00:00:14,439 S1: Hello, my name is Jane, and I'm on the steering committee with the League of Women Voters for Hamilton Women. The league is a non-partisan political organization which encourages informed and active participation in government. This league has hosted a candidates night for more than 60 years. Our goal for Candidates Night is to provide an opportunity for candidates in contested town elections, to introduce themselves, and to provide voters with information that will help them make informed decisions at the upcoming local election. This is the first of two forums covering the contested races for Hamilton and Wenham. For this forum, we will be hearing from the candidates for the Hamilton Town Moderator and the Hamilton Select board for each office, there's only one position available and two candidates running. Now, I'd like to introduce our moderator, Amy Smith. Amy's on the board of the League of Women Voters of the North Shore. She lives in Georgetown, where she serves on that town's historical commission and Open Space Committee. This is the fourth year that Amy's generously volunteered her services as our moderator, and we are very grateful for her help. I'll now hand this forum over to Amy. 00:01:30,719 S2: Good evening. Tonight we will be introducing you to the two candidates for the Hamilton Town Moderator position and two candidates for the Hamilton Select Board. The forum rules are as follows. You will each have two minutes for an opening statement. Two minutes to answer each question and two minutes for your closing statement. The timer will start at the beginning of your speaking time and can be seen in Gallery View. The timer background will turn yellow when you have 15 seconds left in your allotted time, and turns red when the timer has reached two minutes. Taking the entire allotted time for each response is optional, but going beyond it is not due to time hour time limitations. We will start in alphabetical order and alternate thereafter. Who answers first? At this time, I'd like to invite the Hamilton Town Moderator candidates to make their opening statements, and we will start with Bill bowler. 00:02:31,050 S3: Thank you. Um, I'm Bill bowler. Thank you to the league for hosting this, uh, candidates night. I've lived in Hamilton since 1986. I've been involved in, uh, various town, uh, positions for 35 years, and I've been town moderator since 2018. Um, open town meeting, um, is the most pure democracy that we have. And, um, I will say that sometimes I actually when I think about that, I get goosebumps. Um, I believe I have the expertise, the experience and the temperament for the job, which I've done since 2018. Uh, I'm honored that I'll be the moderator. And this the 250th anniversary of our revolution. Uh, town meeting, if you've studied history at all, was extremely important in, uh, the revolution going forward. Uh, so right here on the North Shore. Um. 00:03:53,050 S3: If I'm Re-elected. This will be my last year. Uh, but I've enjoyed it thoroughly. And, uh, 00:04:05,300 S3: thank you very much. 00:04:08,659 S2: Thank you. Next to give an opening statement is Sean Farrell. 00:04:15,780 S4: Uh, hello and good evening, everyone. I'm Sean Farrell. Um, first, I'd like to thank the League of Women Voters. Uh, and everyone who helped organize tonight's candidate night. Um, I'm running for town moderator in Hamilton. Uh, I've been involved in Hamilton town government for about 16 or 17 years now. Probably. Uh, I was on the select board for nine years. I've been in other various boards and committees. I'm currently on the CPC in Hamilton. Um, and I've run a lot of meetings over those years in Hamilton as a community that values participation, uh, respect and thoughtful decision making. Uh, town meeting is the heart of our local democracy. in the lottery's role is to ensure every voice is heard while keeping discussions fair, focused and productive. Uh, this role isn't about personal agendas. It's about fairness, clarity, and making sure the process works for everyone. I'm committed to applying the rules consistently. Maintaining focus of the meeting and fostering an environment where residents feel comfortable participating. Together, we can ensure our town meetings remain places where decisions are made thoughtfully and every voice is respected. If elected, I will uphold a clear and common excuse me consistent process and procedures encourage civil and just respectful dialogue, and run efficient meetings so residents can engage confidently on the issues that matter most. The moderators job is not to lead the conversation, but to guide it so that Hamilton's decisions truly reflect the will of its people. I'd be honored to serve and help preserve the integrity of the spirit of town meeting. Thank you. 00:05:52,310 S5: Thank you. 00:05:53,589 S2: And now to our first question. And this time, Mr. Farrell, you will be. You can answer first. What do you see as the primary responsibilities of the town moderator? And how would you ensure that the town meeting is conducted fairly and efficiently? 