DALTON, Mass. — Attention Dalton voters: iBerkshires is asking the public to submit questions for the upcoming Select Board Candidate Forum at the Senior Center on Thursday, April 24, at 6 p.m. 

 

During the event, Pittsfield Bureau Chief Brittany Polito will ask Select Board candidates questions curated from voter submissions. 

 

Submit a question by emailing our Dalton reporter, Sabrina Damms, at sdamms@iberkshires.com All questions must be submitted by April 22. 

 

Please limit questions not highlighted in the candidates' background section of this article. The number of questions will be determined by the 90-minute time limit. 

 

In this forum, each candidate will begin with a two-minute opening statement. Following this, Polito will ask questions. 

 

For every question, the candidates will each have up to 1 1/2 minutes to answer, followed by 30 seconds each to rebut or follow up. The moderator can allow for further debate on a particular question if needed. 

 

At the conclusion of the event, we will allow each candidate up to 90 seconds to deliver a closing statement.  

 

The candidates will not be given the topics or questions in advance. We will rotate which candidate is the first to answer each question.

 

The election is at the Senior Center, located at 40 Field St., on May 12 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

 

Other items on the ballot include voting for a moderator for a one-year term, a member of the Dalton Housing Authority, and a cemetery trustee, two members of the Planning Board, four library trustees, and five Finance Committee members, for three-year terms. 

 

Background on Candidates 

 

Marc Strout 

 

Strout has served on the Select Board for nine years, including a stint as vice chair. In addition, he has been a police officer for 30 years and currently is a patrol captain.

 

"I feel that being on the Select Board for nine years has made me understand that in this position you have to make tough decisions and that the residents elect you to this position to represent them in making these decisions," he said. 

 

"Making these decisions and being able to effectively communicate why you made those decisions is key."

 

The town is at a crossroads, which propelled him to run for reelection. There has recently been a lot of negative, and Strout said he refuses "to allow our great town to go down that road." 

 

"When I initially ran for Select Board, communication between the town and the residents was poor but my use of social media has improved this," he said. 

 

Strout runs a Facebook page: "Marc Strout , Town of Dalton Selectman," which he and residents use to stay informed about Dalton news, businesses, initiatives, and events. 

 

If re-elected, he is committed to addressing residents' concerns and moving the town forward while "continuing to be a good steward of taxpayer money," he said

 

"I also have had recent discussions in regard to trying to open up our downtown and attract new business and restaurants."

 

Robert Collins

 

Collins is the newest member of the Select Board after being elected during the special election in February. He is running for a full three-year term.

 

He highlighted his "sense of commitment to the town" and "strong desire to contribute to making Dalton’s  future as strong as possible." 

 

Collins said he has been very active in helping residents, including the people and town staff, and dealing with the complaints of sand from Berkshire Concrete. 

 

He serves on the Planning Board, a seat he has held for a year, and is the town’s delegate on the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. Additionally, he was the president of the Massachusetts Association of Professional Foresters for seven years and was on the Forest Reserve Committee for the secretary of state's forum.  

 

Collins highlighted his experience running his business, REWC Land Management Inc., an environmental and landscape construction company, where he has experience in contract negotiations, project planning, budgeting, bidding and procurement ethics, and project planning.

 

His vision for the community includes maintaining accountability and accessibility as a board member, promoting an accessible, responsive, and transparent town government, and achieving improved financial stability through long-range planning, and the proposed Capital Planning Committee.

 

Additionally, he hopes to encourage the enhancement of town infrastructure with the help of a revitalized stormwater commission and will advocate for increased green energy initiatives to assist residents in adapting to climate change.

 

William Drosehn

 

Drosehn was raised in a family involved in local government in Hinsdale. His father was the Department of Public Works superintendent, and his mother was a town assessor. He has always wanted to follow in their footsteps.

 

Residents have encouraged him to run, especially considering the recent financial challenges the town has faced, he said.

 

"I share their concern and feel my Finance Committee experience positions me well to help. Since I believe the town will be well served through better long-range financial planning and then basing annual spending on that plan, these challenges will be my first priority," Drosehn said.

 

He also aims to engage Dalton residents outside Select Board meeting, have the town pay "greater attention" to infrastructure such as roads and sidewalks. 

 

Other priorities he highlighted included exploring getting a solar field on the old Dalton landfill so there can be incentive monies available to help people make climate change preparations and beginning the search for opportunities for the town to bring money into the general fund other than taxes.

 

Drosehn has been on the Dalton Finance Committee since 1995, serving as chair for more than seven years, and said you can know everything about the town being on that committee. Additionally, he has served on the Traffic Commission for eight years, the last five as chair.

 

Drosehn highlighted his 28 years of experience as the state Department of Transportation bridge inspector, serving 15 years, running a business, plus other experiences that have gained him negotiation skills. 

 

Antonio Pagliarulo

 

Pagliarulo has been volunteering for the town in one capacity or another since 1987, beginning by serving on the Dalton Finance Committee until 1995. 

 

Currently, he is involved in the Public Safety Facility Committee and has advocated for changing town bylaws to allow additional dwelling units while promoting green initiatives like electric vehicle charging stations and community composting.

 

Additionally, he served on the committee to repurpose the old Dalton High School building.

 

Pagliarulo highlighted how he has seen the town change over two-plus decades, including hiring the  first town manager and overcoming a "major fiscal crisis which resulted in the closure of town offices on Fridays." 

 

"I've learned the importance of listening, asking questions, and being informed before acting.

I’m intent on providing for the safety and well-being of Dalton," he said. 

 

"I understand that Dalton must adapt to these changing times, mindful of our community’s culture."

 

Pagliarulo emphasized his background as a special education teacher and his leadership roles, including serving as executive secretary/president of the Central Berkshire Teachers Association (2002-2006) and as Massachusetts Teachers Association regional district director (2006-2010). 

 

As a director, he was the first chair of the committee, which eventually crafted and secured passage of the Fair Share Amendment, he said. 

 

He also renovated two houses in Dalton after obtaining a state building supervisor license and represented the Central Berkshire Regional School District on the Board of the County Schools Credit Union (1995-2000).