Patti Muldoon opened the Candidates’ Night for town-wide elections on Saturday, April 10, 2021. Jointly sponsored by the LWVA and Envision Arlington. Broadcast live by ACMi. Vote by mail until April 5 to apply for a ballot via town website.
Rebroadcast on various channels and ACMi FB page and YouTube channel. Forum presented virtually during ongoing pandemic.
Non-partisan service providing information to the voters. Membership in the LWVA is open to ppl of all genders. Throughout its 101-year history, the League has built a nationally respected reputation for providing candidate forum and debates for the benefit of the voters, and for supporting informed participation and understanding of government and major policy issues.
Based on grassroots membership input, the League also seeks to influence public policy through education and advocacy. The LWV takes action on specific issues that we study, but we never support or oppose candidates.
Tonight’s program will include statements from candidates and a question-and-answer period. Residents of Arlington have submitted questions in advance of the evening. The questions were reviewed by a committee of League members and representatives from Envision Arlington to represent the issues of concern for the audience. The moderator will present the questions to the candidates.
I’d like to now introduce our guest moderator, Margaret Coppe of the LWV of Lexington.
Margaret Coppe (MC): Good Evening. First, I’d like to outline the procedures and rules for this evening. The candidates for town offices will appear in this order: School Committee (SC), assessor (BOA) and Select Board (SB). The housing authority candidates were unable to make tonight’s forum.
Each candidate will make an introductory statement, with two minutes allowed. The candidates will speak in the order of which they appear on the ballot. After the candidates have finished their statements, we will have questions and answers. As was mentioned before, questions have been submitted in advance. All candidates will have the opportunity to answer each question.
The candidate in the second place on the ballot, will be the first to answer the first question, and we will continue to rotate through the ballot order for each question. Each candidate will have one minute to answer questions. After the question and answer, each candidate may make a one-minute closing statement. The candidates will speak in reverse ballot order for their closing statement.
To ensure fairness, a timed warning will appear on the screen when 20 seconds remains. The timer will then count down to zero. At that point, the candidate should only finish a short sentence and stop. We ask for the cooperation of all candidates in following these rules so that everyone will have a fair chance. As a reminder, because this program is carried live, and will be rebroadcast, we ask that candidates speak clearly into their computer microphones to be heard.
We will now hear from the candidates for school committee. There are two candidates for two seats, each for a three-year term. The candidates are Jane Pierce Morgan and Jeffrey V. Thielman. The 7 members of the school committee serve thee-year overlapping terms. They set policies for Arlington’s public school system, and appoint staff to implement these under the state laws and the policies of the state department of elementary and secondary education. The committee appoints a superintendent as chief administrator of the school department to make recommendations on personnel and programs. The School Committee is responsible for the school department’s annual budget, and represents the town in collective bargaining with the teachers.
We will now hear opening statements from the candidates in the order in which they appear on the ballot. The first candidate is Ms. Morgan. Ms. Morgan, you have two minutes.
Jane Morgan (JM): Thank you so much. My name is Jane Morgan. I am running for my second 3-year term on the Arlington School Committee. I am the mother of four. I have a son at Stratton, I have twin sons at the Gibbs, and then I have a daughter who is an 8th-grader at the Ottoson.
We’ve been in Arlington since 2003. I’ve served as a TMM from the mighty Precinct 15. In my spare time, I’m an associate dean for STEM at Southern Hampshire University where I work with faculty and students. I also teach statistics online – online education is having a bit of a moment. So, it’s been a really interesting year. Over the last three years that I’ve been on the SC, I’ve been on the budget subcommittee; community relations; I’ve chaired the curriculum subcommittee; I’ve also served on the policy subcommittee. Since last June, I’ve been the chair of the SC.
It’s really been quite a year for the schools. I took over from Len Karden in June of 2020 as chair when our schools were closed. We have moved through a hybrid and remote program, and we are moving toward a full return of all students. My second grader will be back in person on Monday. But we’ve also maintained a robust remote academy all year. It’s been very busy. I am looking forward to in the next three years engaging with the town over the FY 23 budget. There’s a lot of uncertainty right now, supporting our new superintendent – who I’m looking forward to working with - and preparing for post-pandemic remediation.
Jeff Thielman (JT): Thank you. I’m honored to be running for reelection to the SC. I’ve enjoyed serving on the committee for many years, now. I enjoy the back-and-forth and conversations with voters and parents and stakeholders, and I’ve tried to get back to as many of you as possible. I’ve learned a lot in those dialogues. I’ve also have had a privilege of playing a role as a member of the SC in many important issues in town including the rebuilding of the Gibbs School, the building of the Thompson School, the expansion of the Thompson and Hardy schools, and, of course, I chaired the high school building committee, and have enjoyed playing that role for a project that is on time and under budget.
I’ve been an advocate – like my colleague Jane and others on the commt – for returning as many students as possible to the school for in-person learning safely this year. I’ve been proud of that position. I work with my colleagues on the plan for the year – the plan to have a hybrid option for students and a remote option for those who wanted it. I think that was the best solution for the year. We learned a lot in Covid19 and I hope to build on that experience over the next three years.
