GREENFIELD — At-large Town Council candidate Maria Burge said she can only make one promise to voters — that she will continue to work hard to represent everyone in the community.
Burge, 67, now represents Precinct 6 on the Town Council. She said she’s feeling “overwhelmed” heading into the Nov. 7 General Election. Burge received the second fewest number of votes in the preliminary election after at-large candidate Joseph Gochinski, who was eliminated from the race.
“It was kind of what I expected as far as the work that needed to go into even improving my chances, but my stance is still the same,” Burge said. “I want to make sure that every penny is scrutinized to make sure that all folks that are invested in this town are represented as best as I can.”
She said talking with residents throughout her campaign has opened her eyes to many issues that aren’t necessarily on the council’s agenda.
“I’ve been working with the Commission on Disability Access (and found) some of the things that we want to change may not necessarily be beneficial to some of the disabled folks, in wheelchairs especially,” she said.
Burge said she decided to throw her hat in the ring for an at-large seat on the council after hearing widespread support from her constituents. She has served on the council since January 2016 and said her priorities include addressing gaps in services for veterans and seniors and encouraging more economic growth in town.
She is among four candidates vying for two at-large seats.
“I have a lot of unfinished projects that have been brought forward in the council,” she said. “And even though I know I only have one vote, sometimes that vote makes a difference on which way the council is going to go. But I am an independent thinker. I do a lot of homework on issues.”
Burge was the first female and Latina officer on the Greenfield Police Department, and works per diem at the Franklin County Courthouse, where she retired last year as a court officer.
After leaving her job with the police, Burge was hired as a community liaison for the Greenfield public school system where she provided transition and language services for the Hispanic, Russian and Romanian populations. She also served on the Charter Commission, is a reader at Holy Trinity church and serves on the town’s Youth Commission.
“My service to the town has been always volunteering on any opportunity that presents itself that I know I need to be involved in, focusing a lot on the Latino community, bringing services like religious services mostly,” she said.
Burge said she spends a lot of time volunteering for seniors and veterans, and would like to focus on making more resources available to them — particularly home-bound seniors who don’t have a way of getting to medical appointments or the senior center.
“(There’s also) the financial piece — making ends meet, being constantly worried about being able to pay the taxes that keep going up,” she said. “I know I’m only one person, but if I can help make some decisions that can help these people, then I want to be here.”
Burge said she’s in favor of building a public safety complex, which she believes will be a savings over time due to the combination of resources. She said she would support a new library if the price tag was affordable for the town.
“I don’t like to spend money, and if something can be done with the minimal impact on the tax for the residents, then absolutely. I’ve been to the library, so I know the need, but also I think that it can be tailored to fit the pocketbook of this town,” she said.
Burge added that she thinks it’s a great idea to turn the former First National Bank building into a downtown cultural center, but wouldn’t support spending town money on the project at this point.
“There are priorities and I want to explore the gaps in the services we have now and support initiatives that are financially sound,” she said.