Barbara Acksen
I am Dr. Barbara Acksen, candidate for the Board of Health. I previously served on the Board and found the work compelling, and wish to serve once again. As a healthcare professional for over 40 years, I am passionate and committed to the important work of the Board to safeguard the town’s health and environment. We have a small health department; so much of this is done by regulation and education, all in the service of prevention and protection.
Many new issues will be coming before the Board, including development of an opioid task force, regulations for recreational marijuana, human trafficking and service animals, as well as educating the public about proper recycling. I feel that my combination of education, experience and skills will be a good fit in serving the Board.
I grew up in Fairhaven and attended the public schools. I have a PhD in Psychology and maintain a practice of psychology/neuro-psychology in town. I serve as Chair for the area’s Community Health Network Association, Greater New Bedford Allies for Health and Wellness, Inc. This Coalition, made up of health and human service workers, government officials and others, works in partnership with the Department of Public Health to improve the quality of health in the nine surrounding communities.
In my practice I work with people of all ages, children to seniors. I know how to listen to people’s concerns. I consult to hospitals, schools and organizations. I have served as a clinical administrator for numerous clinics both here and in the Boston area. As the clinical director of these facilities, I developed programs and established policies and procedures to serve the public. I ensured that all regulations were followed for a variety of governmental agencies including the Department of Public Health. These clinics serviced behavioral health and addiction services as well as services to the elderly and the developmentally disabled.
Development of regulations and enforcement are important functions to the Board of Health.
Another important role of the Board is education of the public. I’ve worked as a professor and research scientist. I have taught in both graduate and undergraduate settings and conducted research studies in academic settings as well as clinics and communities. Evaluating research and educating the public are central to the Board of Health’s mission of education and prevention.
I love our town and have long been committed to serving it. I currently serve as the President of the Fairhaven Improvement Association, Chair of the Cable Advisory Committee and Trust Commission and member of the Roger’s School Committee.
The Board currently has no health care provider on it. I would fill that void. As a member of the Board of Health I will work to inform you about health and safety issues, enforce regulations designed to protect your health, advocate for the concerns of all neighborhoods and provide a respectful hearing to all citizens and businesses who come before the Board. I care deeply about our community and will work diligently on your behalf.
I ask for your vote on April 2nd.
Michael Silvia
After stepping away for a few years, I hope to reenter public life in Fairhaven by seeking election to the Board of Health. For over twenty years I have had the pleasure of serving the people of Fairhaven in a number of government and civic offices: Selectman, Finance Committee member, past President of both the Fairhaven Improvement Association and the North Fairhaven Improvement Association. Currently, I serve as a Trustee of the Millicent Library and as Vice President of the Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship Society and Museum. A proud member of the Fairhaven High School Class of 73, I also hold degrees from Providence College and Columbia University.
However, it was a series of events several years before my involvement in Town civic life that shapes my candidacy for the Board of Health. My family’s two room cottage was destroyed by Hurricane Bob. Owned by my mother at the time, I helped her run through a gauntlet of town boards and officials in order to get permission to rebuild. In the most simple of terms, I want a Board of Health that will treat citizens in their time of need in the same way I wanted my mother and myself treated in our time of need. I want a Board of Health that is informative — that tells people what they need to know. I want a Board that is fair and consistent in their actions. I want a Board that, while it upholds the laws and regulations, also shows compassion and understanding to those who come before it. Finally, I want a Board that is decisive because, very often, no decision is the worst decision of all. Guided by these simple principles all town boards will do very well in serving our citizens.
While I have mentioned general principles, there is one particular policy position I feel passionate about: NO TRASH FEES. Under the Town’s contract with SEMASS, the waste-to-energy facility, the Town has made millions of dollars over the years from the sale of excess tonnage to private haulers. Under these circumstances, no Town official can morally justify asking people to pay for the removal of trash.
In conclusion, I humbly seek permission from the good voters of Fairhaven to be given the opportunity to return to public life in the Town that I love. Thank you.
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