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Date: 3/29/2023
HARDWICK — The annual town election is coming up and there is a slew of new candidates on the ballot as well as several competitive races.
The lineup of new candidates is also the most seen in several years, with a couple of first-time contenders. Opining on the reasons for this year’s turnout, Town Clerk Ryan Witkos said, “If anything, the special election in January opened more citizen’s eyes to the issues the town is facing,” referring to the recent vote on a controversial proposal to develop an agritourism and horse racing facility on Barre Road.
Witkos added, “We need more people to run the town,” a statement which has been common among those who currently are actively involved in town politics on boards and committees.
Reminder Publishing caught up with the candidates, who talked about their motivation for running and provided information about themselves for voters.
Running for selectman for a term of three years are Elizabeth Cyran and Eric Vollheim. Vollheim, who first purchased land in town in 1978 and moved into a house he and his wife designed and built in 1987, has an extensive history of involvement with the town. Vollheim started by joining the Fire Department in 1991 and was a part of the department for 16 years, but didn’t stop there.
His experience includes Planning Board appointments in the ’90s and he is again currently a member of this board, he has also been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Paige Library, the youth commissioner, a selectman for 12 years, and is presently the emergency management director which he has fulfilled the role of for a number of years now, and is the constable. In his time as Emergency Management Director, Vollheim has been leading the town through the coronavirus pandemic and also the Sept. 11 attack and its aftermath.
Vollheim said he is running for selectman because he thought he could be helpful with some of the issues coming up in town, which he said include the upcoming sewer project. Vollheim would also like to create a new position he feels is much needed in town, that of a clerk of the works. This position is, he said, a paid position, town residency not required, and describes it as essentially someone who “makes sure everything is running, double checking major projects and making sure there is a peer review and second opinion on them.”
Vollheim gave the example of making sure the company renovating one of the mills in Gilbertville for its cannabis operation hired a second engineer, at their own expense, that was unrelated to and independent of the company, to ensure protection for the town. He said this type of second opinion sometimes is overlooked and problems can arise if someone is not keeping an eye on the way things are being handled.
Vollheim said that he recently initiated and set up a new Master Plan Steering Committee, and that there are several other new committees starting because of this that will help the town in the future in many ways including financially. Vollheim said that due in part to the horse racing issue, a number of people have developed a desire to become involved with the town and have stepped up for the new committees.
“I believe that there is glory in service,” said Vollheim, of his dedication to the town. “I am proud to be in these positions, they are all serious, I have to work for people in the town — this town is my lifeboat,” Vollheim said.
Vollheim’s opponent is also looking to serve the town and has a history of having done so before. Cyran, who said she was born in town, said “the racetrack alerted me to fact that people need to pay attention and have politicians they can depend on,” and made the decision to run in part because of this.
Cyran’s experience includes serving on the Sewer Commission, the Historical Commission and the Ware Community Development Board. Cyran’s motivation to serve as selectman largely comes from an appreciation of the quality of life the town offers, she said. “It’s not all about dollars, it’s about quality of life — which is why people came out in such large numbers for the horse race issue. Hardwick is an extremely unique place and people treasure their lifestyle here, and want to keep the positive aspects intact,” Cyran said.
Cyran added, “We don’t have traffic lights, and people have said they don’t want traffic lights. You can sit out on your back deck and watch the stars in quiet, and people move here for that. It’s a way of life that is disappearing and we should hold onto it because it is very dear.”
Cyran said she will bring new ideas to the board, and said there is a need for more residents to get involved with the town, and also said she sees that this is starting to happen. “What is now happening in this town is that there are numerous people who are getting involved, and there is a group of farmers who are forming a nonprofit guild, there are also a few other groups in town now working on projects to bring in revenue on a reasonable basis and going to fit the town. I’m looking for reasonable growth for the town and a Selectboard that takes responsibility.”
“New blood, new opinions,” Cyran said the town needs both. She also brings some plans with her that are in keeping with her conviction that the town needs new ideas. Cyran said, “The selectmen should be available other than a couple of hours every two weeks for public to communicate with, without having to get on the agenda for a meeting that happens every two weeks. I want people to be able to talk to me if they have a problem, and work a solution out with them and any party that needs to be involved. Every citizen in town is important and should feel that they are.”
