It was standing room only at the Plympton Town House on Saturday, May 11, as residents came to hear what the two candidates for selectmen had to say. Incumbent Christine Joy, who has held a seat on the board for 15 of the past 24 years met Dana Smith, a newcomer to politics who is retiring June 30 as a Plympton police officer, Dennett School SRO and DARE officer.
The debate was moderated by Colleen Thompson, Plympton’s Director of Elder Affairs, and host of the event.
The two answered questions posed by Thompson and then the questioning was offered to the audience who kept the candidates on their toes.
First, each was asked why they thought they were the best candidate for the position. Experience was Joy’s answer, her love for the town, and her pride in her many accomplishments. “I feel like we’re really focused on the community and we’ve come together in a very nice way,” she said. Being on the Board of Selectmen is like running a business. “My personal mantra has always been, ‘The Town comes first.’” She spoke about the professionalization of town department heads so they can be successful, establish a guideline as to what is and is not acceptable in conduct, how we treat each other. The fun part is when we fill key management positions and the hardest part is when we have to deal with people who aren’t professional and pose a risk to the town. “It’s part of the job,” she said. “The last thing is thoughtful decision-making, clear, concise, defensible, decisions that help reduce the potential for legal challenges.”
To Dana Smith, Thompson asked, “Why do you think you should replace Christine on the board?” Smith allowed that he is a newcomer to politics, but not a newcomer to Plympton. A son of a World War II veteran and POW, that’s where his call to civic service comes from. Smith has been in Plympton since 1988 and has been a member of the Plympton Police Dept. since 2004, and will be retiring next month. He has been the DARE officer and SRO (School Resource Officer) at the Dennett Elementary School for 13 years, working to make it a safe environment for Plympton’s children. He was instrumental in bringing the A.L.I.C.E. active shooter program to the Dennett to give a response to a possible active shooter situation. Smith said he knows about running a business and has owned and run a successful small business, a karate studio in Middleboro, for 20 years. “It’s a little different working for somebody, than working for yourself.” Smith said he owns the property in Middleboro where his business is located so he needs to worry about maintenance, property taxes, and planning for the future. “What I would bring is a fresh face, building relationships within the community,” Smith concluded.
Joy said in response that she has demonstrated that she is a proven leader, and won’t run away from a fight. “The town comes first, always… Having that mantra has given me the strength to do what I need to do.” Joy continued, “I think Dana is a really great guy and he has done a great job with DARE. I think that I’m a better choice because I have a wide variety of experience. . . and I think at this time it’s better to have seasoned leadership, people who know the ropes, and are able to knock some heads together to get things done.”
Colleen Morin asked Joy to explain the vetting process for new employees in key positions. She told the group that a consultant is hired who puts the word out through their networks and compiles resumes from the applicants. These are gone through and reduced to 10 to 12, and the committee of townspeople whittle those down to the best two or three. Public interviews are held, and the selectmen vote on their choice, making the final appointment.
Kim Russo asked Smith to confirm that his experience as a policeman is very different from the people who follow the law and the people who make them (the laws). She asked if he was familiar with the current Plympton bylaws and if he would state specifically which of the decisions the Board of Selectmen has made that he would do differently.
Smith answered that as a rookie coming into the situation, “You have to start somewhere.” As far as bylaws are concerned, Smith expressed concern over a bylaw that defines the number of parking spaces needed to accommodate businesses in town. Smith was concerned that this bylaw would hurt the Mom and Pop businesses in town. If the businesses are successful, the town will be successful. “Many of the roads are outdated,” Smith continued, specifically citing the narrow corner on Ring Road that poses a danger. He also mentioned Sauchuk’s Farm and the parking issue there. It was dealt with within the town. The parking bylaw is very wide-reaching, he said. “It’s a little hard to take.”
Joy said the town created the Bylaw Review Committee so that the bylaws were always relevant to what’s happening. Years ago that wasn’t always the case. “We were always trying to put our finger in the dam trying to stop things rather than being proactive, being prepared for things that are happening now,.” We are business friendly, she continued, but it has to be the right business in the right place.”
Plympton Fire Lieutenant Andrew Norton asked Joy to explain the disparity in the wage between fire and police personnel, pointing out that police payroll was $400,000 more than fire. Joy answered that they are two different jobs; it’s like comparing apples and oranges.
Steve Silva, former Plympton Fire Chief, took issue with her answer saying he was “a little bit insulted by your answer to Capt. Norton… your argument of apples and oranges couldn’t be more incorrect. I’m also your former fire chief and I know how things work in this town… Your chief has a Master’s Degree. Lt. Norton has a Juris Doctorate. We are educated, well-trained … I thought it was a rather simple question … I just want to know the difference of a $400,000 difference between two payrolls with very similar if not identical staffing patterns… So I reject your answer on that!”
Joy responded that she respects what he was saying.
Kim Russo asked Dana Smith about the police budget compared to the fire budget. “You go to the Finance Committee and ask for what you want. Smith responded that he doesn’t deal with those budgets. They’re above his pay level at this stage of the game. But the discrepancy has to be addressed.
“We’ve heard concerns on the red side of the table here, pretty legit concerns, and as far as working with those professionals, personally I have the utmost respect for the jobs they do… we’re both public servants… It’s a partnership.
Joy responded that the budget shown on the warrant was submitted by your fire chief, what she needed to manage her department. The larger number was provided by the police chief… I’m not saying anybody’s job is worth more than another.” Joy assured Norton that she would look into the numbers.
David Smith introduced himself as Dana Smith’s brother, asked Joy why the police budget was so high, up from $1.1 million two years ago to $1.6 million. “That’s almost a 50% increase!” He asked if violent crime was up 50%. “It doesn’t make any sense to me. What is $500,000 more police work getting us?”
Joy answered that the budget increase reflects having two officers on duty at all times for safety’s sake. Smith countered that the increased personnel means more than just the number on the paycheck; it means medical, pension, and these numbers go on year after year. “How much more can we sustain? How can we handle this?”
Joy responded that it goes to town meeting.
Silva asked Smith what staffing was in the police department on a typical weekday. Smith responded that there would be the chief, a lieutenant, a sergeant, two officers, and the SRO. So six.
Wrapping up, Joy asked Candidate Smith to elaborate on his statement in last week’s Express regarding infrastructure. “We definitely have some serious road issues…” citing narrow roads and the narrow corner on Ring Road. As part of infrastructure, we need to deal with repurposing the fire station as well. We also have that barn out on Center St. to repurpose. If they can still be used, they should be. “We’ve done pretty well repurposing things, but we have to do it fiscally responsibly and safe.”
In closing, he noted Joy’s vast experience and asked where she saw her involvement as selectman in the next three years. Joy responded that she hopes this will be her last term as selectman, that she believes in term limits.. “I’m newly retired. I’ve been working full time and doing this job I feel like I’m in a position right now to delve into things to help seniors and not just seniors – there are a lot of people struggling in this town and I’d like to find ways to help them. Mental health, food insecurities, or financial, I think that we have a responsibility as a community to be a village to help one another.” The last thing that she mentioned is to help people who want to have a safe flat surface to get outside and walk and referenced a public/private partnership she was working on.
Election day is Saturday, May 18. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. PLEASE VOTE!