O'Connor throws hat in election ring

By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer

Published on February 05, 2010

A vocal critic of the closing of Mark's Meadow School and the subsequent redistricting of elementary school students is running for a seat on the School Committee.

Vince O'Connor, of 179 Sumner St., unit 1, submitted papers to the town clerk's office Tuesday, minutes before the 5 p.m. filing deadline, to run for one of the two, three-year seats at the March 23 town elections. "What the School Committee has proposed to do is not going to work," O'Connor said. "It's going to be destructive."

Four others are running for School Committee, including incumbent Kathleen Anderson, of 49 Deepwoods Drive, Ernest Dalkas, of 170 East Hadley Road, Richard Hood, of 69 South Pleasant St., and Rob Spence, of 16 Bayberry Lane.

O'Connor, a Town Meeting member, said he also plans to bring a nonbinding petition to the ballot that would ask voters to keep Mark's Meadow elementary open, set aside a redistricting plan that would prohibit open enrollment by parental choice and disperse educationally based language clusters, and begin an English-Spanish dual language program at Crocker Farm School.

With a $1.9 million Proposition 21/2 tax-cap override question expected to be on the ballot, O'Connor said his petition may motivate people to support the override if they know their concerns about the future of the elementary schools are being listened to.

O'Connor said he waited until the final day to take out and submit papers because he hoped someone else would step forward who shared his ideology.

The School Committee, he said, is overestimating the potential savings in next year's budget, which have been calculated at more than $500,000. He is also troubled that the closing of Mark's Meadow doesn't assure parents that arts and music classes will be retained, and he said it is shortsighted because there would be no place for children to be taught when renovations at Wildwood and Fort River schools occur.

<h4>Other candidates</h4>

Incumbent Select Board member Alisa Brewer, of 5 Fairfield St., and Historical Commission member Jim Wald, of 454 Old Montague Road, are the only two running for two seats on the Select Board.

Kathleen Wang, vice president of the library trustees, of 11 Dickinson St., is seeking re-election to her seat, while Emily Lewis, of 15 Salem Place, will run for the other seat currently held by Louis Greenbaum.

Lewis said she can bring a sense of fairness to the trustees during challenging economic times to protect both library staff and patrons.

Moderator Harrison Gregg, Oliver Smith Will Trustee John Coull and Housing Authority member Judy Brooks are all seeking re-election unopposed.

Outgoing School Committee member Andrew Churchill, of 59 Pine St., former Finance Committee Chairman Brian Morton, of 9 Van Meter Drive, and outgoing Select Board member Gerry Weiss, of 277 Middle St., are among the notables seeking Town Meeting seats.