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Part 1 - Addressing Our Community’s Needs for Affordable Housing

I believe, as many do, that making housing affordable in Williamstown is one our top priorities. I have helped take concrete steps towards this goal by service on the Board of Directors of the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity (see Part 3 below), and as the current Chair of the Williamstown Affordable Housing Trust (AHT).

The AHT is working on the following initiatives, all of which have direct impact on the ability of families to find affordable living in Williamstown. If you have any questions about these programs, please contact the Affordable Housing Trust.

Several years ago, the Trust established the Richard DeMayo Mortgage Assistance Program which gives grants to prospective income-qualified first-time homeowners in Williamstown. This program provides financial assistance to first-time home buyers for items like down payments or closing costs, which are often a barrier to people wanting to buy their first home. To date, this program has helped 21 families buy their first home.
Continued support of the Williamstown Emergency Rental Assistance Program (WERAP) and the Williamstown Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (WEMAP). Both programs are administered by the Berkshire Housing Development Corporation. WERAP was developed in mid-2020 and has provided 23 grants to aid 18 income-qualified Williamstown families hurt financially by the pandemic. WEMAP was created in 2021 to provide similar help to Williamstown homeowners and has awarded 2 grants so far. To date, the AHT has funded $116,000 in assistance under the WERAP/WEMAP programs.

Support of the Grange property proposal. The Grange project, which would provide 4 affordable housing units out of a total of 16 units, is still early in its permitting stage. The Affordable Housing Trust might provide funds to assist the buyers of the affordable units.
Initial conversations with Williamstown Rural Lands about possible collaboration on projects to use land for both agriculture or open space and housing.
Coordination with other Affordable Housing Trusts: Pittsfield just established its first AHT and asked for sharing of our experiences in Williamstown, so I made a presentation on our programs and history to the recently-formed Pittsfield AHT. Similarly, along with my colleague Tom Sheldon, I participated in a group meeting of the five Berkshire County AHTs in March 2023 to learn from each other and to hear from experts in the field. Also, as President of the Massachusetts Select Board Association, I organized and hosted a webinar in March 2023 on how AHT’s can be used to advance the availability of affordable housing.

Part 2 - Initiating Real Estate Tax Relief for Low-Income Seniors

I originated and drafted a proposal to provide greater property tax exemptions for senior homeowners with limited income and assets. This proposal will be on Williamstown’s Annual Town Meeting Warrant for May 2013, and I urge you to vote in favor.

The Town adopted an exemption program for seniors many years ago, but has not updated it to increase the exemption and to allow the exemption to be available for more struggling senior homeowners. The Town currently allows a limited property tax exemption for homeowners over age 70 so long as their income and assets are below certain levels. The statutory basis for this exemption is called 41C; the statutory reference is MGL c. 59, Section 5, Clause 41C. The statute allows these eligibility requirements and the amount of the exemption to be expanded by vote of Town Meeting, within limits set out in the statute. In addition, Clause 41D allows the limitations on income and assets to be modified annually based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as determined by the US Department of Labor.

The Affordable Housing Trust, at its meeting of December 21, 2022, supported the expansions of the eligibility requirements, the increase in the exemption and the tying to annual increases in the CPI. These adjustments would aid economically challenged senior homeowners in our town. State law restricts our ability to increase the eligibility requirements, but the warrant article aims to give the maximum support allowed. For example, for married couples, the proposal would increase the eligibility based on assets from $30,000 to $55,000, and the income limits from $15,000 to $30,000. These limits would grow automatically based on increases in the CPI. The age of eligibility would go from 70 to 65 and the amount of the exemption would go from $500 to $1,000. These changes would help some seniors be able to afford their homes.

Part 3 - Assisting Veterans and Low-Income Families through Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity. I served on the Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity board of directors for four years. I was attracted to this organization because it goes beyond general advocacy and conversations about need – it actually leads to the creation of affordable housing. The focus of our work was on the permitting, development and fundraising for two affordable houses at the corner of Cole Avenue and Maple Street. One was completed in 2021 and the second is on schedule to be completed this year. The plan is to then build two more houses on Summer Street on property bought by the Williamstown Affordable Housing Trust several years ago.

Habitat Veterans Program. One of my key projects at Habitat was negotiating and establishing a fund specifically designed to assist veterans with their housing needs. When the Turner House for Veterans was winding down its affairs, I met with the directors and was able to have a significant portion of its remaining assets transferred to Habitat to be used primarily to continue the Turner House mission of helping qualified veterans on housing matters. One of the features of the program is to conduct six months of diligent outreach to veterans every year, and I did that work. If you know a veteran with housing needs, including small repairs, please have them contact Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity to see if they can help.

