[Speaker 1] (0:22 - 0:22)
Yep.

[Speaker 1] (0:24 - 0:24)
You come up here.

[Speaker 1] (0:25 - 0:25)
Yeah.

[Speaker 2] (0:25 - 0:26)
What do you think?

[Speaker 3] (0:32 - 0:33)
Should I lift it up?

[Speaker 1] (0:34 - 0:34)
Sure.

[Speaker 3] (0:35 - 0:35)
Okay.

[Speaker 3] (0:37 - 0:39)
There's still people coming in. Give them a couple seconds.

[Speaker 1] (0:39 - 0:40)
We're alive.

[Speaker 3] (0:40 - 0:40)
Hmm?

[Speaker 1] (0:40 - 0:42)
We're alive. So you can start speaking.

[Speaker 3] (0:45 - 0:46)
We are live, Swamp Scott.

[Speaker 3] (1:36 - 1:37)
That's why we pay him the big bucks.

[Speaker 3] (1:41 - 1:42)
Okay, really.

[Speaker 3] (1:43 - 1:43)
Okay.

[Speaker 3] (1:43 - 1:44)
Good evening,

[Speaker 3] (1:44 - 1:44)
Swamp Scott.

[Speaker 3] (1:47 - 1:51)
We've got a couple late peop people, but we're gonna let you settle in.

[Speaker 3] (1:52 - 1:54)
And I'm just gonna say a couple words.

[Speaker 3] (2:07 - 2:15)
My name's Glenn Kessler and along with our friends at the Daily Item and my good buddy Steve Iaconi,

[Speaker 3] (2:15 - 2:22)
we found out that there wasn't going to be a candidates night that where you,

[Speaker 3] (2:22 - 2:23)
the residents,

[Speaker 3] (2:23 - 2:33)
would be able to provide questions so that the candidates for both races would be able to speak to you directly instead of debate each other.

[Speaker 3] (2:34 - 2:35)
We thought that was a better idea.

[Speaker 3] (2:36 - 2:49)
So this evening we're going to start really soon but I wanted to just thank everybody for coming either here or if you're watching remotely and know that this is for you.

[Speaker 3] (2:49 - 3:03)
This is how we get to be better informed about our candidates and I certainly hope that at the end of the evening you all will have a better idea who you think is best to represent our town.

[Speaker 3] (3:04 - 3:09)
Because Lord knows we need good representation, don't we? All right. Without further ado,

[Speaker 3] (3:09 - 3:13)
my friend Sophia is going to start out.

[Speaker 3] (3:13 - 3:14)
So I'm going to go like this.

[Speaker 4] (3:20 - 3:23)
Thank you so much and thank you everybody for being here tonight.

[Speaker 4] (3:23 - 3:27)
My name is Sophia Harris and I'm the Editorial Director for The Daily Item.

[Speaker 4] (3:28 - 3:30)
We're gonna start off by doing some introductions.

[Speaker 4] (3:32 - 3:36)
So sitting next to me is Martha Driscoll Caesar,

[Speaker 4] (3:36 - 3:39)
a longtime educator and community member with a career spanning teaching,

[Speaker 4] (3:40 - 3:42)
school leadership, and educational mentorship.

[Speaker 4] (3:43 - 3:52)
She has served as a principal and director of learning and remains active in education through roles at Endicott College and other institutions. In Swampscott,

[Speaker 4] (3:52 - 3:56)
she has contributed as a town meeting member,

[Speaker 4] (3:56 - 3:57)
arts and council participant,

[Speaker 4] (3:58 - 3:59)
and youth volunteer.

[Speaker 4] (4:00 - 4:07)
She brings a strong commitment to education, community involvement and public service. John Jantas.

[Speaker 4] (4:08 - 4:15)
is a legal and financial professional currently serving as senior counsel at State Street Corporation.

[Speaker 4] (4:15 - 4:18)
With prior experience at the U.S. Department of Treasury,

[Speaker 4] (4:19 - 4:22)
a specialist in anti-money laundering and financial regulation,

[Speaker 4] (4:23 - 4:25)
he has contributed to national policy work,

[Speaker 4] (4:26 - 4:31)
including co-authoring the Bank Secretary Act Examination Manual.

[Speaker 4] (4:33 - 4:43)
has also been involved in local school advisory efforts and is seeking to bring his experience in public policy governance and problem solving to serve the Swampscott community.

[Speaker 4] (4:45 - 4:49)
So we have some questions for our school committee candidates here tonight.

[Speaker 4] (4:49 - 5:01)
How this is going to work is each candidate is going to give a brief introduction of themselves and then I will ask a question and they will answer the same question and we'll go back and forth from that.

[Speaker 4] (5:01 - 5:08)
And these are questions provided to us by daily item readers as well as Swamscott Tide readers.

[Speaker 4] (5:10 - 5:12)
And so Martha, if you would like to introduce yourself.

[Speaker 5] (5:12 - 5:15)
Well, thank you Sophia and thank you for that nice introduction.

[Speaker 5] (5:15 - 5:16)
I appreciate it.

[Speaker 5] (5:16 - 5:20)
I will tell you this is something that I never ever thought I would be doing.

[Speaker 5] (5:21 - 5:23)
I am not a really political person,

[Speaker 5] (5:23 - 5:29)
but a few months back my activities started to wind down and I thought how can I give back to the town.

[Speaker 5] (5:29 - 5:31)
It's about time I gave back to the town.

[Speaker 5] (5:31 - 5:35)
So I decided that given that I had the good fortune of

[Speaker 5] (5:35 - 5:37)
of becoming a teacher in Swamscott,

[Speaker 5] (5:37 - 5:38)
my very first job,

[Speaker 5] (5:38 - 5:46)
and I taught here for 17 years and loved every minute of it. I thought what better way to do this would be to do something for the schools that I've never done before.

[Speaker 5] (5:46 - 5:48)
So therefore someone said,

[Speaker 5] (5:48 - 5:49)
how about running for school committee?

[Speaker 5] (5:49 - 5:50)
And I thought, hmm,

[Speaker 5] (5:50 - 5:52)
that's an interesting thought.

[Speaker 5] (5:52 - 5:53)
So here I am.

[Speaker 5] (5:54 - 6:00)
I hope that I can support the schools in the way that I always wanted the schools to be supported.

[Speaker 5] (6:01 - 6:04)
I hope that I can provide the community a greater sense of what happens.

[Speaker 5] (6:04 - 6:10)
happens in schools and how we fund the schools and I appreciate everyone who's here tonight.

[Speaker 5] (6:10 - 6:10)
Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (6:13 - 6:13)
John?

[Speaker 3] (6:13 - 6:14)
Thanks.

[Speaker 3] (6:15 - 6:16)
So good evening, everyone,

[Speaker 3] (6:16 - 6:19)
and thank you again for having me here tonight.

[Speaker 3] (6:20 - 6:26)
For those of you who might not know who I am, my name is John Jantas, and I've served on the Swampscott school committee for the past six years.

[Speaker 3] (6:27 - 6:30)
And I'm running for a third term because I care about the community,

[Speaker 3] (6:30 - 6:36)
not just as a parent, but as someone whose roots here go back to my childhood.

[Speaker 3] (6:38 - 6:39)
I'm looking at Jean over here.

[Speaker 3] (6:39 - 6:54)
My grandmother actually owned the Richdale on Humphrey Street where Lincoln's Landing is now. So I remember spending time here as a kid with my grandmother. So my connection to the town goes way, way back. And Swampscot to me has always been a place where.

[Speaker 3] (6:54 - 6:58)
Families put down roots and where people care deeply about their schools.

[Speaker 3] (6:59 - 7:01)
On the school committee,

[Speaker 3] (7:01 - 7:06)
I have worked to be a steady, pragmatic, and accessible voice,

[Speaker 3] (7:06 - 7:07)
someone who shows up, listens,

[Speaker 3] (7:08 - 7:17)
and asks tough questions to make sure every decision we make as a committee reflect the community's priorities and that every dollar is spent wisely.

[Speaker 3] (7:18 - 7:21)
I've also been directly involved in collective bargaining,

[Speaker 3] (7:21 - 7:23)
including negotiations with the teachers,

[Speaker 3] (7:24 - 7:26)
tutors, education support professionals,

[Speaker 3] (7:27 - 7:28)
administrative staff,

[Speaker 3] (7:28 - 7:29)
and custodial staff.

[Speaker 3] (7:30 - 7:41)
That work required balancing fiscal responsibility with supporting the people who make our school strong. And we approach each negotiation in a way that is direct,

[Speaker 3] (7:41 - 7:42)
fair,

[Speaker 3] (7:42 - 7:44)
and focused on reaching sustainable agreements.

[Speaker 3] (7:45 - 7:46)
Over the past several years,

[Speaker 3] (7:46 - 7:49)
as everyone knows, we have faced real challenges,

[Speaker 3] (7:49 - 7:50)
budget pressures,

[Speaker 3] (7:50 - 7:51)
leadership transitions,

[Speaker 3] (7:51 - 7:53)
and evolving student needs.

[Speaker 3] (7:53 - 7:57)
Through it all, I've focused my time on the committee,

[Speaker 3] (7:57 - 7:58)
on being thoughtful,

[Speaker 3] (7:58 - 7:59)
balanced,

[Speaker 3] (8:00 - 8:02)
and maintaining trust with the community,

[Speaker 3] (8:02 - 8:03)
families,

[Speaker 3] (8:03 - 8:04)
and educators.

[Speaker 3] (8:05 - 8:08)
Right now, I think that Swampscott faces three key challenges.

[Speaker 3] (8:09 - 8:11)
long-term financial stability,

[Speaker 3] (8:11 - 8:14)
supporting and retaining teachers and staff,

[Speaker 3] (8:14 - 8:17)
ensuring every student has the support they need.

[Speaker 3] (8:18 - 8:25)
Swampscott is a special place. I valued the opportunity to serve so far and I'm prepared to continue the work ahead.

[Speaker 3] (8:25 - 8:26)
Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (8:26 - 8:27)
Thank you so much.

[Speaker 4] (8:28 - 8:30)
So for my first question,

[Speaker 4] (8:30 - 8:34)
Martha will answer first and then John will answer second.

[Speaker 4] (8:35 - 8:40)
What perspective or skills would you bring to the school committee that are currently missing?

[Speaker 5] (8:41 - 8:42)
It comes later.

[Speaker 5] (8:43 - 8:53)
Well I think after many years of working as a teacher and a school administrator I've learned how to listen to people and how to respect difference of opinion.

[Speaker 5] (8:53 - 9:04)
And I think at times in the last short time there's been a little bit of feeling that if you express opinions that are different from someone else's those opinions aren't respected.

[Speaker 5] (9:04 - 9:07)
I hope that I can bring that back to the school committee.

[Speaker 5] (9:07 - 9:21)
and have us be aware that there are differing opinions in our committee, it doesn't mean in our community, and it doesn't mean that we don't support schools. It just means we may have questions. And I hope that I can bring that back to the school committee.

[Speaker 4] (9:25 - 9:29)
What perspective or skills would you bring to the school committee that are currently missing?

[Speaker 3] (9:32 - 9:35)
Maybe I'll take a slightly different approach since I'm on the school committee,

[Speaker 3] (9:36 - 9:42)
but I think having a new superintendent who's been in the job less than a year,

[Speaker 3] (9:42 - 9:53)
the school committee made a very conscious decision to put very measurable priorities and goals in place. One of our goals besides picking,

[Speaker 3] (9:53 - 9:57)
or one of our priorities besides picking the superintendent is to actually...

[Speaker 3] (9:57 - 9:59)
evaluate them, measure them.

[Speaker 1] (10:06 - 10:29)
goals in place for the superintendent to meet during the year. So I think compared to the the previous superintendent who had been in the role for quite a while that we did that but not quite to the extent we're doing now with the new superintendent so I think as the year evolves and we start we start conducting those evaluations,

[Speaker 1] (10:29 - 10:30)
performance evaluations.

[Speaker 1] (10:32 - 10:36)
I think that it'll be beneficial for all of us, us as a committee,

[Speaker 1] (10:36 - 10:52)
the superintendent for his for his role, and that again that's something that's my time on the committee it was basically the same super the entire time until recently so that's something new that that I think myself and the rest of the committee will bring to the table.

[Speaker 2] (10:53 - 10:54)
Wonderful, thank you so much.

[Speaker 2] (10:55 - 11:01)
My second question, how should the town balance school reserve funds with broader municipal budget needs?

[Speaker 2] (11:03 - 11:06)
And John, that is first for you.

[Speaker 1] (11:07 - 11:18)
Well I think as I as I said in my opening statement I think everyone on the school committee right now shepherds every dollar

[Speaker 1] (11:28 - 11:35)
We watch every dollar scrupulously and we want to make sure that they're going to the right places.

[Speaker 1] (11:36 - 11:38)
I think as far as reserve funds,

[Speaker 1] (11:38 - 11:51)
those are conversations that have been ongoing between the town and the school committee and between the school committee and our budget director for the schools.

[Speaker 1] (11:54 - 12:00)
I think my takeaway from those conversations for the last few months as we kind of went through budget season,

[Speaker 1] (12:00 - 12:11)
I think for me it was really important to hear why we might need reserve funds in place for budget stability.

[Speaker 1] (12:11 - 12:14)
I think that's kind of the term I was

[Speaker 1] (12:15 - 12:23)
Hearing and made sense to all of us on the committee that being able to have funds in reserve to plan ahead,

[Speaker 1] (12:23 - 12:29)
you know, thinking like circuit breaker and for special ed and things of that nature,

[Speaker 1] (12:29 - 12:34)
it just really helps when the school is putting together the budget with the administration,

[Speaker 1] (12:35 - 12:39)
it just helps us have a little more certainty than we might have.

[Speaker 2] (12:40 - 12:41)
Wonderful, thank you so much.

[Speaker 2] (12:44 - 12:48)
How should the town balance school reserve funds with broader municipal budget needs?

[Speaker 3] (12:48 - 12:50)
Which they rephrase it again, please.

[Speaker 2] (12:50 - 12:55)
Yeah, of course. How should the town balance school reserve funds with broader municipal budget needs?

[Speaker 3] (12:56 - 13:06)
One of the things that came to my attention in the last couple of years is how little I really knew about the school budget and what happens to the school budget and the town budget.

[Speaker 3] (13:06 - 13:08)
In the last year or two,

[Speaker 3] (13:08 - 13:22)
I've started to pay a lot more attention to listen to school committee meetings and listen to finance committee meetings and I guess I have a lot of questions about what are reserve funds and how can one department have reserve funds and other departments may not have reserve funds.

[Speaker 3] (13:22 - 13:23)
service levels.

[Speaker 3] (13:23 - 13:32)
And I'm going to spend a lot of time trying to get my own understanding of what's happening in the school budget and the town budget up to a place where I can then share with other people.

[Speaker 3] (13:33 - 13:36)
I think also when I talk to members of the greater community,

[Speaker 3] (13:36 - 13:39)
people who may not pay attention to all the meetings that are going on,

[Speaker 3] (13:39 - 13:43)
I think we need to somehow get the information out to the larger community.

[Speaker 3] (13:44 - 13:47)
I think people need to understand what happens in the budget,

[Speaker 3] (13:47 - 13:49)
how the budget's developed.

[Speaker 3] (13:49 - 13:52)
And how, if the budget has money in it that's not used,

[Speaker 3] (13:52 - 13:59)
what happens to that? Does it come back to the town so that our taxes do not go up as much, or do they stay in a reserve fund?

