Crowded race forms in Templeton as spring election approaches
Eryn DionNews Staff Writer
TEMPLETON — With the deadline to take out nomination papers now passed, the field of candidates for Templeton’s annual town election this May is beginning to take shape.
There will be a four-way race for two selectmen seats expiring this year, including a rematch between Robert Mitchell and incumbent Diane Haley Brooks. Mr. Mitchell and Ms. Brooks met earlier this year in a special town election, with Ms. Brooks winning the contest by a considerable margin. Ms. Brooks filled a seat left vacant after Virginia Wilder resigned last May.
Mr. Mitchell previously served on the board for several years before being recalled in a 2012 special election, along with current board member Julie Farrell.
Chairman Jeffrey Bennett, whose term also expires this year, has taken out nomination papers as well, along with School Committee member John Columbus.
“Although I have served on the School Committee for many years, I feel that my talents and experience could be best utilized on the Board of Selectmen to deal with the town’s financial problems,” Mr. Columbus commented.
Two highly sought after School Committee seats, currently held by Mr. Columbus and Henry Mason, are also up for election. Both Mr. Mason and Mr. Columbus will be running again, along with Ms. Farrell, Catherine Vancelette, and Andrew Robinson.
David Smart will challenge the Light and Water Commission Chair Dana Blais. Mr. Smart made a run for a seat on the commission at the last annual town election, but was defeated by Gregg Edwards.
Sewer Commission Chair Mark Moschetti will also seek re-election and will likely run unopposed. There are three-year positions available at the Cemetery and Parks Commission, and Community Preservation Committee, and five-year positions are open on the Planning Board and Housing Authority.
This year’s Town Election will be held on May 5 at the Narragansett High School gymnasium. The last day to submit papers to the clerk’s office is March 17.
For BOS I will be voting for Diane Haley-Brooks and John Columbus. It is truly time for a change in the BOS and Jeff needs to find another place to be.
ReplyDeleteVOTE DIANE HALEY-BROOKS and JOHN COLUMBUS
Oh boy another that wants to give the school everything they ask for but don't need.
ReplyDeleteNo. We want people who want what's best for the entire town. Not just their select few friends. No more personal agendas
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DeleteI agree huff n puff. Its time the short minded 'only for me group' looked at the long term damage they have inflicted upon this town over the last decade. Its a vicious circle. If a town is unable to attract new tax contributors then we are doomed. Professional families choose where to live based on several pre-requisites, one of those being good quality schools. Without good schools we will not attract new, young, desirable tax paying families. Heck, we wont even keep our own youth. Combine our aging town population, migrating indigenous youth with poor infrastructure and the result will be the continuing downward spiral we are witnessing today. Tax revenue will fall and fall until we become a ghost town. No business will embrace us as an town worthy of investment if we continue to follow the failed politicos of recent years. Lets also separate teachers pay and benefits from the school building issue and get a school built that will attract tax payers who in turn will attract tax paying businesses. I am completely against tenure, accumulated paid sick days and all the union guarantees that are crippling the school budget but again, this is not about teachers benefits, its about tax generation.
DeleteKeep doing the same thing Templeton and don't be surprised if you get the same results.
hmmm the race for BOS seats just got a little smaller just read on Diane Haley Brooks Facebook page that Jeff Bennett has resigned his seat on the BOS and has not turned in his papers to the Town Office for re-election.. hmmm wonder what this is all about??
ReplyDeleteworking our way on up to an entirely new BOS...yeah baby!
ReplyDeleteThat crying you hear throughout Templeton is Julie Farrell.
ReplyDeleteI must have missed that something Truth... what did J.B. do to Virginia??? or are you just saying an overall apology is due Virginia for the crappy way she was treated in general..not just for one particular instance?? now if we can just get Jules to resign then Templeton might have a fighting chance of crawling up outta this friggin hole we are in... guess I will be voting for Diane and John for selectman... no way we need or want Mitchell back on the BOS... we need 100% total fresh new BOS in this town! we are almost there... YAY!
ReplyDeleteWell I know Virginia never had a fighting chance from the go....the deck was totally stacked against her...the rest of the BOS made it totally impossible for her to serve totally unfair ...if you are aquainted with anyone on the so called Echo Hill gang you will be persecuted.
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ReplyDeleteDown hear on the lower forty we are sad to hear of Mr. Bennet's resignation. No one in recent memory has served his country and town with such distinction. I hope that Mr. Bennet will reconsider his resignation but if that is not the case he has my personal thanks for stepping up and serving the residents of Templeton. Thank you Mr. Bennet for all you have done we appreciate your efforts.
ReplyDeleteI second that. Jeff Bennet cared more for this town than anyone in recent history.
DeleteWell just have to see how the next year plays out with all these school yuppies running.
Some people want to pretend that a person without a pro-school-at-any-price agenda is biased. They need to take a good hard look at where they'll be in a few years and whether they can afford the taxes they clamor for when they're old. And some selectmen need to grow up and stop with the ridiculous dye-job un-natural colors.
DeleteThose same people were out there, fighting for our police, our hwy dept, our firefighters & most recently our dispatchers. To say anyone of them is pro school at any cost is a bald faced lie.
DeleteAs for taxes, we've been through this a hundred times on here. You cannot operate a town in 2015 at a 2002 tax rate. The rate was kept artificially low causing most of our problems today.