In anticipation of the April 9 town election, candidates answered questions from NewBridge on the Charles residents during a one-hour forum and reception at the assisted-living facility.
Selectmen incumbents Sarah MacDonald and Paul Reynolds and challenger George Panagopoulos accepted NewBridge’s invitations to participate in the forum on Saturday, March 26. Challenger Robert O’Connell declined. Challenger Sam Celata attended the forum, but chose not to sit on stage or take questions.
MacDonald is the current chairman of the board and is running for a second term.
“I’m not done with what I said I would do three years ago,” she told the audience on Saturday, March 26. “Dedham is in great shape and we’re moving in the right direction and I want to continue to be a part of that.”
MacDonald pointed to her ongoing accomplishments of helping to proactively manage growth for NewBridge and Legacy Place, prioritizing long-term investments and capital improvements, and finding new sources of revenue. If re-elected, she would like to take advantage of a major capital project fund to avoid going to taxpayers for overrides for maintenance as well as help with Dedham Square construction assuming approval at Town Meeting.
“We have the capital fund, but no list of prioritized projects,” she said. “We’re a green community, but I want to move further in that direction and tell the Dedham story throughout the commonwealth.”
Paul Reynolds is the owner of The Blue Bunny in Dedham Square and is also running for a second term on the board.
“Over the past three years, we’ve been part of a really functional board that’s getting a lot done,” he said. “Dedham is a great place and we’re not in panic mode…I’m inclusive and collaborative and these are themes that help improve our community.”
Panagopoulos is a recent college graduate and manager of Dedham House of Pizza.
“From a young age, my parents and grandparents taught me to serve others before myself,” he said. “I want to make this town a better place for future generations.”
A strong proponent for an active senior center, he said he also supports a decrease and stabilization of the property tax as a result of the meal and hotel tax revenue taken in by developments like Legacy Place.
Forum moderator Dorothy Kelly Gay, Hebrew Senior Life vice president of government relations, asked candidates what issues they see facing the town over the next three years.
In anticipation of the April 9 town election, candidates answered questions from NewBridge on the Charles residents during a one-hour forum and reception at the assisted-living facility.
Selectmen incumbents Sarah MacDonald and Paul Reynolds and challenger George Panagopoulos accepted NewBridge’s invitations to participate in the forum on Saturday, March 26. Challenger Robert O’Connell declined. Challenger Sam Celata attended the forum, but chose not to sit on stage or take questions.
MacDonald is the current chairman of the board and is running for a second term.
“I’m not done with what I said I would do three years ago,” she told the audience on Saturday, March 26. “Dedham is in great shape and we’re moving in the right direction and I want to continue to be a part of that.”
MacDonald pointed to her ongoing accomplishments of helping to proactively manage growth for NewBridge and Legacy Place, prioritizing long-term investments and capital improvements, and finding new sources of revenue. If re-elected, she would like to take advantage of a major capital project fund to avoid going to taxpayers for overrides for maintenance as well as help with Dedham Square construction assuming approval at Town Meeting.
“We have the capital fund, but no list of prioritized projects,” she said. “We’re a green community, but I want to move further in that direction and tell the Dedham story throughout the commonwealth.”
Paul Reynolds is the owner of The Blue Bunny in Dedham Square and is also running for a second term on the board.
“Over the past three years, we’ve been part of a really functional board that’s getting a lot done,” he said. “Dedham is a great place and we’re not in panic mode…I’m inclusive and collaborative and these are themes that help improve our community.”
Panagopoulos is a recent college graduate and manager of Dedham House of Pizza.
“From a young age, my parents and grandparents taught me to serve others before myself,” he said. “I want to make this town a better place for future generations.”
A strong proponent for an active senior center, he said he also supports a decrease and stabilization of the property tax as a result of the meal and hotel tax revenue taken in by developments like Legacy Place.
Forum moderator Dorothy Kelly Gay, Hebrew Senior Life vice president of government relations, asked candidates what issues they see facing the town over the next three years.
Reynolds saw both smart town management, as well as a little luck saw Dedham through what has been a rocky few years for many area communities.
“Management of the town was prudent and strategic and projects like Legacy Places have generated a lot of revenue,” he said. “We’ve reached a point in town where we’re making things work with creative solutions to our problems.”
MacDonald echoed Reynolds’ sentiment, and said at the same time the town lost $1.5 million in state aid, Legacy Place generated $2 million in property taxes.
Panagopoulos said he would like to see commercial projects in town be required to hire Dedham residents as employees, to further benefit the town.
“Over the past few years, Dedham’s demographics have been changing drastically, and there have been a lot of apartments constructed,” he said. “I don’t think Dedham is doing too much to ensure that Dedham residents are being put back to work…there should be a quota for Dedham residents.”
While three Selectmen candidates were the only ones who took the stage during the formal part of the forum, candidates for other offices were also present and were permitted to address the crowd. Chuck DelloIacono is running for a one-year position on the Dedham Parks and Recreation Commission, against Donald Reisner.
“We have great programs for our youth in town, but not necessarily for our seniors,” said DelloIacono, citing wellness clinics and scheduled pool time for seniors as improvements he would plan to push for if elected. “And we need to improve transportation for everyone to places like Memorial Park, the pool and the Dolan Center.”
All three candidates running for two-open spots on the School Committee also made remarks. Current committee chairman Thomas Ryan told the crowd he has served on the committee for 9 years and has worked to improve the educational facilities in town, as well as increasing the academic rigor and striving for a balanced budget.
“We’ve made a conscious effort to work with the finance committee, the town administrator and the board of selectmen to make our financial processes as streamlined and open as possible,” he said. “We know that the residents of this facility vote and have a sincere interest in education.”
Challenger Susan Butler Walko introduced herself to the crowd and pledged her dedication to the education of Dedham’s children.
“The single most important service our town can offer a child is an education,” she said, and cited her focus upon election would include identifying and closing achievement gaps, hiring and retaining quality teachers, and fostering open communication between parents, teachers, and school administrators.
Challenger John Maida also addressed communication as well as accessibility within the school system.
“We have great schools, teachers and principals…but there are a few things we could tweak,” he said. “The more we communicate, the better we are as a community.”
