Profiles of the Candidates for Selectman 2011
Three candidates are seeking two seats on the Board of Selectmen. Two BoS incumbents, Peter Cunningham and Anna Eliot, are seeking re-election to the board; Brooks Lyman is challenging. Selectmen serve a three-year term.
Editor’s Note: Candidate Anna Elliot chose not to fill out the online form used to collect the candidates thoughts for these profiles. Instead, she submitted an email message with partial answers. I have attempted to place her comments in the appropriate spots on this chart, but there are a number of questions to which she did not reply.
General Information
| Name |
Peter Cunningham (Incumbent) |
Anna Eliot (Incumbent) |
Brooks Lyman |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Did Not Answer |  |
||
| Party affiliation | Democrat | Did Not Answer | Republican | |
| Address | 44 Smith Street | P.O. Box 513 | 328 Townsend Road | |
| Groton, MA 01450 | Groton, MA 01450 | Groton, MA 01450 | ||
| Contact phone | (978) 448-3497 | (978) 448-0100 | (978) 448-9947 | |
| [email protected] | [email protected] | [email protected] | ||
| WWW site | None | None | www.brookslyman.net |
Demographic Information
| Name |
Peter Cunningham (Incumbent) |
Anna Eliot (Incumbent) |
Brooks Lyman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 62 | Did Not Answer | 70 |
| Vocation | Presently retired after working 38 years for the Massachusetts Department of Children & Families. Supervised a unit of child abuse/neglect caseworkers. | Attorney | Brookline Controls Corp. – Industrial Electronic controls |
| Groton resident since: | 1979 | Did Not Answer | 1986 |
| Family information: | Married with two adult daughters. Jenny is a wildlife biologist about to start a project on the North Slope in Alaska and Laura is a graphic designer working in the high tech field. | Did Not Answer | Single |
| What personal quality do you think is your strongest asset? | I believe my strongest asset is to be able to view the various issues that come before the Board with a broad perspective. In other words, seeing the forest through the trees.Very often the intensity of a particular issue can impede a clear view of the big picture and the outcome of decisions made with a narrow perspective is not always good public policy. I believe I have demonstrated this quality during my tenure on the BOS and that townspeople appreciate this, even though they may not always agree with me. | Did Not Answer | A conservative viewpoint on fiscal matters combined with an ability to think outside the box. |
Public Service Experience
| Name |
Peter Cunningham (Incumbent) |
Anna Eliot (Incumbent) |
Brooks Lyman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Please outline your experience in public or community service, including elective or appointed office. | My public experience began with a period of service on the town’s personnel board.My first elected position was to the Groton/Dunstable Regional School Committee where I served from 1991-1996. I then ran for a vacated position on the Board of Selectmen in May, 1996 and have served on the Board since that time. |
|
Public – former:
Public – Present:
Community/Private – Former:
Community/Private – Current:
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The Issues
| Name |
Peter Cunningham (Incumbent) |
Anna Eliot (Incumbent) |
Brooks Lyman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why did you decide to run for this office? | I am running for re-election since I thoroughly enjoy the process of governance and how it works in Groton. I was very involved in preparing the charter that was adopted by town meeting and that restructured our form of government. I believe having a Town Manager has professionalized the way our town government works and has lead to better value for the taxpayers. By this I mean that many of the inefficiencies that previously existed have been eliminated and there is greater accountability in all town departments. However, the piece that I enjoy the most is our open town meeting and having to go before it to seek approval for virtually all major decisions. This is definitely an unpredictable dynamic, and at times can be frustrating, but the need to do it is invigorating and keeps us as elected officials on our toes. | Two years ago I decided to run for BOS after 22 years on the Planning Board.I wanted to broaden my contribution to the town. I enjoy being a public servant and giving back to the town where I was born and grew up. | I felt that we, the voters of Groton, have lost a fair measure of control over the business of the Town, and that the current Board of Selectmen is not sufficiently concerned about this.In addition, I feel that since the adoption of the Town Charter, that we have lost some necessary transparency in Town Government, with initiatives such as the proposed purchase of the Sacred Heart Church property for a new Central Fire Station being proposed by the Selectmen and Town Manager with little or no input from the Town. I feel strongly that we need to start a review process of the Town Charter, comparing our experience with that of other towns which have adopted a Town Charter/Town Manager within recent years and possibly proposing changes if deemed necessary. |
