HEATH — Contested races for Selectboard and Finance Committee top the town election ballot on Friday. Polls will be open from noon to 6 p.m. at 18 Jacobs Road, the former elementary school.
Karen Brooks and Susan Lively, both of whom have previously served in Heath town government, are running for Selectboard.
The previous board member, Gloria Fisher, is not running for re-election. Fisher was elected for a three-year term in 2018. She had previously worked as the Heath town coordinator. Fisher could not be reached for comment by press time.
In the Finance Committee race, six candidates are running for three available seats. Among the six, the only one who is currently a member of the committee is Ned Wolf, who serves as chair. The five others are newcomers.
Brooks cited her professional experience as a property manager as potentially relevant to working on the Selectboard, especially with regards to working with town finances and handling the former school building.
“I’m pretty well-versed in building issues,” Brooks said. “I see (the school) as more usable to bring income, rather than using it for purposes that we already have.”
She also pointed to her past work on various town committees, including the Board of Health, and her involvement with developing the Heath Community Hall building.
“I’ve done a lot of what I feel is relatively progressive and proactive for the town,” Brooks said.
Lively cited her professional experience of working as a teacher for 40 years.
“I feel like I have some management skills,” Lively said.” I have some skills at really listening to people and hearing both sides of the story, and trying to work through an issue and resolve it in a way that is meaningful to both sides.”
She also acknowledged issues related to the town’s finances, and pointed to the closure of the elementary school as a major source of division in town.
“The feelings and concerns that go with those issues are just festering,” Lively said. “We need to tackle things and try to think about the best way to move forward.”
Lively has also served on town committees in the past, most recently the Facilities Task Force, she said.
The six candidates for the Finance Committee are the incumbent Wolf, Mike Cucchiara, Thomas Lively, Robert McGahan, Dena Briggs and Heather Hathwell.
Wolf has been on the Finance Committee for 19 years, and is now the chair.
“Heath faces challenges, as many small towns do. We have to work to do the best we can with what we have,” Wolf said.
Cucchiara works in finance professionally, and said he has experience working with municipal finance and affordable housing development.
“I am pretty familiar with municipal law and finance in general,” Cucchiara said. “I just thought I could offer a little bit of a higher level of expertise.”
Thomas Lively was previously on the Selectboard for 14 years, and has also been on the town Planning Board.
“I want to help to clarify budget items, so that Town Meeting members can get the whole picture of the budget,” he said. “I think my past experience would allow me to do that.”
McGahan has not worked in finance specifically, but was previously the director of a research lab with a budget of $30 million, he said.
“I think that qualifies me, to some extent, with some expertise in financial matters,” McGahan said. “Our only asset is the school building. I think that needs to be pursued a lot more aggressively.”
Hathwell did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Briggs could not be reached.
Reach Max Marcus at
mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.