00:06:10,350 S4: Um, I think part of your question is part of the answer there. Fairly and efficiently. I think one of the big roles is to keep the meeting moving along, running efficiently, making sure people are being respectful and heard and that people are staying kind of within what we call the four corners. Um, of the whatever the warrant article is at hand, making sure people are on track and people are feeling heard, uh, and respectful. 00:06:41,069 S5: Thank you. 00:06:42,949 S2: Uh, next. Mr. bowler. Would you like me to repeat the question? 00:06:46,949 S3: Uh, no, I think I, I think I have it. Um. efficiency is important. Uh, we know that people today have many, many, uh, responsibilities. And town meeting is a weighty responsibility. But we need to move things along efficiently and respectfully. Uh, we we use the Hamilton like most. I would say the majority of towns and use town meeting time, which is a handbook of rules that govern the, uh, the, uh, the meeting and similar to Robert's Rules. Um, I try to keep things a little bit light when it's appropriate. Um, to, to to because I've found that I think that move helps to move things along and, uh, keep things respectful. Uh, so, um, the that's the, the major things that that the, uh, that the moderator does, the moderator also has to be totally neutral. Traditionally, the moderator did not vote except to break a tie. That somewhat changed with electronic voting, but I do not make my views on any issues public. Thank you. 00:08:30,230 S5: Thank you. 00:08:32,029 S2: On to our second question. And Mister Bowler, it's to you first. How would you handle situations where the town meeting becomes contentious or difficult to manage? 00:08:45,710 S3: Um, well, as I said, I do try to keep things light. It's not stand up, uh, spotlight. But I have been known to make a tell a joke and keep things get get a laugh. And I find that that that can help in the appropriate, 00:09:07,320 S3: uh, situation. I do have a gavel, which they use sparingly, but, uh, I just try to at the beginning of the meeting and sometimes in the middle of it, uh, reiterate that, uh, we're all citizens looking to do the same thing, which is run the town in a, in a, in an efficient way and for the benefit of all the citizens. And, uh, I've never had he checked anyone from a meeting, thankfully. But that's the ultimate sanction if someone is a particularly obstreperous. 00:10:01,440 S5: Thank you. 00:10:03,720 S2: Mr. Farrell. Would you like me to repeat the question? 00:10:06,840 S4: Uh, no, I think I've got it. Thank you. I mean, I hate to say ditto to what Bill said, but, you know, for the most part, I agree with Bill. All those things are good and kind of, um, calming a situation down. I think being clear with the kind of rules of town meeting and also working on different boards and chairing different things over time, um, I got really good at building consensus and letting people be heard. Um, but when a timely manner. Um, and so I think, um, having a timer clock, uh, telling people that they're getting close to their time, having people be respectful, reminding them of that. Kind of all go together with having a good, efficient and respectful town meeting. I think if you kind of treat everyone the same and fairly, everyone will kind of understand the way it should go. And we've all been going to town meeting for a long time, at least the people that kind of tend to show up and they know kind of the rules and regulations on how they behave when they're town meeting. And if there is a problem, you know, you can address it, as Bill said, and get some extra help to maybe calm the person down or remove them from the room. But we've really never had to do that. So thankfully we've never had to call in any help. We've just talked them down or said their time is up. 00:11:28,090 S5: Thank you. 00:11:29,889 S2: And then our third and final question, and this is to you, Mr. Farrell. First, what steps would you take to ensure that all voices are heard while keeping meetings productive and unscheduled? 00:11:42,610 S4: I think the kind of continue of the style that we have now, where we have the two microphones and people come up and speak for, I think, a three minute time. And then kind of as a moderator, you're kind of reading the room on how many people are coming up to talk to each side of the issue and trying to keep that as balanced as we can. Sometimes more people want to talk about one side than the other, but then we tend to move the question if it gets a little onerous on on one side. So, um, I think just kind of moving forward. Um, I lost my train of thought there was. Can you repeat the question to me again? Sorry. 00:12:19,250 S2: What steps would you take to ensure that all voices are heard while keeping meetings productive and unsafe? 