[Speaker 3] (14:00 - 14:02)
So those are the things that I'm going to be learning myself,

[Speaker 3] (14:02 - 14:04)
and hopefully as I learn them,

[Speaker 3] (14:04 - 14:06)
I will be sharing them with members of the community as well.

[Speaker 2] (14:07 - 14:09)
Wonderful. Thank you so much.

[Speaker 2] (14:10 - 14:13)
The next question from daily item readers is,

[Speaker 2] (14:13 - 14:15)
following recent student concerns,

[Speaker 2] (14:16 - 14:18)
About racism at Swampscott High School,

[Speaker 2] (14:18 - 14:22)
do you see this as primarily a school issue or a broader community issue?

[Speaker 2] (14:22 - 14:25)
And what actions would you support to address it?

[Speaker 3] (14:26 - 14:42)
This is something that is very close to my heart because I have worked in the school system with the METCO program and always felt that there were some parts of it that as a community and as a school that we weren't responding to the kids and their needs.

[Speaker 3] (14:43 - 14:50)
I happen to hear the speaker at the shore event of the Black History Month and I thought to myself,

[Speaker 3] (14:50 - 14:54)
I cannot believe I'm sitting here all these years later and I'm listening.

[Speaker 3] (14:54 - 14:57)
listening to a young woman feeling that she was a fish out of water,

[Speaker 3] (14:58 - 14:59)
that she never really connected.

[Speaker 3] (14:59 - 15:02)
And I've spent a lot of time thinking about that.

[Speaker 3] (15:02 - 15:03)
I think it both.

[Speaker 3] (15:03 - 15:10)
I think it's, I know when I was in the schools, it is something that we aren't aware of, how we don't accept difference.

[Speaker 3] (15:11 - 15:14)
I think as a community sometimes we miss that as well.

[Speaker 3] (15:14 - 15:18)
I think we claim that we are a welcoming community, we want to be that way,

[Speaker 3] (15:18 - 15:22)
but I know plenty of people who have not felt welcome for different reasons.

[Speaker 3] (15:22 - 15:27)
So one of the things I think we do is, I was going to, when I leave with the school committee,

[Speaker 3] (15:27 - 15:28)
when I'm on it.

[Speaker 3] (15:28 - 15:37)
I want to ask those questions of what can we do at school for kids who are different and what can we do as a community for people who may be a little different than what we expect.

[Speaker 3] (15:37 - 15:54)
I will say one thing that is really happy for me is that I live near the new elementary school and the one good thing is that when I walk by at recess time I see so many different kinds of children playing on the playground and to me that's a sign of a new future in Swampscott.

[Speaker 2] (15:55 - 15:56)
Wonderful, thank you so much.

[Speaker 2] (15:58 - 16:02)
Following recent student concerns about racism at Swampscott High School,

[Speaker 2] (16:02 - 16:06)
do you see this as primarily a school issue or a broader community issue,

[Speaker 2] (16:06 - 16:08)
and what actions would you support to address it?

[Speaker 1] (16:09 - 16:10)
It's a great question,

[Speaker 1] (16:10 - 16:14)
and I would say it's actually probably a little bit of both.

[Speaker 1] (16:15 - 16:16)
I know.

[Speaker 1] (16:17 - 16:18)
Here in Swampscott,

[Speaker 1] (16:18 - 16:24)
you know, Martha mentioned the Medco program. I know that the director of that has...

[Speaker 1] (16:26 - 16:40)
done a great job in community outreach to address exactly what Martha touched on as far as making students who are thinking of coming to the community and actually do come here through that program feel welcome,

[Speaker 1] (16:40 - 16:42)
feel like they belong,

[Speaker 1] (16:42 - 16:44)
be a part of the community,

[Speaker 1] (16:44 - 16:46)
and want to make a long-term commitment.

[Speaker 1] (16:48 - 17:16)
As a matter of fact, I just, I read a very short article this morning, so I really can't speak to the detail, but I guess there was some sort of incident in Linfield and and you know they're having you know meetings to to discuss that and what the impact to their community is and it it you know again to me it just shows that you know it's it's not just here in Swampscott, this is this is a much broader thing and you know on the school committee we've been very cognizant of

[Speaker 1] (17:16 - 17:32)
any issue that you know kind of goes into this area and I think our expectation is that you know if there are issues or questions that they're addressed promptly and satisfactorily

[Speaker 2] (17:33 - 17:35)
Wonderful, thank you so much.

[Speaker 2] (17:36 - 17:39)
The next two questions I'm going to read were submitted by the Swampscott Tides.

[Speaker 2] (17:42 - 17:44)
Given ongoing budget pressures,

[Speaker 2] (17:45 - 17:50)
what specific strategies would you use to control costs without compromising educational quality?

[Speaker 1] (17:55 - 17:57)
So, as I said a moment ago,

[Speaker 1] (17:57 - 18:04)
we just went through our very lengthy budget process and submitted our budget to the town.

[Speaker 1] (18:05 - 18:07)
And it was...

[Speaker 1] (18:07 - 18:11)
What I would call an extremely bare bones budget.

[Speaker 1] (18:12 - 18:18)
We want to maintain our cadre of strong educators here.

[Speaker 1] (18:18 - 18:30)
So I think we go into these budget sessions with that in mind. It's like we want to maintain, we want to retain the talented teachers and staff that we have.

[Speaker 1] (18:30 - 18:31)
So we have to budget for that.

[Speaker 1] (18:31 - 18:33)
And we want to maintain

[Speaker 1] (18:36 - 18:53)
strong student outcomes and we look at what are the top priorities that that the school district needs to to try to achieve and if there are things that maybe aren't the top priority that can be

[Speaker 1] (18:54 - 19:20)
move to a different year. Maybe there's there's something that is not a top priority for this year and because of budget concerns can wait then again that's that's something that will have to be discussed but throughout the whole process the the goal has been the goal has been to focus on strong educators and strong student outcomes and everything kind of flows from that.

[Speaker 2] (19:21 - 19:23)
Wonderful, thank you so much.

[Speaker 2] (19:26 - 19:27)
Given ongoing budget pressures,

[Speaker 2] (19:28 - 19:33)
what specific strategies would you use to control costs without compromising educational quality?

[Speaker 3] (19:34 - 19:40)
I think there's always going to be a challenge in public school education between a wants and a needs kind of budget.

[Speaker 3] (19:41 - 19:43)
So everybody wants certain things in the school budget,

[Speaker 3] (19:43 - 19:47)
but we may only be able to pay for what we need in the school budgets.

[Speaker 3] (19:47 - 19:49)
So I think that looking at a budget, as John said,

[Speaker 3] (19:50 - 19:53)
you have to go through it really line by line, which I have not done yet,

[Speaker 3] (19:53 - 19:54)
and I hope to do it when I'm a

[Speaker 1] (19:56 - 20:01)
But I would also say that my philosophy would always be that if we have to cut back,

[Speaker 1] (20:02 - 20:06)
we would cut back at those places furthest away from children in the classroom.

[Speaker 1] (20:06 - 20:12)
The most important thing we have to preserve is how we teach those children and high school students as well, not just little ones.

[Speaker 1] (20:13 - 20:16)
And we need to look at that when we decide that we have to cut back.

[Speaker 1] (20:16 - 20:32)
we have to cut certain things. So for example, there may be a line item that has um a need, but the need is really a want and it's really far away from the what happens in the classroom. Those are the places where I think we as a school committee have to make those decisions and say those are the places we might have to cut.

[Speaker 2] (20:34 - 20:35)
Wonderful, thank you so much.

[Speaker 2] (20:38 - 20:43)
The resignation of a previous committee chair raised concerns about misinformation.

[Speaker 2] (20:43 - 20:47)
How would you work to rebuild trust among committee members and with the community?

[Speaker 1] (20:48 - 20:49)
I think you read one of my paragraphs.

[Speaker 1] (20:51 - 20:56)
Well, first of all, I'm running for those two years, that two years of that term because Amy did resign.

[Speaker 1] (20:57 - 21:06)
It was an upsetting time for me to hear about what was going on within the committee and within the community about the school budget.

[Speaker 1] (21:06 - 21:13)
And I think that was one of the reasons why I really wanted to be part of this to see if I could make a difference.

[Speaker 1] (21:13 - 21:14)
I think

[Speaker 1] (21:14 - 21:19)
I go back to saying that we need to respect difference and that difference is not necessarily just the color of skin,

[Speaker 1] (21:20 - 21:21)
it's also difference of opinion.

[Speaker 1] (21:22 - 21:24)
So my opinion may be different than yours,

[Speaker 1] (21:24 - 21:27)
but that doesn't mean that I'm going to criticize you for your opinion.

[Speaker 1] (21:27 - 21:38)
It just means we have a difference of opinion and I think there were things said at different times at different meetings that really were not respectful and did not show our best side as a community.

[Speaker 1] (21:38 - 21:40)
So I'm hoping that I...

[Speaker 1] (21:39 - 21:42)
I can help bring that back.

[Speaker 2] (21:42 - 21:43)
Wonderful, thank you.

[Speaker 2] (21:45 - 21:50)
The resignation of a previous committee chair raised concerns about misinformation.

[Speaker 2] (21:51 - 21:55)
How would you work to rebuild trust among committee members and with the community?

[Speaker 3] (21:55 - 21:57)
It's a great question, Sophia,

[Speaker 3] (21:57 - 22:04)
and, you know, I think for me, one of my primary...

[Speaker 3] (22:04 - 22:13)
Goals in the time I've been on the school committee has been to be a consensus builder and be a bridge between different folks on the school committee,

[Speaker 3] (22:13 - 22:15)
and frankly,

[Speaker 3] (22:15 - 22:24)
if someone is really being a particular outlier for whatever reason to say,

[Speaker 3] (22:24 - 22:28)
you know, what's going on or why are you acting?

[Speaker 3] (22:28 - 22:41)
in this particular way or is there something that we're missing here that we should be talking about to better understand what your concerns are you know for me it all comes down to communication and

[Speaker 3] (22:43 - 22:46)
accountability and having

[Speaker 3] (22:46 - 22:48)
Good open lines of communication,

[Speaker 3] (22:48 - 22:50)
understanding one another,

[Speaker 3] (22:50 - 22:56)
for me has worked, I think, very well in working with the other folks on the committee.

[Speaker 3] (22:56 - 22:58)
It's unfortunate what happened.

[Speaker 3] (22:59 - 23:01)
You know, as we move forward here,

[Speaker 3] (23:01 - 23:08)
I'm looking forward to working with Martha and with Katie and I've already had conversations.

[Speaker 3] (23:11 - 23:32)
Since we filed our paperwork to do that, and I look forward to again having that open communication and I guess just to add one more thing, just I would say proactive communication. I'd rather have those conversations before something blows up and deal with it rather than after the fact.

[Speaker 2] (23:33 - 23:35)
Wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing.

[Speaker 2] (23:36 - 23:56)
Um, alrighty, well that concludes the portion of questions for the school committee. Um now I would like to ask each member to just give a closing statement about, you know, anything else you would like the community to know about your leadership and what you hope to bring to the community. So John, if you could go first.

[Speaker 3] (23:56 - 23:56)
Okay, thanks.

[Speaker 3] (23:59 - 24:03)
So again, thank you again for having me here. That went pretty quick actually, didn't it?

[Speaker 3] (24:03 - 24:14)
So thank you again for having me here, um and um and uh thank you to Martha for throwing out into into the ring and stepping into this process. Um

[Speaker 3] (24:15 - 24:20)
I think these conversations matter because the decisions ahead are not simple ones.

[Speaker 3] (24:21 - 24:29)
They're going to require careful judgment and understanding how the district operates and a willingness to work through challenges in a thoughtful and steady way.

[Speaker 3] (24:30 - 24:33)
To me, Swampscott is a community that cares deeply about its schools,

[Speaker 3] (24:33 - 24:35)
and that's a strength.

[Speaker 3] (24:35 - 24:38)
It also means expectations are high.

[Speaker 3] (24:38 - 24:44)
And the responsibility to get decisions right matters. Whether it's budgeting, supporting our educators,

[Speaker 3] (24:45 - 24:52)
or setting direction with new leadership, the focus has to remain on what will serve students, not just now, but over time.

[Speaker 3] (24:52 - 24:58)
Over the past six years, I've developed a clear understanding of that balance between listening and deciding,

[Speaker 3] (24:59 - 25:01)
between supporting and holding accountable,

[Speaker 3] (25:01 - 25:07)
and between immediate needs and long-term sustainability, and that's the approach that I'll continue to bring to the role.

[Speaker 3] (25:08 - 25:10)
Thank you very much for having me tonight.

[Speaker 2] (25:10 - 25:10)
Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (25:12 - 25:13)
So um

[Speaker 1] (25:13 - 25:19)
Thank you for having us here tonight. Um one of the things reading over the responsibilities of the school committee, because I'm trying to do a lot of

[Speaker 4] (25:19 - 25:20)
reading Oh.

[Speaker 1] (25:20 - 25:30)
to get caught up to speed, it really solidified my reason to declare my candidacy. One of the responsibilities of the school committee is to actively seek input from a variety of stakeholders,

[Speaker 1] (25:31 - 25:38)
listen carefully to all viewpoints, and maintain a broad understanding of the important issues confronting the schools and the town.

[Speaker 1] (25:39 - 25:47)
Over the last few years, questions about the school budget in expression of differing points of view have not always been welcomed or respected.

[Speaker 1] (25:48 - 26:00)
I want town residents to be able to ask questions, to find the information they need to understand the school budget and the operation of the schools without being told that they're not supporting the school.

[Speaker 1] (26:00 - 26:02)
They just want to find out information.

[Speaker 1] (26:02 - 26:07)
The other thing that is incredibly important is how do we find out that information?

[Speaker 1] (26:07 - 26:14)
In the last four weeks, I have spent so many hours trying to find out information about the school budget.

[Speaker 1] (26:14 - 26:16)
And I personally can tell you I'm a teacher,

[Speaker 1] (26:16 - 26:18)
I was a school leader,

[Speaker 1] (26:18 - 26:19)
I know how to develop a budget,

[Speaker 1] (26:19 - 26:20)
I know all those things.

[Speaker 1] (26:20 - 26:26)
I have a hard time understanding what I find and also trying to find where it is.

[Speaker 1] (26:26 - 26:33)
So one of the things I really hope to do in the school committee is let people know where they can find the information when they have questions.

[Speaker 1] (26:33 - 26:35)
They want to come and ask questions,

[Speaker 1] (26:35 - 26:39)
but we also want to be able to provide the places where they can go to get the answers.

[Speaker 1] (26:39 - 26:41)
So that's going to be my goal.

[Speaker 1] (26:41 - 26:42)
Once elected,

[Speaker 1] (26:42 - 26:47)
I really hope that I can work with other committee members to strengthen the community relationships.

[Speaker 1] (26:48 - 26:52)
I think that town residents do care deeply about the education of our children,

[Speaker 1] (26:52 - 26:59)
but they want to clearly understand how our tax dollars are being spent to provide that quality education in our schools.

[Speaker 1] (27:00 - 27:03)
And that's my goal, and that's what I hope to do on the school committee.

[Speaker 2] (27:04 - 27:06)
Wonderful, thank you so much.

[Speaker 2] (27:06 - 27:07)
Well,

[Speaker 2] (27:07 - 27:09)
thank you both for joining us here tonight.

[Speaker 2] (27:15 - 27:22)
Swampscott is so lucky to have such qualified individuals running for these positions.

