Planning Board Candidates Pitch to Voters
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| Candidates for the Williamstown Planning Board attended a voters' forum on Wednesday night. |
The event was organized by Anita Barker of the South Williamstown Community Association, who called the Planning Board the most important governing body in Williamstown.
The board is appointed by the Selectmen but following changes made at last year's town meeting, it will now be elected. After this year, one member will be elected each year for a five-year term.
To phase in the new system, five open seats will appear on the May 13 ballot, three of which have races. John Holden and Ann McCallum are seeking the two-year seat; George Sarrouf and Andrew Hogeland the three-year seat; and Christopher Winters and Nicholas Wright the four-year seat.
Patrick Dunlavey and Richard DeMayo are running unopposed for the one- and five-year seats, respectively.
McCallum began the night with a proposal for "granny flats," or detached dwelling units on property already zoned as residential. These renovated garage spaces or small cottages would allow "aging homeowners with lower incomes and high taxes" become mini-developers, McCallum said.
Such units would also "take advantage of infrastructure already in place," like sewers and roads, while increasing population density through affordable housing in downtown Williamstown.
McCallum, who runs B&L Building with her husband and teaches architectural design at Williams College, also called for the town garage site on Water Street to be subdivided, allowing "smaller operators to be bigger developers."
Holden, who currently sits on the Planning Board, compared his contest with McCallum to the Pennsylvania primary: "whichever one you pick, you'll do just fine."
Citing affordable housing as one of his chief concern, he praised her idea, noting later that his daughter moved to Dalton on account of Williamstown's housing costs.
"I have always felt it important to give a little back to your community," Holden said, "and I'm anxious to serve again if that's your pleasure."
Beside the Planning Board, Holden's been president of the Board of Trade and worked on the Hoosac Water Quality initiative.
Hogeland could not attend the forum, but wrote a statement that Barker read to the crowd of two dozen: "The Planning Board needs to conduct itself with the active solicitation of the town," he wrote, noting later that "it's the job of the board to help anyone appearing before them understand the rules and proceedings."
Much of Hogeland's candidacy seemed based on these principles: increased publicity and transparency for Planning Board proceedings.
<L2>Sarrouf, a current member of the board running for the three-year seat, spoke briefly about his qualifications and dedication to the town. Aside from schooling in Boston, he's lived in Williamstown all his life, and would "like to see a lot of projects come to fruition."
Winters, also a current member, seconded the need for community involvement in Planning Board meetings, and praised the forum for doing just that.
"If we had this sort of brain power we'd get a lot of work done," he said. Winters, running for the four-year seat, has also served on the Conservation, Finance and Community Preservation committees.
"That's a breadth of experience in town government," he said, that would help the Planning Board relate to other committees. "I grew up in a town much like Williamstown, and I want to re-create that experience, somewhat selfishly, for my daughters."
Vying against Winters is Wright, who retired to Williamstown in 2000 after having worked overseas.
Wright spoke mostly of improved dialogue between Williams and the Planning Board, noting the college's large economic impact, and the local affairs committee recently set up by its board of trustees.
"I'd like to see a renaissance of that sort of thing in Williamstown," he said. He also praised the town's master plan "as the best political plan for how this town wants to appear generations from now."
Dunlavey, a cartographer and software developer who was appointed last year, agreed with Wright "that we need to actively collaborate with the college."
He went on to advocate for substantive business on Spring Street, arguing that "the village is a weak economic engine in the town," and "I'd like to see more green-collar business in Williamstown, like Overland."
Tourist-related business, like boutiques and art galleries, could not support new families, and Williamstown needs "to move toward more mixed-use development," he said.
Dunlavey indicated his intention to run again in 2009, and suggested the future Planning Board "meet twice a month," an idea that seemed amenable to all present.
DeMayo concluded the presentations with some perspective on how Williamstown's changed in his many years of residence.
"Back in the 1950s it was a different town,” he said, with more active commerce on Spring Street. DeMayo was born in Williamstown in the 1930s and has served on every board "except maybe Finance."
"My heart is in this town," DeMayo said.
Following the candidates' presentations, a handful of attendees asked questions regarding the Water Street garage site and the availability of parking on Spring Street. One elderly woman said, "I lived here from 1946 to 1949 and it was a really vibrant time. There was a shoe store and clothing stores" for both men and women.
DeMayo responded that "One of the problems is the malls have taken all of this. It was a great place back then."
The annual town election will take place Tuesday, May 13, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Williamstown Elementary School.
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| Christopher Winters | Richard DeMayo | Ann McCallum | John Holden | George Sarrouf | Patrick Dunlavey | Nicholas Wright | Andrew Hogeland |
