State Rep. Gailanne Cariddi, center, moderates a panel of candidates vying for an open seat on the Board of Selectmen. From left are Martino Donati, Anne O'Connor, Jack Nogueira and Alison O'Grady.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The four candidates vying to fill one open seat on the Board of Selectmen introduced themselves to the town in a recent forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.

 

Martino Donati, Jack Nogueira, Anne O'Connor and Alison O'Grady talked about their own experience and what issues they see confronting the town.

 

Unlike last year, when economic development dominated a similar forum, this year's panel discussed a wider range of issues in an event moderated by state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi, D-North Adams.

 

This year's candidates recognized the work being done by the ad hoc committee spearheaded by the winners of last year's race, Selectmen Hugh Daley and Andrew Hogeland.

 

But when asked to name the biggest challenges facing the town, the quartet found plenty of other topics.

 

"Long term, I think we need to think about making our community environmentally resilient," O'Connor said. "I think climate change is an undeniable fact. We saw what Tropical Storm Irene did to the Spruces, over 150 homes were lost in Williamstown.

 

"We need to make sure our fire department and emergency responders are there to help us when bad storms come."

 

And, O'Connor said, the town should be a leader in the kind of big-picture changes needed to stem climate change.

 

"This is why I'd push energy efficiency," she said. "The more we can reduce fossil fuel consumption and try to have sustainable climate for Williamstown, for Massachusetts and for the world going forward, the better. This is why I'd also work as a town with the state to support more action on the Global Warming Solutions Act, which passed in Massachusetts but has not really moved much so far."

 

O'Grady said the town needs to pay attention to the needs of all its residents, including the rising percentage of residents 50 and older.

 

"Obviously, we need to deal with economic development in the short term as well as the other things we talked about like the building projects, but we also have to think long term about who makes up the community," O'Grady said.

 

"Long term, we have to think about our elders. We have 5,900 residents, and 2,300 of them are over 50. That means we have to think about housing and accommodating people, even in terms of things like access to sidewalks. I won't say that I'm handicapped, but I have issues with arthritis and a knee replacement, and sometimes going over a curb is difficult.

 

"We have to put a lot of thought into who we are."

 

Donati cited education as the biggest challenge facing the town.

 

"Maintaining our schools, I think is high on the short-term list," he said. "We are very fortunate we have such a wonderful staff and faculty at the high school and the elementary school. It would be nice to have a better infrastructure for them."

 

Nogueira, the lone returner from last year's election campaign, went back to the economic development theme when asked the "biggest challenge" question, but earlier in the forum he said the town needs to focus on the infrastructure for its first responders.

 

"I think the police station and fire department are two things that should be on the top of the list for Williamstown," Nogueira said. "They're both involved with the safety and the well-being of the citizens of the town.

 

"I served as a reserve officer with the Williamstown Police Department for almost eight years. The station ... is not suitable for the job that these men need to do. Actually, it's a very dangerous place to work in and to bring people in when you arrest them.

 

"I said this in my last campaign that it was going to be one of my top priorities. It's going to be one of my top priorities if I'm elected."

 

The prioritizing of at least three potential municipal building projects was a point of mild disagreement among the candidates in an event telecast by the town's municipal television station, WilliNet.

 

"I'm not sure that the police or fire station is going to come first," Donati said. "I think having a sound educational system is what's going to be the highest priority for many people.

 

"I understand the facilities for the police and fire departments are lacking, but they have been for a long time, and they've been chugging along. I spoke to [Williamstown Police] Chief Kyle Johnson last week, and he seems to understand that as a political reality, the school is going to be a high priority."

 

Nogueira pointed out that the Mount Greylock Regional School District will bring a new school project directly to the voters of Williamstown and Lanesborough. The Board of Selectmen would not have a role beyond an advisory vote.

 

"I agree with Martino," Nogueira said. "I think education is very important. Our school is probably one of the things we need to look at, but [the district and town government are] two separate entities in the town, and we need to look at it in two separate ways. The police station, the fire department are things the town needs for safety.

 

"Yes, education for our children is very important, and I will back anything the town does to build a new school But I have to be honest, my priority right now, as it was in the last campaign, is to going to be that we have a new police station in this town."

 

O'Connor said she would advocate to find a way for the town to work with its third municipal entity, the independent Williamstown Fire District, to find a solution to the public safety building problem.

 

"I don't know if I can speak to the financial reality of it, but I see those two as having a combined facility," O'Connor said. "I think that would make a lot of sense. I don't see why it wouldn't save us money.

 

"That building could be designed to be energy efficient and sustainable. We could find ways to save money over the long term if we invest in a sensible, reasonable building. ... It's possible it won't be able to meet all of the wishes of the fire department and all of the wishes of the police department, but by combining strategies, we could find one building that would be serviceable."

 

In addition to discussing some of the issues facing the town, the four candidates were asked to talk about their personal qualifications for selectman.

 

Only Nogueira comes to the race with previous experience in town government. He has served on the Rent Control Board for 16 years, including 10 as chairman.

 

But Donati and O'Connor bring experience as entrepreneurs, and O'Grady is a supervisor of a department at Williams College's library, where she has experience handling a budget.

 

The town election will be held on Tuesday, May 12, at Williamstown Elementary School. The forum can be watched here.