With races in every
precinct for Town Meeting representative, the June election for those
seats is the most heavily contested in memory.
Fifty newcomers turned
papers in by last week’s deadline for a Town Meeting seat, and almost
all of the 150 incumbents are seeking re-election.
Town Clerk Ron Fucile
says the debates about overrides and the recall have spurred people to
run.
"People are very
energized … on both sides," he said.
Because of
redistricting, all Town Meeting seats are up. Usually, only a third of
the three-year seats are decided in the annual town election.
The Town Meeting in May
will be the last one using seven precincts. The eight-precinct
membership takes effect following the June 1 election.
Winning TM
representatives will get one-, two- or three-year terms depending on the
order of finish within their precincts. The top vote-getters get the
longest terms.
Four of the
non-incumbent candidates were interviewed for this story and asked why
they’re running.
Dr. Brian Backner, an
eight-year resident of Walpole, said he hasn’t been pleased with where
the town is headed.
The final straw for him
was the recall election.
"The powers that
be painted it as education versus anti-education," Backner said. In
fact, though, he said, "It was a referendum on (financial) waste.
It had nothing to do with education."
The mismanagement of
town funds, he said, is the main reason he voted in favor of the recall.
"I think there’s
a lot of waste in town, not the least of which is the Elm Street
School," Backner said.
He also said the
feasibility study for athletic fields behind the high school was a waste
of money.
"New ball fields
aren’t going to raise SAT scores," he said.
Furthermore, Backner
said he doesn’t think the high school renovation and expansion project
is going to do enough good academically to justify the $23 million the
town spent on it.
He feels there needs to
be more accountability in terms of how the town spends money.
This is Backner’s
second attempt for a Town Meeting seat. He said he didn’t put enough
effort into his campaign the first time, but won’t make the same
mistake this time.
Although unsure how to
force change at Town Meeting, he said, he’d make a great devil’s
advocate.
With all 150 seats
open, Betsy Mullen said she felt it was a good time to get involved and
create a respectable environment in town.
Mullen said she and her
husband have kept close watch on town politics and are concerned about
the quality of life in Walpole.
"We feel we want
to contribute in some way," she said. "We want it to be a nice
place for our kids to grow up in."
A backer of the
override and Support Our Selectmen, Mullen said she wants to work toward
consensus and compromise rather than conflict and mean-spiritedness.
With a new fire chief,
police chief, town administrator and school superintendent all on board,
Mary Murphy said she wants to add to the positive changes in town.
Although she’s
affiliated with the Council on Aging, Murphy said, she’d advocate for
all segments of the population – from preschool to the elderly.
"I’ve been very
concerned about what’s going on in Walpole and I don’t like what
people are saying and doing," she said, referring to the
divisiveness.
She said she’s all
for education, but feels there’s too much emphasis on school spending.
Murphy said she would
sacrifice even more if she thought the money was going directly to the
children and their academics.
Tired of writing
letters to the editor, Anna Halamaj said she wants to speak out and have
her concerns addressed at Town Meeting.
Halamaj said she doubts
she’ll win because her precinct (1) is full of people who give
priority to school spending.
"I put my name
in," she said. "If they vote for me, then they vote for me. I’m
not going to lose sleep over it."
It’s not that she
doesn’t support education, she said, it’s that she feels the town
focuses too much attention on youth sports. Like Murphy, Halamaj wants
to make sure the money is better spent on improving academics.
She said she’d also
like to see more student volunteers for the senior citizens in town.
Another big concern of
hers is drawing more business to town – not just a few new
restaurants, she said.
Caron challenges Maguire
for selectman
Caron: Town should
manage growth
By Brian DeCesare
Staff writer
Selectman candidate
Michael Caron says his four years on the finance committee and his role
at Fleet bank have taught him how to do more with less.
If elected, he said, he
wants to create an environment that doesn’t promote the sentiment of
‘No, it can’t be done.’
"That’s hurting
us," said Caron, who faces incumbent Susan Maguire in the June 1
election.
The town should focus
its energy on managing growth, not stopping it, Caron said.
"We need to find
other ways of creating revenue," he added, noting that it’s more
imperative than ever because of shrinking state aid.
