Selectmen candidates focus of forum

The annual town candidates forum in the Old Town Hall last night attracted about 70 people and most of the candidates who will be running for town offices on Election Day on May 8.

But most of the meeting focused on the three men seeking the three-year seat on the Board of Selectmen and their opinions about some of the most significant issues facing the town: Fire/EMT protection for the shorefront area of town, the need for major road improvements, and rising taxes.

In their opening statements, the three candidates introduced themselves to the audience.

Jim Mayotte admitted that he was probably not known by most people in town ad that “I don’t see a single person here I know.” But Mayotte called himself a “problem-solver” who had political experience when he lived in Florida. “I’ve never been involved in politics in Sanbornton so I have a clean slate. I don’t have an agenda and I don’t even know what the agenda is.” He said that if he were elected he would “listen to what the problems are, get input and then suggest a solution.”

Howard Davine said he was also a political newcomer to town but he noted that he served on virtually every board — including the selectboard and the school board — in his former hometown, Hampstead. “It’s the experience and knowledge that I have that will allow me to have success in my new job.” Davine said he was detailed and fiscally responsible and he noted the town’s needs for roadwork and alterations in the Fire Department that were being considered.

David Nickerson said he was also bringing political experience from another New Hampshire community. He served for 15 years on the Merrimack Valley School Board, which had an annual budget of over $13-million. He also said that his work experience as a contract work inspector for Verizon had made him familiar with many land use and road issues. “I can listen to people and can a make decision on the spot if I need to,” he said. “And you ‘ll always know where I’m coming from and going to.”

Nickerson also noted that he had met many very bright people in town who refused to get involved in town politics. He said he would try to make use of their expertise in making important decisions.

Nickerson was the first candidate to make a public stance on one of the town’s most controversial issues. He said he would support a payment of $27,0000 to make sure that the Winnisquam shorefront area would continue to get “first response” fire/emergency service from the Belmont Fire Department for the next 18 months. (An article asking for that action will be considered at the public portion of the Town Meeting on May 12; the Budget Committee supports the measure but the Board of Selectmen has not.)

The majority of questions from the public were addressed to the three selectmen candidates.

Paul Cope asked Davine his opinion of a proposed $950,000 bonding issue that the Selectboard were suggesting to help pay town bills as Sanbornton switches from a typical January to December calendar to a July-June fiscal year calendar.

Davine said he was not involved with the board’s considerations of the bond but that the members apparently felt it was better to spread the costs of the transition period over some time rather than hit taxpayers with a one-time large bill. While he admitted he did not have all the information the selectmen had, he said he would probably come to a similar conclusion.

Resident Don Borges asked the three candidates who they would deal with the road problems, the need for increased services and the challenges facing the Fire Department. “How are they going to do it and keep the tax level in the town to one people will be able to afford to pay?”

Mayotte admitted that he did not know enough about the issues at this point to answer his concerns. “I‘m for lowering taxes. I think taxes way too high on every level, particularly in Sanbornton. And I think there should be discounts on taxes for senior citizens.

Davine, who served on the town’s first Capital Improvements Program committee the last year, said the group spent a good deal of time looking at the road issue. “I was in favor of maintaining a level tax base and you’d have to consider a profession program, that had a bond road project to maintain the same annual expense. It might take 15 years to pay off but in that way you can get professional engineering for the roads and get more for your dollar.” That approach would also allow the majority of the work to be done quickly, he said.

Nickerson agreed that bonding was a good approach. But he said that one problem the town may have is that many of its roads are actually owned by the state, which could require some special expertise. Nickerson said that the dirt roads that have been damaged so much in the last two years should be able to restored for a reasonable costs as the weather dries up.

Resident Russ Baker asked the candidates what they might do to build the tax base in town.

Davine said he did not sense that Sanbornton residents wanted to become commercial center like neighboring Tilton but he said that is old hometown of Hampstead has success by attracting over-55 residents to the community. He said those usually did not add to school costs — which is the biggest portion of property tax bills — and usually only called for minor additions to public safety resources.

Mayotte said businesses and industry could be attracted to Sanbornton if that’s what the residents wanted. But he said that at this point the town was not involved in any economic development plans that would draw businesses to the town.

Nickerson said while serving on the Budget Committee, the members had studied some information from Tilton and “they’re not as happy with the industry as they thought they would be. It’s actually costing them money in some cases.”

He said Davine’s 55-plus community idea seemed reasonable, but that every home can bring in children, which adds to the school district’s portion of the tax bill.

Both Davine and Nickerson said they wanted to insure that the shorefront area of town got proper fire/EMT service but Nickerson said he supported the proposed $27,000 in the budget while Davine said he wanted more information to be sure it was the right move.

However Jim Wells, who is facing off against former selectman Peter Dascoulias for a three-year seat on the Budget Committee, said he had voted against the board’s recommendation to support the funding because of the process the petitioners took. He said the committee is only supposed to consider financial proposals from town department heads and the selectmen, not the pubic.

(Dascoulias was unable to attend the meeting; resident Don Borges made a short statement supporting the candidate, noting that the candidate is a “strong conservative who believes in fiscal restrain and accountability. The other candidate for the position, Marsha Martel, did not attend the meeting.)

Resident Andy Sanborn, who organized the forum for the Selectboard, asked Guy Giunta Jr., who is running is against Planning Board Chair Helmut Busack for the three-year position as a cemetery trustee, about a petition article to have a small portion of the town’s forest on Tower Hill officially designated as the town cemetery. He noted that there were questions off ownership of the land — did it belong to the town or the Conservation Commission? — and concerns about whether it was over an aquifer and therefore too wet to serve as a cemetery.

Giunta, who has been involved with the project for several years, said there was no reason not to support the new town cemetery. “The state Department of Environmental Services doesn’t have any regulations for where you can put a cemetery,” he said. He noted the hours of volunteer labor that had gone into clearing the three-acres of land on Tower Hill, the support of neighbors, and the lack of evidence that the cemetery would cause any harm. “Yes, it’s wet up there now. But (former television meteorologist and town resident) Don Kent can tell you that Sanbornton has had some record-breaking wet weather in the last two-and-a-half years. I can tell you that when we first went up there (to work) I had to close my truck windows so the dust wouldn’t get in.”

Giunta said the original cemetery committee looked at several locations in town and found that Tower Hill — where a cemetery already exists — was the best, with a wonderful view of the area. He asked voters to support the article.

The other candidates for office were not asked as many questions but in their opening statements, they highlighted their strengths and asked for the voters’ support.

Busack did not attend the meeting.

Linda VanValkenbugh, who is seeking reelection as a trustee for the library, said she enjoyed her work enormously. She touted the expansion plans of the facility as well as her business experience. “And I bake pies in the summertime,” she said.

Wayne Elliott, who is also running unopposed for the other vacant library trustee seat, said he’d lived in Sanbornton “all his life, so far.” He said he worked on almost every town board and had been involved in the library building project for the last seven or eight years.”

At the beginning of the meeting, Andy Sanborn said that he had asked Pat Clark of Tilton to serve as moderator for the forum to make sure that the hearing would be as unbiased as possible. He said his decision was not meant to be any kind of negative reflection on Town Moderator Don Foudrait.