[Speaker 2] (27:23 - 27:28)
So we're going to take a brief break, get our Select Board candidates up here,

[Speaker 2] (27:28 - 27:32)
and then we'll be back for the Select Board portion of this evening. Thank you so much.

[Speaker 1] (41:03 - 41:03)
Everybody.

[Speaker 1] (41:04 - 41:05)
Whoa, that was loud.

[Speaker 1] (41:06 - 41:14)
We're going to start in about 15 or so minutes. So if anyone needs to go get water,

[Speaker 1] (41:14 - 41:15)
go to the bathroom,

[Speaker 1] (41:15 - 41:17)
go check your car, whatever,

[Speaker 1] (41:17 - 41:19)
now's the time.

[Speaker 1] (41:19 - 41:21)
All right, and then we'll start.

[Speaker 2] (41:24 - 41:26)
He already had all that.

[Speaker 1] (41:27 - 41:29)
You know, this audience is a tough audience.

[Speaker 1] (41:32 - 41:35)
It's really not up to me. I'm just a figurehead here.

[Speaker 1] (41:37 - 41:39)
If you want to start earlier.

[Speaker 1] (42:41 - 42:43)
okay by almost

[Speaker 1] (42:46 - 43:05)
unanimous consent here we decided that we're going to start at 720 so you still have time to go to the bathroom or still have time to go get a drink but you don't have as much time so now's the time 720 okay because there could still be people coming that came

[Speaker 1] (43:07 - 43:18)
that that are just coming for the selectmen part so we want to give them enough time because we did advertise it for 730 okay all right folks clock is ticking

[Speaker 1] (50:14 - 50:15)
Evening everybody.

[Speaker 1] (50:17 - 50:23)
Thank you so much for joining us for a second part of the candidates evening with the select board. Oh.

[Speaker 2] (50:29 - 50:30)
Okay.

[Speaker 1] (50:34 - 50:38)
Thank you so much for joining us for a second part of the candidates evening.

[Speaker 1] (50:43 - 50:43)
It's on?

[Speaker 1] (50:43 - 50:44)
Okay, perfect,

[Speaker 1] (50:44 - 50:44)
wonderful.

[Speaker 1] (50:46 - 50:46)
Great,

[Speaker 1] (50:46 - 50:49)
well thank you again for being here with us tonight.

[Speaker 1] (50:50 - 50:52)
I'm going to start off by introducing the candidates,

[Speaker 1] (50:52 - 50:56)
and then they will have a couple of minutes to introduce themselves,

[Speaker 1] (50:57 - 50:59)
and then we'll get right into the questions.

[Speaker 1] (50:59 - 51:01)
So thank you so much again for being here tonight.

[Speaker 1] (51:04 - 51:06)
On the end we have Charlie Patcios.

[Speaker 1] (51:08 - 51:15)
He is the chair of the Swampscott Housing Authority and serves on the Board of Assessors as well as the Solid Waste Advisory Committee.

[Speaker 1] (51:15 - 51:18)
With extensive experience in local government,

[Speaker 1] (51:18 - 51:23)
he brings a hands-on perspective on municipal operations and infrastructure.

[Speaker 1] (51:23 - 51:28)
Pacios is running for select board to address issues such as senior housing,

[Speaker 1] (51:28 - 51:29)
town administration gaps,

[Speaker 1] (51:30 - 51:33)
and the potential creation of a water and sewer commission.

[Speaker 1] (51:34 - 51:37)
while also exploring opportunities for future development in Swampscott.

[Speaker 1] (51:39 - 51:46)
Ted Dooley is the current chair of the Swampscott Planning Board and the Harbor and Waterfront Advisory Committee,

[Speaker 1] (51:47 - 51:51)
with additional service on the Master Plan and Community Preservation Committees.

[Speaker 1] (51:51 - 51:53)
A resident of seven years,

[Speaker 1] (51:53 - 51:56)
he has been actively involved in town government and community planning.

[Speaker 1] (51:57 - 52:00)
Julie is running for Select Board with a focus on long-term financial sustainability,

[Speaker 1] (52:01 - 52:02)
expanding the commercial tax base,

[Speaker 1] (52:03 - 52:08)
and advancing thoughtful development and infrastructure investments to support Swampscott's future.

[Speaker 1] (52:10 - 52:13)
Wayne Spritz is a long-time Swampscott resident,

[Speaker 1] (52:13 - 52:14)
engineer,

[Speaker 1] (52:14 - 52:19)
and environmental advocate who has been involved in local government since 2007.

[Speaker 1] (52:20 - 52:22)
He has served on several committees,

[Speaker 1] (52:22 - 52:26)
including the Renewable Energy Committee and Solid Waste Advisory Committee,

[Speaker 1] (52:26 - 52:31)
and played a role in helping the town achieve Green Community status.

[Speaker 1] (52:31 - 52:35)
He is seeking a seat on the Select Board to promote transparent governments,

[Speaker 1] (52:36 - 52:38)
strengthen coastal resiliency efforts,

[Speaker 1] (52:38 - 52:43)
and apply his experience in problem solving and fiscal management to the town's challenges.

[Speaker 1] (52:46 - 52:48)
Wayne Godfrey is a Swampscott resident,

[Speaker 1] (52:48 - 52:49)
town meeting member,

[Speaker 1] (52:49 - 52:52)
and community advocate with a background in financial management,

[Speaker 1] (52:52 - 52:53)
policy work,

[Speaker 1] (52:53 - 52:54)
and real estate.

[Speaker 1] (52:54 - 53:04)
He has also served as outreach coordinator for the Swampscott Democratic Town Committee and was previously elected to the Board of Directors of the Human Rights Campaign.

[Speaker 1] (53:06 - 53:09)
He is running for Select Board with a focus on fiscal responsibility,

[Speaker 1] (53:10 - 53:11)
economic development,

[Speaker 1] (53:11 - 53:12)
community engagement,

[Speaker 1] (53:13 - 53:16)
and protecting the town's coastline while ensuring thoughtful,

[Speaker 1] (53:16 - 53:17)
forward-looking leadership.

[Speaker 1] (53:20 - 53:25)
So very similar on how we organized the school committee conversation,

[Speaker 1] (53:25 - 53:34)
I'm going to ask a question and ask the same question for candidates and we'll switch each way the questions are asked.

[Speaker 1] (53:34 - 53:35)
But before we get into that,

[Speaker 1] (53:35 - 53:40)
I'm going to ask each candidate to introduce themselves.

[Speaker 1] (53:40 - 53:43)
So I'd like to start with Charlie.

[Speaker 3] (53:44 - 53:44)
Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (53:45 - 53:48)
I'm Charlie Patsios. I'm your candidate for select board.

[Speaker 3] (53:48 - 53:50)
Thank you everybody for being here tonight.

[Speaker 3] (53:50 - 53:54)
A little bit about me. I've lived in town for 35 years,

[Speaker 3] (53:54 - 54:00)
raised a family in town. I've volunteered for many positions within the community over those years,

[Speaker 3] (54:01 - 54:01)
many,

[Speaker 3] (54:01 - 54:04)
many years as your town meeting member,

[Speaker 3] (54:04 - 54:07)
recently elected to the board of assessors.

[Speaker 3] (54:07 - 54:10)
Governor Baker appointed me to the housing authority,

[Speaker 3] (54:10 - 54:11)
of which I currently chair.

[Speaker 3] (54:11 - 54:19)
their water and sewer advisory rate committee at one time and now the water and sewer infrastructure advisory committee.

[Speaker 3] (54:19 - 54:22)
I think that might be the correct name. I might have that slightly wrong.

[Speaker 3] (54:25 - 54:31)
Having had the opportunity to sit in those various positions and understand the dynamics of this town,

[Speaker 3] (54:32 - 54:40)
I felt that it was right for me to volunteer and to ask for your support on April 28th to be one of your next select board members.

[Speaker 3] (54:41 - 54:54)
I realize that the diversity that I have from those various positions allow me to best provide the involvement in listening to the community as a whole.

[Speaker 3] (54:54 - 54:56)
to be able to provide the best path forward.

[Speaker 3] (54:56 - 54:59)
I believe that we can do better in Swampscott than we currently have,

[Speaker 3] (54:59 - 55:03)
and I believe that with your vote I'll be able to make that happen.

[Speaker 3] (55:03 - 55:03)
Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (55:07 - 55:11)
Thank you. First of all, thank you for hosting this great event tonight.

[Speaker 4] (55:12 - 55:12)
As you heard,

[Speaker 4] (55:12 - 55:17)
my name is Ted Dooley and I am honored to be a candidate for select board here in Swampscott.

[Speaker 4] (55:18 - 55:22)
My wife and I have called Swampscott home for more than seven years and when we moved here we didn't know a single person.

[Speaker 4] (55:22 - 55:30)
And now I can say that we've found a community that has welcomed us with open arms and where we call our home and will call our home for the rest of our days here.

[Speaker 4] (55:30 - 55:32)
We are growing our family here.

[Speaker 4] (55:32 - 55:34)
We have a four-year-old Jack and a

[Speaker 4] (55:35 - 56:00)
12 week old Mary and we are so blessed to be able to raise them in such a community like Swampscott we have residents that care so much about each other they care about the town they care about the heritage of this community in the history we are so lucky to be able to have people that care so much about this town and want to give back myself along with the other three gentlemen up here we're lucky to be running we're lucky to have the opportunity to present our ideas to you tonight about how we want to make this community better

[Speaker 4] (56:01 - 56:21)
I've had the opportunity as the chairman of the planning board for the last several years to work with families who are going through difficult times and they're applying for building permits to address needs in their homes that will help serve their families when they're adjusting to taking care of loved ones, to adjusting to taking care of children with special needs and they need to adapt their homes.

[Speaker 4] (56:22 - 56:31)
That's the lens that I've come ingrained with through my experience on the Planning Board is having to be responsive to the needs of the community when they come to local government for help.

[Speaker 4] (56:32 - 56:34)
That's the lens that I'm hoping to bring to the Select Board.

[Speaker 4] (56:35 - 56:39)
Our Select Board needs to be responsive to the community needs.

[Speaker 4] (56:39 - 56:45)
Each decision that our Select Board makes impacts all of our lives each and every day.

[Speaker 4] (56:46 - 56:53)
And I'm hoping to be able to bring that experience that I've had on the planning board and on the Harbor and Waterfront Committee to the select board.

[Speaker 4] (56:54 - 56:56)
You're going to hear me talk a lot about economic development.

[Speaker 4] (56:56 - 57:01)
I believe that economic development is the only way that we can get out of the financial strains that we're currently in.

[Speaker 4] (57:02 - 57:02)
We can't cut anymore.

[Speaker 4] (57:03 - 57:05)
I don't think we can increase taxes anymore.

[Speaker 4] (57:06 - 57:09)
We need to rely on more economic development in this town.

[Speaker 4] (57:09 - 57:11)
I have the experience to do that.

[Speaker 4] (57:11 - 57:19)
I helped lead the zoning overhaul in Vinland Square that has resulted in tens of millions of dollars being invested to welcome new restaurants and new shops there.

[Speaker 4] (57:20 - 57:26)
Those investments are going to bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in new growth.

[Speaker 4] (57:26 - 57:27)
to our community.

[Speaker 4] (57:27 - 57:29)
When our businesses thrive,

[Speaker 4] (57:29 - 57:32)
when our businesses create more investment in our community,

[Speaker 4] (57:32 - 57:41)
that relieves the pressure on all of us as taxpayers to be able to pay for the priorities that we have for the town without having to increase tax burden on local residents.

[Speaker 4] (57:41 - 57:50)
I welcome your support on April 28th. I ask for your vote. I also ask for you to listen tight and hear some of the great ideas not just from myself but from all of us here,

[Speaker 4] (57:50 - 57:57)
but in some of the questions we're gonna have. Thank you so much for being here, appreciate your time, and I appreciate your consideration of your vote on April 28th.

[Speaker 1] (57:58 - 57:59)
Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (58:00 - 58:00)
Wait.

[Speaker 4] (58:00 - 58:11)
Good evening. Uh welcome everyone here in the audience and those streaming live uh at home. Uh thank you to the lit item. Thank you Joe and David for uh the help with um

[Speaker 4] (58:11 - 58:22)
tele-visualness. Um, my name's Wayne Spritz and I'm proud and very excited to be running for uh as a member of the select board. Um I wanna tell you a little bit about myself and why I'm running.

[Speaker 4] (58:22 - 58:37)
Um my wife and I moved here in 2000. Uh we bought our home and raised two children who are now unbelievably eighteen and twenty four. Um I grew up in the midwest, in Kansas City, uh spent a short time in California and then we finally moved

[Speaker 4] (58:37 - 58:43)
Here to Swanscott and it always felt like home. This was a place where we settled and it was the character of the community,

[Speaker 4] (58:44 - 58:44)
the neighborhood.

[Speaker 4] (58:45 - 58:54)
I've been an Olmstead resident for 26 years and it was really the neighborhood and the character that drew us and kept us for so long.

[Speaker 5] (58:56 - 59:25)
I was a public school student, graduated from the University of Kansas with an degree in engineering, mechanical engineering. Uh soon went to work for a company called Chesterton, it's a little like a forty five minute drive from here and did that every day for many years. Um but uh the career path is kinda what I wanna talk to you about it for a second, and that uh what I w what I worked in was uh product and uh research and product development uh for twenty five years. Uh as uh it was a career path that really involved extremely complex mechanical

[Speaker 5] (59:25 - 59:26)
mechanical systems and designs,

[Speaker 5] (59:27 - 59:29)
mostly in dangerous environments.

[Speaker 5] (59:29 - 59:34)
We're training people and dealing with people to operate those systems.

[Speaker 1] (59:38 - 59:43)
And I think it's pretty clear that when engineers do things right,

[Speaker 1] (59:43 - 59:45)
we never get a thank you.

[Speaker 1] (59:45 - 59:48)
It's always the expectation to get it right. But when you get it wrong...

[Speaker 1] (59:50 - 59:51)
People can get hurt.

[Speaker 1] (59:51 - 59:53)
Toxins can get released into the environment.

[Speaker 1] (59:54 - 59:57)
Things can really go wrong.

[Speaker 1] (59:57 - 1:00:01)
And fortunately or fortunate or unfortunate,

[Speaker 1] (1:00:01 - 1:00:04)
there's not much different than public life in public service.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:04 - 1:00:05)
Facts matter.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:06 - 1:00:07)
Details matter.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:07 - 1:00:08)
Process matters.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:08 - 1:00:09)
Evidence matters.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:10 - 1:00:11)
Consequences matter.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:11 - 1:00:14)
And most of all, teamwork and alignment matter.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:14 - 1:00:17)
That means listening carefully before you make choices and trusting your team.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:18 - 1:00:20)
If I put my name on something of importance,

[Speaker 1] (1:00:20 - 1:00:24)
I will have given it my full due diligence before I sign off.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:24 - 1:00:32)
But it's even more. It's about building trust and making the effort to develop relationships with everyone who is affected by the outcomes of those decisions.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:32 - 1:00:36)
I spent a career both learning and training others how to solve difficult problems,

[Speaker 1] (1:00:36 - 1:00:37)
manage competing priorities,

[Speaker 1] (1:00:38 - 1:00:41)
and make decisions that are both practical and forward looking.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:41 - 1:00:46)
And my goals are to help implement and execute and maintain the long-term planning our town needs.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:47 - 1:00:50)
I'm running for select board because for 20 years I've been advising,

[Speaker 1] (1:00:50 - 1:00:56)
volunteering my time and expertise on multiple different committees that were mentioned before,

[Speaker 1] (1:00:56 - 1:00:59)
including as I chair now the solid waste advisory committee.

