Housing, debt among issues for Brewster Select Board candidates at town election
Concern about housing, keeping Brewster affordable both for new families and elders, and cutting down on tax hikes are among the top issues for candidates hoping for a spot on the town's top governing board.
There are three candidates eyeing a three-year term on the Select Board, including incumbent Select Board member Edward Chatelain seeking a return to the board at the May 16 annual town election. He is challenged by Carol Anderson and Laurel Labdon.
Voters May 16 will also consider property tax overrides.
Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Brewster Baptist Church in Fellowship Hall, 1848 Main St., Brewster.
Here is more about the Select Board candidates.
Edward Chatelain
Age: 39Education: Dennis-Yarmouth High School; BA, University of Pennsylvania; Masters, Holy Cross School of Theology, BrooklineEmployment: Owner, Chatelain Real EstatePolitical experience: Brewster Select Board and Brewster Planning Board (former member)Other community service: Water Resources Task Force, Affordable Housing Trust, Bay Parcel Planning Committee, Water Quality Review Committee, liaison to Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund. Cape Cod and Islands Association of Realtors Public Policy Committee, church youth advisor
What motivates you to run for this office?
As a lifelong Cape Codder I understand how special this place is. I moved away after high school and lived all over the country and the world. My wife and I came back because we knew this was the best place to raise our family, live, work, play and grow. Everything I do as a Select Board member is to keep it that way.
We need to bring more diverse housing choices to town so residents at all phases of life can continue to live and thrive here. We need to develop a long-term comprehensive wastewater plan to make sure that the decisions we make today do not negatively impact our ponds and aquifer down the road. And we need to develop a sustainable program for the schools that will preserve and support the outstanding quality educational program we already have for the next generation of Brewster students.
What is the most pressing issue facing the board you are running for, and how would you address it?
Housing. A lack of housing options is an existential threat to our community. During my time on the Select Board we created 57 units of housing to serve our residents, with another 45 in the works.
In addition to town-sponsored new development, we need zoning reform to identify areas of town where higher density is appropriate. We need to encourage development patterns that preserve open space, such as the proposed community housing on Millstone Road, where a 15-acre parcel will accommodate 45 households, but fewer than 5 acres of the parcel will be disturbed.
We need to encourage mixed commercial/residential uses such as top-of-shop apartments. We need to support the creation of resident-only year-round rentals by refining our accessory dwelling unit bylaw. We must continue to provide support to our aging residents on a fixed income who struggle to afford maintenance on their own homes. And we must continue to develop responsible wastewater policies to ensure that new housing does not impact our ponds and aquifer.
What differentiates you from the other candidates?
Experience, perspective and approach.
Since I joined the board we advocated for state and federal resources to keep Brewster safe during the pandemic; brought the Cape Cod Sea Camps acquisition to town meeting where it was approved by nearly unanimous vote; revised and implemented our housing production plan; and advocated for regulatory changes to bring wastewater funding to Brewster. All this while bringing Brewster from the brink of financial disaster in 2018-19 to where we are today with 5-year budget and capital forecasts in place and a AAA bond rating (the highest possible).
As a small business owner I know the value of supporting and encouraging our small businesses, which are the bedrock of the Brewster economy. As a proud parent of children in both Brewster public schools I am reminded every morning that the decisions we make today are building a future for our kids. Or in their words, “don’t mess this up, Dad.”
I don’t know all the answers, but I know where to find them — our residents. We have an incredible wealth of talent in Brewster and harnessing that talent is one of the true joys of being a Select Board member.
Laurel Labdon
Age: 52Education: Brewster Elementary School, Nauset middle and high schools, B.S. in Political Science/Public Policy Employment: DisabledPolitical Experience: Current chairwoman on the Board of Commissioners of the Brewster Housing Authority. Past positions: interim position on the Brewster School Committee, chair of the All Citizens Access Committee (now dormant because of a lack of a quorum)
Other community service: Current member of Pleasant Bay Community Boating board of directors and co-chair of the Adaptive Sailing Program. Current honorary chair on Sail Cape Cod/Sea Legs Adaptive Sailing Program. Founder of Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation, a leadership and advocacy competition advocating for disability issues that most directly affect women wheelchair users.
What motivates you to run for this office?
I am running for the Select Board to work in collaboration with the relevant boards/committees to renegotiate tuition or regional agreements that provide more equitable sharing of debt obligations between the towns, specifically regarding our capital expenditures in the schools, alleviating Brewster’s debt by millions.
