residents would be welcomed.

Barrett Levenson – Marion Planning Board

            Nearly 250 years ago, Thomas Paine wrote that “Immediate necessity makes many things convenient…” Today, the Town of Marion stands at a crossroads, a chance to plan for the future while attempting to manage the present, bridled by decisions made in the not-too-distant past. Now, more than ever, we must not allow ourselves to be shortsighted and act from necessity. It’s time we embraced Common Sense, considered the future of our children, our seniors, and all who fall in between. To provide the guardrails that enable thriving local business while protecting the character and integrity of our beloved town. If elected to the Planning Board, I pledge to bring an educated and grounded youthful energy, ensuring a balanced view, working to align the needs of all of Marion’s citizens today while considering our needs of the future. Paine also wrote that “A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.” Marion needs someone who understands the power of positive change while preserving the character and strength of our town. As a young professional working and living in Marion with parents who have chosen to retire in this town, I am well positioned to see and understand both sides of the demographic spectrum. Having built a home from the ground up in Marion, I have worked closely with the Conservation and Building Commissions and therefore have an understanding of the impacts that decisions have on residents and businesses. Vote for Common Sense when you head to the polls.