00:12:23,929 S4: Okay, so I just think on the on that same note, um, having enough people come and understand the warrant articles ahead of us, um, on the agenda and making sure those groups that have those warrant articles or I don't want to call them special interest groups, but maybe, developers or project managers, etc. that we often have come in and talk to an article, get heard, and any opposition to that has kind of an equal voice to whatever that proposed warrant article is. 00:12:56,700 S5: Thank you. 00:12:57,980 S2: Mr. Bowler. 00:13:01,340 S2: Would you like me to repeat the question? 00:13:03,259 S3: Um, unmute. I'm unmuting myself. Uh, no, I think I have it. Um, I've worked, uh, in addition to the to the I agree with the the points that Mr. Farrell made. John made. Um, I've worked very hard with others in town hall, town administrator and the town clerk to do everything we can to, uh, make the meetings available and understandable to all citizens. We do have a, uh, you know, we have a section for people who are hearing impaired. So with, uh, closed captioning, um, we can make, uh, uh, accommodations for people who have, um, who who have, uh, disabilities of some sort. We do have to work within the stricture that under state law, to participate, fully participate in open town meeting, you need to be at the meeting. Um, so we, we, uh, try to get out the, the information on the website and do everything we can, um, to Inform people. I've spoken to the schools about getting a program going. Possibly to introduce students to town meeting. Um, and we'll see where that goes. But. 00:14:56,860 S5: Thank you. 00:14:58,740 S2: Now it's time for closing statements. And, Mr. Bowler, that's to you first. 00:15:04,740 S3: Okay. 00:15:07,779 S3: Okay. Uh, as I've said, um, I've been moderator for. I guess it's 7 or 8 years now. I enjoy it. Um, I think I'm, uh. I know the rules. Um, I think I know how to read the room. I'm sure, Mr. Farrell. Uh, Sean would make a fine town moderator. I just hope he has to wait another year. Um, I'd like to finish up, and, uh. 00:15:46,389 S3: That's pretty much it. Thank you. 00:15:50,110 S5: Thank you. 00:15:51,509 S2: Mr. Farrell. 00:15:52,990 S4: Uh, I'll be brief as well. Uh, first, I'd just like to thank Mr. Bowler for all his years of service, not just Tom moderator. Um, since I started kind of being involved in Hamilton town government bills kind of been a fixture. So just all those years of commitment and, uh, volunteerism. I really appreciate that. Um, for town moderator, I'd like to give it a go. Um, I when I got off the select board a handful of years ago, uh, I wanted to be moderator. And Bill and I have had a conversation kind of every year about was this the year that Bill was going to step down and, and I thought this year I'd throw my hat in the ring, uh, because I didn't know how much longer Bill would be doing it. So, uh, here I am. But I'd like to have the chance to run an efficient and respectful town meeting, if you'll let me. Thank you. 00:16:43,590 S5: Thank you. 00:16:46,110 S2: Now, at this time, I'd like to invite the Hamilton Selectboard candidates to make their opening statements. And miss Dale, you are up first. 00:17:01,789 S2: And you have to unmute yourself. 00:17:04,789 S5: Unmute. 00:17:05,390 S2: There we go. 00:17:06,069 S5: Thank you. 00:17:07,309 S2: Uh, yes. My name is Darcy Dale. Uh, my name will appear. 00:17:11,509 S6: On the ballot as my legal name, which is Darcy Dale. But first, before I start, I would like to also thank the League of Women Voters. And, um, I, I really think that they perform such a great service for the community. It's really important that people be able to hear what, um, what the, um, people who are running for office or stand for, and I've served the town since 2016. I had two back to back finance and advisory appointments. So I learned it's like a catbird seat. You really get to see how the town works and you learn about municipal finance, which is very important. And from there I went to the select board, which I served from 2019 until 2022 during the pandemic. And in fact, I did serve with Sean at that period of time. Um, I want to make sure that voices are heard. I want to also make sure that we do as much of the due diligence when something comes across the executive board, and we have to make some decisions. I want to make sure that we can answer the questions when people come to us and say, if we take this route, what does it mean for the town? What does it mean for our taxes? What does it mean for some of the processes that were involved in. So I want to make sure that we have a complete understanding of what it is that we're dealing with when we're asking people to, to vote or make a choice on something. And, um, I just I have a deep desire to serve, and I hope that I get I would be honored to be voted in to the select Board. Thank you. 00:19:04,480 S5: Thank you. 00:19:06,200 S2: Mr. McCoy. 