READ FULL DEBATE COVERAGE

Opening remarks by Keith Turley

Question #1: Why are you running for office?

Jeff Bonja
Mary Blanchard
William Emrich
Scott Garieri
Priscilla Gimas
Christopher Mattioli
Kevin Smith

Question #2: What are your thoughts on improving tourism in Sturbridge?

Jeff Bonja
Mary Blanchard
William Emrich
Scott Garieri
Priscilla Gimas
Christopher Mattioli
Kevin Smith

Question #3: What type of development, if any, would you like to see along Route 15?

Jeff Bonja
Mary Blanchard
William Emrich
Scott Garieri
Priscilla Gimas
Christopher Mattioli
Kevin Smith

Question #4: Do you favor expansion at Burgess Elementary, and which financing option?

Jeff Bonja
Mary Blanchard
William Emrich
Scott Garieri
Priscilla Gimas
Christopher Mattioli
Kevin Smith

 

Sturbridge selectmen candidates debate major issues

STURBRIDGE – The main consensuses of the seven candidates for the board of selectmen are that there has to be less divisiveness between town boards, that officials need to be proactive about drawing businesses to town, and that selectmen have to work more transparently.

“The town is on a threshold of greatness,” said Incumbent William Emrich, a physical education teacher at Burgess Elementary School and lifelong resident. “It’s important that we all work together with a cooperative spirit.”

Roughly 50 gathered in the auditorium of the Tantasqua Regional High School to hear the opinions of the candidates in a Turley Publications-sponsored debate.

A three-person panel posed questions to the candidates, who each answered in turn with a 60-second time limit.

The debate was civil and congenial, with candidates on most occasions agreeing on the issues.

That said, the hopefuls did not shy away from discussing hot-button topics in town, such as the proposed renovation to Burgess Elementary School and the debate over expanding the town’s wastewater treatment plant.

Selectmen and the finance committee have sparred over the latter issue, with selectmen proposing a 1 million-gallon-a-day plant, while the finance committee supports a larger, 1.3 million-gallon-a-day plant.

Priscilla Gimas, a 17-year Sturbridge resident who works as a business consultant for start-up companies, said she supports the latter. “It’s cheaper to do it today,” she said. “And if you’re going to grow, you need to be ready.”

Scott Garieri, lifetime resident and owner of Garieri Jewelers on Route 131, agreed. “(We should) build what we can, get the most bang for our buck,” he said.

Christopher Mattioli, a six-year resident and representative with the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, on the other hand, said he supports the selectmen’s decision. He pointed to a Tighe & Bond report that said the Environmental Protection Agency would only permit the town for 1.25 million gallons a day.

On the proposed Burgess renovation, meanwhile, the candidates agreed that the school has to imminently be dealt with.

Officials have posed two solutions for Burgess: A $40.6 million full rebuild or a roughly $17 million quicker-fix solution. Officials also recently learned that the town is in line to receive a substantial amount of Massachusetts School Building Authority financing for a renovation project.

“I believe the students deserve it and the town deserves it,” said Mary Blanchard, a lifelong resident and third-grade teacher at Burgess.

Gimas agreed, adding that the school system is a conduit to economic stability. Jeffrey Bonja echoed those sentiments, but expressed concern about paying for the remaining cost.

“At the end of the day, we have to make sure we don’t break the bank,” said the eight-year resident and business consultant.

Candidates similarly stressed the need for broadening the town’s business base.
“Shop local, attend local events,” Blanchard urged.

However, some disagreed about whether business should be drawn to the Route 15 area, rather than Routes 20 and 131, where empty storefronts could be filled.

“We are in favor of that,” Garieri contended of bringing retail to Route 15. “You bring people into town, they will find us.”

Mattioli disagreed. Although he said he believes growth is “inevitable and valuable,” rezoning Route 15 would pull retail dollars away from other areas, rather than add to the town’s revenue base.

Similarly, when asked how to reinvigorate tourism, hopefuls agreed that that can’t be the town’s sole focus.

Kevin Smith suggested the town streamline project processing and perhaps instate shuttle buses that loop from Sturbridge to Brimfield. “It’s a very important focus of the town,” said the 16-year resident, a mainframe software specialist for EMC, adding that “eco-tourism is a part of this.”

Emrich noted that fact as well, saying that officials have secured 1,100 acres of open space that could attract people for hiking, biking and other outdoor activities.

Garieri responded by saying “I don’t believe a walk in the woods is going to bring someone in to buy a diamond ring.”

He added that tourism gets tougher and tougher in a tight economy, and suggested the town look into the convention business.

Another issue to be addressed, candidates agreed, is the current atmosphere of discord in town politics.

“We have to stop the divisiveness,” said Mattioli. “There’s a lot of anger, a lot of bitterness.”
Gimas added that members of town boards shouldn’t hold grudges. “It’s destructive and it has to stop,” she said.

Similarly, Blanchard stressed that the lines of communication between residents and town boards should be open – and all opinions should be respected.

“I firmly believe the town needs and deserves an open board that is accessible to everyone,” she said.

Emrich contended that selectmen have been proactive on that issue, creating a code of conduct that is given to all residents who take out papers. “It’s within every one of us,” he said. “We need to take responsibility for ourselves.”

But perhaps one of the hardest questions candidates faced was: Why would they want to take on such a thankless and low-paying job?

“It is thankless at times, but it’s also fulfilling,” responded Emrich. He added that the town has “positive qualities” that need to be preserved, including great schools and a rural character.

Bonja, meanwhile, asserted that the town has to have a board of leaders. We need to “not just focus on singular issues and agendas,” he said.

Garieri said he would take a business approach to the position. “(The town) is a large business and it needs to be run like a business,” he said.

Smith, who has 12 years on the finance committee, said the town can work with the economic development committee to draw in businesses that will compliment the town’s rural character.

Blanchard, who has served on the zoning board of appeals, said officials should also work with the council on aging to support the needs of senior citizens and similarly create a comprehensive housing plan.

Gimas said she wants to see the town progress with controlled growth.” “I find it becoming a little stagnant,” she said.

She urged the hiring of an economic director and a grant writer.

Overall, she said she is heartened by the congenial relationship between candidates.

“All seven of us are a testament to our concern for our community,” she said, noting that they’ve been able to agree and disagree in a polite and respectful way. “Our behavior and our collaborative work is an example of how boards should be running.