By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Development, the town budget, choosing a new Town Administrator and the condition of roads were among the main topics discussed at last week’s debate among the three candidates running in the June 24 Special Election to fill the one-year unexpired term on the Town Council. (The vacancy was caused when former Town Councilor Edward Dombroski was elected Town Treasurer.)
The candidates, Brian Fox, Samuel Hockenbury and Gerard Leeman squared off at the debate held at the WCAT studio. Moderator William Carrol introduced the two panelists who would be posing questions to the candidates: Brian Cusack, a member of the Finance Committee; and Ina Coveney, a business and marketing consultant.
Fox is a financial information analyst working in the food and beverage industry. He also served for several years as the chairman of the Wakefield Independence Day Committee.
Hockenbury works as a financial analyst for the town of Burlington. He has served on the Wakefield Capital Planning Committee and the Housing Production Plan Committee.
Leeman is a senior compliance officer working in the pharmaceutical industry. He served for a number of years on the Wakefield Finance Committee.
Fox and Leeman cited a need to bring “common sense” to the Town Council. Hockenbury emphasized his professional experience working in local government. “This work is my vocation,” he said.
The candidates were asked what Wakefield can learn from other towns.
Leeman cited avoiding the financial pitfalls that have plagued communities like Melrose. He also stressed keeping up with road maintenance.
Fox also said that he hoped that Wakefield would not have to face overrides like Melrose and Stoneham as a result of their financial crises. He noted that Wakefield is in good financial shape and hoped it would continue.
Hockenbury said that Burlington uses an alternate year approach to water/sewer maintenance and roadway paving. He also noted that encouraging new commercial growth can increase tax revenues without the demand for services that comes with residential growth.
With respect to hiring a new Town Administrator, Hockenbury praised Maio’s people skills but hoped a new Town Administrator would modernize the way that the town does business and communicates with residents.
Leeman noted that the town tended to rely very heavily on Maio. He hoped to see other officials step up and take on more prominent roles going forward.
Fox agreed that Maio will be hard to replace. He suggested a person from outside of Wakefield might bring a fresh perspective.
Regarding development, Fox cited the difficulty younger people have affording a home, but he also worried about the size and scale of some of the developments in town. He noted that as development increases, enrollment in the schools is also increasing, especially at the younger grades.
Hockenbury again stressed finding ways to encourage more commercial growth. He wondered if the desire of seniors to stay in their larger homes could be coupled with affordable solutions for younger people looking for housing.
Leeman cited the impact of development on traffic and quality of life. Some of the larger developments have bee unsightly and unpopular, he said. The Town Council needs to appoint people to the Zoning Board who will balance these concerns, he added.
On the subject of bicycle lanes, Leeman said that in his opinion bike lanes are not as effective as advocates would have people believe. Flex posts can breed a false sense of safety, he said, adding that motorists need to be more bicycle and pedestrian aware.
Fox said that he likes the wider sidewalks on North Avenue but called the collection of “random markings” now on North Avenue after all the recent changes “a dangerous situation.” He said that bikes seemed fine before the changes and would be fine going forward.
Hockenbury said that he understood the frustration that resulted from the flex posts. He said that it all comes down to the location of of bike lanes. He suggested that more bikes mean less automobile traffic.
The Special Town Council Election takes place on Tuesday, June 24. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.