By NEIL ZOLOT
NORTH READING — Money, funding, budgets, tax overrides, development, wastewater, housing, the schools, senior citizens and the residential and commercial tax rates were all subjects of discussion at a Candidates’ Forum sponsored by the North Reading Democratic Town Committee in the
Town Hall gym last Thursday.
Approximately 40 people attended the event in advance of the annual Town Election on Tuesday, May 6.
SELECT BOARD
The Select Board race is attracting the most attention with four candidates running for two three-year seats. They are incumbent Richard Wallner and challengers Jeff Griffin, Catherine Morrin and Michael Scarlata.
Jeff Griffin
Griffin is a member of the Community Planning Commission (CPC) and a plumber by trade. “Community planning is harder than I thought it would be,” he admitted. Griffin said he recently visited the Fire Station and Senior Center. “I took time to look at everything as a plumber would,” he reported. “There’s a lot of need in both places.”
Asked how he would increase the commercial tax base in town, Griffin said, “We all want to increase our tax revenue, but we’re very limited,” citing North Reading having “septic-sensitive land” unlike other towns.
Asked about the state-mandated zoning overlay for multi-family housing by right in communities served by the MBTA or adjacent communities, he said, “I’m trying to determine the impact of not complying. Grants are at risk but no one knows what we will or won’t get. We can apply for grants and not get them while still being compliant,” a reference to the town being too affluent to qualify for many grants.
(The town is now in Interim Compliance with the state regulation. In October, Town Meeting approved plans to comply through December 2024, but legal action involving Milton challenging the mandate has given communities options for Interim Compliance, a status that maintains eligibility for grants.
“The town filed an Action Plan and is compliant until July 8,” Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto explained in a follow-up email to the Transcript last Friday. “If a zoning bylaw amendment to comply with the MBTA/3A zoning requirement isn’t passed by Town Meeting by then, we are told that the town will fall out of compliance.
Gillberto added that the Select Board has received three “citizen petition articles that would impact Edgewood and Martin’s Landing on Lowell Road, which will appear on the June Town Meeting warrant. The Community Planning Commission held a hearing on the petitions on Tuesday night (April 15) and at that hearing, scheduled a meeting on April 28 to consider submitting their own petitions for June Town Meeting for an overlay district that would impact Edgewood and an area already zoned for mixed use on Main Street, but not Martins Landing.”)
CATHERINE MORRIN
Catherine Morrin cited her experience with budgets in her job at an interior design firm as a strength to serve on the Select Board. “Being able to read construction contracts, I think will be of value,” Morrin said, adding, “There’s no nice way to say it, but we’re broke. Either we raise taxes or lose services. It’s a chronic problem. The next issue is long term planning.”
It is one of four priorities Morrin outlined, the others being the budget, finding new sources of revenue, and looking at new technology to cut costs, like solar power.
Morrin said she wants to increase the commercial tax base but said increasing the tax split toward businesses might discourage investment. “Maybe we can come up with a structured approach,” she said.
MICHAEL SCARLATA
“One of my strengths is my business background and experience with budgets,” Michael Scarlata said, referring to his work in the financial division of an education company. He added during his campaign people have told him they feel the Main Street/Route 28 business area is unattractive. Scarlata also said he was against previous tax overrides based on his personal position, but as a Select Board member he would “go to meetings with an open mind. As a candidate and potential member I have to have an open mind. Everything is on the table. We need to have more business and have an exploratory committee to determine what we want to do. We need to collaborate with the Economic Development Committee to find ways to increase tax revenue. We have a lot of town property we could sell to generate tax revenue with little or no impact on the schools.”
Scarlata said the zoning overlay is a “one size fits all” regulation that’s “ridiculous. Each town understands itself. It should be up to each to determine what is best.” He also called the threat of withholding grants “blackmail.”
RICH WALLNER
Wallner, a financial planner, said he sees his responsibility as a Select Board member “to act in the best financial interests of the town.” He said one way to have a stable tax base and retain services is to support senior citizens because they pay taxes to support the schools, but their households have no impact on the schools. “It’s important to keep seniors in town,” Wallner said. “A lot of people come to North Reading for the schools and after their kids have graduated they ask why they should stay. We haven’t given them a reason to stay.”
Wallner said a senior transportation program, adult recreational activities, enhancing the Senior Center and a more vital downtown could be factors in keeping people in town. Asked about allowing cannabis stores in the town, Wallner answered, “I’m not against them, but they’re not doing so well.