[Speaker 1] (1:01:00 - 1:01:04)
You probably haven't seen a lot of my work. It's not as sexy as building development,

[Speaker 1] (1:01:04 - 1:01:07)
but I'm the guy that helped bring a million dollars to the green communities grant.

[Speaker 1] (1:01:08 - 1:01:11)
I keep one more second.

[Speaker 1] (1:01:12 - 1:01:13)
Okay. Um

[Speaker 1] (1:01:15 - 1:01:34)
Um I'm s uh to help upgrade uh buildings and and reduce energy consumption. I'm the guy trying to develop the trash contract that keeps our prices in check while delivering services for the 21st century and I'm engaging with other colleagues with both locally, regionally and at state levels to have a wider world view to solve problems and the challenges we face. So um

[Speaker 1] (1:01:35 - 1:01:44)
I've served in leadership roles, working alongside other uh other residents, town staff and fellow volunteers to help move our community forward, and I look forward to the conversation tonight about the many issues in town. Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:01:44 - 1:01:45)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:01:46 - 1:01:49)
Perfect. Would you like to give an opening statement?

[Speaker 3] (1:01:49 - 1:01:52)
Sure. Hi folks, can you hear me okay?

[Speaker 3] (1:01:53 - 1:02:04)
No. How strange. I'll snuggle. Uh so my name's Wayne Godfrey. Hello neighbours and friends. I see some friends, some many neighbours here. Um

[Speaker 3] (1:02:05 - 1:02:08)
I've been a resident of Swampscott for near about 20 years.

[Speaker 3] (1:02:08 - 1:02:15)
Absolutely love this place. My husband and I moved slowly up the coast to Swampscott from the Lynn area.

[Speaker 3] (1:02:16 - 1:02:19)
We were both born in the Middlesex

[Speaker 3] (1:02:20 - 1:02:38)
uh county area. Um so I was raised in Westford, my husband was raised in Tyngsborough, but we knew that the coast was where we belonged. So here we are. We're raising our five-year-old Finnish lap hound. Um we weren't blessed with children. Um

[Speaker 3] (1:02:38 - 1:03:02)
And for the last fifteen years or so I've spent my time in community chatting with so many neighbours. In fact I like to joke that my particular neighbourhood draws straws every cycle to see who's gonna run and who isn't. My career has been spent building consensus and community within communities various milieus, if you will. Um

[Speaker 3] (1:03:05 - 1:03:16)
So early on as a youngster I spent a lot of time working on HIV crisis and health care initiatives, both in Massachusetts and New York.

[Speaker 3] (1:03:18 - 1:03:38)
I spent some time working with Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the city of Oneonta New York on a town and down town and gown commission as well as to ideate uh solutions to the HIV crisis that has that at that time hadn't really been spoken about federally. Um

[Speaker 3] (1:03:40 - 1:03:53)
Fast forward through my advocacy work in New York State and Massachusetts with various organizations, I was elected to the board of directors of the Human Rights Campaign Fund and worked on policy affecting millions of folks.

[Speaker 3] (1:03:55 - 1:04:04)
You might recognize HRC now as the largest LGBTQI advocacy organization in the country.

[Speaker 3] (1:04:05 - 1:04:09)
Um, jeez.

[Speaker 3] (1:04:09 - 1:04:13)
So career in advocacy led to a career in sales.

[Speaker 3] (1:04:14 - 1:04:22)
The 80s and 90s were rough for job prospects. So I started with the gap and sort of stayed in retail. I work with a luxury retailer now.

[Speaker 3] (1:04:22 - 1:04:36)
And again, that work is very similar to retail politics and advocacy. It's building connections, figuring out what people need, listening carefully, and then crafting solutions to satisfy those needs.

[Speaker 3] (1:04:36 - 1:04:53)
I take all of that in stride when I consider um the opportunity to represent you on the select board here in Swampscott. Um my skill set is listening to people. Is that thirty seconds?

[Speaker 3] (1:04:55 - 1:05:00)
Fifteen. Um so please consider uh voting for me on the twenty eighth and we'll wrap up.

[Speaker 3] (1:05:01 - 1:05:04)
I look forward to your questions. And thank all the other candidates,

[Speaker 3] (1:05:04 - 1:05:06)
this is not an easy task.

[Speaker 2] (1:05:08 - 1:05:11)
Thank you so much and thank you all for introducing yourselves.

[Speaker 2] (1:05:11 - 1:05:17)
Now is the fun part where we get to answer some questions. So I'm going to start with Wayne Godfrey.

[Speaker 2] (1:05:18 - 1:05:19)
The first question is,

[Speaker 2] (1:05:19 - 1:05:24)
what perspective or skills would you bring to the select board that are currently missing?

[Speaker 3] (1:05:25 - 1:05:26)
Perspective. Well,

[Speaker 3] (1:05:27 - 1:05:52)
You know, I'm I'm bent toward people, to be honest. Um what I like most to do is ask questions, find out answers, and and find out what what troubles folks. And what I hear lately um is that we have budgetary issues. So I'm primarily concerned with how our school is funded um how school systems are funded across the commonwealth.

[Speaker 3] (1:05:53 - 1:06:08)
You might have heard me say at other um other meetings that we have billion dollar problems in this town that we can't tax our way out of. So I intend to use my advocacy skills and my connections to state and federal partners to um

[Speaker 3] (1:06:10 - 1:06:36)
place upward pressure upon them to re-examine the way school funding is funded and um hopefully open up those lock boxes so that we can understand why a town like Swanscot um receives thirty three hundred per student while some other towns may receive twenty two thousand per student. Um and as you know the school budget is pre-emptive of our town budget so um as the

[Speaker 3] (1:06:36 - 1:06:45)
As the needs of the school system rises, it affects our ability to provide basic services in town. So again,

[Speaker 3] (1:06:45 - 1:07:00)
the more pressure, the more advocacy, the more lobbying we can do to our state and federal partners, as well as communicate with the rest of the Commonwealth select boards to crack open those lock box formulas will all be in better shape.

[Speaker 2] (1:07:02 - 1:07:09)
Wonderful, thank you. What perspective or skills would you bring to the select board that are currently missing?

[Speaker 1] (1:07:09 - 1:07:11)
Thank you. It's a very interesting question.

[Speaker 1] (1:07:12 - 1:07:17)
I come with a different set of skills just from my background in engineering.

[Speaker 1] (1:07:19 - 1:07:47)
Uh the the breadth and the width of the different experiences that I've had um reading comp stratifying complex problems into workable solutions um you know we're we're we have so many layers to the onion here in Swamp Scott um and you know we have rising fiscal costs whether it's from energy cost of employment um healthcare uh you know budget budgetary issues from um

[Speaker 1] (1:07:47 - 1:08:14)
um debt service uh it it's just it's it's almost overwhelming but I think um what I bring forward is is a different methodology and a real concentration on process um and and trying to build consensus and trust um you know it's as though everyone's competing for the same dollar uh 83 percent of the budget is supplied by property taxes at the moment um it would be

[Speaker 1] (1:08:14 - 1:08:32)
Of course, you know, I tell the candidate here talked about um uh economic development, which I agree with. But um at the end of the day there's only so much to to split up. And um the the issue here, I believe that I can bring is is engagement and consensus building to to find solutions.

[Speaker 2] (1:08:33 - 1:08:34)
Wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing.

[Speaker 2] (1:08:36 - 1:08:41)
Right, what perspective or skills would you bring to the select board that are currently missing?

[Speaker 4] (1:08:41 - 1:08:42)
Thank you. Thank you for the question.

[Speaker 4] (1:08:43 - 1:08:44)
As I said in my opening statement,

[Speaker 4] (1:08:45 - 1:08:47)
one of my top priorities is focusing on new growth.

[Speaker 4] (1:08:47 - 1:08:52)
We hear during budget season 2% plus new growth,

[Speaker 4] (1:08:52 - 1:08:55)
2.5% plus new growth. What is that new growth?

[Speaker 4] (1:08:56 - 1:09:04)
New growth is the new properties that come onto our tax rolls that we weren't forecasting for the year before or the year before that.

[Speaker 4] (1:09:05 - 1:09:09)
New growth is how we are going to ensure that we have continuous,

[Speaker 4] (1:09:10 - 1:09:17)
sustainable tax revenue growth without having to solely rely on property owners.

[Speaker 4] (1:09:18 - 1:09:23)
Our commercial tax rate is north of 22%. So as commercial,

[Speaker 4] (1:09:23 - 1:09:29)
as more businesses invest in this town, as more businesses thrive and grow in Swampscott, as we've seen over the last...

[Speaker 1] (1:09:30 - 1:09:31)
especially on Humphrey Street.

[Speaker 1] (1:09:32 - 1:09:37)
We see new growth provide resources for this town to pay for our priorities.

[Speaker 1] (1:09:37 - 1:09:39)
I have the experience having done that in Vin and Square.

[Speaker 1] (1:09:39 - 1:09:44)
I worked with my colleagues on the planning board to convene stakeholders from the property owners,

[Speaker 1] (1:09:44 - 1:09:44)
town meeting,

[Speaker 1] (1:09:44 - 1:09:58)
other boards and commissions in town to create a new zoning district there that was able to inspire the tens of millions of dollars of investments that's going on there now to create hundreds of thousands of dollars in new growth that's set to enter the town budget in two years.

[Speaker 1] (1:09:59 - 1:10:14)
That's the priority that I would have on the select board, is to focus on what areas of town we can find the right levers of economic growth to help prioritise growth and ensure that our residents aren't the only ones who are funding our community priorities.

[Speaker 2] (1:10:15 - 1:10:16)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:10:17 - 1:10:21)
What perspective or skills would you bring to the select board that are currently missing?

[Speaker 3] (1:10:21 - 1:10:22)
Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (1:10:23 - 1:10:28)
Folks, we're not going to be able to cut our way out of the problems that we're in, so we definitely need new growth, as you just heard.

[Speaker 4] (1:10:29 - 1:10:31)
I'm of the same mindset when it comes to that.

[Speaker 4] (1:10:31 - 1:10:34)
I have a little more in-depth position on understanding things.

[Speaker 4] (1:10:35 - 1:10:37)
Our profit centers in town aside from new growth.

[Speaker 4] (1:10:38 - 1:10:43)
Our building commissioner or the building department brings in roughly almost $800,000 of revenue.

[Speaker 4] (1:10:44 - 1:10:46)
We're limiting the amount of hours that they can work.

[Speaker 4] (1:10:46 - 1:10:50)
We need to expand that. We need to take that back to 40 plus hours.

[Speaker 4] (1:10:50 - 1:10:52)
That's a profit center for the town.

[Speaker 4] (1:10:53 - 1:11:04)
Our water and sewer rates have gone up 22%. We need to be able to do something about our water and sewer infrastructure to be able to possibly create that commission to bring down the cost of...

[Speaker 4] (1:11:04 - 1:11:08)
maintaining our infrastructure and to be able to bond separately from the town.

[Speaker 4] (1:11:08 - 1:11:10)
Right now we have one bonding structure.

[Speaker 4] (1:11:10 - 1:11:18)
I'd like to be able to divide that into two that affects our bond ability in a very positive way.

[Speaker 4] (1:11:19 - 1:11:28)
Also that new growth will be able to fund schools that we you know our seniors right now are not paid attention to anywhere near where it should be.

[Speaker 4] (1:11:28 - 1:11:31)
We've done three housing studies in the past 15 years.

[Speaker 4] (1:11:31 - 1:11:33)
All of them have said the same thing.

[Speaker 4] (1:11:33 - 1:11:35)
We are not addressing our senior housing issues.

[Speaker 4] (1:11:35 - 1:11:36)
We need to do that.

[Speaker 4] (1:11:36 - 1:11:39)
I believe with my experience as a building developer,

[Speaker 4] (1:11:39 - 1:11:42)
I'm precisely able to do things in that area.

[Speaker 4] (1:11:42 - 1:11:51)
I'm able to build a coalition to build an understanding and to inform everybody here that wants to listen a way forward out of this problem.

[Speaker 4] (1:11:51 - 1:11:56)
We can do better in Swamp Scott. I believe I have the talent and the experience.

[Speaker 4] (1:11:56 - 1:12:02)
to be able to bring that forward and collectively work as a team to be able to make a difference at Swampscott. Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:12:03 - 1:12:07)
Thank you. Now on to our second question. We're going to start with you, Charlie.

[Speaker 2] (1:12:08 - 1:12:14)
What specific actions would you take to address ongoing water quality and public health concerns at King's Beach?

[Speaker 4] (1:12:15 - 1:12:15)
Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (1:12:16 - 1:12:18)
I'm on the Water and Sewer Advisory Committee.

[Speaker 4] (1:12:19 - 1:12:21)
previously was the rate setting committee.

[Speaker 4] (1:12:21 - 1:12:25)
I understand our infrastructure and I understand where the problems are coming from.

[Speaker 4] (1:12:25 - 1:12:28)
Everyone knows that we did a UV pilot program.

[Speaker 4] (1:12:28 - 1:12:30)
We cut it short because it ran out of money,

[Speaker 4] (1:12:30 - 1:12:31)
to be frank with you.

[Speaker 4] (1:12:32 - 1:12:36)
We realize that the catch basins, when we get rain,

[Speaker 4] (1:12:37 - 1:12:46)
shut down our beaches. It's pretty evident between what's coming into that is entering through either the sewer system leakage or it's coming in through the catch basins.

[Speaker 4] (1:12:46 - 1:12:49)
Either way, the problem winds up at King's Beach.

[Speaker 4] (1:12:49 - 1:12:53)
With the separation between Linn and Swamp Scott,

[Speaker 4] (1:12:53 - 1:13:13)
I believe that the solution to that problem is to be able to create the Water and Sewer Commission independently to provide the DPW the equipment that it needs. We currently have a clamshell bucket truck that scoops dirt up like you would imagine like a toy in an arcade from 1977. Folks.

[Speaker 4] (1:13:14 - 1:13:15)
We can do better.

[Speaker 4] (1:13:15 - 1:13:20)
We could do much better. We need to empower our DPW with a VAC truck.

[Speaker 4] (1:13:20 - 1:13:21)
It's what Lynn has,

[Speaker 4] (1:13:21 - 1:13:22)
it's what Marblehead has,

[Speaker 4] (1:13:22 - 1:13:25)
it's what the 21st century calls for.

[Speaker 4] (1:13:25 - 1:13:32)
When we clean our catch basins, what we don't get out winds up at King's Beach and you wonder why the water's dirty.

[Speaker 4] (1:13:32 - 1:13:33)
There is a solution.

[Speaker 4] (1:13:34 - 1:13:35)
It's possible.

[Speaker 4] (1:13:36 - 1:13:38)
We can do it and I can make that happen.

[Speaker 4] (1:13:38 - 1:13:39)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:13:40 - 1:13:41)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:13:41 - 1:13:47)
What specific actions would you take to address ongoing water quality and public health concerns at Kings Beach?

[Speaker 1] (1:13:48 - 1:13:48)
Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (1:13:49 - 1:14:06)
So for the last three years I've had the pleasure of serving as the Essex County representative to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, where I've served on the stewardship council there working with partner stakeholders to manage all of this DCR properties around the state. One of the most important properties for me has been Kings Beach.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:06 - 1:14:09)
I walk by it every day, I walk my family there.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:09 - 1:14:17)
my son there and obviously like everybody else in this community I am concerned about the environmental quality at King's Beach.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:17 - 1:14:24)
Through my role with DCR I've been able to work with a number of stakeholder groups to really dive into the details on the data there.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:25 - 1:14:30)
We've been able to look at all of the catchment basins that DCR owns, which is significant along the Ashore drive,

[Speaker 1] (1:14:31 - 1:14:40)
figure out what works when we're doing our cleaning of those catchment basins. Is that leading to higher bacterial results on the beach as a result of cleaning out these basins?

