NORTHFIELD — With the town election coming up on Tuesday, May 5, the three candidates vying for two Selectboard seats introduced themselves to voters during a candidates forum at Dickinson Memorial Library this week.

The forum saw the three candidates — incumbents Barbara “Bee” Jacque and Sarah Kerns, and newcomer Shane Duclos — each answer nine pre-determined questions that had been crafted based on residents’ submissions via an online form.

School regionalization and funding

The first question posed to candidates asked them to explain their positions on the “super-regionalization” proposal presented by the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board, which involves merging the Pioneer Valley and Gill-Montague regional school districts.

Duclos does not support the idea, as he worries that a merger would result in a chaotic bus system where students would spend hours each day on the bus. Duclos, whose two daughters graduated from Pioneer, believes that the town should instead focus its efforts on increasing educational opportunities at Pioneer, such as making dual enrollment for high schoolers at community colleges more accessible.

Kerns is also not in favor of the six-town regionalization idea. Like Duclos, she questioned the validity of the data that was used to craft the proposal, saying that “the numbers really didn’t work out” and the proposal ultimately ended up being more expensive than planned.

Jacque responded that the question of regionalization is ultimately “up to the voters.”

“The voters determined in 2019 that they wanted to examine regionalization, and that is how the six-town effort started,” she said. “I firmly believe that whatever we do about the six towns is actually up to the voters. So, where I focus my time is on explaining finances and where some of the advantages would be. For example, Franklin Tech has 19 towns split all of the cost, especially retirement and capital. PVRS currently has three towns, and that’s not to say it shouldn’t continue, but it does have a financial impact.”

Transitioning to another education-related question, the candidates were asked what steps they would support to “balance rising school assessments against other town needs,” as well as how they “weigh community attachment to PVRS against fiscal pressures.”

Kerns, who said she supports Pioneer’s proposed $18.2 million budget for fiscal year 2027, pointed out that nearly all towns in Massachusetts spend the majority of their budget on education. She encouraged residents to trust that the School Committee and superintendent are working hard and that the budget — which is up 4.47% compared to this fiscal year’s figures — is in their best interest.

Jacque advocated for clear explanations of the costs, and striking a balance between the burden on taxpayers and funding for education. 

“I think what we need to do is a better job of collectively explaining the impact on education versus taxes, because we all pay taxes,” Jacque said. She went on to say, “I really trust that when people have a commitment to a community institution like PVRS, that we can channel the energy into constructive things, both with the state and our legislators.”

Like Kerns, Duclos emphasized how much of any town’s budget goes toward education costs. He called for more collaboration in devising the budget.

“We need to think outside the box and find ways to make this work,” Duclos said. “The Selectboard, the Finance Committee and the School Committee should sit in the same room multiple times a year, starting in October, and work through the budget so there’s no surprises come Town Meetings.”

Infrastructure

The next three questions focused on infrastructure and the need to maintain or upgrade different facilities, including buildings for Northfield’s emergency services departments, in a town that has a history of deferring large investments.

For Jacque, moving forward with previously deferred or rejected projects is something that requires persistence and strong communication. She mentioned how she spent February working with state Sen. Jo Comerford and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to put together a grant application regarding the proposed reconstruction of Schell Bridge, and that is one of the reasons she is seeking reelection — to continue this work.

Jacque also stated that Northfield has no outstanding debt, and has been saving $400,000 to $500,000 each year, which puts the town in a financially advantageous position to move forward with infrastructure projects.

Duclos leaned heavily on his experience as a member of the Northfield Fire Department and as assistant director of building maintenance at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he oversees “13.8 million square feet of building space and a budget of over $10 million.” Duclos emphasized that deferring projects will not make them any cheaper, but also that the town should be frugal.

“These building projects have been kicked down the road. ‘It’s too expensive this year.’ It’s not going to be any cheaper next year, and they keep being [delayed] until something breaks,” he said. “Unfortunately, when you have to deal with a break, it’s three times more expensive than doing it correctly.”

He affirmed that the firefighters need a new station, but it doesn’t need to be “large and oversized.” While Duclos admitted that it would be an expensive undertaking, he believes emergency services should not be neglected, and he advocated for a combination of debt, using stabilization funds and applying for grants to pay for it.

“I think we have to work within our limitations and do things in a financially responsible way, but we also have to take care of the things we have,” Duclos said.

Kerns believes the town needs to address its infrastructure, specifically water and sewer, and should “be persistent in looking for grants” to help fund projects. She also advocated for a more regional approach to paying for the new Northfield EMS building.

“The plan for the EMS building is that Northfield alone will pay for the multi-million-dollar building that all of the regional EMS is going to use, and I think that’s a really big problem,” Kerns said.