00:19:08,039 S7: Thank you. Good evening. And thank you to Jane, the League of Women Voters, and Amy for hosting and moderating tonight's forum. These forums have been invaluable in helping me and many others better understand the candidates and the issues facing the town of Hamilton. My name is Lee McCoy. I live in the downtown neighborhood with my wife, our two daughters, and our dog. Our eldest is at the middle school and our youngest is at Winthrop, and our dog has shown very little aptitude or interest in any type of education, so he stays home. I am brand new to politics. This is my first run for elected office, and while I don't have the level of experience that others in town have, I'm a quick learner, a consensus builder, and a strong believer in the power of community to help us tackle the challenges ahead. My family chose Hamilton very intentionally for its excellent schools, its connection to the commuter rail, and its charm and natural beauty. When we first visited, we loved seeing kids riding their bikes around the neighborhood and playing at the beautiful parks. We hope this would be a town with a great sense of community and we have not been disappointed. I feel a real sense of responsibility to give back to a town that has welcomed us so openly. Professionally, I spent the first 15 years of my career as an ecologist and the federal government, first with the USDA Agricultural Research Service and then with the National Park Service. Today, I am a senior data scientist at Pfizer, where I use data to help ensure the products we create are safe and effective. Since arriving, we've been impressed by the time and energy people devote to sustaining this community. From small acts of kindness between neighbors to the extraordinary commitment of so many volunteers in our own neighborhood, we've tried to build on that spirit by hosting more than 20 community events, some with over 150 neighbors and friends. I will bring a collaborative, practical, and data driven approach to decision making, balancing what we value with what we can afford. I will respect the time and energy of volunteers, and I will ensure all of my decisions are thoughtful, transparent, and ecologically responsible. Thank you. 00:21:08,970 S2: Thank you. And for our first question, that's to you, Mr. McCoy. First, how would you approach balancing the town's budget while maintaining essential services and managing the tax burden on residents? 00:21:24,769 S7: Sure. Um, that is a is going to be a huge issue, obviously. Um, one of the things we need to do is increase our tax base. Um, and this is the challenge that we've been tackling for many years. I'm not an expert on ways to increase our tax base. I will need to work closely with advocates to identify the most effective way to increase our tax base in Hamilton. However, I have a few ideas. First is related to accessory dwelling units. Um, working with groups that help homeowners through this process. Inviting them to town, uh, giving informational meetings to help people understand how to to work on on bringing those in also. Uh, working on, uh, building senior or age limited housing, like at the patent homestead. And actually to use is a way that can can serve to help with that as well. And the and the third is to increase focus on business development. And so um, this might look like identifying what kind of businesses tend to thrive in small towns. Making sure that we understand what kind of services are lacking in our immediate area, and then trying to identify the types of businesses that can thrive. And I think through increasing our tax base and being really thoughtful, bringing people together to understand what their challenges are with their with their taxes and and with the things that they prioritize. I think that we can work together to come up with a plan to balance our budget and make sure that we maintain our essential services in the town. 00:23:02,220 S8: Thank you. 00:23:03,859 S2: Miss Dale. 00:23:05,099 S6: Yes, thank you for that question. Um, I believe the town and I know, and I, I not only believe it, I know it. The town is very well run right now. I know that they have made efforts to do some regional sizing, and that has helped a bit with some of the expenses, because when you share expenses, the costs go down for every town. But I think what we really need to do is think about how we can work with the schools, perhaps to maybe this is just a suggestion. Have our finance and advisory boards for Hamilton and Wenham find a way to talk to the school committee so that they can find common ground. And from there, we might be able to come up with some ideas on how best to, um, make sure that the schools are are getting what they need, but also that they have capital planning. They might need some help with that. Um, uh, you know, things like long term solutions that we have to make sure we have the money for. If we plan ahead, we we would be able to bring some of those costs in line. But it's going to take a group effort and it's going to take, I believe, some action and, um, um, collaboration with the finance and advisory committees in both towns. I did say that the town is very well run. It's it's really hard to see where we're going to make any cuts, uh, cuts that the only cuts that are left to make really cut into central services. So that's another thing that we'll have to talk about. There's a lot to think about. Thank you. 00:25:00,630 S2: Thank you. Uh, next question and it's to you first, miss Dale, if elected, what principles would guide your decisions regarding the MBTA Communities Act? Section three a implementation and future housing development in Hamilton. 