Berkley selectman candidates Miller, McCrohan agree on B-P, but differ on these issues

BERKLEY — George F. Miller, a selectman for the past 12 years, is being challenged for re-election this year by Berkley Finance Committee member and Veterans Administration financial analyst Tabitha McCrohan.

They both want to fund the town's share of the $305 million Bristol-Plymouth Vocational-Technical High School new construction project in a way that doesn't raise taxes and to preserve the town's rural character yet increase tax revenue.

But heading into the May 7 town election, they have different takes on other town issues and have backgrounds that would add to town government in different ways.

Tabitha McCrohan, candidate for selectman

McCrohan, 35, has lived in Berkley since she was 7, after the passing of her father when the family lived in Louisiana. But her mom and her whole family have lived their whole lives in Berkley, she said, and she and her family are living in the home they grew up in.

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She started working at Morton Hospital at age 16, eventually became a nursing assistant, then climbed the ladder within the Department of Veterans Affairs. For the past six years, McCrohan has been a financial analyst for the department, working for the Fresno, Calif. office, 100 percent virtually. She's been a member of the town Finance Committee for two years.

Her work philosophy has dovetailed easily into her public service life. She said she believes in always looking for more efficient and better ways to make things work, on the job and in town government.

"Solving problems, not blaming problems on anyone," she said.

As an example of what she could do as a selectman, she said one of her biggest accomplishments as a financial analyst at the VA was helping to develop a tool that streamlined a "mapping" system that connected every dollar spent to the patient it was being spent on.

"My job is to look at all the money we spend and make sure it is being spent correctly," she said. "With the mapping streamlining, we were able to save government dollars while making sure we are providing the best care for our veteran population."

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She said her involvement with town government began when she started coaching her now-high-school-aged daughter's basketball team. Three years ago she became director of concessions. Going to a selectmen's meeting out of concern over the program's funding issues led her to join the Finance Committee.

Since getting involved in town government, she has learned the role residents play is important, she said.

"I want the residents to be more a partner in their town government," she said. "Create a bigger sense of community. I want to try to educate our residents on how important their involvement is."

She said she sees a disconnect between town departments. "I see very little communication between departments. I feel I can work on this. Bring them to more camaraderie than we have. Something that's important is working together, coming together."

She said she is running for selectman "because I want to have more say than I have on the Finance Committee." She said serving on the committee is important but limited. "I can ID problems the way I have as a financial analyst for the VA. I can't do anything to solve the problems as a single member of the Finance Committee."

George Miller, candidate for re-election

Miller, a native of Quincy, has lived in Berkley with his family (wife Tracy and sons Joshua and Justin) for 29 years. He grew up as one of seven children, he said. His parents died when he was a teenager, and he worked as a janitor and on a loading dock to put himself through college and law school.

He ran for selectman 12 years ago, he said, because he was drafted into it by the neighborhood when a quarry in Freetown near their neighborhood was planning expand its operations. As a selectman, he said, he was able to successfully fight against that proposal. "I was not in favor of destroying a neighborhood," he said.

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In a recent candidates forum with him and McCrohan, he said his ability to be a tough negotiator, borne out of his years as a lawyer, has shown him it is what's done behind the scenes that matters.

A developer wanted a 100-bed treatment facility in a neighborhood. He made calls to convince that developer otherwise, as a facility like that doesn't belong in a small town like Berkley, he said. A draft master plan for the town continually referenced the need for multi-family housing. He said SRPEDD, the regional planning authority that helped write the plan, had pre-ordained this as part of Berkley's future.

"I edited all those references," he said. "The town needs more commercial development for more revenue. Not more housing development."

He said he negotiates what is best for the town every time. He said he is currently negotiating with a developer to bring a 300,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility to the business district that will pay the town over $700,000 in taxes. Added to another $350,000 in annual tax revenue from marijuana facilities scheduled to open soon, this revenue might be enough to pay for Berkley's share of B-P construction cost without making it necessary to pass a Prop. 2 1/2 override for that expense, he said. Another $350,000 payment from that warehouse would also be used to pay for a new ball field at Berkley Commons at zero cost to taxpayers, he said.

McCrohan said during the forum that she, too, would work as hard to fund B-P in this way and to keep the town's rural character with less, not more, housing development.

She noted in the debate, however, that she is experienced in looking at where money is going, how it's spent, and finding better ways money should be spent. "Make money work better for us," she said.

She said the town needs this help with its finances. Miller disagreed that the town is having a singular problem with its finances. He said he is helping the town works on solutions.

"We don't have a financial problem that's any different than any town our size," he said.

The town election is scheduled for May 7, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Voting will take place at Berkley Community School, 21 North Main St.

Editor's note: This story has been updated from its original version.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Berkley selectman candidates Miller, McCrohan lay out their plans