Elections are about the future, and what I want to focus on over the next three years are really five things. First and foremost, safely reopening the schools and be sure we have remediation for many children who fell behind during this pandemic. Secondly, I’m going to support the new superintendent of schools. I was proud to cast a vote for her. I’m excited about her superintendency. She brings a lot to Arlington. I was very proud to work with Dr. Bodie over the past several years. I look forward to working with the new superintendent. I want to continue to head the high school building project. I want to advocate for our schools as we begin the discussions about the next 5-year plan. And, finally, I want to start a conversation about improving the Ottoson Middle Schools facilities either through a repair, a rebuild, or a renovation.
MC: What measures should be in place to safely reopen schools for in-person learning? Please comment on any changes that have been made already.
JT: Well, first of all, I think the district has done a very good job of getting ready for reopening to full in-person learning, but also, we’ve done a good job with hybrid learning over the course of the year, and we’ve learned a lot. So, we’ve kept the students – really better than the adults, in my experience – at keeping their masks on, taking direction from adults – in the younger grades they’re better than the older grades.
We’ve had pooled testing in Arlington, we were the first district to do pool test with Ginkgo Bioworks, the company in the seaport, I guess they are. That has worked well, given us good data to show that there is not a spread in the schools. And we offered testing to our teachers right away. Also, the SC advocated for teachers to get vaccinated. So, we have a situation now where students are going to come back to school, the majority of teachers will be vaccinated, desks will be 3-feet apart, masks will be worn, and we have a lot of experience – especially in grades K-8 – with actually in-person, hybrid learning. And we have protocols in place in case there is a Covid situation.
JM: We’ve addressed a lot of these issues since July. There’s been a lot of planning, and it’s been a really collaborative process. Ventilation and issues with the facilities were addressed over the summer and continue to be addressed as they come up. Ventilation is a big deal. Testing for both students and staff – that’s going really well. The SC continues to encourage ppl to sign up for pool testing. The more ppl who participate, the safer we are, and it also just gives us good date about, you know, what’s happening in our schools especially as we come back at 3-feet spacing.
Really careful planning is being taken on by most of our administrative team, and a really collaborative process with our faculty and with our staff I think has been really important. I think our SC has been really committed to engaging really publicly about these questions. So, I think we’re ready to make this happen.
MC: What do you plan to do as a school committee member to transition to the new superintendent considering the special challenges we are now facing?
JM: So, I think that’s a great question. You know, the SC worked really hard. Both Jeff and I have been on the committee for the last three years, and this was something that we really knew was going to happen. Dr. Bodie gave us a lot of notice about her retirement. We had a really careful, thoughtful, and proactive process, and had Dr. Homan under contract by early December of 2020. So, that gave us a lot of time to come up with a thoughtful transition plan. And she is under contract with the district for transition planning already. She is in communication with the administrative team, with the 6th-floor staff, the SC, and obviously with Dr. Bodie who has been incredibly supportive and engaged in having a thoughtful transition. I think we will certainly be meeting with her as a committee over the summer - which we’re used to after last summer. I’m really looking forward to engaging with her next year.
JT: I want to echo what Jane said. Also, I want to say that under Jane – it was because of Jane’s leadership this year as our chair – that we went to the market very early in the year, and we hired a superintendent. We were probably one of the first district in the state to hire a superintendent. So, we really think we got a qualified, a highly qualified superintendent early in the process. And as Jane said, she’s under – we put her under contract - we had meetings with Dr. Bodie and the administrative staff. She’s met with every member of the SC. She and I have had a number of different conversations. She’s very accessible. And she’s doing everything she possibly can do learn as much as possible about Arlington and this district. I think she’s ready to go, and I think the district leadership have been very helpful in orienting her to Arlington.
CP: How would you influence the APS efforts to support students of diverse backgrounds and identities? Would you bring specific skills and or experiences that will make you effective in this role?
JT: Well, you know, I guess my specific experience is that my entire professional career has been in the field of equity. So, I was with a network of schools that serve low-income students. We have 20,000 alumnae, 95% of those young ppl are young ppl of color. My teaching career was all with young ppl, low-income students. My school administrative career was all with low-income students of color. So, I bring that perspective to the organization I’m the CEO of an organization that serves immigrants and refugees – 2,500 immigrants and refugees in MA and NH – all ppl of color. You know, in my day job we have a diversity and inclusion consultant on retainer that works with me, personally, and also with our staff. So, I get a unique perspective on that issue that I try to bring into school commt discussions.
JM: So, I’m an associate dean for STEM at SNH University. For those who don’t know much about SNHU, we really cater – not exclusively – but to nontraditional learners. So, we bring in students who are post military; older learners; learners who had good, bad, and ugly experiences in high school, and we work to develop programs that serve our students and make sure that we’re supporting them to be successful. So, that is the lens that I bring to the SC around serving our diverse populations in Arlington. I have a lot of experience with where students may end up when they’re done with a K-12 education in some place like Arlington. I work to sort of bring that back. It’s certainly an area of growth both for me personally and for the district. So, I look forward to working on that in the years ahead.
CP: We will now hear closing statemen. You have one minute to speak, and we will start with Mr. Thielman.