00:25:19,509 S6: I think. Oh. I'm sorry. Were you. 00:25:21,670 S2: Good? It's a long question. Okay. Also balancing local priorities, community character, infrastructure capacity and resident concerns. 00:25:30,910 S8: Mhm. 00:25:31,670 S6: Well right now I'm serving on the planning board and we've gone through a couple of exercises where we, we have um thought about all those things. And I believe that as far as the three A goes it's already all set. We don't really have to do much more than what we've already done. But I believe Hamilton has done a terrific job in getting, um, the low income housing and affordable housing, um, set in town. I think we've done a tremendous job, and we're going to continue doing that. I to serve with Shawn on the CPC, and we have like a quarter of $1 million that's in in escrow. I guess we could call it just waiting for the next project for housing to come up. So I think the town has done a very good job. I'd like to see us continue on that, on that vein. And, um, I just think if we can find common ground again, there's that phrase, common ground. If we can find common ground and work together, we should be able to do everything that we need to do to make sure people have housing. And, um, you know, we have the low income housing, we have the affordable housing, and we certainly have high income housing. So I think we've got a good mix. And I just think we have to keep our eyes on the prize and keep working together. Thank you. 00:27:03,000 S2: Thank you, Mr. McCoy. And would you like to repeat the question? I'm sure if elected, what principles would guide your decisions regarding the MBTA Communities Act implementation and future housing and development in Hamilton, while also balancing local priorities community character, infrastructure, capacity and resident concerns. 00:27:26,519 S7: Okay, absolutely. As Darcy mentioned, uh, three A is uh, has gone through and we, uh, that was something that I supported. I thought that that was a really good thing for our town. The entire country has an affordable housing problem. And to me, this means that our state, our region and our town also has an affordable housing problem and a responsibility to address it at each of those levels. We are a town that is primarily attractive to young families. This increases our cost of education without a commissary increase in taxes to support them. And of course, building more housing has implications for water transportation and the character of the town. But we as humans have been solving these kinds of issues since the beginning of time. Solving these problems will take creative solutions and will change our town. But with proactive planning, much as three A has in place, we can tackle these issues providing more housing and maintaining the character of this of our small town. I believe we have already taken a project to start with two solutions, both with the accessory dwelling units that provide income for families and proof housing options and contribute to the tax base. We have also proactively acted to ensure that any building that does happen fits the character of the town, using form based code and the downtown overlay districts, which provide guidance for maintaining the charm of our town while allowing for increased density. Thank you. 00:28:50,890 S2: Thank you. And for our last question, and it's to you first, Mr. McCoy, how can the town improve its efforts to bring together diverse communities, address their needs and help all residents feel self feel safe and supportive? 00:29:07,369 S8: Okay. 00:29:08,329 S7: Actually, this is a topic that I am very interested in. I think we have a huge potential to take better advantage of the expertise and hard work of the people in our community. Working together to solve problems and improve our town leads to a sense of community and a real sense of civic pride. I would like for the town to actively promote and embrace these opportunities. Whether this is people helping with beautification projects, the implementation of the Patent Park Master plan, or offering their professional expertise, we should have a mechanism that allows these people to help make our town a better place. Um, I my understanding is, is that oftentimes the town turns down these sorts of opportunities due to liability or conflict of interest sort of things. And I would like for us to embrace the opportunity to take advantage of these opportunities and allow people to work together to, to make the town a better place. 