WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Incumbency and the role of Select Board members were among the themes running through an hourlong candidates forum sponsored by the town's chapter of the League of Women Voters last week.

 

Candidates Shana Dixon and Jane Patton participated in the forum at Town Hall, which was telecast by the town's community access channel, WilliNet.

 

On Tuesday, May 13, voters will decide whether to retain Patton on the five-member board or put Dixon, a member of the town's Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Committee, on the body.

 

Patton is by far the most experienced current member of the Select Board. But rather than running for a fifth three-year term, she is running against Dixon to fill out the remaining year on term vacated last year by Andrew Hogeland.

 

Matthew Neely, who was appointed by the remaining four board members to fill Hogeland's seat until the May election, and Peter Beck are running unopposed for the seats currently held by Patton and Randal FIppinger.

 

Patton put down her marker on the issue of experience right out of the chute, making it a focal point of her opening statement at last week's forum.

 

"As most, if not all of you, know, I have served on the Select Board since 2013," Patton said. "I have decided to run for the last year of Andy Hogeland's term in the hope that my experience will be helpful to the other members of the board, as only one of the four has completed a full term on the Select Board.

 

"I recognize that not everyone feels that experiences is as valuable as I do. But I remember my first few years on the board, having mentors like Jane Allen, Tom Sheldon and Dave Rempell there to keep me out of trouble was an invaluable experience for me."

 

Dixon, who gave her opening statement first, said the Select Board needs new blood.

 

"I run for the one-year seat on the Select Board because I believe Williamstown is overdue for new leadership, where transparency, equity, environmental responsibility and social justice are at the core of every decision we make," Dixon said. "Whether it's protecting our environment, strengthening public services or ensuring that all residents across backgrounds and experiences feel heard and valued.

 

"I'm committed to actions, not just words. If you have seen any of the Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Committee that I am currently the chair of, you will find that I value people. I value people's opinions no matter what stands they take on any given subject."

 

Subsequently, the candidates were asked questions — first by moderator Jennifer Howlett, reading queries submitted in advance by email and later by audience member Anne O'Connor — that allowed them to speak more to the topic.

 

Howlett asked whether each candidate was in favor of term limits for town offices, an idea that did not make it out of the recently completed charter review process.

 

"I think there should be a term limit," Dixon said. "I only say that because I feel as though the longer somebody stands in one position, it almost stifles the movement and the flow of progression. I feel that way when it comes to anybody on a town board, anybody in business. Many people in different corporations seem to cycle people to different positions. And also, at the same time, while the person is there, to pull out the knowledge that they've brought to the table and use that moving forward. I do feel like everybody should have a term limit.

 

"The way we would address continuity is, like I said, pulling their experiences and what they've brought to the table. I feel like when you step out of a room, you should leave stuff behind that people can use and move forward with."

 

Patton agreed.

 

"I think term limits make sense," she said. "I have no issue with that. I also think that if you see something that you feel you would really be able to bring something to the table, you should. One of the things I like about the Select Board that is different than some of the other town boards is there is a rotation every year. It's not like you might have a chair of a town committee who has been chair for decades. You rotate through it.

 

"And the other thing, just for clarity, being the chair of the Select Board, you're still one-fifth of the vote. So when there is a need, or I see a need, that I think I can fill and be helpful and, in this role, I imagine I would just be a regular one-fifth Select Board member, it would be more about, 'Here's how the process or procedure works.' "

 

Both candidates agreed that economic development and a lack of new business growth is one of the big challenges facing the town over the next five years. Dixon suggested that addressing another of her priorities, affordable housing, would help to generate economic growth and add to the town's tax base.

 

Dixon suggested that the town get more information from its current small business owners about obstacles to investment in town. Patton said she would encourage the town manager to make economic development a priority for town hall staff.

 

In terms of addressing the lack of reasonably-priced market rate housing in town, Patton said the town's residents need to learn not to fight against new housing proposals like the income-sensitive housing projects developed by Habitat for Humanity or a mixed development that was proposed and abandoned on Water Street. Dixon proposed that the town should incentivize residents to build accessory dwelling units on their property as a way to add to the housing stock and said the town should not fight Planning Board initiatives to increase density or allow manufactured housing.

 

O'Connor, a former member of the Select Board who served alongside Patton, asked both candidates, who currently chair their respective town committees, to talk about what it means to be a leader and a mentor, particularly given the fact that members of public bodies are not supposed to discuss town business privately under the Open Meeting Law.

 

"I would say the DIRE Committee is very different from the Select Board," Dixon said. "That's the first thing. We don't have warrant articles to talk about or anything to dig into until we get there. The way I mentor is not by mentoring but by listening and allowing freedom of speech. You can say anything you want, within reason and respectfully, to other people, I would say I don't need to mentor. Most of them are mentoring me, still, and I'm still learning.

 

"That's my answer: the fact that we are such a different board, and I'm willing to learn, and we all have different walks of life that we contribute to the DIRE Committee. It's not a one-person show."

 

Patton said the leadership she can provide comes in the form of helping the Select Board run efficiently.

 

"Anne's right," Patton said, referring to O'Connor. "You definitely run into Open Meeting Law issues, but when I'm talking about mentorship, I'm not talking about: debate the issue or, 'This is how I'm going to vote. How are you going to vote?' You can speak to one other Select Board member. Mine is more — ask Jeff Johnson the number of times I'd be like [putting a hand on Howlett's shoulder], and he'd be like, 'Oh, I need to stop.' Not because I didn't want to hear what he had to say but because we need to move along or what have you. Matt Neely asking me a procedural question because he didn't understand how it is.

 

"So it's not about, 'How are you going to vote? I think you should do X, Y or Z.' It's more about being helpful."

 

Polls will be open on Tuesday, May 13, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Williamstown Elementary School.  iBerkshires also asked the candidates a series of questions that can be found here.