Leon Correy
Dear Fairhaven,
Seven months ago I made a promise to you. That promise was no matter what happened you wouldn’t be rid of me. I would be here to serve you in some capacity, no matter the result. I promised to serve you; I promised to support you; I promised to put your needs before my own.
When the end came, there was no time to sit and remember what was. You see, there were promises that were made. Not being a member of the Select Board didn’t change the commitments I made or the corrections I felt were needed. I had spent the better part of the prior months telling you how I was different and why you should vote for me. I listened to your issues, answered them where I could and committed to helping be the change to resolve them. So I started with the one I was told couldn’t be done because it wasn’t a town matter.
After Representative Straus and I settled on a solution, I moved on to the rest of the list. Vice Chair of the Town Administrator Search Committee; Chair of the Belonging Committee; and I didn’t stop there. I stood in front of both the Select Board and the Board of Public works. I continued to spread the message of our safety being jeopardized because our Fire Department is understaffed.
Although there is more, I’ll stop there. You see this letter isn’t my opportunity to brag or tell you how great a person I am. This is me telling you I am who I say I am. I am the person I told you I would be, which is a man of my word. Running for Select Board isn’t just politics for me because I’m not a politician. I am a person who recognized a problem and stepped up to try to fix that problem. I want to be the catalyst to push the town forward, just enough for you to do the rest. I want to be the glue that brings Fairhaven back together, because that’s when Fairhaven is at its best.
I am here to serve the town of Fairhaven and all its residents. I have knocked on more doors and rang more doorbells; and I will continue to do so. These aren’t just the doors of people who voted for me. I want to stand in front of the people who didn’t and understand why. I want to know what I could do differently and what you specifically feel the town needs in order to be the best.
If there is one thing you can take away from this, it’s that I do what I say I’ll do, and I am the person you have seen, and heard.
I am Leon Emanuel Correy III…Every day.
Cameron Durant
As Election Day approaches, I am excited to offer my service leadership experience as a candidate for Select Board. I am running as an example for my three daughters, that we all have a duty to ensure our community reaches its fullest potential. The Board will soon have five members and a new Town Charter is being constructed for approval at a future Town Meeting. I offer residents a collaborative communication style while never wavering from my values. This is needed now more than ever.
My experiences reflect my ability to deliver on these goals. My past two terms on the Board of Public Works have been a great source of pride. Managing the BPW’s nearly $10 million dollar operating budget, and millions of dollars of capital projects, is the experience necessary for success on the Select Board. Also, I believe policies must be people-centric. As an Operations Manager and SHRM-CP certified HR professional, I know results come from fully engaged employees who are treated with respect and operate under clear policy goals. If given the opportunity to serve this April, I will help set the policies to assist Ms. Ellison, our new Town Administrator, in her task of municipal governance.
Public Safety is the chief concern. We must properly staff the Fire Department to ensure we can handle emergency medical calls and respond to fires simultaneously. Our Police Department is tasked not only with law enforcement responsibilities, but also with providing social services during an opioid and mental health crisis. Funding a department social worker will remove further liability from our fine officers and the Town.
We must also make plans for a modern public safety department that is worthy to house our first responders while being fiscally responsible. As the Town looks at the feasibility of a public safety complex at the site of the former landfill on Bridge Street, we must also plan on relocating the Recycling Center adjacent to the complex due to the Town’s federally mandated expansion of the Sewer System. Negotiation with the DEP will be critical. We cannot delay this move, without a recycling center, the Town would be subjected to hundreds and thousands of dollars in additional fees from ABC Disposal.
Finally, with a new TA at the helm, it is time to examine changing the structure of Town positions. After more than a year, it is time to reinstate a HR professional. This person will not only be responsible for coordinating benefits, but also ensuring the Town is compliant with employment law. Alongside Ms. Ellison, they will foster a respectful work environment. In addition, I would also seek to explore and implement a departmental merger between the Parks, Recreation and Tree Departments. These areas need a reorganization to best serve residents.
These are the mechanisms I will work towards to promote change. I thank the Town for their consideration and humbly ask for your vote on Monday, April 4.
Cathy Melanson
Hello, my name is Cathy Melanson and I am a candidate for select board.
I am a dedicated lifelong resident of Fairhaven and currently serve on the Planning Board, Economic Development Committee, and Capital Improvement Committee. As a businesswoman, and an active participant in town government, I will bring a unique perspective and real-life experience to the Select Board as I join with your voice to move Fairhaven forward.
We have several challenges facing us in the future and number one is fiscal responsibility. I see capital spending and budget line items fitting into two categories — wants and needs. Simply put, the key to budgeting is to become aware of how money is being spent. In our little town, we must plan how revenues (of approximately 69 million dollars) are spent. To discern which category is appropriate will require a bit of foresight along with a strong fiscal sense and a working knowledge of permits, buildings departments, and state, environmental and government parameters. Tough decisions will have to be made, and they are not always popular ones. Various town departments will propose individual projects that they believe are desperately needed. But, timing, and available funds and other pertinent issues must be examined. Then, after a list of needs are prioritized, the most pressing, necessary project(s) can be addressed. For example, a “need” is the federally mandated upgrade to our sewer system. We have put this project off and it’s now time to complete it.
