Donald Anderson

Ballot Position #11

ELCAT Intro Video 

1) What is the role of a council member? 

Simply stated the purpose is serving as the Town’s Legislative Branch of government with some specific executive functions. In the past the Town Meeting served as the Legislative while the Board of Selectmen had the Executive functions. So typical Town Meeting functions such as budget approval, by-law and zoning, along with others are the job of the Council. The hiring of a Town Manager, an executive function, is also the responsibility of the Town Council. The Council member, being an elected official, will be the voice of East Longmeadow residents. What good is a voice unless you can listen? They key is to act in the overall interest of the Town. My 23 years as an elected member of the Planning Board made me keenly aware of this. There will be matters that are for the benefit of the Town as a whole, while a few citizens are against it.  The key is to listen to all sides and act for the good of the Town.  I can tell you this is not always an easy task.   

2) Are you in favor of a split or single tax rate? Why? 

Our tax classification hearings are typically in the fall and, as I recall, this question often comes up. Historically the Town has voted on a single rate.  While I am always open to new ideas, I support the single rate. Back when I was in government, it cost the Town about $7,000 per student in our public school systems.  So even with the income from a larger home  with two kids in the schools, the net effect was a tax loss for the Town.  We need sources of revenue that generate positive cash, such as when my Board approved the Town’s first ever condominiums and later age restricted communities. New business in properly zoned areas also helps with positive revenue. Keeping business and farms in our community are some of the many core components that make East Longmeadow…East Longmeadow. 

3)What are the most pressing priorities for the first Town council? 

Set up the rules, appoint an acting Town manager, and carefully work on getting the best possible candidate for permanent Town manager.  Review by-laws for areas that have deficiencies or inconsistencies.  One example that was brought to our attention in the Home Rule Charter debate, is that non-residents could be picked for appointed board positions. We need to review this, and draft and approve language to fix this.

4)What are your top three criteria to look for in a Town manager search? 

The Charter Committee set up high standards both in education and experience for the Town manager position. (Article 3, Section 1 ) Beyond that, I would like the candidate to have grant writing skills and work history with various government agencies or departments to bring in untapped grant money. In my perfect world, wouldn’t it be great if the resulting grants helped offset the salary of the Town manager?  Equally important but difficult to screen for, is the personality of the Town manager. The manager is an ambassador for our Town. He/she must have the temperament to actively listen to department heads, and more importantly our residents without treating them in a condescending way. It will be tough to vet for, as some can put on the charm in the interview and then act differently when hired. We can only do our best, but that is something I will, if elected, be looking out for.  

5)What do you expect the weekly time commitment is going to be for a council member?  

Aside from the requisite monthly meeting, there will be possible sub-committee meetings, and additional meetings to get the new government up and running right. The reading, research, and generally getting prepared for meetings will take time. Responding to constituent concerns and engaging with the Town’s people, businesses, churches and civic groups will be a good part of that time.

6) People often make the suggestion that the Town should be run more like a business. What are some significant distinctions between a business and a municipality? 

Well, I try to run both of my businesses to provide the best services to our clients, and make a profit.  I found over my two decades looking at our department budget, that profit is not the end goal in a municipality-services to the community is. It is amazing that there is a need for a department to spend money allocated to it in a municipal budget,  or you run the risk of not getting it in the next fiscal year. Unfortunately, that system seems entrenched from small Towns all the way up to the federal government.  Purchasing items, hiring and promoting all have rules and regulations- not so with your typical small business.  Hopefully we can find some efficiencies and ways to keep budgets in check.   

7) What is your vision for the Town of East Longmeadow in 10 years? 

We need, as required by the Charter, to set up long range planning every 5 years (Article 3 Section 3.3).  The Town Manager, the Council, department heads and citizens will all have a say. My personal vision for East Longmeadow 2026 is a Town with thriving businesses, a full industrial garden district, a mix of residential homes that young working families can afford, as well as upper income subdivisions that we have today.  We need to keep the farms alive and doing well.  Seeing Meadowbrook Farm products in the supermarket still gives me a sense of pride.  We need our public services to be the best in the region with our schools second to none. Both my step-kids went through our schools and have great jobs. This commitment to education of our children here in Town must continue.  Public safety is always a benchmark of a community.  We must continue the great work and community involvement of our Police and Fire men and women.  The work that the DPW does to keep our roads safe and water and sewer lines working is a priority.  The first contact anyone has with our Town is typically when they cross over on our Town streets. We need to protect our wetlands and create development by-laws that work to that end.  We need to consider our ever growing population of elderly citizens with even better programs and facilities. After all, they grew up here and built this great Town. We need to find ways to keep our aging residents in our community with the dignity that they deserve.  

8) The FY 17 capital needs of the Town total over $30,000,000 with just over $1,000,000 in funding from the available budget. This is not inclusive of a new high school. How do you plan, as a councilor, to prioritize maintaining the Town's infrastructure over the next 20 years? 

Our Town buildings and infrastructure is like owning an older home.  As much as we can plan for the inevitable repairs or replacing of items, life gets in the way.  Hypothetically, a roof repair planned for Fiscal Year 2018 may now become necessary in 2017 due to an emergency. We will always need to prioritize, of course.  That is part of the Master Planning question above, but we also need to be aware of state or federal moneys that may become available for a short time, that could accelerate or “give cuts” to a future Capital expenditure.  If I recall, our new Library only had a limited window where if we didn’t act, particular state money would not have been available.   

9) What are pros and cons of being on a Town council with members who have no prior government experience, yet have to implement a new form of government?  

Everyone starts new.  I started in 1988 and was told by Planning Board members to simply listen at first and understand there would be a learning curve.  Even though I dealt with real estate law, I didn’t know about “berm”, “detention or retention basins”, let alone the practical application of our subdivision control laws. It all came together in a relatively short time.  As we saw recently, it is valuable to know open meeting laws as well as Robert’s Rules of Order. People will learn, as we all do.  It excites me with the number of new people in the race, and I really do root for all of them, whether in this election or in another.  I am confident the voters will put together a great team for this first ever Town Council.  Whether I am on the sideline or on the field,  I am so happy to see our Town’s people so active and taking control of how we are governed.  Bravo, Team East Longmeadow !!   

10) As a member the legislative body of the Town, how will you ensure that your voice represents the will of the voters? 

This is an easy one. Those familiar with me know that I had always voted on matters in, what I truly believed, the best interests of our Town as a whole.  It is easy to not take into account the will of the silent majority who did not show up for the public hearing, when only a vocal few attend to oppose a matter simply because it was in their backyard.  Don’t get me wrong, my record from 1988-2011 shows I listened to their concerns always, and when proper points were brought up that the proposal was in violation of our bylaws, I would oppose the project. We did afford the petitioner the chance to modify and do it the right way.  When they did not, the proposal was still denied.