JT: So, I want to thank the LWV and ACMi for hosting tonight’s conversation. I enjoy serving on the SC. I feel it’s a privilege that’s allowed me to participate in the community and help in concrete ways. As I mentioned, I chaired the high school building committee. That’s one of the things – that’s one of the reasons I’m running for reelection - is to see that project through for. As I said earlier, underbudget and on time – slightly under budget. And so, I look forward to the next three years. There are a lot of things we need to work on together as a community. I enjoy the engagement with members of the community. If reelected, I look forward to be able to serve with my colleagues to help the new superintendent to help our district move forward.
JM: So, thank you also to the League and to ACMi for all of their thoughtful preparation of this evening and of us candidates – we feel really well – I feel really well taken care of. Also, thank you to the community for your support of our schools. Your support of our SC has really been extraordinary (over the) last 10 months where I’ve been chair of the committee, but an even extraordinary last three years. So, I am grateful for all the messages of support that we have received collectively and I have received privately. I hope that you’ll come out on April 10 and vote for me and Jeff, and for lots of other excellent candidates up and down the ballot. So, thank you, again. Have a great night.
CP: Our next candidates of the night are for the Board of Assessors (BOA). There is one seat open for a 3-year term, and there are three candidates: Kevin P. Feeley, Guillermo S. Hamlin, and Philip P. Lohnes. The BOA is composed of three members. The mission of the BOA is to assess all property in the Town of Arlington in a fair, equitable, and consistent manner in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations of the Commonwealth of MA, the requirements and guidelines of the Department of Revenue (DOR). We will now hear opening statement from the candidates in the order in which they appear on the ballot. The first candidate is Mr. Feeley.
Kevin Feeley (KF): Thank you very much. I’m a candidate for reelection to the Board of Assessors. I would like to begin by thanking the LWV and Envision Arlington and ACMi for hosting this event. I think it’s very helpful to the ppl of the town - to the voters of the town – to get as much information about the candidates as they can. I think that – I believe that – an effective member of the BOA should include three prime qualifications. One, is naturally his background, his education, and life experience. Two, his experience in real estate. And three, is his dedication to the town, and his dedication to the field of real estate. I feel that I fulfill all those three qualifications fully.
I’m a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross. I have JD from New England Law School and a certificate of achievement from the Sloan School at MIT. I have been in upper management of public sector positions for many years. I originally served as a TMM, many years ago, and then I went on to the Youth Service Board, and many other commissions. And also the Recreation Commission and the Board of Selectman. So, I feel that those are the three important issues. I believe that I have shown my experience just by my service on the board and my dedication by the number of years that I have been involved in public service – which is a very high number, let’s say. (Time) In the assessor department, we have only four fulltime members – as you can hear from the moderator’s description of those jobs, there’s a lot of responsibility placed on just four -
CP: Mr. Feeley.
KF: I’m sorry, I didn’t see the clock.
CP: It’s hard to watch. Can you just wrap up your last thought?
KF: That’s fine. I will go on an make my final statement later.
CP: Thank you so much. Mr. Hamlin you have two minutes.
Guillermo Hamlin (GH): Thank you. I would like to thanks the LWV, Envision Arlington, ACMi, and I would also like to thank Kevin Feeley for his years of service. My name is Guillermo S. Hamlin. I am an existing TMM for Precinct 14, and I’m a candidate for the Board of Assessors. What got me onto this race was, believe it or not, finances, judiciary responsibility. When I first ran for town meeting, I was looking to get involved in town government because I wanted to make a difference and a change. Everything prior to that looked like I was going to focus on small business, housing, and just being involved in direct representation in town government.
After everything changed with Covid19, it’s very clear that we need to be ready for the next shift. My background is in government access television. My education background is that I have a bachelor’s from Harvard University Extension School. My background is of that of an immigrant. My lived experience informs that of young family in NJ from Paraguay, first moving into an apartment building, living with my parents in their first condo, eventually achieving home ownership. However, they weren’t well off. They were either on a fixed income – my father even lost his job. This story informs me in a way that it informs a great number of other ppl.
There’s a disparity of outreach when it comes to our low-income homeowners and seniors on a fixed income. I believe that if you were to give me the opportunity to serve on the BOA, I will use my experience in town government - very short experience in town government (that) has been filled with making sure that I was a courier for other TMM’s, and to make sure that I’m getting the word out. I look forward to expanding on my background qualifications. I look forward to reaching you today, and ask you for your vote ahead of town election.
Phillip S. Lohnes (PL): Good Evening. I also would like to thank Envision Arlington, LWV, and ACMi. In particular, ACMI has been helping the candidates navigate all the trickiness of doing this remote thing. Thank you for making this possible. Also, I want to thank everybody who’s viewing because you’re taking the time and investing it to improving the quality of your vote by knowing what the issues are and who represents what.
Homeowners have questions. They want to know why their property taxes go up. Is the assessment fair? And, if they perceive it not to be fair, how to fix it. What they really want is transparency. Most ppl are more than wiling to pay their fair share in taxes, but they always have questions. Now, my background is in finance. I’m the director of finance for a tech company. I’m also the head of HR. What that means is yes, I do the projections and the numbers, and the budget, but I also help ppl navigate the trickiness of 401k’s and the myriad of medical insurance possibilities so they can get what’s best for them.
