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Lexington Minuteman
Thursday, February 19, 2004
Town-wide, TM candidates address voters
By Brian Kelly / Staff Writer
League hosts night at Clarke
Selectman and School Committee candidates spent last Thursday trying to
cram several ideas and points of view into very little time at the
League of Women Voters Candidates Night.
Held in the Clarke Middle School Auditorium, candidates attempted to
distinguish themselves from one another in hopes of wooing votes. Five
selectman candidates, including incumbents Leo McSweeney and Jeanne
Krieger, and challengers Patrick Mehr, Richard Pagett, and John Rossi
are vying for two seats on the board. Incumbent Sherry Gordon is
attempting to regain one of two open seats on the School Committee in a
race against newcomers Tom Diaz, Olga Guttag, and Iang Jeon.
Selectman candidates had the opportunity to impress voters first, and
were asked to introduce themselves before answering questions prepared
by the League and from audience members in less than a minute. Most used
their precious time to highlight the importance of delivering quality
services at a price that is cost-effective to everyone.
Longtime selectman McSweeney expressed his desire to restore public
safety staffing levels to what they were before reductions took place
last summer, and Krieger, referring to the town in general, said "we
need to increase revenue and build back much of what we lost in the
failed override."
Pagett said with his "strong background in financial management," he
will "devote" himself to managing the town's budget efficiently if he is
elected. Rossi, who has worked as a lawyer for over 20 years, knows
"health, safety, and education" are basic services that must be
maintained at high levels.
Mehr added, "We need to operate the town in the most efficient manner so
citizens get the most services for their money."
Asked what they believe a Proposition 2 1/2 operating override should
consist of this year, most, but not all, said they would favor a bundled
override.
Mehr, Pagett, and Krieger all favored a bundled approach, with Pagett
saying he wants a question that "doesn't leave people feeling
manipulated." In addition to a bundled question, Mehr and Krieger also
favored offering tiers to the voters.
"I believe we need a balanced set of services, and we should not be
pitting one group against another," said Krieger, who noted she would
like to see a question offered in three parts. The first would be a
modest set of services at a low cost, the second would be more robust,
and the third would have even more budget restorations. "Proposition 2
1/2 is a check" that allows voters to be asked "what [level of] services
they want."
McSweeney didn't specify which type of approach he would favor, but did
say "I feel this time the override has to have some choice. ... I want
to make the numbers small enough that voters can afford it."
Rossi said choice is good, and told audience members that is exactly
what they have in this group of candidates because he does not favor a
bundled override, noting he "doesn't believe it should be all or
nothing."
"I hear people [saying an unbundled override would be] pitting schools
against public safety. ... I want an override that talks about services
and values services. [The board needs] to determine what services
[voters] want and have the voters not feel alienated," he said.
In his closing statement, Mehr said, "Citizens have somewhat lost trust
in town government. I would work very hard to rectify that."
Noting he felt cuts to public safety, the library, and the schools last
year were excessive, Pagett said "we have hard financial choices to
make," and said his experience as a financial manager would make him
qualified to serve as a selectman.
Krieger said her leadership and experiences working on issues at Hanscom
Air Force Base and the redevelopment proposal at Met State show she has
a proven track record.
Because some people feel "local government has forgotten about them,"
Rossi said he would be a good fit on the board because he "would not
forget about [voters]."
McSweeney said "it's been an honor to be your selectman," and he would
like the opportunity to continue to do so.
With Joanne Benton leaving her post as superintendent of Lexington
Public Schools in June, the League started off the School Committee
portion of the event by asking candidates what they would look for in a
new superintendent.
Gordon, who is just completing her first three-year term, said the goal
is "to build an excellent and stable leadership," and her hope is a new
superintendent would demonstrate "excellent communication skills [and]
excellent interpersonal skills" and would be someone who could "heal the
issues and wounds [the schools have] had over last several years."
"We have to find a leader who is inspiring to others who knows how to
build a team," said Guttag, who has volunteered throughout the school
system for more than 10 years. "We have a morale problem now, and the
superintendent will have to be sensitive to the needs of all
constituencies."
Jeon, a member of Clarke Middle School's anti-bias team who's family has
hosted METCO students, said he favors a superintendent who can show
leadership, integrity, and demonstrate an "excellence in setting high
standards and accountability." Diaz, a Town Meeting member, hopes a
leader "from another high-performance district," can be recruited, and
he is looking for somebody who is "an expert in ideas of differentiated
instruction."
Asked what they thought of the school system showing students a video
called "That's a Family," a film that depicts students who come from
varying family backgrounds, Diaz, Guttag, and Gordon supported the
showings because the film educates children about prejudices and the
importance of diversity. However, Jeon disagreed, saying he found the
video "inappropriate" for elementary school children to see and thought
it was sending "the wrong message."
Earlier this week, Jeon explained his statement, saying he doesn't feel
the video is appropriate because it is "a racist video reinforcing
offensive ethnic stereotypes," and is especially offensive to
African-Americans. Jeon aid the video also depicts drugs, death, and
jail, something that young children should not see, and sends "the
message that divorce is perfectly OK."
Asked what they would cut if an override failed this year, Gordon said
it would be "very difficult" to cut anything more, Guttag said cost
analyses of programs would have to be conducted before she could decide,
and Diaz said it was difficult to answer, but he would probably choose a
combination of administration and faculty, though not necessarily
"front-line" teachers. Jeon said his priority is to preserve teachers
and operate in a "fiscally-responsible" manner.
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