As a town, he said,
Walpole is going to have to start paying for the necessary road and
bridge repair work.
"It’s either
that or let them fall into further disrepair," he said.
And even though the
high school infrastructure has been improved through the $23 million
renovation and expansion project, Caron said, the school department is
going to need new teachers.
"(But) I am not a
tax and spend person by any stretch," he emphasized.
Without being specific,
Caron said town officials have put forth "decent" ideas in the
past in terms of planning.
"The execution of
those plans needs to be improved through better implementation so that
you can save (money) in the end," he said.
When asked about his
position on the future of Adams Farm, Caron said, "Once you give it
up you can never get it back."
He said he has asked
members of the golf course study committee to look at the sites –
particularly the parcels along Route 1A that have potential for bringing
in brownfields money.
"You would get
more of the cost covered by state and federal money and you’re turning
an eyesore into something beautiful," Caron said.
Of the March 16 recall
election, he said he voted against the removal of the four selectmen
because it was an inappropriate use of that mechanism.
Speaking about the
divisiveness in town, he said his campaign slogan is "create
solutions instead of conflict."
"My experience as
a skilled negotiator and contract manager can help the town move
forward," he said.
Caron said his decision
to enter the race for selectman wasn’t based on one particular issue,
other than making sure the town’s finances are in order.
Although his plate is
full with a wife, three daughters and a demanding job at Fleet, he said
it was important to find the time to participate in the policy-making of
the town.
"I’d been
thinking about this for a couple of weeks and made the decision last
week," said Caron, the director in the strategic marketing group at
Fleet, in Boston.
A friend and colleague
of James O’Neil, Caron said he first spoke to the former selectman to
make sure he wasn’t running again. Maguire beat O’Neil last June to
fill the remaining year of an unexpired term.
The advice Caron has
gotten from O’Neil and others in the community "has been all
positive," he said.
Caron is a 1973
graduate of Norwood High and a 1977 graduate of the Naval Academy at
Annapolis. He holds a master’s of science degree in management from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master’s in finance and
accounting from Bentley College.
Caron’s wife, Cheryl
Caron, is a Walpole native and a Town Meeting member. Cheryl is the
daughter of former Walpole School Superintendent Thomas Cibotti.
Maguire: Running on 'my
own beliefs'
By Brian DeCesare
Staff writer
Incumbent Susan Maguire
says she won’t get involved in any negativism or personality conflicts
as she seeks a three-year term on the board of selectmen.
"I will run a
campaign based on my own beliefs," said Maguire, who faces finance
committee member Michael Caron in the June 1 election. Maguire is
completing her first year as a selectman, elected to the post last June
to fill an unexpired term.
"I’m very secure
in who I am," Maguire said. "People know who I am."
"I offer a voice
that I believe represents a broad spectrum of citizens… not any
special-interest group," she added.
Her goals as a
selectman include making the town business-friendly, hiring a new
finance director to complete the administrative team, giving more power
to the economic development commission, providing more affordable
housing and improving the infrastructure.
One way of cultivating
a business-friendly atmosphere, Maguire said, is shortening the approval
process for new companies to move into town. She also suggested taking a
look at the aquifer protection bylaw to see whether the town is too
restrictive to businesses.
She noted that new
industry in town not only provides jobs, it reduces the residential tax
burden.
Concerned about the
roadways and bridges, Maguire said, "I’m delighted that we
finally have a capital budget (for fiscal 2003)."
Of her opponent Caron,
Maguire said she believes he "represents a group of people who see
me as being anti-schools."
Noting that she taught
high school English and was on the school committee in Walpole for many
years, Maguire said she’s anything but anti-schools.
"I just think that
sometimes you have to say no," she said, explaining her opposition
to the override. "I say no to a lot of people."
She said there were
residents who pushed for new programs without considering the cost to
all taxpayers – many of whom are on fixed incomes.
"You can’t want
what you want in isolation of everyone else," Maguire said. It’s
wrong to assume that all problems will be solved by increasing property
taxes, she said.
There are medical and
financial uncertainties attached to old age, she said. It doesn’t take
much to alter the life of an elderly person.
Seniors who have lived
in town for nearly their entire lives shouldn’t have to worry about
losing their homes because they can’t afford higher taxes.