The point there is that I can take something that’s complex, and explain it in clear language that lets ppl get on with doing what they need to do. As we all know, our home is our biggest investment, and our property tax is the single biggest source of revenue in the town. I actually started my first job working in an appraiser’s office. So, I can take my communication of complex issues, along with some experience in real estate assessment, and bring them to help ppl understand and see the fairness. Thank you.
CP: We will now go to the questions. And we will start with Mr. Hamlin. The question is: Though it’s an elected office, the Board of Assessors is a highly technical role, that requires highly technical and specified knowledge. What professional education, certifications, and/or experience qualifies you for this role?
GH: Thank you. I’m the first to admit that I’m admittedly not the most qualified for this role, but it’s predicated on what we’re actually trying to achieve. If we’re continually looking to overrepresent CPA’s or lawyers in the BOA, feel free to vote for either of the two candidates besides myself today. If you’re looking to increase outreach, to address communication visuals – meaning to promote ahead of time the rates – to make sure our residents – seniors on a fixed income, low-income, first-time homeowners or homeowners that have recently lost a job – they need to be able to get ahead of this increase in rate. They also need to be able to address the BOA to seek relief. I believe that it is incumbent upon us to do the latter. To promote. To outreach. To speak to our residents. So they can have a fighting chance to seek relief. Thank you.
PL: As I said in my opening statement, I’m a numbers guy. I am a CPA. I understand how things work. I had the privilege, when I left college, to do a tech startup that put all the City of Cambridge online for real estate appraisal. That was in the 1980s, when that was unheard of. In doing that, I learned an awful lot, and got my hands on a lot of the data. I understood how to compartmentalize it so that it was easily understandable because it can be overwhelming.
I also have a degree in information systems so I will probably be very facile in meeting with the outside firms that does the actual calculation. Thank you.
KF: Thank you. I think that the assessor’s office has shown that they do a fair and equitable job in establishing the tax rate among the values in the town. We do have, I agree, a communication problem especially with the Covid experience, now. We should be able to improve on that. I work closely with the Council on Aging and the senior citizen groups and the veterans’ group to get as much of our information out as we possibly can. An assessor is not necessarily a policy position. It’s position where you have to perform properly according to the DOR laws and regulations. Thank you.
CP: We will now go to the second question that will begin with Mr. Lohnes. What is the process of the individual homeowner to question the assessment of their home, and how might it be improved?
PL: I don’t know this with precision. My understanding is that you have to have a basis on which you do it, and then you apply to the assessor’s office to consider an abatement. They can either accept or reject that and you have the opportunity to go to Land Court after that. There are a lot of things that could be done to make that simpler.
First of all, on their website, simply outline the process, and perhaps making it available online. And if it would be possible to give ppl more information about it. And have the office be customer focused. I can’t say whether they are or not, but that is something that’s also in my background. In my financial background, I helped to develop some forecasting software, and I was actually on the front lines of supporting that software when it first went out. The service was more highly rated than the software which was also highly rated.
KF: Yes, the process for applying for an abatement is basically spelled out in the general laws and the procedure adopted by the DOR. This year, with over 15,000 parcels of land in the town, we only received 44 applications for abatement. To us, that meant that the values were right in line with what they should be. There is a process by which the assessor will then grant an interview or a meeting with the aggrieved party. They can make their case, and we’ll review it, and if we deny it again, they can then have the right to take it to the tax appellate board at the state level. Thank you.
GH: Thank you. I’m not going to repeat what my two other colleagues said today. There’s a process by which to see if you are eligible, there’s an application, and should you not be successful, you can appeal. By the time the first go-around has happened, they’ve already experienced a financial loss. An increase in rate that they were not expecting – whether it be a resident homeowner of any kind. There is a likelihood that they are going to be dissuaded or overall disenchanted with the process.
I believe it is incumbent upon us – on the BOA – not only to serve in its historical advisory role, but to return the information back to the resident. To make sure that they can duly prepare for this whole process. Rather than seek the eligibility, (and) find out they had no opportunity – no real viability – to get this repeal or this relief. I believe it’s best to educate them ahead of time so they can prepare and know what they can be eligible for. Thank you.
CP: Now to question three. Explain the different responsibilities of the board and the town’s assessor, and how they interact.
KF: I think there’s some confusion on the titles. The BOA is the elected board under the general laws. They then hire the director of assessing who is a paid employee and basically a non-decisional employee. He does {interact} with the staff of the various departments of the town. And then if there is a decision to be made – a policy decision to be made – he brings it back to the board for action. One point is, he spends a lot of time meeting with taxpayers and explaining why their application or appeals have not been granted. We feel that is one of our obligations to the taxpayers. Thank you.
