Leicester’s Matt Dennison Fighting to Be Next Selectman
Friday, June 01, 2012
Leicester’s annual town election is June 12, and the big race in town is Selectman, where incumbents Richard Antanavica and Douglas Belanger are hoping to stave off challenger Matt Dennison.
Dennison Supports Economic Development
Dennison, who has run unsuccessfully for the board of selectmen twice before, including last year, said he is hoping that the third time is the charm for him.
“I was born and raised here,” Dennison said. “I joined the finance board 7 years ago, and I coached Little League. I love it here, and this is my way of giving back.
“I’m not running against either of the incumbents – I just think it’s time for a change. It’s time to move forward.”
Dennison said the town relies heavily on the residential taxpayer, and needs to expand its tax base to include more commercial properties.
“We have a revenue problem in town,” he said. “We have had to make cuts in the town and the school budgets. The school department is the biggest part of our budget. We rely too heavily on state aid.”
Dennison said he is the right candidate for the board, pointing to the fact that his ideas for the town were implemented, even though he was not elected.
“When I ran last year, one of my platforms was to re-establish the Economic Development Committee,” he said. “Even though I lost, the board of selectmen re-established the committee, and I am vice-chairman.”
Dennison said that there are zoning changes that need to be made in order to promote economic development. “I’ve searched over 100 economic development sites, and we’ve decided on a format, but we don’t want to say we’re open for business, when we’re not able to support the businesses properly.”
Matt Dennison
“If I am elected, I would work to restore the communication and the trust, so all the departments can be comfortable working with one another,” he said. “I am eager and passionate about the opportunity, and I want to all parties in the town to work together moving forward.
Antanavica Concerned About Town Finances
As current chairman of the board of selectmen, Antanavica is seeking a third term on the board, saying he brings experience and depth of understanding of the town to the table.
“It takes a year and a half to get caught up, and by then your first term is half gone,” Antanavica said. “I was on the Planning Board for three years before that. But this will be my last term – I believe in term limits. Ten years is long enough for anybody to be on the board.”
Antanavica has been involved in the town in a variety of ways: he is a former forest firefighter, former firefighter; he served as a police officer for 10 years, and has worked as an EMT and on the rescue squad.
“I tell it like it is,” Antanavica said. “The biggest issue in town is the lack of communication between the board and the school department. We’ve started working on it, but there are still some problems.”
Antanavica said the town has to figure out its finances.
“There’s more red ink than black ink, because the town voted to increase the school budget,” Antanavica said. “The town has to come to grips with what they’re going to do. Either we will need to make cuts or we have to talk about an override.”
Antanavica said he hesitated to raise taxes via an override. “There are so many people out of work and so many people who need assistance through programs like Hearts for Heat; I don’t think it’s going to be a good time for an override.”
Antanavica said he was willing to consider subcontracting for some of the town’s services. “Our budgets are already paper-thin, and some departments don’t have enough money to pay for ink.
“With the economy the way it is, it is a big draw on the Police Department, and a study eight years ago said we were not even close to the recommended staffing levels,” Antanavica said. “There have been break ins at foreclosed properties, and crime has increased.”
Belanger Said Economic Development is Happening, but Slowly
Belanger, a 15 year selectman, said that Leicester's economic conditions mean that finding new growth is essential for the town.
"The town needs about $4 million to be able to fund everything that each department needs," he said. "But that would mean another $1000 in taxes annually for each family. Our salaries are 21 percent less than the state average and our home values are 37 percent below the state average. If we have a overrde, it will disproportionaly affect those that can't afford it most."
Belanger said he has been active in working to attract new businesses to town. "We need to expand the taxbase, not increase our taxes.
"I chair the Economic Development Committee, and we've been going out and pounding the pavement trying to get businesses that are compatible with the town to come here," Belanger said. "We've had some great success already. The difficulty is that some of the building will start this summer, but won't hit the tax rolls until later. It isn't an instant solution, but it's a solution."
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