I am also running to collaborate and support our housing coordinator, Brewster Housing Trust and continue my work on the Brewster Housing Authority to explore every possible avenue to increase housing availability for year-round residents of Brewster.
Lastly, I was motivated to run to be an integral voice in the use of the Sea Camps properties. I believe the Select Board should charge all relevant boards and committees to provide as much access to the residents of Brewster as possible while working to make the properties not only self sustainable, but revenue producing as well.
What is the most pressing issue facing the board you are running for, and how would you address it?
I believe the most pressing issue facing the Select Board is twofold. The huge increase in Brewster’s debt is leading us down an unsustainable path where tax hikes are making it impossible for families to live and work here, and increasingly difficult for elders to age in place here.
Related to this is the lack of year-round housing stock. Affordable and mid-level housing options are almost non-existent in Brewster, making it impossible for young people to start their families and elders to “downsize” so they can afford to remain here.
I would address theses issues by working to minimize Brewster’s debt by pursuing more equitable regional agreements and curbing new discretionary spending. Regarding the housing issue I would look at deed restrictions, zoning, taxes and regulation fees to disincentivize short-term rentals and incentivize year-round rentals. Mixed use dwellings and accessory dwelling units must be incentivized as well. Planning must be careful, well-analyzed and in keeping with the spirit and tradition of Brewster.
What differentiates you from the other candidates?
Living in Brewster all of my life gives me deep knowledge and understanding of Brewster, its history, traditions and environment, which enables me to work towards a sustainable future while also keeping the town’s heritage intact.
By a twist of fate, I am also uniquely knowledgeable of the needs of our seniors, as their needs and challenges closely intersect with the experience of living with a disability like mine.
Not being employed in any traditional sense I have the time to make a seat on the Select Board my full-time job and #1 priority. This will allow me to interact with residents where they are through community outreach and foster relationships with other local officials to enable me to be an effective member of the Brewster Select Board.
Carol Anderson
Carol Anderson did not respond to the Times' formal candidate questionnaire about her campaign; however, she did participate in the candidates' forum hosted by the Brewster Chamber of Commerce on April 25.
On the top issue of housing, during the forum Anderson said while she thinks Brewster has made some progress toward increasing housing opportunities, there's still a lot of work to be done.
"I think we have made limited progress," she said.
She shared her own experience looking into affordable housing, noting she is eligible as a senior both for no- to low-income housing and disabled housing. She said at least one option she investigated was not, in fact, affordable to her.
"We need to make more progress," she said. She commended one project for adding housing for people going through rehabilitation, but added, "We absolutely need more senior housing."
In her closing statement during the forum, Anderson said, "I'm someone who's pursuing my dreams."
"If my father were here he'd say he likes the fact that I'm courageous and I'm bold," she said.
Anderson noted she strives to get along with everyone, even working to make friends out of people who don't necessarily like her.
"It's not about me. It's not about me at all," she said, going on to add, "I'm not a politician," that she is not pressed by special interests and "I don't even have family to push me one way or another."
Citing hardships she has faced, Anderson concluded, "I will work as hard as I have for myself, for you, and you're my focus. I have you full time."
Voters in Brewster will be asked for property tax overrides as well.
Among the top considerations are override questions totaling $964,598 to support education budgets. Together they would, if approved, add up to an average tax increase of $106, according to the town.
The school budget overrides were approved at the May 1 annual town meeting, but they must be approved at the polls to take effect.
The first question seeks a $316,878 operating override to support the Stony Brook and Eddy elementary school budgets, and the second seeks a $647,720 override to support the Nauset Regional School District budget.
Both overrides are necessitated because of significant increases in special education expenses and supporting greater social and emotional needs among students, transportation and utilities, school officials said. For the regional district, increased costs associated with school choice and charter school tuitions were also cited.
If approved, the elementary school override will add 6 cents per $1,000 of valuation to the tax rate, resulting in a permanent increase of about $35 to the average property tax bill, based on an average home valuation of about $636,000. The second override, if approved, will add 11 cents per $1,000 to the tax rate, resulting in a permanent increase of about $71 for the average taxpayer.
The other school district towns — Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet — are also slated to consider overrides in support of the Nauset school budget. Three of the four member towns must approve their override amounts before the full budget can take effect; in that case, the fourth town would be required by state law to fund its full share.
But if fewer than three towns OK the override, Nauset would have to submit a revised budget within 30 days, and the towns would have to call a special town meeting to act on it.
Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world. Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on Twitter @HMcCarron_CCT
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Three competing for seat on Brewster Select Board