GH: So, I believe that, as my colleague Kevin Feeley said, the town hires someone to run the assessor’s office. Then I believe there’s three other staffers with the exception of the director. It’s best to reach our obligation to the taxpayer by, in my opinion, by making sure that we are resourcing the assessor’s office accordingly to meet the demand. The silent demand that comes from a great number of many homeowners – especially those on a fixed income, whether there are senior or not - being able to seek relief properly. Seek to determine their eligibility. The DOR and its division of local services have a huge advantage because they understand that it’s best to show not tell. I would like to carry this tradition to town government to be able to visually demonstrate its information, its rates, and how best to seek relief and be eligible. Thank you.
PL: As Mr. Feeley expressed, there is some confusion. There is professional assessor who runs the staff, and there is a BOA who sets policy and direction. All of them in fact have some knowledge of assessment and probably in real terms, pitch in when needed. I’m looking forward to setting a policy direction of openness, and an empathy for the taxpayer. At the same time – when I say empathy, that means everyone is treated fairly. One thing that has concerned me is that I see we have a number of rates and help for seniors, veterans, and ppl on fixed income, but those rates have been static since they were set a number of years ago, and inflation certainly hasn’t been. And that needs to be examined.
CP: We will now go to closing statement. They will be in reverse ballot order. We will begin with Mr. Lohnes.
PL: Thank you. This is kind of an interesting thing that we do here. What this really is is a job interview. And I express it that way because you folks that are watching are trying to decide who you’re going to hire. Why I say it that way is because you’re asking me to work for you and to be your servant. And that’s what I’m looking forward to doing. I’m looking forward to doing that in a way that represents everyone well and understands that the town needs to raise money. So, balancing those things and making sure that people are treated fairly and those who are most vulnerable are particularly treated fairly. Again, my name is Phil Lohnes, I would really appreciate your vote. And I also again want to thank ACMi and Envision Arlington, and the LWV for doing this for us all. Thank you
GH: Again, for those of you at home, my name is Guillermo Hamlin. I am a candidate for BOA, and I respectfully ask for your vote whether it be in person on Saturday, April 10, whether it be by mail, absentee. The reason is, is that we need to be able to actually explain to our residents what it is that we are doing. Substantiate whether or not our service to the public is beneficial. I’d like to thank Kevin Feeley for his years of service, and should he win again, his continued service. I’d like to thank him for the work that he’s done. I wish that I knew more of the good work that he has done. I believe the town would benefit if they had known a great deal about what the BOA has done. My background is that I am Paraguayan born, Harvard educated, camera operator, but also, I have a background with housing nonprofits, I serve in government access television, and I’m a TMM. I’m looking to expand financial relief wherever possible. Thank you.
KF: I’m not going to repeat everything I said earlier, but I am qualified for the job, I’ve been enjoying the job for a number of years, I have a real interest in it. I have real interest in town government. I’d like everybody’s consideration and vote on April 10. The important thing is for ppl to vote. We’ve seen that in the national election this year. Every vote counts. Please get out and vote. Thank you.
CP: We will now hear from the candidates for Select Board. There are two seats open, each for a three-year term. There are three candidates: Eric D. Helmuth, Jennifer R. Susse, and John V. Hurd. The five members of the SB serve overlapping three-year terms. They act as the town’s executive branch to formulate town policy, ensure compliance with state laws, and administer many town meeting decisions. The board appoints the town manager to be the professional manager of town services and departments except for the schools. The SB also serve as the board of public works, the board of survey, compile the warrant, grants licenses and permits, appoint election officers, review budgets, and settle claims against the town. The members announce all elections, attend hearings and other town functions, and deal with traffic and other safety matters. We will now hear opening statement from the candidates in the order in which they appear on the ballot. The first candidate is Mr. Helmuth.
Eric Helmuth (EH): Good Evening. Thank you to the LWV, ACMi for this forum, and thanks to you who are watching for caring enough about your government to spend your time with us this evening. My name is Eric Helmuth, and I’m running for SB to bring my experience in our town government and my passion for bringing people together to help meet our challenges and move Arlington forward.
My husband and I moved to Arlington 14 years ago. I quickly discovered that Arlington is a place where ppl get involved. I got involved, too. Over the past 11 years, I learned how town government works, and how you get things done. As a TMM, I introduced the idea of electronic voting at town meeting. And I led the team effort to change our bylaws and get it set up. It was a big change, but now, you can see how your own TMM’s vote on the issues you care about. As Chair of the Community Preservation Act committee (CPA), I’ve led the process to fund millions of dollars in affordable housing, open space, recreation, and historic preservation projects all across Arlington. Working closely with many town departments: finance commt, town manager’s office, capital planning, commissions and finally, town meeting to choose and agree on good projects that everybody wins with.
In these and many other roles in our govt., I’ve earned a reputation as a good listener, as a team player, and importantly as a consensus builder. And I’d like to bring these skills to the SB. I’m grateful to have supporters from many walks of life – ppl who have lived her over 50 years, or less than five; parents and seniors; ppl from every neighborhood; elected leaders including many members of the SB and SC, many TMM’s and others. Local govt can make a real difference in ppl’s lives. I look forward to talking tonight about how we can work together to make Arlington a better place for everyone.
