Despite the pandemic, Hadley will have an election May 16 to fill a three-year term on the Select Board to replace outgoing member Molly Keegan. There are also two other contested seats up for grabs; one for the Board of Health, and one for the Planning Board.
Needless to say, these community volunteer positions will carry great responsibilities in the unprecedented wake of COVID-19. Not only did Hadley officials encourage voters to seek absentee ballots from the town clerk, but they are asking that voters wear masks if the plan on voting in person on May 16 at Hopkins Academy from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
As the former senior services director for Hadley, until September 2019, I worked beside Jane Nevinsmith, a candidate for the Select Board. When grant funding was reduced, I tapped Jane to organize a nonprofit fundraising arm for the Hadley Council on Aging. They have supplemented salaries for outreach and programming, bought equipment and educated and engaged the community with their signature events.
Jane’s partnership in building the new senior center was invaluable. She never tired of finding the information necessary to state the case, solve the problem, or create an alternate route to achieve the end result. She has sat tirelessly in Select Board meetings since 2015 and interacted with town boards and committees. She knows who to go to, and where projects, taxes, and state mandates stand.
With uncertainty in the future regarding timelines to reopening and economic recovery, Hadley needs a mature voice that can speak with integrity. There won’t be time to bring someone “up to speed.” Why would you want to when you have Jane Nevinsmith, a committed, intelligent and caring candidate waiting in the wings?
Suzanne Travisano
Gill
The writer is Hadley’s former senior services director.