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Date: 3/1/2023
SOUTHWICK — Civic activist Diane Gale announced her intention to run for a Select Board seat in the Southwick town elections in May, setting up a likely contest between herself and incumbent Russell Fox.
Gale said on Feb. 21 that she had taken out election papers with the intent of collecting signatures to run as an independent candidate. She describes herself as “the definition of independent,” politically speaking.
“I don’t exactly follow any party lines,” Gale said. “My opinion varies depending on the topic and on my knowledge.”
She said she made her decision to commit to running for the Select Board about one month ago, after people had asked why she did not run in the 2022 election against Joseph Deedy, a longtime Republican incumbent who lost to independent Jason Perron.
Gale said she became politically active in response to Carvana’s plans for an automobile processing lot. She was one of many voices opposing the Carvana proposal in the spring and summer of 2021, but what was more important for her was what came after Carvana had withdrawn their proposal.
In the fall of 2021, Gale approached the Planning Board with a draft of a bylaw she had written that would aim to avoid some of the perceived secrecy surrounding the early proposals of projects like Carvana and offer transparency earlier in the process. After months of working with the Planning Board to refine the bylaw and come up with compromises, it was approved by Southwick’s voters at last year’s Annual Town Meeting.
Should she be elected to the Select Board, Gale said she wants to help establish a better flow of communication between the various boards and commissions that govern Southwick.
“In going to almost every board or commission meeting, the lack of communication and knowledge shared among them is shocking,” said Gale. “Something comes up at one board two weeks ago. You walk into a new one and that is fresh information. Two weeks later, the same information is still being shared.”
Another issue she would like to see tackled is what she said is difficulty in getting things businesses and individuals need from different departments in Town Hall.
“My business and personal interactions for various needs at Town Hall have been very protective,” Gale said. “I have not been able to walk in there to ask for a single thing without having to take multiple steps.”
Fox, a longtime Republican incumbent, said on Feb. 22 that he does intend to run for re-election, but is going to wait until mid-March to make a more formal announcement.
For Gale, a conversation she wants to continue to have both on the campaign and on the Select Board if she is elected, is business and industrial growth in Southwick, which was a major bone of contention during the Carvana hearings and protests. She said many Southwick residents do not feel well represented by the current town government, which she said became apparent during the Carvana protests.
“I have no political agenda — I just see wasted opportunity and wasted tax dollars,” Gale said. “I see others operating with their own agenda. I see clear bias and discrimination on the part of some officials. I see that our businesses and residents are not being equally represented. I have the determination and the practical experience to make some much-needed changes.”
Fox has been on the Select Board for 20 years, and Gale is a first-time political candidate, but she feels she has a shot at the seat.
“I think I’ve earned a little credit for what I’ve done. Nobody knew who I was. I was a resident working in my career and raising my family,” Gale said. “But it became apparent I needed to pay attention. I thought for a long time things were going well enough, but it is apparent some things could change.”
“Not everything, not everyone, there are good things happening and good people in there, but I think I have earned my right to represent some people,” she added. “I think it will be fair, but it is not going to be easy.”
The annual town election is scheduled for May 9. In-person early voting will take place May 1-5.