Part 4 - Advocating to Improve our Public Schools

Each of my three daughters attended WES and Mt. Greylock and my wife Anne and I spent significant amounts of time on school projects over the course of many years. The schools are a central part of our community and I have been continuing to advocate for them.

Mt. Greylock Building Committee. In 2005, I was asked by the then-Chair of the School Committee to be the Chair of the Building Committee, and I did so for its first five years. The Massachusetts School Building Authority was new, so we had to push our way through a new bureaucracy trying to decide how it would work and how it would prioritize financial support to many applicants. During my tenure, we did the first feasibility study which served as the groundwork documentation of the needs of the building. We also filed the first two applications for funding, and were told we had to wait until more needy schools were addressed. Our successors continued this work, and as our school moved up the priority list were able to achieve the long-desired goal of the wonderful facility we have today.

My work for our school, and all rural schools, continues today through my position on the Local Government Advisory Commission (LGAC), a statewide commission of municipal officials that meets most months with the Lieutenant Governor and Department Secretaries to advocate for our needs across the state. I have several times spoken out for various issues including for more rural school aid and more funding for the costs of regional school transportation.

Rural School Aid. Rural schools like the Mt. Greylock Regional School District face challenges by having relatively small numbers of students and communities with limited abilities to raise taxes, so state aid is essential to running our schools. A 2018 study by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) showed these challenges, such as the fact that rural schools spend $2,000 more per pupil than non-rural schools.

About three years ago, a special account for rural schools was initially set up for a few million dollars, that last year grew to $5.5 million. This is woefully short of what is needed. The July 2022 report of the Special Commission on Rural School Districts found that the true funding for the Rural School Aid account should be $60 Million. I will continue to advocate for more. With the current school funding formula driven by student headcounts, Rural School Aid is a lifeline to assist these communities and make sure that our schools can keep pace with the rest of Massachusetts.

Increased Funding for Regional School Transportation. The costs of transportation for regional schools is an issue across the state. These schools also include rural school districts like ours which are less dense, are losing population, and are less able to raise taxes. The DESE study in 2018 showed rural schools spend 50% more on transportation per pupil than rest of the state. The final FY23 budget level funded Regional School Transportation at $82.1 million for all regional schools, the same as in FY22. This amounts to 85% of DESE’s projected claims for FY23, shortchanging all regional school districts, both rural and non-rural. I hope to continue to use my position to argue for more.

Part 5 - Addressing our Transportation Needs Through Local, Regional, and State Advocacy

I have been a member of two organizations which have given me opportunities to advocate for the transportation needs of Williamstown and for rural Massachusetts more generally.

Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The Berkshire County MPO is a federally-mandated organization designed to review and approve transportation plans for the county. I served as the delegate or alternate to the MPO from Northern Berkshire towns for about six years. In addition to reviewing road projects across the county, I was particularly vocal about the need to design and build the bike path that now runs from Route 7 by Syndicate Road and through the Spruces. This was a multi-year advocacy effort, during which I organized two rounds of extensive public comment that showed enormous support in favor of building the path – a practice uncommon in MPO proceedings.

Governor’s Commission on the Future of Transportation in Massachusetts. The Future of Transportation Commission was established in 2018 and given a one-year mandate to make recommendations to the Governor on a range of transportation issues facing the state. Notably, the original announcement of the membership did not include anyone from Western or rural Massachusetts other than the director of the Pioneer Valley Regional Transit Agency. Our Legislators pointed this omission out to the Governor, who kindly agreed to amend his executive order to add a Western Massachusetts representative. I got a call out of the blue to be that representative, and I did. It gave me the opportunity to make sure the report included a number of recommendations including better local road funding, better passenger train service and more funding for the regional organizations such as the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority.

Northern Tier Rail Service. The state DOT is undertaking a feasibility study on restoring passenger rail service from North Adams through Greenfield to Boston. The economic benefits are clear, but at this stage the task is to make sure we have a good analysis. I have spoken up at the public meetings to advocate that estimates on passengers should include populations in southern New Hampshire and Vermont so we can get a better picture of potential ridership. I have also asked that scenarios for service include data on visitors to our cultural institutions such as Mass MOCA, The Clark, the Williams College Museum of Art and the Williamstown Theater Festival. Train service that varies by season or is scheduled around events might help increase ridership income. Although much attention is being paid to the East-West Rail study that would provide much improved rail service to Pittsfield, I believe the expense and infrastructure challenges to that project could mean many years of delay. By contrast, restoring simple passenger line along the existing Northern Tier line could be done more quickly and at a fraction of the expense.