[Speaker 1] (1:14:40 - 1:14:53)
There's been a lot of pro-activity there and productivity working with some of our stakeholder groups that needs to continue here at the local level. We have a working group that is working on these issues with our neighbors across town lines.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:54 - 1:14:55)
But they're not doing so publicly.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:56 - 1:14:58)
So we get updates from our select board,

[Speaker 1] (1:14:58 - 1:14:58)
which is helpful,

[Speaker 1] (1:14:59 - 1:15:03)
but we're not hearing and seeing what is being discussed as it is happening.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:04 - 1:15:05)
That's a problem to me.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:06 - 1:15:12)
They are the ones we are empowering as a community for us to trust to be able to solve these problems.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:13 - 1:15:22)
And we don't know firsthand what is being said and what actions are taking place. And I commend members of the select board now who are calling for that to happen.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:23 - 1:15:25)
But these meetings need to be made public so as a community,

[Speaker 1] (1:15:25 - 1:15:30)
we know exactly what actions are being taken to solve these problems.

[Speaker 2] (1:15:31 - 1:15:31)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:15:35 - 1:15:41)
What specific actions would you take to address ongoing water quality and public health concerns at Kings Beach?

[Speaker 1] (1:15:42 - 1:15:42)
Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:43 - 1:15:49)
As many of you know, several years ago, you know, well, I should say this has been a hundred-year problem.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:49 - 1:15:50)
Several years ago,

[Speaker 1] (1:15:51 - 1:15:56)
I was one of the few vocal people that really made this issue front and center.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:56 - 1:15:59)
And along with others of concern,

[Speaker 1] (1:15:59 - 1:16:00)
demanded action.

[Speaker 1] (1:16:01 - 1:16:03)
We spoke loudly. We got advocacy.

[Speaker 1] (1:16:03 - 1:16:04)
We got money.

[Speaker 1] (1:16:04 - 1:16:11)
money, um with the help of many who gathered together and really pushed the momentum forward. So

[Speaker 1] (1:16:12 - 1:16:15)
The UV pilot last year,

[Speaker 1] (1:16:15 - 1:16:24)
I was disappointed. And one of the reasons I was disappointed is that it didn't show us functionally what we can do to move forward.

[Speaker 1] (1:16:25 - 1:16:31)
I felt as though the engineering study in itself was lacking considerably. I was very vocal about that as well.

[Speaker 1] (1:16:32 - 1:16:37)
I'm hoping that I can bring a level of expertise from an engineering and design perspective.

[Speaker 1] (1:16:38 - 1:16:58)
quality perspective and procedure expectations that the select board needs to have at the highest executive level so it can make justifications for plans moving forward. We shouldn't be spending money unless it's moving towards the future of a clean beach.

[Speaker 2] (1:16:58 - 1:17:00)
Wonderful. Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:17:01 - 1:17:02)
All right.

[Speaker 2] (1:17:03 - 1:17:09)
What specific actions would you take to address ongoing water quality and public health concerns at King's Beach?

[Speaker 5] (1:17:09 - 1:17:10)
Hmm.

[Speaker 5] (1:17:10 - 1:17:12)
Great question. Um.

[Speaker 5] (1:17:13 - 1:17:39)
So as as folks have pointed out, this has been an ongoing problem, somewhere around a hundred years worth of filth um pouring into Cane's Beach. I can say from personal experience, my dog, who was a puppy five years ago, um got quite sick playing in that on that beach. So she no longer goes to the beach. I feel for the folks every summer that do swim in that beach and I want to run a red flag and say,

[Speaker 5] (1:17:39 - 1:17:47)
a step back. But at the same time, it's Swampscott. This is where we live. We love this place. We don't want to tell people not to come here.

[Speaker 5] (1:17:47 - 1:18:04)
So what steps would I do? Well, I'd certainly take a look at what's been considered over the last thirty years by some of the folks in town, but also I think that we need to have crucial conversations again with our state and federal partners. This is a billion dollar problem. We can't possibly tax our way out of.

[Speaker 5] (1:18:05 - 1:18:20)
So um, and when I consider Stacy's Brooke, um cleaning that up would also require um displacing some homeowners. So um I was as well disappointed with the U_V_ pilot programme.

[Speaker 5] (1:18:21 - 1:18:30)
It's um the U_V_ the U_V_ um machine if you will, does a great job of cleaning stagnant water or standing water,

[Speaker 5] (1:18:30 - 1:18:32)
um but there's not a ton of data.

[Speaker 5] (1:18:33 - 1:18:43)
surrounding moving water, such as Stacy's Brook. Um so again it's conversation, um it's advocacy and it's people first attitude.

[Speaker 2] (1:18:46 - 1:18:47)
Wonderful, thank you so much.

[Speaker 2] (1:18:48 - 1:18:50)
For our next question, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (1:18:50 - 1:18:55)
Godfrey, we're going to stay on you. So do you support completing the Rail Trail project?

[Speaker 5] (1:18:55 - 1:19:08)
I do support in principle completing the Rail Trail product uh project. Um I know that it has benefited several towns throughout our commonwealth. Um there's been some beautiful extension work done in Concord and Acton,

[Speaker 5] (1:19:09 - 1:19:10)
um Lexington, etcetera.

[Speaker 5] (1:19:11 - 1:19:14)
Um it it provides an opportunity for

[Speaker 5] (1:19:14 - 1:19:24)
our tourist dollars to come into town. It also provides recreation for our fifteen thousand souls and their puppies and children. Um so in principle

[Speaker 1] (1:19:25 - 1:19:35)
yes. Now I understand there may be some financial commitments and other such things that I'm not aware of. So um I would have to look at that issue more closely.

[Speaker 2] (1:19:36 - 1:19:37)
Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (1:19:39 - 1:19:42)
Mr. Spreitz, do you support completing the Great Rail Trail project?

[Speaker 4] (1:19:43 - 1:19:56)
Hey, uh that's a, it's an interesting question. I've had the opportunity to talk to um a variety of people, both uh pro rail trail and people who absolutely don't want the rail trail. And I I can tell you in people I've you know

[Speaker 4] (1:19:56 - 1:20:16)
People said, well how do you feel about it? And you know, it's really been I I agree in concept with the rail trail. I think it's it is a a community it could be a community gem. What I'm frustrated with is that since 2017 the town meeting allotted about eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars, if I recall,

[Speaker 4] (1:20:16 - 1:20:21)
to to move the project along to deal with things like eminent domain.

[Speaker 4] (1:20:21 - 1:20:23)
But it you know I

[Speaker 4] (1:20:22 - 1:20:48)
I think what the public is starting to learn, especially in the particularly in the last couple weeks, that we may not have enough money to be able to complete from an internet domain standpoint. And there's a lot of residents who who are are advocating as well. I do think the rail trail should be completed. My goal will be to bring the groups together to find a way through this. Perfect cannot be the enemy of good.

[Speaker 4] (1:20:49 - 1:20:56)
Uh we need w we need to get this done. Um and um it it with the list least friction possible.

[Speaker 4] (1:20:57 - 1:21:01)
So that so that we can enjoy what it is that we can build.

[Speaker 3] (1:21:02 - 1:21:04)
Wonderful, thank you so much for sharing.

[Speaker 3] (1:21:05 - 1:21:09)
Alright Mr. Dooley, do you support completing the Rail Trail project?

[Speaker 5] (1:21:09 - 1:21:14)
Yes, and let me tell you why. Swampscott, I think, has a great

[Speaker 5] (1:21:15 - 1:21:26)
record of creating great public policy. What we don't have, however, is the greatest history of executing that public policy. And I think the rail trail is a perfect example of that.

[Speaker 5] (1:21:26 - 1:21:27)
It's a great idea.

[Speaker 5] (1:21:28 - 1:21:30)
It's a great concept voted on by town meeting,

[Speaker 5] (1:21:31 - 1:21:32)
voted on by residents.

[Speaker 5] (1:21:32 - 1:21:34)
One of the highest turnout elections was when that went to the ballot,

[Speaker 5] (1:21:35 - 1:21:39)
6,000 residents voted and they wanted the rail trail.

[Speaker 5] (1:21:39 - 1:21:40)
That's a great thing.

[Speaker 5] (1:21:41 - 1:21:49)
But what we haven't been able to do is have an honest conversation about how we are going to complete a rail trail where costs are rising,

[Speaker 5] (1:21:50 - 1:21:57)
where property ownership is under constant conversation and more information continues to come out.

[Speaker 5] (1:21:58 - 1:22:01)
So when I, am I in favor of completing the rail trail?

[Speaker 5] (1:22:02 - 1:22:02)
Absolutely.

[Speaker 5] (1:22:03 - 1:22:07)
But we need to do better at executing on our public policy.

[Speaker 5] (1:22:08 - 1:22:11)
When we set policy like this, we need to do it right.

[Speaker 5] (1:22:11 - 1:22:15)
This is not an us or them. You're not a rail trail person or an anti-rail trail person.

[Speaker 5] (1:22:15 - 1:22:17)
We can be better than that.

[Speaker 5] (1:22:17 - 1:22:21)
We can find a way to finish this rail trail without needing to,

[Speaker 5] (1:22:21 - 1:22:23)
frankly,

[Speaker 5] (1:22:23 - 1:22:26)
piss off everybody who lives in the neighborhood by taking eminent domain from their property.

[Speaker 5] (1:22:27 - 1:22:28)
We have to do better.

[Speaker 5] (1:22:28 - 1:22:30)
All right, this is not rocket science here.

[Speaker 5] (1:22:30 - 1:22:32)
I don't have an answer for how we can do better right now,

[Speaker 5] (1:22:32 - 1:22:34)
but we have to challenge ourselves.

[Speaker 5] (1:22:34 - 1:22:36)
If we can't figure this out.

[Speaker 5] (1:22:37 - 1:22:41)
We've got other problems on our hands. We've got to be able to figure out how we can do this without taking people's property to this extent.

[Speaker 5] (1:22:42 - 1:22:42)
Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (1:22:43 - 1:22:43)
Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (1:22:45 - 1:22:47)
Do you support completing the rail trail?

[Speaker 6] (1:22:48 - 1:22:49)
So the answer is yes.

[Speaker 6] (1:22:50 - 1:22:53)
Whenever a vote is taken at town meeting,

[Speaker 6] (1:22:53 - 1:22:54)
and I'm a town meeting member,

[Speaker 6] (1:22:55 - 1:22:59)
if I'm for or against whatever the item is that we're voting on,

[Speaker 6] (1:22:59 - 1:23:00)
the result of that election,

[Speaker 6] (1:23:01 - 1:23:04)
the outcome of that vote is where I stand afterwards.

[Speaker 6] (1:23:04 - 1:23:14)
I will not be an obstructionist to a policy that the town's voted on, specifically on the rail trail. There are measures that we can take today if we work with the CPA,

[Speaker 6] (1:23:14 - 1:23:16)
the Conservation Preservation Act.

[Speaker 6] (1:23:16 - 1:23:18)
There's funding available for open space.

[Speaker 6] (1:23:19 - 1:23:25)
We have to make sure that we follow the rules, but there's money available today within our own money,

[Speaker 6] (1:23:25 - 1:23:29)
by the way, that's matched right now, I think at about 16% by the state government.

[Speaker 6] (1:23:30 - 1:23:35)
So why would I support it? Because there's money available for it, we voted for it collectively,

[Speaker 6] (1:23:36 - 1:23:36)
and it passed.

[Speaker 6] (1:23:37 - 1:23:44)
And I believe that the knowledge that I have and the different committees that I sit on provide a way forward for this.

[Speaker 6] (1:23:44 - 1:23:45)
There is money available.

[Speaker 6] (1:23:45 - 1:23:49)
Will it get done in one day or one week or one month or one year?

[Speaker 6] (1:23:49 - 1:23:50)
Well,

[Speaker 6] (1:23:50 - 1:23:52)
the sooner we start, the sooner we get it done.

[Speaker 6] (1:23:52 - 1:23:55)
It'll be a benefit to everybody in town. It'll be an attraction.

[Speaker 6] (1:23:55 - 1:24:02)
It'll be, I could do some extra walking myself and just to tell them the truth.

[Speaker 6] (1:24:02 - 1:24:04)
My wife might be watching, I'm committed to it.

[Speaker 6] (1:24:05 - 1:24:12)
And uh uh I we can get it done. We can get we can do better. We can do better. Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (1:24:12 - 1:24:25)
Thank you. And uh for the next question, we're gonna stay on you, Mr Patsios. Do you support preserving the general john Glover farmhouse, and if so, what actions would you take to ensure its protection?

[Speaker 6] (1:24:27 - 1:24:27)
So

[Speaker 6] (1:24:28 - 1:24:32)
That is a real important one. That's our history. That's U.S. history.

[Speaker 6] (1:24:32 - 1:24:37)
I believe that, would I preserve the General Glover if I could with a magic wand?

[Speaker 6] (1:24:37 - 1:24:38)
Yes.

[Speaker 6] (1:24:39 - 1:24:41)
I believe that the General Glover should be saved.

[Speaker 6] (1:24:43 - 1:25:11)
candidly speaking, I'm a monthly donor to the uh efforts to save it. Most people don't know that General Glover was the uh the man that did the impossible and fooled the British and got the Continental Army out of uh and crossed the Delaware and it was also an integrated force. It had it had everybody that that that you can't that we try to do today. It's it was uh it was a surprise uh

[Speaker 6] (1:25:11 - 1:25:18)
Yes, John Glover's home should be saved. It's a national treasure that's located in Swampscott, Massachusetts.

[Speaker 6] (1:25:18 - 1:25:21)
I believe that CPA funds, again,

[Speaker 6] (1:25:21 - 1:25:23)
can be used for a project like that.

[Speaker 6] (1:25:24 - 1:25:30)
If we know where to look and we know that we can do it, I know we can do better.

[Speaker 6] (1:25:30 - 1:25:34)
And with your vote, we'll be able to do that starting on April 28th. Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (1:25:36 - 1:25:36)
Thank you

[Speaker 3] (1:25:38 - 1:25:46)
Do you support preserving the general john clover farm house and if so what actions would you take to ensure its protection

[Speaker 5] (1:25:48 - 1:25:57)
Thank you for the question. So I've got to be a little careful here since this is a pending application before the Planning Board right now, and I don't want to misstep on my obligations.

[Speaker 5] (1:25:58 - 1:26:01)
Do I support preserving the General Glover farmhouse? Absolutely.

[Speaker 5] (1:26:01 - 1:26:05)
That is a piece of historic treasure that is in Swampscott,

[Speaker 5] (1:26:05 - 1:26:10)
and we don't have any other Revolutionary War historical artifacts,

[Speaker 5] (1:26:10 - 1:26:11)
places in this community,

[Speaker 5] (1:26:11 - 1:26:12)
right?

[Speaker 5] (1:26:12 - 1:26:13)
So we have something here.

[Speaker 5] (1:26:14 - 1:26:18)
We need to figure out how to keep it restored and how to preserve it.

[Speaker 5] (1:26:19 - 1:26:22)
We have to come together as a community to figure out how we're going to do that though,

[Speaker 5] (1:26:22 - 1:26:23)
right?

