LEYDEN — The only contested race in Monday’s town election sees Lewis Becker, Jessica Snow and Gilda Galvis throwing their hats in the ring for a three-year term as town clerk.
Polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 16 West Leyden Road.
The town clerk’s seat was left vacant by Nicole Glabach last year and has been filled in an interim capacity by Bob Hardesty since January.
Speaking by phone, Snow said her experience working at Greenfield Savings Bank for eight years would serve her well in the role of town clerk.
“I like paperwork — I know, that’s weird,” Snow said with a chuckle. “I worked within the bank everywhere from the head teller all the way to the mortgage department. My expertises kind of have a big range.”
Snow said she stopped working with Greenfield Savings Bank last year when the COVID-19 pandemic began, and stayed home to home-school her 7-year-old son and care for her 2-year-old son. She and her family moved to Leyden about two years ago, though some of her family members are originally from there.
Should she be elected town clerk, Snow said she expects to be pretty accessible. As a stay-at-home mom, she said her schedule allows her flexibility to be available beyond any established office hours.
“Beyond that, I’m extremely organized,” Snow said. “I’ve had to keep track of over 200 mortgage accounts and had to deal a lot with paying out for things like escrow accounts. Paying out escrow to towns was part of my job, and I’ve worked with Leyden in that capacity before. I’ve had to keep track, log and balance daily paperwork on Excel.”
Snow also works for the town part-time as a janitor, cleaning the Town Hall on West Leyden Road and the Town Office building on Brattleboro Road.
Becker has two grown children, both of whom graduated from the former Pearl Rhodes Elementary School, where his wife, Rhonda, was the art teacher for 28 years. Becker used to run a photography studio in Greenfield, where he lived before moving to Leyden 30 years ago.
Being retired, Becker believes he has the time to fulfill the town clerk role “thoroughly, accurately and in a timely manner.”
“What is required of a town clerk? I say it is precision, organization, attention to detail and availability,” Becker said. “I will hold some office hours during the evening and will be in my office when I am scheduled.”
If elected, Becker said he intends to be accessible to residents via email, phone, text or WhatsApp.
“Most households now have broadband access and Massachusetts is rapidly digitizing government functions,” he said. “Let’s take advantage of these capabilities.”
As a former Greenfield resident, Becker served two terms on what was then the town council, as well as other Greenfield committees mostly relating to trash and recycling. He is a current member of the Leyden Cultural Council, and was Leyden’s representative to the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District until town voters decided to withdraw from the district.
Galvis and her husband, Police Chief Dan Galvis, have lived in Leyden for 29 years. Galvis works as a part-time police captain for the Leyden Police Department, through which she has served the community for 25 years. While she currently works three days a week as office manager at Dillon Chevrolet in Greenfield, Galvis will be retiring in October after 45 years in the job.
In her role with the car dealership, she oversees eight departments with over 30 employees. Galvis believes these administrative skills will be transferable to the duties of town clerk, if she is elected.
Galvis is also on the Leyden Council on Aging, for which she has been successful in securing funding from the state for the past eight years, starting with $1,000 and increasing to $6,000.
“I feel that, with my experience in accounting, administrative, working with the public and strong work ethic, I would be a good candidate for this position,” Galvis said. “I am an extremely hard worker who cares deeply about Leyden. If given the opportunity, I promise to put everything I’ve got to being an excellent town clerk.”
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.