HAWLEY — Two candidates will vie for a position on the Selectboard at a special election Monday, held after a seat became vacant when former member Sally Rich died in March while in office.
Polls are open Monday from 11:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Town Office.
A position on the Hawlemont School Committee, also held by Rich and left vacant after her death, is also on the ballot. While no one has filed nomination papers, candidates can be written in.
Bob MacLean and Courtney Ann Hoyt have both thrown their hat in the ring for the Selectboard seat. Both candidates have experience in municipal service.
MacLean served as a Selectboard member from 2013 to 2017. While he decided not to run for re-election in 2017, he said he was interested in rejoining the board because he missed “knowing what was going in town, and just being a part of the town.
“I kind of missed doing it after I got out of it,” MacLean explained.
Raised in Charlemont, MacLean moved to Hawley in 1977. Shortly after moving there, MacLean took up a job as a truck driver, transporting goods like lumber and milk. Today, MacLean works at a mill in Brattleboro, Vt. He and his wife, Joanne, raised their son, Charley, in Hawley; he now serves in the U.S. Coast Guard.
MacLean said he has lived in Hawley for four decades because “it’s a nice place to live.
“There are very few problems in Hawley,” MacLean added.
Hoyt is already involved in municipal service, serving as a member of the Hawlemont School Committee and on the town Fire Department. She ran for a seat on the Selectboard in 2016, losing to another firefighter and current Selectboard Chairman Hussain Hamdan.
Originally from Holyoke, Hoyt moved to Hawley in 2006 and “fell in love” with the town. She lives there now with her husband, Paul, and two children, Olivia, 7, who attends Hawlemont Regional School, and Dylan Jakob, 2.
“This is it, this is where I want to be. I don’t plan on going anywhere,” Hoyt said.
As a Selectboard member, Hoyt said she hopes to honor Hawley’s history while improving its future.
“My goal is to not only look out for the people who are here now … but I’m also looking to the future for my kids,” Hoyt said. “In general, I want this to be a good, smooth-running town, and I want to be able to contribute to the future.”
Hoyt listed a bevy of reasons for running for the board: managing education costs, upgrading the town’s radio system, updating its hazard mitigation plan and revising its “protective bylaws.”
After serving on the School Committee, Hoyt said she is concerned about the cost of schools, which are Hawley’s largest expense as is the case for all West County towns. She seeks to keep school expenses “under control” while ensuring children are afforded “a first-rate education.”
“It’s about striking a balance and solving problems creatively,” Hoyt said. “I am a mother. I am a taxpayer. Believe me, I get it.”
Hoyt said her experience on the Fire Department has also fueled her desire to serve on the Selectboard. She seeks to help upgrade the town’s “aging communications network” used by emergency service workers. She also hopes to expand access to CPR classes for residents at the Town Hall.
“I understand the need to protect the lives, health and property of our citizens, many of whom are elderly, all while working within a limited budget,” Hoyt said.
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.