Jennifer Susse (JS): Yes. I’d like to thank the LWV, ACMi, Envision Arlington for giving us the opportunity to introduce ourselves and talk about the issues that we care about. My name is Jenifer Susse and I’m running for a seat on the Arlington SB. I have served the town in a wide range of capacities including town meeting, SC, election modernization commt., and long-range planning commt. I’ve had leadership roles in multiple ballot campaigns and I’ve been an active volunteer with many different community organizations.
As a member of the SC, I advocated strongly for transparent decision making and community dialogue. I organized public forums to hear from stakeholders during difficult decisions. I initiated offices hours, a web page, and an email newsletter. Other efforts I’ve been involved in include an 8:30 a.m. start time at the secondary level, standardizing the after-school application process, the 5-year strategic plan, the school suspension plans broken up by race, and implicit bias training for all administrators and staff.
I am running for SB because as I gained experience through my varied roles in town, I became invested and involved in issues that went beyond the SC work, including housing, the environment, and racial justice. On housing, I believe that every city and town in the Boston area has a responsibility to do its part to increase affordable housing, housing diversity, and housing supply, more generally. But, the particulars of how that looks, need to emerge form a larger, more community-wide conversation. On the environment, Arlington’s doing a good job. I support the goals of the NetZero action plan, and the proposal to declare a climate emergency. We’re on the right track, but we need to stay vigilant.
Finally, on issues of racial justice, equity and inclusion, I believe we need to consider those in everything that we do. As the town develops its multiyear equity plan, we need to make sure that all voices are heard and represented. Thank you for listening, and I look forward to the debate.
John Hurd (JH): Thank you. My name is John Hurd and I’m a candidate for reelection to the SB. First, I want to thanks the LWV, Envision Arlington, and ACMi for facilitating this debate, and my fellow candidates, Jenifer and Eric, for running positive, issue-based campaigns. I am currently wrapping up my first term on the SB. It has been a privilege and honor to serve the residents of Arlington for the past three years. I continue to learn from my colleagues and town residents and grow as a SB member each day.
Over the last term, Arlington faced a number of challenges. We had to maintain our town’s fiscal stability, heal divisions in town relative to systemic, structural, and individual racism, create solutions to our housing affordability crisis, and deal with a pandemic that threatened the lives of our residents and businesses. All these efforts ran alongside our continued work to promote sustainability, update our transportation system, and protect out town’s natural resources.
I am proud to say that the collaboration among both board members and residents we were able to address these issues. I was happy to play a critical role in the solutions. However, despite these achievements, there is significant work ahead of us. I am committed to continuing to work with residents and town staff to build on the progress that we have made, and I look forward to a friendly discussion about these issues tonight. Thank you.
CP: We will now move onto the questions. We will be starting with Ms. Susse. The first question: What does affordable housing mean to you? What can SB do and not do to increase affordable housing while addressing neighborhood concerns about set limits, traffic, and existing home sizes? Do you have any specific comments about the proposed development at Thorndike Place on the Mugar Property?
JS: Great. Those are a lot of questions. They’re really important questions. The SB doesn’t deal directly with housing issues. However, for any issue that is important in town, the SB, as the main political body, should be involved. Housing and housing production is something in which the community has some anxiety around, there’s a lot of different ideas, the SB should play the role, the liaison role between the town administrators and the community. We don’t have enough affordable housing. You asked me what affordable housing meant. There’s deed restricted affordable housing which is questions about area-median income, but there’s also that sort of middle-income housing that we also don’t have enough of. We actually need to produce housing of all type. And we need to be a leader in the community in producing housing. To be an inspiration to other communities. Because if we each do our part, we can make a difference.
JH: Thank you. In order to maintain our efforts to increase diversity in town, we have to create policies that actually create more affordable housing units. In the past few years, it generally wasn’t SB’s role to deal with issues of housing and zoning, but in the past year, we’ve stepped up our role. I’ve worked with the chair of the Arlington Redevelopment Board to start to identify issues that both of our boards could work together to promote new changes that promote affordable housing in town. These efforts are ongoing, but we’ve planted the seed, and I look forward to where these efforts will go. As far as the Thorndike Place project, we as a board have been heavily against this project since the start. We’ve committed to fighting this project in any way that the board is able to do so with recent efforts to get Mass Housing to relook at their decisions to approve the project. So, we’re committed as a SB to fighting that project.
EH: Thank you. Fundamentally, affordable housing to me means economic diversity. We are a better community if our fabric is economic and social diversity. I have been privileged to be part of helping to fund specific affordable housing through my role as the chair of the CPA commt for the Housing Corporation of Arlington (HCA). And we need to do a lot more of that. I’m a big fan of the new affordable housing trust. we need to fund that robustly, and I want to help do that. I think it also means looking at how we can have more and different kinds of housing that more and different kinds of ppl can live here. Some of that does mean lower-cost, market-rate housing. For me, it means putting it in the right place. I’d like to see us do more with mixed-use housing and business development along our commercial spines. I think it also means not putting it in the wrong place. And for me, that does mean the Mugar Development, and just because of the flooding and environmental and water issues.
CP: Now we go to our next question, and Mr. Hurd will be the first one on this one. What’s the most important issue in which your position differs substantially from those of your challengers, and explain your stance?