Part 6 - Advocating for Rural and Western Massachusetts at the State Level

I have used my position as a Williamstown Select Board member to be part of state-wide efforts to advocate for the interests of rural towns like Williamstown throughout Massachusetts. This year I am President of the Massachusetts Select Board Association (MSA), the state-wide organization for all Massachusetts towns. For several years I have been on the Board of Directors of the MSA as well as of the parent organization, the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA). I have used these positions to speak up for rural towns throughout the state, which share many common problems with Williamstown. Some of the topics on which I have advocated include:

Rural school aid
Transportation funding for regional schools

Increased funding for local road projects

Increased payments by the state to compensate for the loss of revenue due to state ownership of land
Modifying state funding formulas, often based on population or jobs, to remove the bias against small towns

For several years I have been a member of the Local Government Advisory Commission (LGAC). The LGAC is a Massachusetts Commission which advises the governor on issues facing municipalities, including towns like Williamstown. We meet with the Lieutenant Governor and Cabinet officials for most months of the year. In the Commission meetings, I have addressed small town needs such as those noted above.

As part of my MSA duties, I have organized educational and advocacy programs on behalf of Massachusetts towns, and so are highly relevant to issues we face in Williamstown. These include three summits on Western and Rural Massachusetts, bringing together state administration and legislative leaders to hear from our rural constituents and to tell us what they are doing for us. Past summits have covered:

· the impacts of police reform on small town police forces

· access to federal funding programs

· regionalization of services

· housing affordability, and

· paying for public infrastructure

The most recent summit was just held on April 1, 2023 and included a presentation by Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, State Auditor Diane DiZoglio and team of legislative leaders on rural initiatives. I have also recently organized and moderated webinars on items particularly relevant to Williamstown, including changing town charters and how to make the best use of Affordable Housing Trusts.

Advocacy for Director of Rural Affairs. As part of my work with the MSA, I and others have advocated for the establishment of a new position in the Administration dedicated to focus on rural affairs such as those facing Williamstown. In early March, the Governor announced the creation of the new position of Director of Rural Affairs. At our Western and Rural Massachusetts summit in early April, we had a separate session devoted to gathering recommendations on what the scope of that position should be to make it most effective for rural Massachusetts. In mid-April I met with the new Secretary of Economic Development to outline our goals and priorities for this new position.

Liaison to Rural Policy Advisory Commission (RPAC). The RPAC was established several years ago to advise the governor and legislature on rural policy issues. I am not a member of RPAC, but have been the MSA liaison to it for several years and have attended most of the meetings in that time. The RPAC has made policy recommendations on a broad variety of topics relevant to rural communities and I have been an active participant in those efforts. The RPAC was cosponsor of the three rural summits mentioned above.

Part 7 - Helping to Transform the Loss of the Spruces into a Positive Community Resource

I was a Member and Chair of the Spruces Land Use Committee, which was charged with developing a plan for the Spruces in the aftermath of the tragedy of Hurricane Irene. This loss had a great impact on the residents and across our entire community and we should continue to keep that loss in our minds. In furtherance of this, in 2021, I organized and hosted a memorial service for the 10th anniversary of the losses caused by Hurricane Irene, and arranged for the commemorative sign there to be installed.

Since housing is no longer possible at the Spruces, we have turned our attention to other possible uses of the site. We developed the first conceptual master plan for the Spruces. We also arranged for the CPA application for the funding and placement of the picnic tables and kiosks that are there. I took the lead in writing the history of the Spruces which is on the kiosk, with generous help from Sarah Currie of the Williamstown Historical Museum.

As noted in the Transportation section of this website, for many years I advocated for the bike path that is now widely enjoyed by community members of all ages. Members of the community enjoy the open space and are interested in preserving and enhancing its ecological values. Although I am still interested in studying whether the front of the park can be modified to install a playing field to address our shortage of fields, it appears for now that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is posing expensive and regulatory obstacles to that use. Future plans for the Spruces will require accommodation of competing interests, and I believe we are capable of reconciling those interests.

Part 8 - Making our Local Government More Responsive, Effective, and Fair for All Members of our Community

I am motivated to make sure local government works well and brings a thoughtful and fair approach to serving the residents. A list of my past positions is attached, but for now I just want to note a few recent efforts to having our government be understandable, effective and well-designed.

Select Board Handbook. With the support and collaboration of my Select Board colleagues, I took the lead in preparing a Guide to the Williamstown Select Board, finalized in May 2021. I felt the operations of the Board were not always well understood by the public, and sometimes not even by ourselves, and it would be good for the public to have the guide as a resource. It has as attachments a few informal guidance documents we have developed over the course of several years.

