Three Major Races to Watch in West Boylston

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Sandy Meindersma, GoLocalWorcester Reporter

West Boylston’s Annual Town Election is June 5, and GoLocalWorcester brings you a profile of the three major races: Selectmen, School Committee and Town Clerk.

Selectmen

This year’s race for the Board of Selectmen features two incumbents and two challengers all competing for two seats on the board.

Incumbents Allen Phillips and Steve Quist are looking to stave off challengers Mike Kittredge and John Hadley.

Phillips, who has served on the board for 10 years, said that he brings a different perspective to the board than the other candidates.

“We definitely need economic development in town, Phillips said. “But all three of the other candidates are businessmen, and I bring a public safety perspective.”

Allen Phillips

Phillips, who is the Operations Manager for MEMA (Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency), also serves as an EMT/Firefighter for the Fire Department.

“The biggest issue in town is finding additional funding sources,” he said.

Quist, who owns his own construction business in town, said that he has been honored to serve as selectman for the last three years. "I'm looking to accomplishing more," he said.

Quist said that he wanted West Boylston to become a destination community, rather than simply a suburb of Worcester.

"To do that, you need housing and jobs," Quist said. "We need to think out of the box, and get a vision for this town."

Some of the other things Quist said he would like to see in town are a farmer's market and increased utilization of the River Road area.

Steve Quist

"If we could get a good farmer's market on the common by the bandstand and combine it with some entertainment on a Saturday or Sunday, then people would come to town and eat at The Manor or Il Forno," Quist said. "There's all sorts of things we could do, if we could create the vision."

Owner of North End Motor Sales, Hadley is currently chairman of the town’s newly formed Building Committee, and has also served as chairman of the Economic Development Task Force.

“I think it’s time for someone with business experience,” Hadley said. “I will make decisions and stand by them.”

Hadley said he was in favor of TIF (Tax Incremental Financing) deals as a way to encourage new businesses to come to town.

Kittredge, who operates the Rose Cottage Bed and Breakfast, said that this is the first time he has run for office, although he contemplated doing so about 4 years ago. He said he is running because residents have asked him to.

“People kept stopping by and asking me to run, and when a group of people stopped by, that’s when I decided to run,” Kittredge said. “They (the current board) have done a good job, I just think it’s time for some new faces.”

Kittredge said he wanted to make it easier for new businesses to come to town, and he wanted to see the board deal with the old Mixter building (former town hall).

School Committee

There are two open seats on the School Committee, as both longtime member Siobhan Bohnson and recently appointed member Judith Doherty did not seek re-election. Three candidates, Erin Palumbo, James Pedone Jr., and John Riley, are vying for the two seats.

Erin Palumbo

Palumbo, whose first child will enter Kindergarten in the fall, said she believes in the public schools, and wants to do her part of make them great.

“I’m a product of the public schools, and then I was active duty in the Air Force, and the leadership and teamwork skills I learned will help me on the committee,” she said.

Palumbo also said that she was a supporter of technology, and wanted to help the schools move forward with what they taught and with what the students can access.

“We need to remain competitive with the world,” she said.

Pedone, a graduate of West Boylston High School, said he recently completed his masters degree and thought that he could use his spare time to benefit the school system. He currently has one child enrolled at Major Edwards Elementary, with a second child to start in the fall.

Jim Pedone

“I can add a new perspective,” Pedone said. “I’m very concerned about the fact that 20 percent of the high school students are leaving the system and going to Assabet.

“I’d like to help alleviate that and keep the students here in town,” he said.

Riley said that his 30 years of educational experience would be a benefit to the school committee.

“I’m currently Principal at the West Street Elementary School in Southbridge, and before that I’ve been a teacher in the Worcester Public Schools, and then I was an assistant principal at a middle school on the Cape.

Riley, who has lived in town for five years, said he decided to run because he thought “it would be a good year to give back to the town.”

Riley said he was not very familiar with the school system, but was interested in learning about it.

“One thing I’m concerned about is that our kids aren’t getting into the top schools,” he said. “Small isn’t always good.”

John Riley

Town Clerk

The Town Clerk's race has political newcomer Erin Cosgrove challenging incumbent Kim Hopewell.

Hopewell, who has been Town Clerk since 2002, said that she trained for her position as the Assistant Town Clerk for two years before she was appointed to the position upon the retirement of the previous town clerk.

Since then, Hopewell has taken more than 80 classes for town clerks sponsored by the Massachusetts Town Clerks Association and other agencies.

“I also serve as the town’s computer administrator,” Hopewell said. “I write the databases for the Town Clerk’s office, the Board of Health and the Town Administrator. It saves the town money because they don’t have to pay for the licenses, and I can customize the reports exactly as we need them.”

Hopewell said that in addition to tracking all the many pieces of information required by law, she has spearheaded the town’s effort to digitize the vital records, annual town reports and ledgers. “That way the town is better protected if something happens,” she said.

Kim Hopewell

Hopewell said that the job is not a 40 hour week job, and that during elections the days can be as long as 18 hours. “It takes years of training – I have 17-plus years of municipal experience, which provides me with a better position to serve the town.”

Cosgove, who has lived in town for five years, said she is running for Town Clerk because she wanted to get involved in the town. "I don't really know too much about the Board of Selectmen or the School Committee, and all of my prior work experience has been office work and customer service," she said.

Cosgrove said that she has concerns about the availability of the Town Clerk. "It's hard to get over there when they're open," Cosgrove said. "I want to make the office accessible and schedule morning and evening hours.

Erin Cosgrove

Cosgrove, who is currently a teller supervisor at Commerce Bank in town, said that she has contact several other area Town Clerks to learn about their responsibilities, and added that she is a notary public. "And I have served as the president and treasurer of different boards and committees."