If someone comes forward we should consider it,” but he added his impression of them from a previous applicant “wasn’t good.”
Another question posed to Wallner concerned using funds from the sale of former state property bought by the Pulte company for the operating budget. He answered that those funds can only be used for debt relief and capital improvements.
2-YEAR CPC SEAT
The only other competitive race in the May 6 Town Election is for one two-year term on the Community Planning Commission (CPC) between appointed incumbent Ed Sheehan, a pharmacist, and Jonathan Coste, a pilot.
“I want to make sure the town continues to thrive,” Coste said. “Planning is at the heart of it and it seems like the Planning Commission was a good place to start. It’s about strategic planning and where we’ll be in five or 10 years.”
Asked about using a wastewater package treatment plant to serve Main Street/Route 28, Coste said, “To increase tax revenue with businesses, businesses need a place for wastewater.” He also said that would also facilitate the development of multi-family housing.
Sheehan agreed that there needs to be a way to bring facilities to the area, but acknowledged the cost issues.
UNOPPOSED CANDIDATES
3-YEAR CPC SEATS
Two candidates are running for the two three-year terms on the CPC, incumbents Warren Pearce Jr. and David Rudloff.
Pearce said he is in favor of a wastewater treatment system for Main Street/Route 28. “Fear of having it is gone and the benefits have become clear,” he said. Asked about development of a “downtown,” on Main Street, Pearce said, “We don’t have space. Geographically it doesn’t work. We don’t have a place. I wish we did, but the geography doesn’t lend itself to one like Reading.”
He mentioned previous unsuccessful efforts to secure land on Main Street/Route 28 where Stop & Shop was previously located, which is now occupied by Ocean State Job Lot, with plans to create something like MarketStreet in Lynnfield and possibly have town offices there to bring people in.
After the forum however, Wallner said the town is in the process of possibly acquiring this land, which Stop & Shop has now put up for sale, with plans for a public/private partnership for mixed use development.
Dave Rudloff said as an architect he is familiar with construction issues. He also believes the state will get more aggressive in requiring compliance with the MBTA/3A zoning overlay.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Two School Committee seats are also uncontested with incumbents Jeff Friedman and Noelle Rudloff running for their second three-year terms.
Friedman acknowledged the budget issues, and the need to expand the tax base, possibly through business development, but lamented the possible loss of teachers in the new budget, which will lead to increases in class size. “The most difficult aspect is the long term impact,” he said. “What will it mean in five years?”
Friedman also said any override proposal would need to be fashioned and discussed in a way to gain support. He feels previous override questions have been too complicated.
Noelle Rudloff said the budget reflects the need to educate all students, regardless of their needs. “We need to make sure every student has the tools to succeed,” she said. Asked about the cost of Special Education and out-of-district placements, she said, “One of our goals is to determine how to keep students in the district. It’s better for them and their families.”
Friedman and Noelle Rudloff both mentioned their desire to lower and eventually eliminate fees for full day kindergarten, although Friedman indicated, “If it’s a choice between the fee and losing an educator, I’d rather keep the educator.”
Noelle Rudloff was also very active at the forum, posing questions to other candidates, as did School Committee members Jennifer Leenders and Tim Sutherland. Sutherland asked CPC candidates about having an integrated plan for Main Street/Route 28, which would address the wastewater and development issues together.
School Committee Chairman Scott Buckley was also present, but did not participate in posing questions.
HOUSING AUTHORITY
Lastly, unopposed Housing Authority candidate Charles “Chuck” Carucci Sr. spoke about the need for increasing housing for senior citizens. (The 40 units at Peabody Court were built in 1965 when the 60+ population was 1.9%.)
The moderator was Jeff Foley, an administrator of the North Reading Community Connection Facebook page. He kept things moving along pretty well, but occasionally had to interrupt questioners making speeches to ask them “is there a question?”
“It was better attended than I thought it would be,” Democratic Town Committee Chair Jim Gannon said after the event. “Only one candidate didn’t show up,” a reference to incumbent Moderator John Murphy, who is running unopposed for his one-year term.
NEXT UP: NRRTC FORUM
A similar candidate forum event sponsored by the North Reading Republican Town Committee is being held at Kitty’s Restaurant next Tuesday, April 29. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. (see related story).
Election Day is Tuesday, May 6. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Theresa’s church hall, 63 Winter St.
Early Voting begins Saturday, April 25 and runs through Friday, May 2 at the Town Hall gym, 235 North St.