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WESTBOROUGH, Mass. – Several of the candidates running for office in the upcoming town election spoke about their campaign at the Westborough Democratic Town Committee’s Candidates Night.
Candidates George Barrette, Denzil Drewry and Andrew Reinach answered questions about their campaign for the two open Board of Selectmen positions. James Holmes, Karen Fay and Carolyn Spring are running for Library Trustee positions and Paul George is running for Assabet Valley School Committee.
The three candidates running for the two open spaces on the Board of Selectmen acknowledged that there were difficult times ahead for Westborough.
“We’re going to be facing many challenges these next few years,” Barrette said. “I think my experience, the fact that I stepped back for a while, will help me in this office.”
Barrette, a former selectman, believes that adjusting taxes, dealing with multiple state representatives for Westborough and the potential retirement of several department heads like Police Chief Alan Gordon and Fire Chief Nick Perron are all issues local government will have to deal with in the next five years.
Reinach told residents that he believes his experience in real estate development can help the town make key decisions for impending issues like the Westborough State Hospital Reuse plan.
“We need a new fire station, we need to renovate Gibbons Middle School and we need to figure out a plan for Westborough State Hospital,” Reinach said. “The town can’t thrive when our employees don’t have a adequate buildings.”
Drewry, another former selectman, said taxes would be a main focus for him if he is elected.
“I’m running because we are going to face challenging times,” Drewry said. “The question is not can we do more with less but rather how can we do more with less.”
The candidates also discussed how they all supported the building of a new fire station and recreation department, renovation of town hall and the Forbes Municipal Building as well as working hard to make sure Westborough is number one on state representatives’ lists.
“Part of the problem is that we’re not well represented at Beacon Hill. We are a victim of our own success,” Barrette said. “It is incumbent on us to pound on our state representatives to make sure we can get more if possible.”
Library Trustee candidates Holmes, Fay and Spring spoke about how they would like to help the Westborough Public Library continue to provide quality service to Westborough.
“I’ve been in Westborough 25 years and I’ve seen a lot of changes and growth and the library has grown with it in a positive way,” Spring said.
George is running for reelection to the Assabet Valley School Committee, which he has sat on for the past 23 years.
“I think somebody on the board needs to be a teenager at heart and that’s me,” George said. “I’m very proud to do what we do year after year and do it with low budget numbers.”
Candidates Nicole Sullivan for School Committee and Brian Bush for Planning Board were unable to make the forum. Town elections will take place on Tuesday, March 6. For more information, call the Town Clerk’s office at 508-366-3020.
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