Politics & Government

Selectmen Candidates Discuss Library's Future

Candidates Dave Nelson and Tom Terranova attended library board of directors meeting Tuesday evening.

The Lynnfield Library is slowly moving forward with a long-term plan to redefine its role in the community while also expanding its offerings and potentially, its space. And whoever wins this year's selectman's race is likely to work with library officials on at least some of that process in the coming years.

With that in mind, candidates Dave Nelson and Tom Terranova attended the library board of directors meeting this week to talk about their own long-term visions for the institution.

Both candidates emphasized their overall support for the library and praised its crucial role in the community. Nelson called the library "the jewel of the town of Lynnfield," while Terranova cited the "critical role" the library plays for students and other residents even amid rapid changes in technology.

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Nelson cited his own general support for the library, as well as the town's schools and public safety. However, he noted that questions about adding more space to the library or other ideas will depend on the state of the economy as well as other ongoing town projects - notwithstanding expected upcoming revenues from Market Street at Lynnfield. Nelson said that the library long range plan is "something the town would support for the right reasons at the right time."

Terranova suggested that existing town entities, such as the library, senior center and schools, can collaborate more with their resources and activities. "We almost need a megacenter where everyone can go," said Terranova, adding that he knows of some town residents now thinking of moving away from Lynnfield to other places that offer more in the way of community centers and so forth.

Find out what's happening in Lynnfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A couple of attendees pressed Terranova further on his position, maintaining that it would be difficult and impractical to combine any elements of the library with the school system's operations. Complications could abound here, noted some attendees, from policies involving required background checks to legal statutes that keep town school and library operations separate.

Still, library board member Seavey Bowdoin, who has lived in Lynnfield since the mid-1950s, echoed both candidates in hoping for a renewed sense of community (particularly when it comes to town meeting and local government) in Lynnfield, noting that walking down town streets at 7 p.m. is essentially "like a tomb."

Terranova maintained that it is still the job of a selectman to explore new options for effective town government and to seek out ways to save on the budget by combining on some of the town's wants and needs. "It's something that we need to explore because it's our tax dollars that we stretch yearly," said Terranova.

Nelson expressed his concern for the state of the community as well, calling it "sort of sad and amazing" that of the thousands of registered voters in Lynnfield, fewer than 150 turned out for the spring town meeting, leaving it unable to proceed due to a lack of a quorum. Nelson noted that 94% of Lynnfield's tax revenues come from residents, and that the majority do indeed want certain services in the town. He also warned that even a couple of million dollars in added town revenue from the Market Street project is likely to disappear quickly when factoring in things like new police and other expected costs. He also suggested that the various town departments should look to find more savings in their own individual budgets with an eye on producing broader savings for town residents. "Small reductions add up," said Nelson.

With an eye on an eventual need for a new or expanded library, another participant suggested that the library is frequently passed over for its priorities at town budget time. Nelson maintained his position that when the time comes, it will be up to town voters to decide what they want for the library. Until then, he pledged to evenly consider all of the town's current priorities and said he would "never claim to make the library #1."

"I'm going to do what's right and fair for the taxpayers of Lynnfield," said Nelson.

For his part, Terranova noted that selectmen "are merely a voice of the people," and he suggested that the library needs to step up its work selling its vision of the future to the community. "People will step up. Give them the opportunity. You have to let them know, inform them, be activist," said Terranova, citing his own experience with Lynnfield athletics in helping to develop successful, growing programs.

Terranova was also wary of the idea that Market Street will bring in large amounts of new revenue to fund new town priorities. The candidate reported that he has been talking to mall managers from other towns already, and his expectation based on those conversations is that "Market Street will get what it wants from the town for the least amount of money," including in some ways the town may not yet envision. 

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