HAWLEY — Two current School Committee members and firefighters — Hussain A. Hamdan and CourtneyAnn C. Hoyt — are seeking election to a vacant three-year Selectboard seat in the annual town election, which takes place on May 2.
Hamdan, now 24, has been on town boards ever since he was old enough to vote. He was a high school student representative on the Mohawk Trail Regional School Committee, and has served on the Hawlemont Regional School Committee since 2011.
A University of Massachusetts graduate, Hamdan is now working on a law degree at Western New England University.
Hamdan has also served on the Fire Department since 2014 and hopes to get his emergency medical technician certification soon, possibly this summer.
As a member of the town Communications Committee since 2015, Hamdan said he played a role in helping the town look at cost-effective hybrid and wireless alternatives instead of a more expensive fiber-optic broadband system.
He also started a petition that led to the adoption of special legislation that allows for recall elections of town officials.
“I believe that I am the most qualified candidate to hold this position,” said Hamdan. “In a small town, a selectman needs to be able to see how the pieces fit together, because everything is interrelated. If you decide to spend money in one area, you might have to cut back in another. … Keeping our budget sustainable, especially when it comes to the schools, is a major and immediate concern. Another problem is finding a way to affordably bring high-speed Internet to our residents. … We also need to keep pressure on the state to fix roads in the state forest, which remain unrepaired since Hurricane Irene.”
Hoyt, 31, has lived in town for about 10 years, and has been involved with several town boards and committees during that time.
“I have fallen in love with Hawley and want to preserve all the wonderful things that make it a great place to live, while moving us forward,” said Hoyt.
Hoyt, a mother, a certified home health aide and school-bus driver, is also on the Hawlemont Regional School Committee and is a firefighter on the volunteer Fire Department. Hoyt was also a member of the committee that worked to establish a recall bylaw and she also worked on the bylaw committee, which reviewed about 50 years worth of old town bylaws.
“I feel that I want to help Hawley as a community. I want to preserve the history. At the same time, I want to move us forward into the next century,” she said. “I want to make sure that what makes Hawley so special is preserved, but try to see what other opportunities there are, like (high-speed) Internet, and new equipment and training for the Fire Department.”
“I’ve learned a lot since I’ve come into the town about how it works,” said Hoyt.
Hoyt said she is also concerned about the condition of state roads that run through state forest land in Hawley, because they are difficult to drive and limit emergency access through the forest, especially when a hiker is injured or missing.
The following candidates are running unopposed for town offices: Board of Assessors, incumbent Edward J. Brady; moderator (one-year), incumbent Kirby “Lark” Thwing; Local Education Council for Hawlemont (nonparent member for three-year term), Suzanne S. Crawford; and Hawlemont School Committee member (three years), Hussain A. Hamdan.
No one is running for town auditor on the election ballot.
Polls will be open May 2 from 11:45 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Town Office.
You can reach Diane
Broncaccio at:
dbroncaccio@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 277