Charter Review Committee. My colleague Jeff Johnson and I are co-chairing the first Charter Review Committee since the Charter was adopted in 1956. There is no particular agenda driving this effort, other than that we as a town have not reflected on our form of government for many decades. We have discussed, or will soon discuss, issues such as:

· should there be one or two Town Meetings

· should Town Meeting remain in the open format versus changing to a representative Town Meeting

· should we keep the strong Town Manager form of government

· should there be provisions for term limits or recall

· should we make any changes in which boards are elected versus appointed, and

· should the charter require periodic formal review

We developed a community survey which went out this month with the tax bills to all real property owners. In order the catch the opinions of tenants, I went through different town databases and came up with about 600 tenant names and addresses which also were mailed the survey. The plan is to have any recommended changes ready for voting at Town Meeting in May 2024.

HR Manual for Town Employees. One of the shortcomings that arose out of the Williamstown Police Department controversy that surfaced in 2020 was that our HR Manual had not been updated in years. With the support of my colleagues, I prepared a scope of work for this effort and identified possible firms to do the work. The selected firm began work in early 2021 and presented a draft report in 2022. I personally spent many hours going over the manual making clarifications and corrections, as well as adding a statement about our commitment diversity, equity and inclusion, and to having a fair and respectful workplace. We also added a much more detailed policy on social media and on conducting investigations for violations of the manual.

Employee Training. Some of the work I was doing revealed that we did not do much training on DEI issues other than what was in regulatory required training. Jeff Johnson and I set out to fill that gap. We interviewed several people on what training was available and recommended, and talked to several vendors of on-line programs. We successfully found a vendor and they were retained to give training to all town employees and all Select Board members. That training has been completed.

HR Director Scope of Work. Similarly, when the opportunity arose for Williamstown to share a Human Resources Director with the City of North Adams and the Town of Adams, I applauded the effort as a way to get us a much-needed HR resource and to promote shared services, as I often do. I also added a provision in the job description that the position should promote programs and activities to ensure equal opportunity access to all individuals, and that the workplace recognizes and implements principles of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). That position was filled recently and their work is underway.

Part 9 - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - My Work Implementing Article 37

In Part 8, I have outlined my efforts to make sure we have a town government that meets our standards on diversity, equity and inclusion. These efforts include (1) the finalization of the HR Manual, (2) the performance of an HR Audit, (3) the provision of training and (4) modifying the scope of our shared HR Director work to include coverage of these elements of a good government. My additional efforts are set out below:

Town Meeting Approved Article 37 on the 2021 warrant, which generally called upon all boards and committees to include consideration of minorities and the underserved in their deliberations and to write quarterly reports. It quickly became apparent that most boards and committees did not know how to implement Article 37 or prepare the periodic reports. To help address this issue, I called a meeting of the relevant chairpersons in the fall of 2021 to explore how the various bodies could consider the issues. The meeting identified that one tool that might be useful would be a template for reporting, so I prepared a template and circulated to the group.

I also started to write Article 37 reports myself for the committees on which I served. I have written six Article 37 reports, three for the Select Board and three for the Affordable Housing Trust. These are all posted publicly on the respective webpages.

Code of Conduct. As I was working on the HR Manual, I realized that we had no comparable code of conduct applicable to the members of our town boards and committees. After consulting with my colleagues on the Select Board, I prepared an initial draft and then, after more suggestions, a second draft. That draft is now out for comment by board and committee members.

Part 10 - Summary of My Public Service and Community Engagement: Both Within Williamstown and On Broader Regional and Statewide Initiatives

Williamstown, MA, Select Board: Member 2014 to present, Chair 2016-2017, 2021-2022

Williamstown, MA Other Offices:

· Charter Review Committee, Co-Chair 2022-present

· Affordable Housing Trust, 2020-present, Chair 2022 to present

· Economic Development Committee, Secretary 2015

· Public Safety Building Study Committee 2014-2019, Chair 2016-2019

· Spruces Land Use Committee 2015 to present, Chair 2018-2021

· Ad Hoc Broadband Working Group, Facilitator 2015-2022

· Ad Hoc Open Space and Recreation Plan Review Committee, Member 2017

· Finance Committee, Member 2011-2014, Chair 2014

· Planning Board, Member 2008-2011

· Conservation Commission, Member 2005-2008

Mt. Greylock Regional School District, Williamstown MA, Building Committee Chair 2005-2010

Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, Board Member 2018 to 2022

Massachusetts Municipal Association 2018 to present:

· President of Massachusetts Select Board Association for 2023

· MMA and MSA board of directors

· Member of Local Government Advisory Commission

· Liaison to Rural Policy Advisory Commission

· Policy Committee on Municipal and Regional Administration

· MSA Select Board Handbook Update Working Group 2022-present

· A lead organizer of three Western and Rural Massachusetts municipal conferences

Governors’ Future of Transportation Commission, Representative from Western Massachusetts 2018

Berkshire Metropolitan Planning Organization: Delegate/Alternate 2014 to 2022

Berkshire County Selectmen’s Association: Board Member 2017 to present, President 2018-2021