JH: I think this is going to be a difficult question for any of us to answer because I think we do have pretty substantial – substantially the same views on a lot of issues in town. One of the things that’s really been important for me has been investing in our business districts. This is something that I’ve been talking about since my last campaign. I am a business owner in town so I have the perspective of someone that operates a business right downtown. I can see how issues of parking and the beautification of our business districts can affect the type of commerce that we can do here in town. So that’s certainly a place where I have a unique perspective. I don’t know that my view on where we go is dramatically different from my fellow candidates, but that’s only one area that I’m committed to working on in town.
EH: Thank you. I’m not sure I see a lot of daylight on how we would vote on most of the issues between the three of us. I think that I would like to talk a little bit about my muni background. My training was in mental health. My first job was as a mental health counselor and a social worker. And I think that has framed my approach of looking at the needs of ppl, of being proactive with that, and really working to collaborate and working to bring ppl together and make sure all voices are heard in a way that protects the interests of the minority. I use that as the lens of everything I want to do whether that’s working on equity and inclusion - which is really important to me. I think the town has made some great strides in the last couple years, but we are not done. And I think we need to really listen and not be satisfied with the actions plans – as important as they are – not be satisfied with the trainings, but to really hold ourselves accountable with metrics. And always focus on the ppl and that’s what I would like to do as a member of the SB.
JS: I’m going to give a similar answer which is that I do think that we have many of the same views. We have different strengths, however, and different emphasis for sure. I have a SC background, which is helpful. We’ve lost the one person who had a SC background. 43% of our budget is the schools, so I think that’s helpful to have. When I was on the SC, the thing that I focused the most on was this sort of community outreach, transparent decision making. What I realized, actually, is that being on a board, your most powerful role is that liaison role between the community and the board. Partly that’s because, when you’re on a board, you can’t actually talk to each other because of (unclear) law issues, so that what you can do, what you’re really powerful doing is that kind of relationship to the community. So, when the community has been anxious about something, like over the Gibbs decision, I was able to do that kind of outreach and show our decision process. It helped ppl, I think.
CP: Onto the next question, and we’ll be starting with Mr. Helmuth this time. What would you do to ensure that new hires and appointees to various public bodies made by the SB and town manager promote diversity, equity, and inclusion? What challenges to increasing diversity in these positions would be outside of your control as a SB member?
EH: You have to do more than set opportunities. Anyone can join a committee and a commission. I think it’s a lot harder to make sure that ppl who are underrepresented feel welcome, feel like they would have a voice and be represented. I spent three years working in the public health field, working with ppl who measure everything they do because if you don’t measure it it doesn’t happen. As a SB member I would be really interested in holding the town government accountable for getting to Point A to Point B. Setting the right yardstick, and then not losing sight of that yardstick. It’s a big complicated question. It’s one of the things I cared the most about in my prior answer, but that would be part of my approach.
JS: I said in the last debate that ppl who show up in public meetings are often wealthier and whiter and older. I think that’s also true about ppl who show up to volunteer on committees. The way to potentially counteract that is to develop those relationships over time. That you can’t just fly in and sort of do a one-off and say, “can we have diverse group of ppl here,” right? It has to be going to the community, talking to ppl with diverse backgrounds, and over time establishing relationships, making connections, so that when a position does become open you already have that sort of trust that ppl feel comfortable coming to you. That’s what I think is important.
JH: We, as a town, have made great strides with diversity with our population over the past few years, but diversity in our town leadership has certainly lagged. I think what’s really important is that instead of just waiting, waiting to see who applies - who wants to get involved - we have to be proactive in order to reach out and recruit good quality candidates from diverse backgrounds to come serve and then make them feel comfortable and make them feel welcome into the discussion. When you do that, when someone actually gets the call from a town leader who says we want you to serve in this role we think you really can bring some perspective – that is lacking right now. I think it makes ppl feel comfortable. It makes them feel wanted. It’s a good way to increase diversity in our commissions and certainly invite more diverse candidates in our election cycles.
CP: For the next question, we will start with Ms. Susse. Do you think Arlington needs a social media policy and a code of conduct for employees including the police department? Why or why not?
JS: That’s a hard question. So, I assume we don’t have a policy. I don’t know enough about what policies we have. I think it’s worth considering to figure out what would make sense in terms of our values. Obviously, that is something that has to be well vetted by the lawyers to make sure that we have the authority to do that. We also potentially have to renegotiate contracts which I know from my SC work a very long-term process. Anytime you have to go back and renegotiate contract, it’s just a long process. So, I say, yes, but I suspect it’s not easy to do something that would make sense and be what we want.
JH: I think it’s a great idea within the bounds of the law. We can research if we’re able to do it, but we have really smart ppl working in town who can come up with a social media policy and a code of conduct. A code of conduct came up a number of times in the wake of Lt. Pedrini’s (unclear). And it’s something that that I know the town is committed to working on. I’d be happy to work on this. This is another area that takes diversity of perspectives to come up with appropriate policy that we can have appropriate, respectful discussions that won’t infringe on ppls rights. I think it’s good idea.
