Espindola should be re-elected
Bob Espindola — I have had the immense honor of getting to know Bob since he got sworn in as a Selectman on the Selectboard. Bob is a prime example of what it means to be a servant leader. He listens authentically to everyone’s concerns, he’s empathetic, especially to those who disagree with his decisions, he acts as his own person, and, most importantly, he is kind.
Bob has always handled himself with the utmost integrity and is honest with how he feels on various policy issues because of the research he does before meetings. To me, at the least, that’s what all of us should ask for from our elected officials. We are the faces of our community and how we conduct ourselves in meetings are true reflections of what our community values.
We should always expect our officials to lead by example through integrity, respect and decency for one another, especially for our students in the Fairhaven Public Schools district. Aside from his characteristics, Bob has done so much and more during his tenure. It’s because of his strong leadership he has helped provide the following:
• Adopted recommendations from the free DOR Financial Management Review which resulted in our Town running five-year projections for revenues and expenses, established a formal Capital Planning process and most importantly, established Financial Management Policies that have served us well, unlike a majority of other communities, through COVID19. I cannot stress enough how these practices have allowed us to weather this storm, particularly when it comes to educating our scholars enrolled in the Fairhaven Public Schools district.
• Helped provide over $1 million in grant monies to our community which helped provide Economic Development, IT Consolidation, Improved Energy Efficiency, Solar Installations and more. Essentially, these grants help save you, the taxpayer, monies overtime, as welcoming new businesses and utilizing green energy helps broaden our tax base. In comparison to other communities, we have one of the lowest residential tax assessments and it’s because of our commercial base as well as other opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint that help us stay competitive.
• Helped make our government more transparent by requiring the Town to record all meetings aired on Cable TV. So, rather than only being able to watch live meetings, you can now watch any meeting at your leisure whether through Channel 9, online, or through Facebook.
• Because of Bob’s strong empathetic personality, the complaints he has heard from many of you in our community about high cable rates, poor service and lack of competition was turned into action by helping form a Broadband Study Committee to look at how you, the taxpayer, can save on your cable bill.
Selectman Espindola is someone I fully trust to lead Fairhaven forward. He listens, he respects all opinions, and most importantly, the way he conducts himself with integrity, empathy and honesty are why he deserves another 3 years on the Selectboard. My friends, I strongly encourage you all on Monday, April 5th, to vote for Bob Espindola for Selectmen.
Kyle Bueno, Fairhaven
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