Candidates debate for Select Board, School Committee

Date: 4/2/2012

April 2, 2012

By Chris Maza

chrism@thereminder.com

EAST LONGMEADOW — Angela Thorpe, who is running simultaneously for positions on the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee, faced off with School Committee opponent Deirdre Mailloux and incumbent Selectman Paul Federici in a pair of nearly hour-long debates hosted by East Longmeadow Cable Access Television (ELCAT) on March 29 at the Pleasant View Senior Center.

The debates will be aired throughout the week on ELCAT in advance of the April 10 election.

"I certainly give you credit for doing two of these," Federici told Thorpe with a laugh in his final statements.

In the School Committee debate, Thorpe discussed her feelings on how she would handle and prioritize the positions and the work on subcommittees that comes with it, stating that wearing many hats is a task she is familiar with.

"I have been involved with over 130 subcommittees over the years," she said. "It's hard to say which would be above the other. It really has to be a day-to-day evaluation. There might be times when the Selectperson and the Select Board have the priority and times when the School Board has priority. It really depends on the individual things that are happening at that time."

Addressing the budget and teacher salaries, Mailloux said she would not be in favor of requiring educators to take no raise as part of union negotiations in tight financial times for the town.

"I would really try to figure out another way. Even if it's a small percentage, I'd rather see something than nothing because they are challenged every day," she said. "They take our kids every day and work really hard. It's that fine balance. We want to keep good teachers in the schools and if we start taking away too much, it opens the door to them leaving."

Thorpe said that while such an action would not be a best-case scenario, if the town was in dire straits, it may be necessary. However, she offered suggestions on incentives to keep teachers in the district.

"There are other things we could negotiate with if we have to," she said. "If they get a 0 [percent increase] here, they can get some other things on the other side ... I would hate to take away and not give something."

She also added that in her experience, when called upon in the past to take on burdens for the sake of the town, the teachers have responded well.

"We have some fantastic teachers, however, I have found that in the clinch, our teachers have come right to bat and stepped up to the plate and they've helped us with the negotiations to whatever is best for the town," she said.

Mailloux and Thorpe both said they were in favor of leasing advertising space at athletic fields and on school buses in order to create revenue for the district, within reason, and said it is something the School Committee should not wait on pursuing. Thorpe said any advertising should be within certain size limits and should not include alcoholic beverages or anything else detrimental to children's health. Mailloux added that all advertising should subscribe to the values of the town.

Mailloux also said that the fact that she has children in the district can be an advantage because she knows what is going on in the schools, which can help her make better decisions for the other children in the district.

"I think it helps, but I don't think it's necessary. I think it's good to have a School Committee that is well-rounded with different viewpoints," she said. "But I obviously have a vested interest and I see what's happening in the schools now ... I see what's happening in different grades as they move on to different schools and any changes that come up, I'm on top of them."

Thorpe said that while she does not have any children in the district anymore, it does not mean she does not have a vested interest or a passion for the schools.

"I'm a parent and I think once you're a parent, you're a parent for life," she said. "One of the things I've found is important to realize is that the School Committee's purpose is to set policy and set the budget. We shouldn't be going into classrooms and telling the teachers their business. That is the principals' job and the superintendent's job."

In the Board of Selectmen debate, Thorpe said she felt that it seems that certain discussions and issues seem to be "pushed" by the Board of Selectmen during open meetings, giving the appearance that prior discussions have been had about the subjects, which lends to a sense of a lack of transparency.

"There are some things where I felt things warranted more of a discussion and I just feel that as a result of that discussion not taking place, it just appears that they're not being transparent," she said, using a proposed by-law change that would prevent a candidate from holding two positions as an example. "I would have liked to have seen more of a discussion on how that became an agenda item and how they were going along and how they were putting it on the agenda for the town meeting."

Federici said the by-law is not on the warrant because the warrant is due to be discussed at the next Board of Selectmen meeting and pointed out that all meetings follow open meeting laws.

"Just because a topic may not have been discussed fully or to someone's satisfaction doesn't mean it's not presented and it's not out there. I'm finding a differentiation between transparency and maybe a certain topic that could have been discussed further," he said. "I think the fact that all of our meetings are open to the public, recorded and taped by ELCAT, I don't know how much more transparent we could be."

Federici also addressed permitting and a proposed warrant article for the Annual Town Meeting regarding restaurants, which currently need to get plans approved by the Planning Board and the Board of Selectmen. The article would cut the Planning Board out of the process for certain changes.

"We've got so many restaurants in town and sometimes they make changes because of the economy and they're trying to keep up with their competition and these changes don't affect their liquor license, they don't affect their hours, they don't affect the seating capacity, but there may be a structural change to make it more convenient," he said. "In our opinion, anything we can do to keep businesses on an even keel with their competitors without having to jump through hoops is an idea we're looking at."

Thorpe said that she saw the role of the Board of Selectmen as one of budgeting and setting policy. She also said that while there are instances when the board should have more authority, specifically when addressing businesses in town, she felt the town should be as accommodating as possible.

"I think the board should be aware when something is changing, especially when it could be a safety issue," she said. "However, if there's another way to streamline things so it would be easier for businesses to do business . then we should maybe pull back and not be as hands-on. But we would definitely need to make sure that everything is running smoothly."

Federici also said he would not be in favor of a split tax rate because the single tax rate helps the town maintain a "wonderful mix" of residential, commercial and industrial.

Thorpe said the town should at some point explore the option of capping the amount of residential development because she feels the town is becoming overpopulated.