As for maintenance on town-owned buildings, Kerns said Northfield must identify the severity of various issues, weigh the costs, and solve the large problems first while patching smaller problems to buy time.

“We need to prioritize and see what things are breaking first and what things need fixing. … There needs to be a spreadsheet involved so that you’re keeping track of things … but we also have to be frugal,” Kerns said. “What we need to do is find appropriate patchwork while we make a timeline.”

Development projects and business growth

When asked about large-scale battery energy storage and solar arrays, Duclos and Kerns emphasized the rights of private landowners to use their land for what they want. However, Duclos said the town should seek to pass bylaws that consider access to water in case of a fire at one of these facilities, as well as having a course of action for when “in 20 years, the arrays are no longer functional.” Kerns, who is on the Conservation Commission, said solar and battery energy storage projects should not interfere with conservation efforts.

Jacque said the question of development ultimately falls under the Planning Board’s purview, but the Selectboard should “make sure the Planning Board has the appropriate resources.” She added that the town will consider what kind of revenue would come out of any projects that get approved, and she feels town officials “can do a better job at explaining the impact of this, both positively and negatively.”

Candidates were also asked how they would encourage economic growth and revitalize local businesses if they are elected, and how they would respond to community concerns about development proposals.

Noting that there “isn’t much in the way of businesses downtown,” Duclos said he believes Northfield can add businesses without sacrificing its small-town charm.

“Everyone wants it to remain this small, beautiful town with their beautiful Main Street, and I’m not looking to bring in a Dunkin’ Donuts or a McDonald’s, but there used to be seven gas stations in town; now we have zero,” he said, adding that travelers are inclined to pass through Northfield rather than stop. “I think we need to work hard to bring someone in, and get a place to eat, a place for coffee or for other events.”

Kerns pointed to a recent study that found Northfield residents want more food downtown, in the form of coffee shops, groceries and restaurants. However, the condition of some of the buildings on Main Street makes it financially difficult for new businesses to open.

“We have seen [with new businesses] the number of hoops that have had to be jumped through, and dealing with the old plumbing and the old buildings and the revitalization,” she said. “It ends up costing a lot. I know someone who wants to start a restaurant, but the cost of these old buildings is prohibitive.”

Kerns also emphasized that Northfield should focus on eco-tourism.

Jacque, while pointing out that it may be hard to balance public opinion on what should and should not be downtown, spoke to some of the groundwork that’s being done.

“We have grants in place. We’ve had a person in place who is working on promotions with a small business group,” she said. “We’re also looking at needs for downtown Northfield, which is mostly on the north and south ends.”

All three candidates emphasized the need to create platforms to allow community concerns to be heard when the town is making decisions on development projects.

Financial sustainability and growing revenue

Regarding fiscal sustainability, the candidates were asked where they would look to save money in the town budget to make Northfield more affordable.

Kerns did not recommend any large cuts in particular, but instead to be frugal in each small choice as “those little decisions will add up.”

“Sometimes you have to make big purchases, but sometimes those big purchases are a little easier if you have been careful with the small things,” she said.

Jacque found it difficult to think of places to cut money, saying “you either cut buildings or you cut people.” She said revenue is another important part of the problem.

“One of the areas [where Northfield could improve] is, due to our resistance in some cases, we are not reaping the revenue we should be,” Jacque said. “More revenue will help balance out your budget, especially if you keep the budget consistent.”

Duclos took a similar position to Kerns, emphasizing frugality and thorough exploration of all options before spending. Duclos also pushed for consistent communication with different committees, as well as the school district, to help shrink budgets across the board.

“It is a hard decision: people, buildings, buying new equipment, fixing old equipment. You have to really sit back and look at it,” he said.

On the topic of ways to bring revenue to town outside of increasing taxes, Jacque advocated for attracting new businesses, further developing internet resources and getting a new pedestrian bridge over the river, referencing the Schell Bridge reconstruction project. Having a pedestrian walkway similar to the rail trail in Northampton could be economically fruitful for Northfield, she said.

Duclos focused on developing outdoor activities, such as trails for mountain biking, and using a portion of unused land on the Pioneer campus to host outdoor events or potentially build an amphitheater. 

Kerns again pushed for eco-tourism. Similarly to Duclos, Kerns believes that taking advantage of the geography of Northfield is important for economic growth.

“We’ve got more and more people donating land for conservation, so then we own it as a town. If we get pocket parks or trails, we should lean into that,” Kerns said, adding that such projects “wear light on the land and bring a lot of enjoyment.”

Voters can cast their ballots at Town Hall on Tuesday, May 5, from noon to 8 p.m.