SHELBURNE — Although no one’s name is on the annual election ballot for the vacant selectboard seat, three write-in candidates are vying for the position that Joseph Judd is leaving.
Jacqueline B. Walsh of Bridge Street, V. Matthew Marchese of Main Street and Roland Giguere of Little Mohawk Road will be running for one three-year selectboard term on the May 15 annual town election.
The polls in Memorial Hall, 51 Bridge St., will be open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.
A candidates’ night is set for tonight at 7 p.m. in the Shelburne Falls Senior Center.
Walsh, 56, has lived in Shelburne and Shelburne Falls for about 21 years. She has worked in journalism, as a reporter and editor for about 15 years. She also directed before- and after-school programs for Buckland Shelburne Elementary School, where her son and daughter went to school.
Walsh went on to become a special education aide in both BSE and Colrain Central Schools. She is also a children’s book author and is active in community theater. Walsh also served on the BSE Local Education Council.
“As a reporter, I covered lots of selectboard meetings in Greenfield,” said Walsh. “I know lots of people in town. I know the issues, the geography and I’m excited to help keep what’s great in this town.”
Walsh said she decided to run “because no one else was.” But also, “I was inspired by all the talk about having more women run for offices,” she said. “Joe (Judd’s) leaving big shoes to fill, and I hope he’ll serve as a sort of role model for me.”
Walsh says she has no agenda, but is interested in the village parking issue, and the redevelopment of the former Sweetheart restaurant and Mole Hollow properties.
Walsh has either acted in or managed 30 community theater plays during the past eight years and is founder of “Footlights at the Falls,” which started last year.
Marchese, a former Planning Board chairman, says he appreciates the work that Joseph Judd has done throughout the years and would like to see the town maintain its status as the town with the fourth-lowest tax rate in the county and a healthy stabilization fund.
Marchese, 44, runs a nine-year health care compliance business from his home, that focuses on fraud and abuse.
“I think we need to support the Senior Center as best we can,” he said. “It’s not an accident that the Senior Center is doing as good a job as it does. We need to keep taxes low, so seniors can afford to stay in their homes.”
He said he would like to see a pilot program so that the town could partner with a nursing program, such as the Licensed Practical Nursing program at Greenfield Community College, to provide community service, to help elders stay in their home. He also believes the town would benefit from a program in which elders could volunteer in an after-school or daycare program.
“We have really smart, talented, dedicated people that live in Shelburne,” he said, adding that their talents could be used to dig into capital improvement planning, or green community projects.
He said he would like to see the town build a stronger relationship to the Greater Shelburne Falls Area Business Association and support cottage industries. He would also like to reach out to other communities that have similar issues Shelburne faces, to see what strategies were successful in resolving them.
“Let’s get a lot of smart people involved who can help (the selectboard) move through the process.”
Giguere of Little Mohawk Road, 57, is a 30-year resident who will be retiring next year as a mechanical engineer at the University of Massschusetts Amherst. He is president and a member of the Shelburne Grange and a district deputy of the state Grange.
Although this is his first run for Selectman, Giguere has been very active in the community, as a Cub Scout leader and with the First Congregational Church of Shelburne, where he is a deacon, executive committee member and maintains the property.
In designing mechanical systems for UMass, Giguere says he is very familiar with managing construction projects and budget management.
“I know there are a lot of issues going on, so I’m trying to learn as much as I can about them,” said Giguere. He said he has the expertise, for instance, to deal with a possible senior center building project and capital projects for other town buildings and the school.
“I’m a problem-solver,” he said. “I want to make sure things are done within the budget. I think, up to now, it appears that our selectboard has been fiscally conservative and has not allowed the town to be over-extended. Let’s keep it a town you like and want to be part of.”
Giguere said he and his wife Barbara have raised seven children here, including five adopted children.
“There are a lot of people who know me in town,” he said. “I haven’t been discouraged from taking on the position. Somebody needs to do it and somebody who can be good at it. I think I can represent the town well.”
Running unopposed for three-year terms are: Assessor Joseph Mattei; Free Public Library Trustees Sherry Taylor and Debra Washer; and School Committee member Jason Cusimano.
Running for one-year terms unopposed are: Town Clerk Joseph Judd; Moderator Sylvia Smith and Tree Warden James Richardson.
Running unopposed for five-year seats are Planning Board Chairman John Wheeler and Recreation Committee member Emily Schoelzel.