[Speaker 5] (1:26:23 - 1:26:26)
We can't handcuff ourselves to...

[Speaker 5] (1:26:26 - 1:26:31)
an idea that doesn't have the longevity to ensure financial success and sustainability in the long term.

[Speaker 5] (1:26:32 - 1:26:38)
So we have to have an honest conversation about what is the financial impact of that going to be. We have a great group of volunteers.

[Speaker 5] (1:26:38 - 1:26:40)
You heard Charlie's a donor too.

[Speaker 5] (1:26:40 - 1:26:41)
More of us should be donors to them.

[Speaker 5] (1:26:42 - 1:26:42)
Plug.

[Speaker 5] (1:26:43 - 1:26:46)
But they're raising money to try and preserve this house.

[Speaker 5] (1:26:46 - 1:26:48)
They have an uphill battle.

[Speaker 5] (1:26:48 - 1:26:52)
They have hundreds of thousands of dollars they have to raise in too few of months.

[Speaker 5] (1:26:53 - 1:26:55)
We need to have a conversation as a community.

[Speaker 5] (1:26:55 - 1:26:59)
Do we allocate CPA funds to that? Do we bond against our CPA funds for that?

[Speaker 5] (1:26:59 - 1:27:02)
What do we want to do? If we're going to want to preserve something,

[Speaker 5] (1:27:02 - 1:27:04)
we have to put our money where our mouths are,

[Speaker 5] (1:27:04 - 1:27:04)
right?

[Speaker 5] (1:27:05 - 1:27:07)
And if we do preserve it, what happens next?

[Speaker 5] (1:27:07 - 1:27:08)
Is it a museum?

[Speaker 5] (1:27:09 - 1:27:11)
Is it a coffee shop? Is it a...

[Speaker 5] (1:27:12 - 1:27:16)
I don't know, but as a community we've gotta figure that out because the longevity,

[Speaker 5] (1:27:17 - 1:27:30)
we have to worry about I'm not worried about for the next few years if we're able to preserve it, that's great. But what happens after year number three, year number four, year number five? We have to create a framework that the longevity and sustainability of that building is generational,

[Speaker 5] (1:27:30 - 1:27:39)
not just for our generation, but for the next generation. So do I support uh preserving it? Yes. I also think as a community we need to figure out how we can be

[Speaker 5] (1:27:39 - 1:27:49)
Coming together for longer term solutions for that that parcel. Is it is it a business is it rezoning it so we can incentivize a business to go there? I don't know but those are the conversations we should be having

[Speaker 6] (1:27:50 - 1:27:57)
Sophia, I kind of said one additional thing, and it's important. I take fifteen seconds.

[Speaker 3] (1:27:59 - 1:28:00)
Fifteen seconds.

[Speaker 6] (1:28:01 - 1:28:03)
The Athenas family that owns the Glover,

[Speaker 6] (1:28:03 - 1:28:06)
if it were anyone else that would have owned that property,

[Speaker 6] (1:28:06 - 1:28:07)
it would have been destroyed twenty,

[Speaker 6] (1:28:07 - 1:28:08)
thirty years ago.

[Speaker 6] (1:28:08 - 1:28:14)
So the fact that the Athenas has had the pockets to be able to continue to pay its taxes and its insurance and electricity,

[Speaker 6] (1:28:14 - 1:28:17)
even though it might not be in the greatest condition,

[Speaker 6] (1:28:17 - 1:28:23)
we have the Athenas to thank for having the opportunity today to work hard to save that property.

[Speaker 6] (1:28:23 - 1:28:25)
So thank you to the Athenas family.

[Speaker 3] (1:28:27 - 1:28:28)
Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (1:28:30 - 1:28:36)
Do you support preserving the general John Clover farmhouse and if so what actions would you take to ensure its protection?

[Speaker 4] (1:28:37 - 1:28:41)
I absolutely support preserving the house.

[Speaker 4] (1:28:41 - 1:28:44)
If any of you have driven by it lately,

[Speaker 4] (1:28:44 - 1:28:46)
there's a huge hole in the roof.

[Speaker 4] (1:28:46 - 1:28:52)
The place is not a safe place to be. It is very unfortunate.

[Speaker 4] (1:28:55 - 1:28:57)
And I'm sorry the fact that we actually got here to this point.

[Speaker 4] (1:28:58 - 1:29:03)
I fully support the group that is trying to save it and raise money.

[Speaker 4] (1:29:03 - 1:29:06)
There was a great presentation at the select board two weeks ago.

[Speaker 4] (1:29:07 - 1:29:12)
Hopefully if you get a chance to watch it and understand a little bit more of what's going on, you can go back and view that.

[Speaker 4] (1:29:12 - 1:29:19)
I believe the select board did the right thing in sustaining and allowing the historical

[Speaker 1] (1:29:22 - 1:29:26)
I agree with what Ted had said that they need a long-term plan.

[Speaker 1] (1:29:27 - 1:29:51)
um because of effectively it'll be on private property one way or the other um uh i also agree with comments that uh the town is not a good landlord in general um so the plan really needs a lot of future thought and i agree with uh giving them as much time as absolutely possible to come up with a plan and helping them where we can and raising funds and awareness

[Speaker 2] (1:29:52 - 1:29:53)
Thank you so much.

[Speaker 2] (1:29:55 - 1:29:59)
Do you support preserving the General John Glover farmhouse,

[Speaker 2] (1:29:59 - 1:30:00)
and if so,

[Speaker 2] (1:30:00 - 1:30:02)
what actions would you take to ensure its protection?

[Speaker 3] (1:30:03 - 1:30:04)
I do,

[Speaker 3] (1:30:04 - 1:30:14)
in fact, support preserving the Glover. As a kid, I worked as a docent at the Concord Bridge Memorial in Concord, Mass., doing...

[Speaker 3] (1:30:15 - 1:30:24)
Um, I was speaking around, you know, what happened um during the Civil War. Um I'm sorry, the Revolutionary War. What um

[Speaker 3] (1:30:25 - 1:30:31)
It is a travesty that the building is falling apart, but it is also private property,

[Speaker 3] (1:30:31 - 1:30:38)
so there has to be obviously a private public partnership that is sustainable over the years. Again,

[Speaker 3] (1:30:38 - 1:30:39)
as Ted pointed out,

[Speaker 3] (1:30:39 - 1:30:52)
it needs to be generational. We tend not to think about our unintended consequences when we create a problem or we create policy. And it just occurred to me...

[Speaker 3] (1:30:53 - 1:31:03)
While listening to folks chat about it, you know, it may be not a ridiculous idea to ask this old house to help with the roof problems.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:04 - 1:31:12)
Again, these are million, billion dollar problems that we can't tax our way out of or have a bake sale to solve.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:12 - 1:31:19)
We really do need to ask for help from the commonwealth and our federal partners. There's an opportunity to preserve an absolutely beautiful

[Speaker 3] (1:31:19 - 1:31:24)
beautiful piece of history that will land Swanscot on the map in a real way.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:27 - 1:31:34)
And I wonder perhaps if the golf course paid its fair share we could actually divert those funds directly to the Glover.

[Speaker 2] (1:31:38 - 1:31:38)
Wonderful.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:38 - 1:31:38)
Thank

[Speaker 2] (1:31:38 - 1:31:39)
Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:39 - 1:31:39)
you.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:39 - 1:31:39)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:31:40 - 1:31:57)
We're going to stay with you for the next question. And the next few questions were submitted by the Swampscott Tides by readers of the Swampscott Tides. How would you approach making decisions when there is a strong disagreement in the community or among select board members?

[Speaker 3] (1:31:59 - 1:32:08)
Well, over the past few years, we have been no stranger to strong disagreements on the select board as well as within town. I think that...

[Speaker 3] (1:32:09 - 1:32:13)
I think that one of the key hallmarks of representation is truth-telling and trust.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:14 - 1:32:16)
I intend to, if elected,

[Speaker 3] (1:32:17 - 1:32:35)
continue the the the advocacy process that I do in interacting with individuals, and that includes the board. Clearly the board has to be in alignment in order to solve these problems. We again the difficulty between individuals in particular.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:35 - 1:32:48)
Other styles of problem solving need to be put aside. I guess what I'm saying is I come with this, I come to this without ego. I'm concerned about the fifteen thousand souls who live here,

[Speaker 3] (1:32:48 - 1:33:01)
their pets and their children. Um therefore um respectful debate, honest, open discussion and clearly sharing that with the population will get us where we wanna go faster

[Speaker 3] (1:33:02 - 1:33:11)
than screaming and yelling at each other over commas and periods. So again,

[Speaker 3] (1:33:11 - 1:33:12)
alignment is key.

[Speaker 3] (1:33:13 - 1:33:17)
Ego, non-ego debate is also key.

[Speaker 3] (1:33:18 - 1:33:19)
So with a thoughtful,

[Speaker 3] (1:33:19 - 1:33:20)
empathetic ear,

[Speaker 3] (1:33:20 - 1:33:23)
I offer myself as

[Speaker 3] (1:33:25 - 1:33:26)
a member of the board.

[Speaker 2] (1:33:28 - 1:33:29)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:33:30 - 1:33:38)
How would you approach making decisions when there is strong disagreement in the community or among Select Board members?

[Speaker 1] (1:33:40 - 1:33:43)
I'm no stranger to dealing with competing priorities.

[Speaker 1] (1:33:47 - 1:33:50)
One of the ways that you get through

[Speaker 1] (1:33:51 - 1:34:17)
difficult decisions is by active listening and I think we haven't done enough of that in a long time when I say active listening in terms of really understanding the root of why the question is being asked so it's not a schools versus town thing it is a it's it's it's we're looking out for the students

[Speaker 1] (1:34:17 - 1:34:27)
we need, the students need to have a good education. There's no question about it. But in the way that the dialogue has been going is what is,

[Speaker 1] (1:34:27 - 1:34:31)
I think, frustrating most people, both on the committees and within the town.

[Speaker 1] (1:34:32 - 1:34:36)
We have issues with the rail trail. We have conversations about the Hawthorne,

[Speaker 1] (1:34:37 - 1:34:40)
and they're legitimate conversations. And people,

[Speaker 1] (1:34:40 - 1:34:41)
you know,

[Speaker 1] (1:34:41 - 1:34:43)
one of the most important things I think

[Speaker 1] (1:34:44 - 1:34:57)
is the people should have a voice and that we need to listen. It doesn't mean we're going to agree with everything, but if you're asking the right questions we can come to some level of compromise where we can continue to move the process forward.

[Speaker 2] (1:34:58 - 1:34:59)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:35:02 - 1:35:08)
How would you approach making decisions when there is strong disagreement in the community or among select board members?

[Speaker 4] (1:35:09 - 1:35:13)
Sure. I think one of the first things that we

[Speaker 4] (1:35:13 - 1:35:17)
As candidates here, and I think you're hearing from all of us,

[Speaker 4] (1:35:18 - 1:35:20)
we need to have respect for each other.

[Speaker 4] (1:35:20 - 1:35:24)
I mean, my God, sometimes you watch some meetings and you're like, people don't have respect for each other.

[Speaker 4] (1:35:24 - 1:35:26)
We need to respect each other.

[Speaker 4] (1:35:26 - 1:35:29)
We all get elected to something and that represents people in this community.

[Speaker 4] (1:35:30 - 1:35:32)
If we can't respect other people's opinions,

[Speaker 4] (1:35:32 - 1:35:33)
we can't act that way,

[Speaker 4] (1:35:33 - 1:35:36)
how can we hold our heads high?

[Speaker 4] (1:35:37 - 1:35:38)
So first and foremost,

[Speaker 4] (1:35:39 - 1:35:42)
respecting the people you serve with, they got here the same way that we did.

[Speaker 4] (1:35:43 - 1:35:45)
So that's first and foremost.

[Speaker 4] (1:35:45 - 1:35:46)
Competing priorities,

[Speaker 4] (1:35:47 - 1:35:48)
where this town wants to go,

[Speaker 4] (1:35:48 - 1:35:49)
what,

[Speaker 4] (1:35:49 - 1:35:52)
you know, everyone has a lot of opinions and that's great and we welcome that.

[Speaker 4] (1:35:53 - 1:35:54)
But I,

[Speaker 4] (1:35:54 - 1:36:00)
for the last several years, and this campaign season doesn't seem to have this dichotomy, which I'm very thankful for,

[Speaker 4] (1:36:00 - 1:36:04)
but the last several years it feels like, oh, your four neighborhood schools or your anti-school,

[Speaker 4] (1:36:04 - 1:36:06)
you're for the school budget or your anti-school,

[Speaker 4] (1:36:06 - 1:36:10)
you're for the rail trail, you're anti-rail trail, you're for the new pier,

[Speaker 4] (1:36:10 - 1:36:10)
you're anti.

[Speaker 4] (1:36:11 - 1:36:36)
you know boating or waterfront whatever we can reject these labels we don't have to I reject the premise that you have to be all in on something or your anti everything else as a community we can hold each other accountable to be serving each other it's public service for a reason right because it's serving our community active listening what you've heard from others up here is what we need a presence in the community so that people can come up to you and say hey

[Speaker 4] (1:36:37 - 1:36:49)
Here's what I felt, I heard you talk about this at the meeting the other night. We need people who respect each other, respect the community, and can hold our heads high as elected officials and look each other in the eye and say we did the best thing for this community.

[Speaker 2] (1:36:50 - 1:36:51)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:36:52 - 1:36:59)
How would you approach making decisions when there is strong disagreement in the community or among select board members?

[Speaker 5] (1:37:00 - 1:37:05)
I think we've all seen what the question what we've all seen what's happened and why the question is being asked

[Speaker 5] (1:37:07 - 1:37:23)
I've observed everything that's happened and why do disagreements arise? Typically they arise from my observation of incomplete information being provided to us as we're voting on certain things or maybe the information is provided that allows us to reach a conclusion.

[Speaker 5] (1:37:23 - 1:37:28)
I believe that that was not an intentional or misguided approach.

[Speaker 5] (1:37:28 - 1:37:34)
I just believe that we could do a better job providing information on what it is that we'll be voting on.

[Speaker 5] (1:37:34 - 1:37:45)
So that when the town acts during town meeting and a conclusion is reached, a vote is taken, and we know which direction we're going in, we're gonna be united in that,

[Speaker 5] (1:37:45 - 1:37:47)
because all the information has been provided,

[Speaker 5] (1:37:48 - 1:37:57)
not only the benefit, but the cost, and also what we give up if we don't do it. So there's a lot that needs to go into civility.

[Speaker 5] (1:37:58 - 1:38:00)
Respect, I think, is important.

[Speaker 5] (1:38:00 - 1:38:03)
We all act with a humble or we act with humility.

[Speaker 5] (1:38:04 - 1:38:09)
Our purpose here is to be united because a house divided will fall. We've heard that before.

[Speaker 5] (1:38:11 - 1:38:13)
I think we can do much better.

[Speaker 5] (1:38:13 - 1:38:22)
I believe I'll make a commitment today to in front of everyone it will be recorded that I will participate in everything that is required.

[Speaker 5] (1:38:22 - 1:38:28)
For example, our assessor is required to go into every home or visit every property once every ten years.

[Speaker 5] (1:38:28 - 1:38:37)
I will make my home available for the assessor to come in to do his or her job to make sure that the properties are properly evaluated. That is the basis of our taxation.

[Speaker 5] (1:38:38 - 1:38:43)
We'd rather have a higher value and a lower tax rate because there's equity in home ownership.