Cyran said she is retired and has the time to devote to the town. She said she brings the ability to stand up for the wellbeing of the town — “I’m not afraid to speak my mind, if something is blatantly wrong I will say, ‘That’s just not right.’” Cyran said that she is seeing that “Hardwick doesn’t want the same old same old, we need a change, we can’t have the same people in there. We need somebody in there that cares for the town, is willing to go to bat for the town, and work for the town,” and said she is ready to do just that.
Kristyl Kelly, one of the two candidates running for the School Committee, lives, works, and raises her daughter in town. She said, “My daughter, her friends and my niece are all currently in Hardwick Elementary and I want to help.” Kelly said her father-in-law served on the committee and “part of me wants to pick up the torch now that he is retiring.”
Kelly is not new to putting time into the town. “I served as the treasurer for the Cultural Council for several years and served on the HNBO as treasurer from 2015-17 and then stepped in as president until 2021,” she said.
Bringing with her numerous years of experience with education and working with students, she is also currently involved in the local school system.
“We are currently working a program with Hardwick Elementary School and Eagle Hill School, where our student leaders are coming in and working with the fifth graders. They run activities and discussion groups,” Kelly said. “I would like to continue to look at how, as a community, we can help each other. How can our high school kids mentor our elementary school kids? How can we help our kids continue to develop grit, resilience, and strong self-esteem? How can we support the educators who are in the classrooms every day?”
Kelly said she “spent the first eight years of my career advocating for teens and developing teen leadership programming for the YMCA and the last 19 years as an educator at Eagle Hill, most recently in Student Life. I have experience working in the dorm, teaching, as a college counselor and now as the assistant head of school. I have coached T-ball in Hardwick and for HNBO soccer. I have worked with students of all ages and am a student-centered person.”
Along with experience hiring that she said would prepare her to help with the new superintendent search, Kelly said she is an advocate for youth. “I believe that each kid has great potential, and our schools are a safe space for them to take risks and explore who they are. As educators we have an opportunity to have a significant impact on the future by focusing on our kids. I would like to be a member of School Committee to give back to a town that gave me a home and family.”
Also running for School Committee is Anne Van Arsdell, who has owned property in Hardwick for years because her family loved the town so much, and became a full-time resident last spring. Van Arsdell said she has two children, the youngest now a student at UMass Amherst. “I feel like I am at a good point in my life to offer to serve the community as a member of the School Committee,” Van Arsdell said.
“I grew up in a family full of educators. My father was in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and associate dean for graduate studies in the College of Education at the University of Illinois, and my mother taught a combined third and fourth grade class in the Urbana Public Schools,” Van Arsdell said.
Continuing the tradition, she said, “After graduating from the French department at the University of Illinois, I moved to Massachusetts to teach at Walpole High School for four years, then went back to the University of Illinois to complete my master’s degree and to study under Alice Omaggio-Hadley, who was a leader of the oral proficiency movement in the teaching of languages. It was in graduate school that I met my husband Will who was working on his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, and when he was offered a spot at MIT for his Ph.D., we returned to Massachusetts where I taught at Bird Middle School in Walpole for four more years.”
Van Arsdell became a full-time parent when her children were young she said, leaving teaching to raise her family. But, she remained involved in education, saying that “Over the years I was an active member of the PTO and the Special Education Parent Advisory Council in Natick. My days were often spent attending sporting events, IEP meetings, and ‘coffee with the principal,’ so that I could keep abreast of what was happening in the schools.”
Van Arsdell said, “In the evenings I would attend school district or SEPAC events or programming offered by ‘SPARK Kindness,’ a group in Natick whose mission is to build kind, empowered and inclusive communities.” She continued her own education by enrolling in classes at the Danforth Art Museum and has become an accomplished oil painter.
In addition to her extensive experience, Van Arsdell said she is bringing with her a commitment to being an asset to the district. “If I am elected to this position I will be a hard worker and a good listener. I offer my experience as a teacher and a parent, and would strive to make the right decisions for the students of our district,” she said.
Running for the Board of Health are Paul Mailhot and Stanley Remiszewski for one open seat.