EH: Yes, I do think we need that policy. This is a really good example of why that it’s not just the choice that you make, but how you make those decisions. I think it has to be a collaborative process not only with our town employees, but with our community. And the reason I think that everyone has a stake in this is because when an employee lets down themselves and the town with a post that reflects poorly on their colleagues and the town, everybody loses. They lose. Their peers lose whether it’s the police officers or the school department employee. And the community loses trust. All of us need to be at that table and say what can we do to restore the trust that has been lost in the last couple of years. And what kind of policy can we put together that the unions will embrace because it affects everyone. I think, for me, that’s the way to do it.
CP: Cities and towns served by the MBTA will need to have a multifamily zoning district near a transit station or risk losing state grants. How do you think this will affect Arlington?
JH: I’m not familiar with the policy, but most of our transit goes along Mass Ave., and Arlington certainly relies on bus transit – particularly before the pandemic - and will continue again. Arlington residents rely on public transit in order to get to work, in order to get to the grocery store. We, as a town, have to commit to comply with any regulations that the MBTA puts forth to make sure we don’t lose any service. There’s been service cuts in the past year that the board has come together. We wrote a letter to the MBTA to make sure that they can restore those services once they’re able to do so. Arlington really relies on public transit and it’s something that – public transit has a been a key issue for the SB this past term.
EH: We’re going to need to do that to preserve our access to state funding. We’re probably going to be pretty motivated to comply with that regulation – the Governor’s economic development bill that was passed, I believe, in December. I think that it’s an opportunity for us. With housing, where you put it really matters. Putting it in the right place, really matters. So, this is going to be an opportunity to try something, and find out where multifamily housing can work. We’re going to have to go through a process with ppl to have those discussions, to negotiate, and maybe to compromise – ppl in the community – but everybody who has a stake in this will need to be involved. Again, the process is really important. Location is important. Frankly, I’d like to think that it can work. I think that Arlington can manage more than one kind of housing. And more than one kind of neighborhood. I think ppl want more than one kind of neighborhood. So, I’d like to look at it as an opportunity.
JS: Yes. I am really excited about this. This is a Chapter 40a of the Economic Development Bill. I think it’s Section 3A. This is a requirement that in any MBTA community, there be a district of reasonable size within half a mile of a transit that has 15 units per acre. I’m excited about it. And if we don’t do it, we lose things like the MassWorks grant which are super important to our town. But how we do it, should be the result of a community process. We shouldn’t have the planning department come up with an idea and present it to us as sort of fair accompli, right? We need to have a community discussion about how that looks. There’s lots of different ways we can do this. We can put 3-family (housing) in. We can put larger units in. There’s just lots of ways to satisfy the requirements. And it really needs to come out of a community-wide process.
CP: We will now hear closing statements from the candidates of the SB. They will speak in reverse ballot order staring with Mr. Hurd.
JH: Thank you. I want to again thank the LWV, Envision Arlington, ACMi, and our moderator for hosting this debate, and my fellow candidates for the positive discussion. I’m a lifelong resident of Arlington, and I understand the history and traditions of this wonderful town. I’m also a progressive. I have been happy to champion issues as a SB member that appeal to all Arlington residents both new and old. This dual perspective makes me uniquely qualified to serve in this important role. I enjoy working collaboratively with my fellow board members and residents to address the important issues facing our town. I am proud and honored to have received the public endorsement of all SB members that I have served with - except of course, my friend and mentor Kevin Greeley. I look forward to continuing to discuss the issues facing our town with the residents over the next few weeks. I respectfully ask for one of your two votes on Saturday, April 10. Thank you.
JS: Once again, I’d like to thank the LWV, ACMi, Envision Arlington, and for giving us the opportunity to talk about ourselves and to talk about our visions for the town. I’d like to thank my fellow candidates for running positive and thoughtful campaigns. It’s been a pleasure to campaign both against and alongside ppl I respect and like so much. The current Covid19 crisis has highlighted the need for greater community conversations on matters before the SB. I believe I can help here as I have a track record of just such work. I want to thank you, the voters, for listening and getting involved in the campaign. I hope you and your family are safe and well. I want to thank my supporters including the 33% TMM who publicly endorsed my campaign. To learn about me and the issues that I care about, I encourage you to go to SusseForSelectBoard.com. And finally, don’t forget to vote on Saturday, April 10, or earlier by absentee ballot. And when you do, I hope to earn one of your two votes for the Arlington SB.
EH: Thank you once again for watching this debate. Thanks to my fellow candidates for being willing to serve and running such a positive campaign. The SB is the link between the community and its government. The job of the SB member is not to solve everybody’s problem, it’s to bring ppl together, to work on our challenges, to compromise, and to find the best path forward together. I have broad experience in Arlington govt., strong relationships with our local leaders, with our statehouse delegation, and a track record of getting things done the right way by listening to others by being open to criticism, and by building consensus. If you entrust me with this role, this is what I promise: I will work hard. I will always listen carefully and honestly and consider your views. You will always know where I stand. Please visit EricForSelectBoard.com to learn more about my experience, my priorities, the community leaders who support me. I ask for one of your two votes on Saturday, April 10. Thank you.
End of Candidates’ Night