00:30:06,450 S2: Thank you, miss Dale. 00:30:09,049 S6: Yes, thank you for that question. Um, I believe that we have a wonderful little town. I know people work together. They are committed in what they do. Once they make that commitment. And I, I really think that there's enough common ground and another form of common ground so that we can work together to achieve these things. One thing I'm really excited about is that our new town hall will be opening, and on the second floor we're going to have some community space. That's where we will have all our meetings, but we can also use that space for other things. Community gatherings, maybe, um, you know, artists can put their art on the walls up there and have little mini, um, you know, art, art shows. I just I'm thinking of all these fun and engaging things that we could bring to the community. And now that it's going to be Ada compliant, meaning that everyone can get into the building and can go up and down the floors as they please. I just am very, very excited about having that space because Hamilton doesn't have any community space other than the park. We don't have, you know, the community centers belong. It's a private organization and the schools, we can't rely on the schools all the time for our spaces. So I'm really excited about the town hall being for everyone, and I think we're going to see some creative use of that space on the second floor, and I'm looking forward to that. Thank you. 00:31:54,779 S2: Thank you. And now it's time for closing statements. And, uh, miss Dale, you can start. 00:32:02,380 S6: Well, I would be very honored to be elected to the executive board of the town of Hamilton. I've. I've been there before. Um, as I said, I've been on the finance and Advisory committee for two appointments back to back. I've already served on the Select board. I'm currently serving on the CPC, and I'm also serving on the planning board, where we have done a lot of work with regard to three a and also, um, you know, the form based code which we're working on diligently right now. Um, I just, I, I really love municipal work and I want to continue serving. I want to make sure everyone's voices are heard. Um, I want to make sure that when people ask questions, we can answer them so that when they go into the voting booth or they go to town meeting, they'll have confidence in where they stand because they've gotten the information that has relied on our due diligence. And I just think, um, if we can continue working together and providing as much, um, service to the town as municipal workers, I think we can, um, you know, make steps in the right direction. And, um, I just want to say also that, you know, local politics is nonpartisan for a reason, and it's because we're all on Team Hamilton. We're all looking to do the best that the very best that we can for for the people in this town. And that's what I intend to do and I hope I get elected. Thank you. 00:33:47,549 S2: Thank you. And Mister McCoy. 00:33:50,309 S8: Great. 00:33:51,230 S7: I believe deeply in the power of community. When people know and trust their neighbors, when they feel heard and understood, they are more willing to listen, to help and to work together. That's the kind of community I will work to support and strengthen as a member of the Selectboard. Hamilton is at an important moment. We are facing major decisions about our schools, our infrastructure, and our future growth. Decisions that carry real financial impact for all of us. As we navigate these challenges, we must commit to building trust, embracing transparency, valuing the time and effort of volunteers put into identifying the best possible options for our community. I will bring a collaborative, practical and data driven approach, one that balances what we value with what we can afford while ensuring our decisions are thoughtful and ecologically responsible. I'm asking for your vote for Select board and I would be honored to serve this community. Thank you. 00:34:45,349 S2: Thank you very much. 00:34:51,750 S2: Again you're muted. 00:34:55,909 S8: Perfect. 00:34:57,309 S1: Thank you so much. The league thanks the candidates for participating this evening. And a special thanks to our moderator Amy Smith. We recognize that our time here was short. And we encourage voters who have follow up questions to contact the candidates directly. This video will be posted on the league's website and on YouTube, and will be provided to H.W. Kamm for further additional distribution. A second Candidates Night will be held for the H.W. School Committee positions, so please make sure to look out for the recording once it's posted. If you want to learn more about the local league, please reach out to us on our website and remember to attend the annual Town Meeting, which will be held on Thursday, April 9th at 6 p.m. at Gordon College for the town of Wenham and Saturday, April 11th at 9 a.m. at the Hamilton Wenham Regional High School for the town of Hamilton. We also would like to encourage you to vote in the local elections, which will be held on Thursday, April 16th. Thank you so much for watching. 00:36:03,280 S8: Thank you.