by Frank Schroth
Most of the candidates for town wide office appeared for the third and final forum of the campaign season yesterday morning at the Council on Aging. The Council on Aging debate is unique in that the questions for the candidates come from the audience, which makes it interesting especially when Gene Irwin asks a question or three.
Mr. Irwin, a town meeting member from Precinct 9 said he was independent, stating that he is supporting Selectman candidate Bob Sweeney who he identified as a Democrat and School Committee candidate Bob Hiss who he identified as a Republican. His questions were for Ms. Conlon, Mr. Sweeney’s opponent. He asked about her taking issue with Bob’s opposition to the MWRA rate increase, her affiliation with the CPA tax which was “massively defeated” and the fact that Planning Board Emily Innes, who he identified as a co-chair of her campaign committee, has left us with 131 Eliot, an eyesore, the burned out Boyle Estate, and the pile of rubble that is what remains of the St Elizabeth’s rectory.
The MWRA issue is one that has come up repeatedly during the campaign. Mr. Sweeney voted against the MWRA rate increases. Ms. Conlon maintains that vote was somewhat beside the point in that we do not have control over MWRA rates. In fact, she points out, had another selectman voted against it, the MWRA would have taken the money out of our state aid. She acknowledged that there can be leaks in the system and said the DPW was doing a good job monitoring meters and addressing those issues as they came up. Regarding the CPA, she acknowledged working on the initiative which was put forward by the Selectmen along with John and Maritta Cronin. She said the voters turned it down and that’s democracy. She felt the question on Ms. Innes was “inappropriate.” Ms. Innes is not a co-chair. Conlon said her co-chairs were Jean Powers and Barbara Martin. She also said that regarding the developments Mr. Irwin sited, the selectmen could have show more leadership earlier on the Hendries property. Conlon emphasized the respect she has for all boards and commented that no one person makes a decision.
Mr. Sweeney commented on the water rate issue saying that Milton residents “were getting soaked”.He noted that the exceptionally high rates warranted someone challenging them and getting explanations for why Milton was paying more than surrounding communities.
The candidates also addressed questions regarding that status of the Town Farm and the “blockade” in East Milton. Mr. Sweeney said the Town Farm deal with Pulte is being held p in the Attorney General’s office. He said, “It needs to move a long and if elected I’ll move it.” Ms. Conlon said there as a warrant article for the upcoming town meeting to address design and traffic changes in East Milton. She noted that the orange barricades were a federal law requirement.
Missing from the dais were Planning Board candidate Todd Hamilton and Cemetery Trustee candidate Bob Mason. The only Constable candidates to show up were Eric Issner and Ed Villard. They pretty much agreed with each other on everything. In short, they are both qualified to do “a thankless job; but someone’s got to do it”. There are 7 candidates for 4 slots in the constables race. Mr. Villard did question Mr. Stroud the Cemetery Trustee candidate on his position regarding people walking dogs in the cemetery. In a refreshingly candid moment Mr. Stroud said he did entertain the idea of allowing dogs in the cemetery as the result of a question a resident had asked when learning he was a candidate. He said dogs could not be allowed to run free but that if leashed, restricted to paved surfaces, and picking up after them were enforced, that it was a conversation worth having. He also noted he is only one person on a board and that it would be voted on. Though not a direct quote, Mr. Stroud was more or less saying, “C’mon, give me a break, can’t we at least discuss it?”
The School Committee candidates all voiced support for the French program and said it was critical to “market” the English program and its merits, especially STEM, in order to maintain parity and quality between the two. The School Committee candidates continue to stand out as the group of candidates with the greatest sense of bonhomie.
You can find a copy of the town ballot here.