"Their homes
should be protected," Maguire said.
She said she believes
the schools get a disproportionate share of the town’s money, though
she faults the state for mandating certain educational programs without
providing funding for them.
Also, Maguire said she
doesn’t think class sizes and accreditation should be used as ploys to
justify promoting additional spending. A few less students in a high
school classroom don’t make a marked difference, she said.
There’s got to be
some relief for people over the age of 70, who’ve been paying taxes
for years and years, Maguire said.
If re-elected, she
said, she wants her board to establish a vision for the town and
eliminate the current "class struggle."
Having a new fire
chief, police chief, town administrator and school superintendent, the
town appears to be headed in the right direction, Maguire said.
"We need to take
what we’ve got now and pull it all together," she said.
Golding, Desmond vie for
school committee
By Brian Burns
Staff writer
The one contested race
for the school committee this fall will be for a two-year seat filling
out the term of the late Garrett Dalton.
Following a series of
last-minute additions, withdrawals and realignments, Washington Street
resident John Desmond and Plimpton Street resident William Scott Golding
will compete against each other for that seat on June 1.
Golding, who has been
seeking the two-year seat since he first took out nomination papers, has
already had to consider three different potential opponents.
He was initially set to
run against Woodruff Road resident Michael Ryan, but Ryan decided to run
for a three-year term on the committee instead.
There will be no race
for the three-year seats, as incumbent school committee member Mary Kent
has announced that she will not be seeking another term, leaving Ryan
and incumbent committee member Richard Smith as the only candidates
running for the two open positions.
As of noon last
Wednesday, Pine Hill Drive resident Carol Samost had taken out papers to
run against Golding for the two-year seat.
Desmond, who had
accompanied Samost to the last few school committee meetings, had yet to
enter the race.
Samost ended up not
turning her papers back in by the Friday deadline and won’t be seeking
the seat. During a telephone interview last week she explained that she
had decided not to run due to family obligations.
Golding and Desmond,
the candidates for the two-year seat, both cited civic responsibility as
one of their biggest reasons for seeking office.
As a graduate of
Walpole High School, Northeastern, and Suffolk University, Golding
believes that education is one of the best investments one can make in
themselves or another person.
As part of a family
whose history dates back to Walpole’s mill town roots, he can also
empathize with those who see education as an ever-increasing expense.
As a member of the
school committee, Golding said he hopes to help reconcile those
viewpoints by using the problem-solving skills he developed by working
in the business sector.
Golding, a former Town
Meeting representative and Conservation Commission member, has been
serving on the personnel board for the past year.
Explaining his years of
involvement in town government, Golding said he and his wife Betty, also
a Walpole native, have always believed in the importance of giving back
to the community.
In running for school
committee, Golding said that he also wanted to continue the legacy of
commitment that Dalton had brought to the seat.
He said that he was not
running because he was dissatisfied with the current members.
"I think they’ve
done a good job."
After being impressed
by incoming Superintendent Kathleen Smith when he interviewed her as a
member of the superintendent search committee, candidate John Desmond is
now hoping to work with her directly as a member of the school
committee.
During a phone
interview Tuesday, Desmond, a Town Meeting representative and a member
of the East Walpole Revitalization Committee, said that he is running
for school committee as a way to further the cause of public education.
Besides, volunteering
for public office is healthy for democracy, Desmond said.
If elected to the
board, Desmond said that he will focus his energy on school funding,
contract negotiations and the ongoing school building improvement
projects.
The school department
is coming to the end of a one-year contract with the teachers union.
Since teacher salaries
represent the biggest portion of both the school department and the town’s
budget each year, Desmond said that he would like the committee to
explore "as many options as we can" before settling on a new
contract.
They may be able to
come up with some ways to control costs, he said.
Desmond said that he
would also like to encourage the school department to do more long-range
planning.
For instance, staffing
needs are likely to increase once the improvement projects at the Elm
Street and Boyden schools are completed, he said.
The school department
should figure out what those needs are and announce them to the town
well before it comes time to implement them, Desmond said.
He said that a lot of
the hostility that is directed toward the school department might be
avoided if the school officials could paint a better picture of their
needs.