We must keep Fairhaven affordable for our seniors and those on fixed incomes. I plan to explore the possibilities of a reduction of taxes or at a minimum, a gradual increase. In order to save money, we must explore ways to encourage and support new startup businesses to fill our vacant store fronts. An incentive plan should be created to assist our new businesses.
Of utmost importance is to ensure our historical buildings are being properly maintained. These gifted treasures define our skyline and history of our town. Routine historical maintenance must be supported to avoid spending large sums of tax dollars for repairs. Then, we must create a plan for a healthy balance between our green space and development
We must support and work cohesively with Ms. Angie Lopes Ellison, our new Town Administrator, on the goals and future of Fairhaven. We must ensure transparency and collaboration among all boards and committees.
I am asking that you give me the opportunity to serve the town I love. With your vote, together we can face these challenges head-on. I welcome positive, constructive conversations. I promise to be open to the questions, comments and concerns of the citizens of our town. I will be your voice.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Charlie Murphy
I am honored to place my name for service to the Fairhaven Select Board. I am eager to continue to listen to the concerns of our citizens and implement an action plan wherever needed to assist the citizens of Fairhaven. We have faced tough times and will continue to focus on the positives to be Fairhaven Strong!
Professionally speaking, I am the CEO of M.O., L.I.F.E., Inc. which began in 1995. We now have 70 employees and are building our way back up throughout these trying times. This 27-year-old organization focuses on the need for teenagers and adults with disabilities to work towards achieving their highest potential in life. Additionally, I founded a Food Pantry in the year 2000 to fulfill the needs of the less fortunate. We have fed, with the assistance of the Rotary Club of Fairhaven during the heat of the pandemic, over 600 people per month and we continue to do so with many volunteers. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor for Gosnold and MOLIFE, I am professionally trained to be a good listener and to assist others with quality results. This background has prepared me for the numerous issues that I deal with daily.
I have a strong investment in this town and have worked hard to assist other departments in meeting and exceeding their goals in the past and hope to continue this vision for the future. It is this teamwork that makes our government work. We need to have a strong focus on Public Safety, Public Works and of course Education, which are a part of my top priorities. Further, we must have a Town government that works for its residents, while emphasizing the values of our Town. Another priority is to keep Fairhaven affordable to its residents with a lower area tax rate.
Keeping the focus on the positives in Fairhaven, we re-established the public access show, “The Magazine,” produced by David Fauteux. Our goal is to show the good in Fairhaven and the many positives that we have in this great community.
I am committed to this Town and take this position and its impact on people very seriously. My family history in this town has given me this example to live by. I have enormous respect for our quality of life and the concerns to all individuals in our Town and plan to continue to take in the facts and make decisions with compassion and common sense. By working together, through all our departments, we can accomplish many goals. I am blessed to have a very supportive family, great friends and a great campaign team and I am truly fortunate to live in this community.
I’m here to listen to your ideas and work on action plans and have an open-door policy for your concerns. Let’s bring the fun back to Fairhaven! I respectfully ask for your vote on Monday April 4th.
Yours in Service
Stasia Powers
Thank you, Fairhaven, for giving me the opportunity to serve you on the Select Board for the past 7 months. It has been my honor and I hope you will allow me to continue in this important role.
When I was elected in July, my number one goal was to get a new Town Administrator hired as soon as possible. I am proud to say we reached that goal this week, appointing Angie Lopes-Ellison, a highly qualified manager. I look forward to working with her as we continue to move our amazing town forward.
There have been many other items crucial to the Town that I have been glad to help advance, including the following: supporting the Rogers School Re-use planning effort, culminating in an RFP that is accepting responses right now; building relationships with our County, State and national representatives and their offices; and securing a position on the Bristol County Advisory Board executive team and discussing projects important to our town with that board as well as our legislators to get Fairhaven on priority lists for future legislative opportunities.
I have worked hard to build relationships among and between our Town departments, creating an atmosphere where everyone is treated kindly and professionally. My belief is that if we disagree, we don’t need to set out to destroy each other. This tactic will not be rewarded. We need to discuss issues and find common ground.
As we evaluate the budget for FY 2023, I will prioritize funding the support and resources for our Police and Fire departments. We need a new public safety facility, and I will make sure we make prudent decisions to move this forward in a responsible way. All departments should have the resources they need to sustain and advance programs that are necessary to our community and its safety.
It was exciting to sit with my fellow Select Board Members to set goals and objectives for FY2023. It was a productive, respectful exchange where we settled on a pretty large list of what we’d like to achieve. Among those goals are strengthening the Town’s human resources by formalizing easy access to policies, while providing additional training opportunities for both staff and elected officials. Together we also commit to deepening our collaboration with the school department on allocating shared resources. Our future looks promising, and I am thrilled by the opportunity to achieve these goals and follow through on the many things I have been able to help move ahead since July.
If you have any questions or feedback, please join me for my monthly office hours at Town Hall from noon-1 on the last Wednesday of each month
I am truly excited by the opportunity to serve on a board of five members. The diversity of opinion and exchange of ideas can only lead to better decision making. Ultimately, the winner of this historic election will be the Town of Fairhaven.
I ask for your vote. Let’s keep our positive progress going strong.
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