ADAMS, Mass. — Selectman candidate Donald Sommer hopes to right the select board with past experience. 

 

"I have a great deal of experience, and I think that is very important  but successful experience should be mandated," Sommer said. "I think my background shows that I have successful experience in every board or commission that I have been on." 

 

He is one of three candidates vying for two three-year seats in the Board of Selectmen in the Monday, May 3, election; the other two are incumbent John Duval and newcomer Howard Rosenberg.

 

Sommer served as a selectman from 2007 to 2010 and before that was a member of the School Committee and the Redevelopment Authority. He ran unsuccessfully for selectman in 2019.

 

A business owner, he is involved with the Haflinger Haus Restaurant and Inn, the Greylock Apartments, and the Sommer Center for Music and Art 

 

Sommer said he decided to run again because he does not think the current board has delivered. 

 

"I don't think the board has moved fast or efficiently enough to get the town back economically and to be a pleasant place to live," he said. "Downtown has been stagnant for years and we haven't seen any movement."

 

Specifically, he felt the board members needed to show up to meetings more prepared.

 

"I think the board, especially some members, simply come to the meetings and say yes or no and then go home and forget about it," Sommer said. "I have never done that. When I was on the board I would show up with 15 to 20 questions. The board needs to be more active."

 

The tax rate is top in Sommer's concerns and he said the town needs to do a better job of attracting new business to grow the tax base. 

 

He suggested hiring a single employee who would work as a liaison between the town and potential businesses.

 

"We need a person whose sole purpose is to bring business to Adams," he said. "Someone with the contacts who can go around selling the town ... we need to show that Adams is an open community."

 

Sommer said he was concerned people in town were not as informed as they should be. He added that he thought the Board of Selectmen needed to be more transparent. He said if elected, his positions will be clear.

 

"You need people who have the qualifications and who are willing to do the work. I think I have that," he said. "I am pretty outspoken, and I think that some people may not like that but at least they know where I stand and they will know what is happening on the board."