WENDELL — There are two candidates on the Sept. 1 ballot vying to serve the remaining two years of Adam Feltman’s term on the Selectboard, following Feltman’s resignation earlier this year.
Marina Apostol and Chris Kranz are both transplants to Wendell and say they are throwing their hats in the ring in hopes of helping the town. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wendell Town Offices at 9 Morse Village Road. The state primary will be on the same day.
A candidates’ forum is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall on Thursday, Aug. 27.
Marina Apostol
Apostol moved to Wendell nearly four years ago to be with her partner, who has lived there for roughly 20. She said she is running for Selectboard because she has fallen in love with the town and wants to give back.
“I think my experience in work really lends itself to being good in the role and being an asset to the town,” she said. “And I have a lot of love for Wendell; I think it’s a really great place to live, and I want to see it … continue to flourish.”
She said helping to ensure affordability is important to her.
Apostol, 48, grew up in Worcester and graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in communication. She also holds a master’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine and is licensed to practice acupuncture in Massachusetts, though this practice has largely taken a backseat.
She works, mostly remotely, as the program coordinator at the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at Harvard Law School.
“One of the things that I do a lot is collaboration, including with outside institutions as well,” she explained. “I have that work history about bringing people together with different viewpoints and opinions.”
A self-described politics nerd, Apostol said she wants to ensure that government works for the people.
“I couldn’t wait to turn 18, to vote,” she said.
Chris Kranz
Kranz moved to Wendell just over five years ago because his fiancée grew up there.
“It’s the best place to be,” he said.
Kranz, 42, moved around as a young child because his father was in the military. The family settled in South Hadley when he was 12 years old. He said he has been a builder and carpenter his entire adult life.
“I am able to commit that time [to the Selectboard],” he said. “My weekends and nights are free.”
Kranz said he tends to lean libertarian, and property rights are particularly important to him, though he has no specific agenda in the event that he is elected. He noted that everyone in town gets along in a way that is unique to Wendell, and there is little to no internal strife or animosity.
He acknowledged that he overcame addiction and achieved all the objectives of a five-year plan he established for himself.
“I’m moving on to a different goal tendency and volunteerism,” he said.
Kranz also acknowledged his criminal record, having pleaded guilty in 2018 to eight charges stemming from vehicle break-ins when he lived in South Hadley.
“All I can say is it’s my past and I’ve learned from it, and I’ve been clean since I came to town and have never looked back [on] that lifestyle,” he said. “And I would just say, evaluate me by my actions today and not my past from yesterday.”
