Lynnfield Candidates In Quiet Election Season

The Lynnfield Business Coalition held its annual candidate night on Tuesday at Lynnfield High School. The five candidates who participated all shared one thing in common - a lack of opponents heading into the April 11 town election.

On hand Tuesday night were school committee member James Fagan, planning board member Charles Wills, assessor candidate Bonnie Celi, town meeting moderator David Miller, and board of selectmen chair Al Merritt.

Town Deficit In The Spotlight

Each candidate fielded a couple of questions from moderator Doris Boghosian and later had the opportunity to make closing remarks.

Fagan was the first candidate to field a question, and it focused on the proposal to enact bus fees for students living less than two miles from their school. The candidate indicated that he does indeed support the proposed busing changes, noting that free service "is really a rarity" in other area towns and that these fees would be more desirable than cutting actual academic services.

"Busing is simply one of those services provided that doesn't have a direct learning impact," said Fagan. On another proposal to balance the town budget, a local meals tax, Fagan said that this "might have been a missed opportunity last time around," since many out of town residents eat at Lynnfield's restaurants, and because the Meadow Walk project is likely to only boost the potential for meal revenues.

Select Board Chairman Al Merritt was asked about the proposed "pay as you go" trash disposal plan, which was rejected in the past by town voters and which Boghosian said is opposed by two of three Lynnfield selectmen. "I didn't support it either 30 days ago," replied Merritt, citing the town's now-$1.5 million deficit and an opportunity to "put costs back where the users are" while providing added benefits like increased recycling in town.

Of course, town officials have repeatedly warned that these revenue ideas will be in serious jeopardy if the main  cost-cutting initiative - concessions from town employee unions on healthcare costs - does not become a reality. Merritt stated that the town has been in "good discussions" with the unions, and also predicted that the legislature would soon act on proposals that would make it easier for towns to control employee healthcare costs.

Calls For More Citizen Involvement

With no contested races and with a small audience, the forum was a rather quiet one. However, this also provided the opportunity to discuss the need for people to get more involved with their local government.

At one point, an audience question asked Merritt what could be done to make the town government more fiscally responsible. "Well, somebody could be up here opposing me," remarked the select board chairman, stressing the importance of getting more people involved and adding that "anyone that wants to make a difference, please run for office."

Moderator David Miller expressed similar sentiments. "The biggest challenge facing the moderator is to try to convince more people to come to town meeting," he said. Miller also encouraged those who do show up at town meeting to make a motion instead of asking questions if they have something specific they hope to see accomplished.

Candidates Cite Experience, Qualifications

At the planning board, Charles Wills was appointed last fall in place of Donald Harriss, who died in October. Wills is currently running for the right to complete the rest of Harriss' term in office. In his remarks, Wills cited his many years of experience in local development issues such as subdivisions, as well as the greenbelt zoning policy adopted by the town in 1972. He noted that he has "a lot of experience on the other side of the table" and noted that he would be able to be of assistance as the Meadow Walk/Market Place project gets off the ground later this year.

Assessor board candidate Bonnie Celi currently works as the tax collector for the city of Salem. She stressed the importance of remaining fair and equitable when assessing local home values, and also stressed the importance of reminding seniors that they have options with the town if they are having difficulty paying their tax bills.

Looking ahead, Celi expressed hope that the town would be able to have a full-time assessor in the foreseeable future, since it is now making do with a part-timer and a clerk.

The town election is Monday, April 11.