[Speaker 5] (1:38:43 - 1:38:46)
And that benefits the town as much as it benefits the homeowner.

[Speaker 5] (1:38:46 - 1:38:47)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:38:48 - 1:38:49)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:38:50 - 1:38:54)
For the next question, because this question is two parts,

[Speaker 2] (1:38:54 - 1:38:57)
we're going to give each of the candidates three minutes to answer.

[Speaker 2] (1:38:58 - 1:39:03)
And please let me know if you would like me to repeat this question as well.

[Speaker 5] (1:39:04 - 1:39:05)
Am I going first?

[Speaker 2] (1:39:05 - 1:39:05)
Yes.

[Speaker 5] (1:39:05 - 1:39:05)
Okay.

[Speaker 2] (1:39:06 - 1:39:10)
Swampscott has multiple major projects underway or proposed,

[Speaker 2] (1:39:11 - 1:39:14)
from the redevelopment of the Glover House and revitalization of the

[Speaker 1] (1:39:18 - 1:39:19)
Hawthorne by the Sea,

[Speaker 1] (1:39:19 - 1:39:31)
housing at Veterans Place and recreational investments such as the Swampscott Rail Trail and Archer Trails, with so many projects happening at once, how should the Select Board prioritise resources,

[Speaker 1] (1:39:32 - 1:39:34)
staff time, funding

[Speaker 1] (1:39:35 - 1:39:38)
And which of these projects would you personally move to the top of the list?

[Speaker 2] (1:39:40 - 1:39:40)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:39:41 - 1:39:42)
Wow,

[Speaker 2] (1:39:42 - 1:39:43)
that's a lot.

[Speaker 2] (1:39:44 - 1:39:51)
Welcome to my world as a real estate developer. We always are taking a look at multiple projects and we're trying to make a decision as to which one is the most viable,

[Speaker 2] (1:39:52 - 1:39:57)
has the shortest path to success or completion and makes the most sense to the bank.

[Speaker 2] (1:39:57 - 1:39:58)
to underwrite the development.

[Speaker 2] (1:39:59 - 1:40:16)
I think it's no different in this town when we've got all these different projects. At the end of the day we need to fund them, we need to have a consensus between the communities and we need to make sure that the we can actually deliver on the project, not have unforeseen delays that maybe we looked at and ignored because we knew the problems were there.

[Speaker 2] (1:40:18 - 1:40:20)
Repeat the question so I can make sure I get it.

[Speaker 1] (1:40:20 - 1:40:21)
Yeah, of course.

[Speaker 1] (1:40:22 - 1:40:25)
With so many projects happening at once,

[Speaker 1] (1:40:25 - 1:40:27)
how should the select board prioritize resources,

[Speaker 1] (1:40:27 - 1:40:28)
staff time,

[Speaker 1] (1:40:28 - 1:40:28)
funding,

[Speaker 1] (1:40:29 - 1:40:32)
and which of these projects would you personally move to the top of the list?

[Speaker 2] (1:40:32 - 1:40:38)
Thank you. The town of Swampscott possesses many experts in the construction field,

[Speaker 2] (1:40:38 - 1:40:39)
in engineering,

[Speaker 2] (1:40:39 - 1:40:40)
in planning.

[Speaker 2] (1:40:41 - 1:40:45)
We have a tremendous resource in our residents.

[Speaker 2] (1:40:45 - 1:40:50)
Very rarely do we actually go out and tap or request those individuals.

[Speaker 2] (1:40:50 - 1:40:52)
I'll name one person,

[Speaker 2] (1:40:53 - 1:40:53)
Nick Menino.

[Speaker 2] (1:40:54 - 1:40:56)
If I ever have to do a project that requires site work,

[Speaker 2] (1:40:57 - 1:40:57)
I ask for Nick.

[Speaker 2] (1:40:58 - 1:40:59)
Nick is a resident of our town.

[Speaker 2] (1:40:59 - 1:41:05)
I don't think for one second he would hesitate if you were asked to evaluate a project to help us.

[Speaker 2] (1:41:05 - 1:41:10)
That's an example of how we can work together in this community to get projects done.

[Speaker 2] (1:41:11 - 1:41:15)
We want to talk about, you mentioned the Hawthorne and the Glover.

[Speaker 2] (1:41:15 - 1:41:22)
They're very similar in one respect, that they both have a revenue stream for the town.

[Speaker 2] (1:41:22 - 1:41:26)
If we want that revenue stream to be an immediate revenue stream,

[Speaker 2] (1:41:26 - 1:41:28)
there's an action plan to go forward with that.

[Speaker 2] (1:41:28 - 1:41:29)
If there's something,

[Speaker 2] (1:41:29 - 1:41:34)
for example, if we want to look at the park at the Hawthorne, there's a solution for that.

[Speaker 2] (1:41:34 - 1:41:38)
But it's drawn out. We have to understand where our resources are,

[Speaker 2] (1:41:38 - 1:41:41)
how we can act on those quickly,

[Speaker 2] (1:41:41 - 1:41:43)
and where we can't act on them quickly.

[Speaker 2] (1:41:44 - 1:41:48)
We know that the funding for a park is undefined. We don't even know what it looks like.

[Speaker 2] (1:41:48 - 1:41:51)
But we do know that we have debt service on that property.

[Speaker 2] (1:41:51 - 1:41:59)
We're paying a quarter of a million dollars, or we were paying a quarter of a million dollars a year, plus $140,000 we were losing in real estate tax,

[Speaker 2] (1:42:00 - 1:42:06)
$400,000 in easy math that we are not receiving while we hold a property that we don't know what we're going to do with.

[Speaker 2] (1:42:07 - 1:42:08)
That affects our schools,

[Speaker 2] (1:42:08 - 1:42:09)
that affects our seniors,

[Speaker 2] (1:42:10 - 1:42:11)
that affects the library,

[Speaker 2] (1:42:11 - 1:42:12)
that affects the Glover,

[Speaker 2] (1:42:12 - 1:42:13)
that affects the rail trail,

[Speaker 2] (1:42:13 - 1:42:17)
it affects everything because we're paying debt service instead of working on a project.

[Speaker 2] (1:42:18 - 1:42:20)
I believe that we have to prioritize those.

[Speaker 2] (1:42:21 - 1:42:30)
I'm fairly good at doing things like that, a short term and a long term. We have a 10 year master plan on this town. We need, thank you, we have a 10 year master plan on this town.

[Speaker 2] (1:42:30 - 1:42:35)
We really should have a 25 year plan and moving from the 25 moving it down to a 10.

[Speaker 2] (1:42:36 - 1:42:41)
That is what, that's what makes sense. It's not a, it's not what we can fit on one plate.

[Speaker 2] (1:42:41 - 1:42:44)
We really need to be able to prioritize that.

[Speaker 2] (1:42:44 - 1:42:45)
Thank you Steve. My time's up.

[Speaker 2] (1:42:45 - 1:42:47)
I got more to say, but we're out of time.

[Speaker 1] (1:42:48 - 1:42:48)
Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (1:42:50 - 1:42:51)
You don't have to repeat the question.

[Speaker 1] (1:42:51 - 1:42:52)
Okay, perfect.

[Speaker 3] (1:42:53 - 1:42:53)
All good.

[Speaker 3] (1:42:54 - 1:42:57)
Two things. One, I'll start at the top. How would I prioritize staff time?

[Speaker 3] (1:42:57 - 1:43:00)
How would I prioritize staff time at town hall? Excuse me.

[Speaker 3] (1:43:01 - 1:43:08)
I am very much of the mindset that there is one person that reports to the select board and one person alone.

[Speaker 3] (1:43:08 - 1:43:14)
So I would let our town administrator prioritize how he wants the staff to be prioritized and that's his job.

[Speaker 3] (1:43:15 - 1:43:22)
He reports to the select board though. So how is a select board going to make public policy decisions that the town administrator needs to execute on?

[Speaker 3] (1:43:22 - 1:43:25)
That's a different question that I will take full-throated.

[Speaker 3] (1:43:25 - 1:43:29)
There's one of those projects that you mentioned that needs to get solved three years ago.

[Speaker 3] (1:43:30 - 1:43:52)
Charlie went off on it a bit because that's the priority we need to figure out what's going on with the Hawthorne discussion is a great thing we had a great discussion about that property a town meeting we had a great discussion at select board meetings about how to compromise how to build a committee to help figure out what we're going to do with that that committee met like every two weeks for a long time and had a lot of discussions

[Speaker 3] (1:43:54 - 1:43:55)
That's a lot of discussion.

[Speaker 3] (1:43:56 - 1:43:58)
Discussion is a means to a decision,

[Speaker 3] (1:43:59 - 1:43:59)
not delay.

[Speaker 3] (1:44:00 - 1:44:10)
And it has felt like for the last four years we've had the same conversations in circles about what we're going to do with the Hawthorne, and nobody has a conclusion to that yet.

[Speaker 3] (1:44:10 - 1:44:21)
And it's been how many hundreds of thousands of dollars in opportunity cost are we giving up so we can continue to discuss something? We need to make a decision on that parcel of land.

[Speaker 3] (1:44:21 - 1:44:23)
And it needs to happen immediately.

[Speaker 3] (1:44:24 - 1:44:28)
We've got somebody who's going to occupy the space for the next few years, generate some revenue for the town,

[Speaker 3] (1:44:28 - 1:44:31)
that's a good band-aid for the next few years while we figure out what's going to happen,

[Speaker 3] (1:44:31 - 1:44:33)
but we need to get going on that.

[Speaker 3] (1:44:33 - 1:44:34)
All these other projects,

[Speaker 3] (1:44:34 - 1:44:36)
there's some definition of what they're going to look like, there's a vision.

[Speaker 3] (1:44:37 - 1:44:39)
We have zero vision for the Hawthorne.

[Speaker 3] (1:44:39 - 1:44:41)
We have no consensus as a community.

[Speaker 3] (1:44:41 - 1:44:44)
We had a committee do a lot of great work on it and present ideas to the select board,

[Speaker 3] (1:44:44 - 1:44:45)
but that's it.

[Speaker 3] (1:44:46 - 1:44:47)
What's it going to be in 20 years?

[Speaker 3] (1:44:47 - 1:44:48)
What's it going to be in four years?

[Speaker 3] (1:44:48 - 1:44:49)
None of us know.

[Speaker 3] (1:44:50 - 1:44:52)
So if I were to go on this left board, I would

[Speaker 3] (1:44:52 - 1:44:57)
have an open question. Why don't we put out an R_F_I_ Why don't we go out and say

[Speaker 3] (1:44:58 - 1:44:59)
All right, business community,

[Speaker 3] (1:44:59 - 1:45:02)
all right, community groups, all right, town of Swampscott,

[Speaker 3] (1:45:02 - 1:45:04)
what do you want to do with this site? Do you want to take the building down?

[Speaker 3] (1:45:04 - 1:45:06)
What's your vision for it if you take down?

[Speaker 3] (1:45:06 - 1:45:06)
Do you want to leave it up?

[Speaker 3] (1:45:07 - 1:45:08)
What's your vision for if it's left up?

[Speaker 3] (1:45:08 - 1:45:12)
What is the private sector going to pay for if they come in and develop that site?

[Speaker 3] (1:45:13 - 1:45:14)
What are community groups going to do?

[Speaker 3] (1:45:14 - 1:45:19)
Do they want to make a park and come in with grant dollars and private backing to create a beautiful park?

[Speaker 3] (1:45:19 - 1:45:21)
I have no idea, but neither do any of us,

[Speaker 3] (1:45:21 - 1:45:22)
because we didn't take that route.

[Speaker 3] (1:45:23 - 1:45:27)
And that's the route we need to take to figure out what actually can happen there.

[Speaker 3] (1:45:27 - 1:45:47)
Because right now, we're all just hoping something's going to happen and that's great, we can hope all we want, but there's no currency in hope. We need to make sure whatever happens there is actually going to happen, and I am one hundred percent solid that if we go out with an R_F_I_ we might have great ideas come back, we might not have great ideas come back, but at least we'll have concrete something that can happen there,

[Speaker 3] (1:45:47 - 1:45:49)
which is much better to work with than something that

[Speaker 3] (1:45:50 - 1:45:51)
Might. Maybe.

[Speaker 3] (1:45:51 - 1:45:52)
Someday.

[Speaker 3] (1:45:52 - 1:45:53)
Who knows? Be able to happen there?

[Speaker 3] (1:45:53 - 1:45:54)
I don't know.

[Speaker 1] (1:45:55 - 1:45:56)
Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (1:46:00 - 1:46:04)
Swampscott has multiple major projects underway or proposed,

[Speaker 1] (1:46:04 - 1:46:09)
from the redevelopment of the Glover House and revitalization of Vinnin Square,

[Speaker 1] (1:46:10 - 1:46:11)
to developments like the Hadley Hotel,

[Speaker 1] (1:46:12 - 1:46:12)
Hawthorne by the Sea,

[Speaker 3] (1:46:12 - 1:46:13)
Right.

[Speaker 1] (1:46:13 - 1:46:14)
Housing Affections Place,

[Speaker 1] (1:46:14 - 1:46:21)
and recreational investments such as the Swampscott Rail Trail and Archer Trails. With so many projects happening at once,

[Speaker 1] (1:46:22 - 1:46:24)
how should the Select Board prioritize resources,

[Speaker 1] (1:46:25 - 1:46:26)
staff time?

[Speaker 1] (1:46:26 - 1:46:31)
Funding, and which of these priorities would you personally move to the top of the list?

[Speaker 3] (1:46:31 - 1:46:51)
Thank you. Um I believe you listed maybe like half of the things that uh have to be prioritized. We're missing um a hundred million dollar middle school, a fifteen million dollar dollar D_P_W_ uh revamp. We're missing um uh an a number of things that are that are gonna truly impact us. We have to be very conscious of costs, but

[Speaker 4] (1:46:51 - 1:46:53)
I agree wholeheartedly with,

[Speaker 4] (1:46:53 - 1:47:17)
you know, the r these other th with Ted, the these other projects have plans right? They're in the works. Uh literally the veterans, the Hadley, the Vinnin, the Glover's still outstanding, we talked about that, the rail trail is beginning to move. Um but the the Hawthorne has competing visions. The Hawthorne needs to be um uh

[Speaker 4] (1:47:18 - 1:47:31)
I don't want to say re-energized, but we need to rebuild trust in the community that was broken at some point where we bought this bill of land for $7 million.

[Speaker 4] (1:47:31 - 1:47:33)
We're paying an enormous debt service on it.

[Speaker 4] (1:47:33 - 1:47:39)
I think we all agree you can't afford to sustain the current trajectory of really doing nothing. So.

[Speaker 4] (1:47:40 - 1:47:54)
Yes, we've had a tremendous amount of input from the multiple meetings that many of us I see in the room have been to when we went to the restaurant and we and we everyone was excited and we wrote down things on on on the table.

[Speaker 4] (1:47:55 - 1:47:57)
Everyone was excited about it.

[Speaker 4] (1:47:58 - 1:48:06)
Then out of the blue, a $37 million library came and landed in our in our pockets and everyone's throwing our heads up and saying, where did this come from?

[Speaker 4] (1:48:06 - 1:48:08)
The town got over its skis.

[Speaker 4] (1:48:09 - 1:48:34)
It came back obviously as you know we know we created a committee that committee had some volatile conversations to say the least that committee had a did not have true consensus on what to be done and that left us with a lot of really difficult questions and this select board in the next couple of years in the next couple of months is going to have to figure out what we're going to do.