Mailhot has been a resident since 1982. Mailhot said, “I’ve lived here for 41 years now, it’s been the best 41 years of my life.” He has not yet held a position with the town, but said he is ready to bring significant relevant experience to the board and hopes to help with a big upcoming project — the sewer line repair.
“The experience I can bring to this town with my knowledge of being able to read septic designs and having a basic understanding of the operations of sewage disposal and operation of sewage plants,” would benefit the town, Mailhot said.
As for his plans, Mailhot said he is prepared to “try and help the sewer line repair and septic plans that need to be approved for new construction and or repairs, as well as any other duties performed by the Board of Health, and do all this to the best of my ability and knowledge.” Mailhot said, “I just want to do what is right and safe for the people in Hardwick.”
Echoing other candidates’ views on change being needed in town, Mailhot said “I think that some of the things that I have experience in can be helpful to the town and the people in Hardwick, also I think this town could use some changes for the good. I would like to be a part of that change.”
Remiszewski is up for re-election, and spoke about his passion for public health and making more resources available to the town, as well as citing career experience that ties in with what he feels the board needs. “I’m interested in public health and have been involved in this for some time. I work in regulated health technologies and have for 25 years as a career. I feel my leadership and experience in my career leads me to understand and be able to help I am running to increase the quality and quantity of public health resources, which are greatly lacking as I have learned in my two years serving thus far,” Remiszewski said. The town, especially underserved residents, are in dire need of more public health resources, which Remiszewski said he finds extremely important to work on increasing.
Remiszewski said he has been proactive in securing $35,000 in federal grant money over the last two years, which he said is being used to assess community needs. Remiszewski said “The Board of Health is currently involved in a community needs study, and I would like to stay involved in the board to continue the work that has been initiated as it is a challenge, but there is a lot of effort and momentum I would not want to see lost.” Remiszewski said he feels he has the vision and the motivation to make sure the positive things happening with public health in town remain a priority, which he said might be lost if he is not able to continue to provide his services and help.
Curtis Stillman is probably known locally for his involvement with farming, and is continuing this with his unopposed candidacy for Trustee of the Paige Agricultural Fund. Stillman purchased his farm, Still Life Farm, in town in 2010 and became a resident at that time. Having lived in New Braintree since age 10, Stillman grew up in a farm family there and brings with him an almost lifelong history of farming, including a bachelor of science degree in Plant and Soil Sciences.
“After moving to Hardwick in 2010, I started Still Life Farm with my wife Halley Stillman and in 2020 we were blessed with a son, Kipling (Kip) Stillman. Our fruit and vegetable farm is a labor of love and continues to grow and be successful due to the support of our community and customers. As the owner and operator of a small farm in town, I believe I bring a strong work ethic as well as a unique perspective of how business operates and the skill that come with running and managing a business,” Stillman said.
Stillman said he comes with a passion for the town, and although he hasn’t run for town office before now, expresses a strong desire to help with the town’s best interest. “I am extremely invested in the well-being of our town. I moved to Hardwick because of its farming background, diversity, and tradition. Promoting the well-being of this town as well as encouraging the upkeep of its municipalities and historic buildings is very important to me. Above all, and aligning with the Paige Agricultural Fund mission, I will strive to continue to grow our town’s strong agricultural traditions,” Stillman said.
The Planning Board has one seat open, with new candidate William Cole running. This is Cole’s first time running for office, but he has been active in town as a member of various committees and projects. Cole has lived in town with his wife and daughter since 1987.
Cole brings 37 years worth of experience in financial planning and management, and said, “I hope to help Hardwick become financially healthy and well-run. I want to help preserve the agricultural character, natural beauty, and strong community spirit that most everyone in our villages values. I want Hardwick to have the means and the determination and the policies to grow responsibly.
“The Hardwick Planning Board will have a key role in many significant matters this next year, and beyond. New bylaws to be written, edited, and presented. The Master Plan update process. New proposals for major properties in Town. Proposals for zoning changes. Grants. Historic buildings, abandoned buildings, buildings in need of major renovation, or sale. Energy conservation. Open space. Transportation. Supporting small businesses and encouraging new enterprise. Improving communication with citizens and increasing volunteer involvement in town affairs and planning. I intend to work with all boards and committees and citizens to make a positive difference,” Cole said.
The election will take place on Monday, April 10, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the elementary school.