Methuen East District councilor candidates talk issues
The preliminary was triggered after five candidates returned nomination papers to run for the
The remaining candidates are
Ahead of the municipal election on
We asked each candidate the following questions:
1) Much of
2)
3) What is the biggest problem facing
The following are their responses.
Age: 41
Address:
Family: Married for 14 years with two boys in the
Occupation/employment history: Teacher for 14 years in the ELL classroom.
Public service: Member of the board of directors for Methuen Youth Basketball and Methuen Pop Warner Football & Cheerleading; fund raising for the
Education: Bachelor of arts from
1) Infrastructure repair:
It is important for a city to maintain its infrastructure. I think long-term planning is the sensible way to go. To prioritize, we need to use advice from our city department experts. By chipping away at problems in a systematic, deliberate, thought-out and well-planned way over time, and paying slowly for them, we take on less debt in the immediate.
2) Population growth/housing:
First of all, we need to take a break from all the non-stop building and construction. Let's try to preserve that small-town feel as best we can. Let's preserve open green space and our quality of life.
3) Biggest problem:
The non-stop building and construction needs to slow down: it is too much, too fast. My ideas to remedy this can be found in the previous response. On a lighter note, I would like to remind
Age: 27
Address:
Family: Single
Occupation/employment history: Communications director,
Public service: Former Methuen at-large city councilor.
Education: Bachelor of arts in politics and government,
1) Infrastructure repair:
We must develop a long-term plan that allows us to prioritize and budget for future infrastructure projects. The numerous water main breaks during the abnormally cold winter several years ago exposed the need to repair and replace
2) Population growth/housing:
While we should be encouraged that people are moving into and staying in
3) Biggest problem:
We have to work harder to get taxes and spending under control. Rising taxes year after year is a quality of life issue. As councilor I will push for the creation of a capital improvement plan that allows us to plan ahead and budget for major expenses. We must also end the practice of giving out promotions and pay raises to city employees at the expense of the taxpayers. These are actions I advocated for as a city councilor and I look forward to the opportunity to once again be a voice for fiscal responsibility on the council.
Age: 57
Address:
Family: Wife, Cathy; daughter, Laura and son-in-law
Occupation/employment history: Independent sales of merchant services and other banking services.
Public service: 25 years as a volunteer; current president and founder of
Education: Bachelor of science in marketing and operations management,
1) Infrastructure repair:
First, I would challenge the other councilors to invest time to better understand the issues that we will be voting on. I have spent days taking in depth tours of the
2) Population growth/housing:
We have several 55-and-older high-end developments underway. The majority are being purchased by new residents moving into
3) Biggest problem:
Taxes are the number one issue that is brought up by most residents, followed closely by over-development. Residents feel that taxes go up freely with no oversight. In addition to the steps described in the first question, I will stress that the budget be presented well in advance so the council can review and cut waste line-by-line before it starts. We should be looking to combine services and cut redundancy. Before I vote for a tax increase, I want to exhaust all other options and be confident that we are spending every tax dollar responsibly.
Age: 29
Address:
Family: Married to
Occupation/employment history: Compliance specialist/grant writer,
Public service: Former financial compliance manager,
Education: Bachelor of arts in political science, UMass Lowell; master's in economic and social development of regions.
1) Infrastructure repair:
Success in addressing the challenges to
The first step is to collaborate with the DPW to enact a comprehensive preventative maintenance schedule that will identify cost effective upgrades to our sewer system followed by a strategic plan for road repair and sidewalks improvements. It is paramount that we set a well defined direction for the city in order to be a sustainable community.
2) Population growth/housing:
There is a looming fear that the housing boom will impact traffic, overcrowd classrooms, disrupt the ecosystem and weigh heavily on public services. As a
We have some housing stock across the city that is in need of repair in addition to abandoned properties. There is funding available to address these issues. I would seek to raise awareness about the process of obtaining historic tax credits and HUD (
3) Biggest problem:
Public safety. I have had the honor of speaking with hundreds of residents across the
The municipal election will be held from
These responses have been edited.
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Thomas M. Taplinger (1945-2017)
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