[Speaker 4] (1:48:35 - 1:48:43)
I believe that the data is there, it just needs to be reviewed. And I'm not saying the data that uh of of the land use, but the data from the public.

[Speaker 4] (1:48:44 - 1:48:54)
We need to review the data from the public, find out what the actual consensus is and build upon that, go out to R_F_I_ and and let the people who know how to build these things

[Speaker 4] (1:48:56 - 1:48:56)
come

[Speaker 4] (1:48:55 - 1:48:57)
Come back and give us some opportunities.

[Speaker 4] (1:48:57 - 1:49:02)
We just need to give them direction in terms of what we feel which is mixed use.

[Speaker 4] (1:49:02 - 1:49:09)
We need to respect open space and as well as to be able to have some level of anchoring business that works also with the hotel.

[Speaker 2] (1:49:13 - 1:49:13)
Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (1:49:16 - 1:49:17)
You don't need to repeat the question.

[Speaker 2] (1:49:17 - 1:49:19)
Good, sounds good.

[Speaker 3] (1:49:20 - 1:49:29)
So we currently have the most expensive municipal parking lot in the history of municipal parking lots.

[Speaker 3] (1:49:30 - 1:49:43)
Um and we're about to make a generational error. Um definitely the Hawthorne site is um near and dear to my heart. I live in that neighbourhood. Um we have the hotel project as well.

[Speaker 3] (1:49:43 - 1:49:52)
I believe that the Hawthorne site should be prioritised in ways that um the gentlemen here have expressed. Um we do need to come to consensus as a town.

[Speaker 3] (1:49:53 - 1:49:59)
Um we need to make that huge. We need to hear from everyone we can. All

[Speaker 3] (1:49:59 - 1:50:02)
All 15,000 residents would be perfection, correct?

[Speaker 3] (1:50:04 - 1:50:05)
Can I get an amen?

[Speaker 3] (1:50:07 - 1:50:08)
So...

[Speaker 3] (1:50:08 - 1:50:36)
You know, we we've we've been told it will be a park. Um I understand that that will easily cost us eight million dollars just to put green in the ground. Um we have been told it was a library. Um well, we've missed that window to get the federal money to support the library growth. So again, the priority would be to come to consensus and develop an actual actionable plan so that we can move forward.

[Speaker 3] (1:50:37 - 1:50:43)
so that we don't end up with another Glover sitting at the entrance to Swampscott.

[Speaker 3] (1:50:43 - 1:50:54)
I think the promise of Swampscott deserves better. I think that our um our generational partners deserve better as well. We need to get it together folks and make a decision.

[Speaker 2] (1:50:57 - 1:50:58)
Thank you so much.

[Speaker 4] (1:50:59 - 1:51:08)
Well, those were our five questions, so now I'm going to ask candidates to give um a closing statement or anything else they would like the community to know.

[Speaker 4] (1:51:08 - 1:51:10)
And we're gonna start with you, Mr Godfrey.

[Speaker 3] (1:51:10 - 1:51:11)
Mr Godfrey.

[Speaker 4] (1:51:11 - 1:51:12)
Godfrey, yes.

[Speaker 3] (1:51:12 - 1:51:21)
Oh geez. Well, this has been incredibly humbling um to sit before you and ask for your vote on the twenty-eighth um as a select board member.

[Speaker 3] (1:51:23 - 1:51:32)
I hope it's clear to you that my interest is in supporting the town and listening to voices using those voices to determine where we head as a community.

[Speaker 3] (1:51:33 - 1:51:36)
I bring no ego to this.

[Speaker 3] (1:51:38 - 1:51:48)
I haven't been involved in the local government for 30 years or 20 years. I've been involved for six years. But what I am involved in is the community.

[Speaker 3] (1:51:49 - 1:51:51)
I hear the concerns of our neighbors.

[Speaker 3] (1:51:51 - 1:51:53)
They worry about our tax base.

[Speaker 3] (1:51:54 - 1:52:02)
They worry that they'll be taxed out of their homes. I worry that as well. And the promise of Swanscot is our beautiful

[Speaker 3] (1:52:03 - 1:52:13)
coastline and a welcoming vibrant community. We have that by providing space for our commercial ventures and supportive development that

[Speaker 3] (1:52:14 - 1:52:26)
that shares interest with our senior population and their needs as well as our veterans and everyday folks who punch a clock and want to call Swanscot home.

[Speaker 3] (1:52:27 - 1:52:30)
So I thank you for your time, I thank you for your questions,

[Speaker 3] (1:52:30 - 1:52:32)
I thank all the candidates,

[Speaker 3] (1:52:32 - 1:52:34)
again this is not an easy process,

[Speaker 3] (1:52:34 - 1:52:37)
and I look forward to your vote on the 28th.

[Speaker 4] (1:52:39 - 1:52:39)
Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (1:52:41 - 1:52:49)
Thank you again for everyone and this is for our sponsors tonight and providing all of us to give an opportunity to share to share our thoughts.

[Speaker 1] (1:52:50 - 1:52:55)
What I want to leave you with is I offer a different type of expertise at the executive level.

[Speaker 1] (1:52:55 - 1:52:58)
It's evidence driven and it's not prone to groupthink.

[Speaker 1] (1:52:59 - 1:53:01)
I'm someone who has a broad capacity to take in information,

[Speaker 1] (1:53:01 - 1:53:03)
stratify it down into working parts.

[Speaker 1] (1:53:04 - 1:53:07)
To see the relationships between town management, its departments,

[Speaker 1] (1:53:07 - 1:53:08)
our obligations,

[Speaker 1] (1:53:08 - 1:53:12)
and how all those operations affect the daily lives of each of our residents.

[Speaker 1] (1:53:13 - 1:53:16)
I thrive in constructive arguments,

[Speaker 1] (1:53:16 - 1:53:18)
not demeaning arguments,

[Speaker 1] (1:53:18 - 1:53:26)
constructive arguments, in building consensus. And in the next three years, there will be some hard decisions on land use, on services,

[Speaker 1] (1:53:26 - 1:53:27)
taxes,

[Speaker 1] (1:53:27 - 1:53:27)
infrastructure,

[Speaker 1] (1:53:28 - 1:53:28)
maintenance,

[Speaker 1] (1:53:28 - 1:53:28)
and investment.

[Speaker 1] (1:53:29 - 1:53:31)
And of course, the rising cost to educate our students.

[Speaker 1] (1:53:32 - 1:53:43)
Eighty three p as I said before, eighty three percent of our budget is supplied by property taxes. The select board will need to do a lot of listening. And my decision making is built on the facts at hand with long term focus.

[Speaker 1] (1:53:44 - 1:53:50)
I'm always looking to build consensus when possible to get things done, and as I said before, we cannot let perfect be the enemy of good.

[Speaker 1] (1:53:50 - 1:53:57)
We have to fully vet the consequences of our actions, being ready to respond to the plight of our residents in a meaningful and empathetic way.

[Speaker 1] (1:53:58 - 1:54:01)
I have no problems being challenged to new ideas or evidence.

[Speaker 1] (1:54:02 - 1:54:05)
My goal is only to be a good steward of the town where I live and have raised my family.

[Speaker 1] (1:54:05 - 1:54:08)
I have no conflicts, I have no other political future goals,

[Speaker 1] (1:54:08 - 1:54:09)
this is it.

[Speaker 1] (1:54:10 - 1:54:10)
Look,

[Speaker 1] (1:54:10 - 1:54:11)
I really love this community.

[Speaker 1] (1:54:12 - 1:54:13)
It's family,

[Speaker 1] (1:54:13 - 1:54:15)
we don't all agree sometimes,

[Speaker 1] (1:54:15 - 1:54:16)
we even fight in public sometimes,

[Speaker 1] (1:54:16 - 1:54:24)
but democracy is messy and the decisions and the conversations that affect us most are happening right here between neighbors,

[Speaker 1] (1:54:24 - 1:54:26)
in public meetings, and at the voting booth.

[Speaker 1] (1:54:27 - 1:54:35)
What I promise to you is good governance and solid engagement to offer a skill set that complements the other select board members as we face these challenging issues.

[Speaker 1] (1:54:36 - 1:54:38)
Leadership is not just about making choices,

[Speaker 1] (1:54:38 - 1:54:45)
it's about asking the right questions and paving a direction forward that takes experience and a problem-solving mindset.

[Speaker 1] (1:54:46 - 1:54:52)
I promise to listen and encourage you to exercise your voice because all politics really is local.

[Speaker 1] (1:54:53 - 1:54:56)
And I would be honored to earn your vote on the 28th. Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (1:54:56 - 1:54:57)
Thank you

[Speaker 5] (1:54:59 - 1:55:03)
Thank you. Thank you everyone for being here and thank you to the other candidates for sharing their visions. And again,

[Speaker 5] (1:55:03 - 1:55:08)
I want to echo something I said before, which is it really is a refreshing election where

[Speaker 5] (1:55:08 - 1:55:16)
There's no you're either this or you're that or this or you're that I'm very happy for that for us as a community and also It makes it a little easier for all of us sitting up here

[Speaker 5] (1:55:17 - 1:55:27)
But thank you again for being here. I appreciate your time energy and conviction to this town I think you know when my wife and I moved here and started settling down We said I don't know if Swampscot's great.

[Speaker 5] (1:55:27 - 1:55:33)
We don't know anybody and we don't really know I'd never been to the North Shore until I bought a house here and

[Speaker 5] (1:55:34 - 1:55:37)
Was my skepticism wrong?

[Speaker 5] (1:55:37 - 1:55:38)
This town is amazing.

[Speaker 5] (1:55:39 - 1:55:40)
The heritage of this town,

[Speaker 5] (1:55:40 - 1:55:41)
the history of this town.

[Speaker 5] (1:55:41 - 1:55:45)
We were the fishing capital of the North Shore up until a mere four or five decades ago.

[Speaker 5] (1:55:46 - 1:55:48)
We have so much to be proud of.

[Speaker 5] (1:55:48 - 1:55:50)
We have so much to be proud of.

[Speaker 5] (1:55:51 - 1:55:53)
Most importantly, one of the things that I'm most proud of.

[Speaker 5] (1:55:54 - 1:55:59)
is that there are so many people here that care about this community,

[Speaker 5] (1:55:59 - 1:56:01)
that care about our government,

[Speaker 5] (1:56:01 - 1:56:03)
they care about our beaches,

[Speaker 5] (1:56:03 - 1:56:05)
they care about our open space,

[Speaker 5] (1:56:05 - 1:56:07)
they care about each other.

[Speaker 5] (1:56:07 - 1:56:14)
And that is the community that we have chosen to call home for our family and that I am so proud to be raising my kids in.

[Speaker 5] (1:56:15 - 1:56:18)
I am excited to be running for Select Board because

[Speaker 5] (1:56:20 - 1:56:21)
We have so many opportunities ahead.

[Speaker 5] (1:56:21 - 1:56:24)
We have so many opportunities ahead.

[Speaker 5] (1:56:24 - 1:56:36)
And I am so humbled at the mere chance to take part in helping set a direction for the next few years that my kids can grow up and hopefully someday raise their families in Swampscott,

[Speaker 5] (1:56:36 - 1:56:39)
where the community cares just as much as our community does here today.

[Speaker 5] (1:56:39 - 1:56:42)
So the only two things that I haven't had a chance to touch on tonight,

[Speaker 5] (1:56:42 - 1:56:50)
I am 100% pro beach bonfire, which is going to come up in town meeting this year, 100% pro beach bonfire, no questions asked.

[Speaker 5] (1:56:51 - 1:56:51)
Anyway,

[Speaker 5] (1:56:51 - 1:56:52)
if you want to learn more,

[Speaker 5] (1:56:53 - 1:56:55)
dually number four, Swampscot.com.

[Speaker 5] (1:56:55 - 1:57:02)
Really appreciate your time tonight and I would appreciate one of your votes on April 28th. Thank you very much for being here.

[Speaker 4] (1:57:03 - 1:57:04)
Thank you.

[Speaker 6] (1:57:07 - 1:57:11)
Guys, what's in front of us is not easy.

[Speaker 6] (1:57:12 - 1:57:28)
I can tell you one thing, that if we prioritise we don't we don't take topics individually in a vacuum. Whether it's the Hawthorne or whether it's the Glover or whether it's the Rail Trail, all of these are equally important. We've all voted on them they were all they're all our priority.

[Speaker 6] (1:57:28 - 1:57:34)
What we have to do is we have to realize in which order are our priorities set,

[Speaker 6] (1:57:34 - 1:57:38)
which are the most attainable, which have the most funding available through various means.

[Speaker 6] (1:57:39 - 1:57:47)
I do for a living what we need to do as a town, and I'm offering that and the pay is really great.

[Speaker 6] (1:57:47 - 1:57:48)
I just,

[Speaker 6] (1:57:48 - 1:57:50)
I'm astounded by what we get.

[Speaker 6] (1:57:52 - 1:57:55)
I'm half joking, but I'm really not because

[Speaker 6] (1:57:56 - 1:58:02)
When you humbly offer your services and your commitment and your mind and your heart and your soul,

[Speaker 6] (1:58:02 - 1:58:05)
it comes across and people know it.

[Speaker 6] (1:58:05 - 1:58:06)
They see it,

[Speaker 6] (1:58:06 - 1:58:06)
they feel it.

[Speaker 6] (1:58:08 - 1:58:09)
That's what I'm doing tonight.

[Speaker 6] (1:58:09 - 1:58:12)
I don't have anything in front of me. It's coming right out of here.

[Speaker 6] (1:58:13 - 1:58:18)
I promise you that what I've done and what I've said tonight is the truth and the whole truth.

[Speaker 6] (1:58:18 - 1:58:21)
I don't think that we're missing an opportunity.

[Speaker 6] (1:58:21 - 1:58:25)
Everything that we said we want to do as a community is worth doing.

[Speaker 6] (1:58:26 - 1:58:31)
Now we need to prioritize that and we need to realize that if we work together we can get this done.

[Speaker 6] (1:58:32 - 1:58:42)
For example, on the UV system for handling the contamination at the beach,

[Speaker 6] (1:58:42 - 1:58:44)
I voted against that,

[Speaker 6] (1:58:44 - 1:58:47)
not because I didn't believe that it would work. I did.

[Speaker 6] (1:58:48 - 1:58:50)
But why didn't I want to spend the $300,000?

[Speaker 6] (1:58:51 - 1:58:59)
Because I asked a question. The question was, where are you going to site the UV system once you've proven that it works?

[Speaker 6] (1:58:59 - 1:58:59)
Where are you going to put it?

[Speaker 6] (1:59:00 - 1:59:00)
And the answer was,

[Speaker 6] (1:59:00 - 1:59:01)
we don't know.

[Speaker 6] (1:59:02 - 1:59:04)
And I said, why would I test drive a car I'm not going to buy?

[Speaker 1] (1:59:05 - 1:59:20)
Why am I going to spend three hundred thousand of your money for a test that's that's going to wind up without a place to put it? So those things and I've got any charlieforchains.org, thank you, it'll be live tomorrow.

[Speaker 2] (1:59:22 - 1:59:26)
Thank you so much to our candidates for coming out tonight,

[Speaker 2] (1:59:26 - 1:59:33)
and thank you so much for our audience for being here to listen to them. And again,

[Speaker 2] (1:59:33 - 1:59:39)
thank you so much for our readers at the Daily Item and readers at the Swampscott Tides for keeping journalism alive,

[Speaker 2] (1:59:39 - 1:59:42)
and good luck on April 20th.

[Speaker 1] (1:59:42 - 1:59:43)
Thank you.