| What is the most important issue facing the town, or this office? How would you attack it? | I believe trying to maintain the level of service that townspeople have come to expect in trying economic times is the largest overall issue facing the town. This applies to school funding as well as municipal services and needs to be done at a time where the state has not always been a reliable partner. One of the areas that is a significant cost driver each year is the cost of health benefits for town employees and I am proud of the understanding that town employees have shown at the bargaining table where they have agreed to share a greater burden of that expense at a time when there have been no cost of living adjustments. | The single most important issue before the town is what happens at town meeting. This year it has been the budget, expanding the Downtown Overlay District, locating a new fire station; increasing the vitality of the town center, Four Corners and West Groton center; sustainability of our resources, both in commodities and in personnel; ensuring that town governance is delivered in an efficient yet respectful manner; Master Plan update; [sic] | Fiscal Responsibility. I propose to make maximum use of existing Town resources, both personnel and material, where appropriate; to bring a very sharp pencil to the spending and budget process, and to cut unnecessary Town expenses and personnel where possible and appropriate, increasing our reliance on volunteers when possible.I propose to put in place a budgeting process which would not include the politically determined State Aid to the Town (the Cherry Sheet), but would balance the Town’s budget on the Town’s own income, while putting the unrestricted Cherry Sheet money – currently a very small percentage of the Town’s budget – into the Stabilization Funds. |
| What other issues do you want to work on? | I believe providing more affordable housing that demonstrates to the state that Groton is addressing the goals defined in our affordable housing plan is very important if we are to avoid the ramifications of 40B developments. I supported the formation of the Affordable Housing Trust and the process it is pursuing to create affordable units at 134 Main Street. I also believe that we are in dire need on a new central fire station and think that most townspeople agree after the recent special town meeting where the conditions at the current Station Ave. station were presented. While the siteing decision has been deferred while a committee explores various alternatives, this is something that needs to be pursued. I will also make it a goal to fund this project within the levy limit and to not seek an override. | I have participated in many committee meetings to keep informed as to what residents concerns are. I try to make informed decisions. I approach problems by looking into the factors that contribute to the problem, and research facts that will enter into any decision; I was instrumental in purchasing the property on Route 40 that protects the GELD transformer and gives public access form Route 40 to Conservation Committee property; as chair of the Economic Development Committee I lead our exploration of the means to help local business, and given local business a voice in town governance; [sic]The town needs to be proactive in directing growth. I want to increase the effectiveness of the Economic Development Committee by increasing the number and variety of the goods and services the town can offer its citizens. |
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| Please compare and contrast your approach and priorities with the (or a) incumbent. What would you change and what would you carry on? | Did Not Answer | Did Not Answer | The current Board of Selectmen – and Groton Town government generally – has become somewhat isolated from the townspeople whom they are governing. Perhaps the board has too many members who feel that their election qualifies them to make decisions for the rest of the voters of Groton, sometimes without sufficient input from those voters. While some people (including myself, at times) would blame this on a "liberal" outlook on the part of the members of the Board of Selectmen and Town government, that is only a part of the problem. Knowing better than your fellows is a common conceit from which few of us are immune. I would attempt to make sure that Groton’s government operated in the most transparent manner possible, and that all proposals, deliberations and decisions of the Selectmen and Town Manager were made in the clear light of day unless confidentiality and privacy concerns prohibited this. |
| What other facts would you like to tell Groton voters? | I would like the voters to reflect on my tenure on the Board of Selectmen and recognize that I share the values that they have supported over the years. Be it the protection of open space, the needs of the school district or ways to improve the process of government in Groton, I have always sought to find solutions that have a sound basis in the fundamental needs of the community. | Did Not Answer | I would appreciate your single vote at the Town Election on 17 May, but even if you don’t vote for me, I hope that you’ll get out and vote. An active and informed electorate is our best guarantee of good government and liberty.Thanks, Brooks Lyman |
[...] Take a look at the three candidates for two seats on the Board of Selectmen. [...]