3 candidates seek 2 Select Board seats
CHELMSFORD >> Three candidates are competing for two seats on the Chelmsford Select Board in the April 2 town election.
The election features candidates Aaron Cunningham, Patrick Maloney and incumbent George Dixon running for the two seats, one of which was left vacant last year after the sudden resignation of Chair Mark Carota.
Dixon is the sole incumbent candidate and he is seeking his sixth consecutive term on the Select Board, having been first elected in 2009. He is the third generation in his family to be born and raised in Chelmsford.
“My family has been here 130 years. I was born here, I went through school here,” said Dixon.
Dixon graduated from Umass Lowell in 1969, and his career afterward was primarily in real estate development.
In his time on the board Dixon has served as a liaison for all three of the town’s water districts, senior housing, the Council on Aging, the Lowell Regional Transit Authority, the Permanent Building Committee and the Capital Planning Committee.
“I like working with people, I like helping people. I am approachable, transparent and I am not afraid to say what is on my mind,” said Dixon. “If I can do something for somebody, I am going to do it. If I can’t, I am going to get back to them and tell them why I can’t do it.”
Dixon touted some of the focused advocacy he has engaged in as a member of the board, including an effort to honor local veterans of World War II through street signage and Vietnam War veterans with a memorial in Vinal Square. He also pointed to his support of residents in the Williamsburg Condominiums complex who faced erosion of the riverbank that threatened their sewer line, and his support for residents of Scotty Hollow Condominiums who were experiencing frequent brownouts in the neighborhood.
Dixon has been the top vote-getter in his last five elections, and naturally hopes to continue that streak in the election next week.
“It doesn’t matter if you finish first or second, if you’re on the board, you’re on the board … But I am a little bit proud that we get the most votes each time,” said Dixon.
He said he wanted to run again this year because he wants to help get more people in town involved in the local government.
“I think the biggest problem in town is apathy,” said Dixon, referencing a steady overall decline in voter turnout in Chelmsford.
He referenced an initiative the board was trying to take up last year until Carota resigned, which would create a “government day” and a civics club in Chelmsford schools.
“If we get the kids involved, maybe they will get their parents involved,” said Dixon.
Dixon showed little concern for Chelmsford tackling the MBTA Communities law, as there is already a development in process at 255 Princeton St. that he thinks can be encompassed into the MBTA multifamily zoning.
He also disputed some of the figures opponents of the zoning have cited.
“There are people who are upset and saying there will be 2,000 kids coming. That’s impossible,” said Dixon, though he also expressed concern over the potential for a law that would expand the number of properties in Massachusetts that could have accessory dwelling units.
Maloney has been the owner and CEO of Chelmsford-based Architectural Environments Inc., a construction management firm specializing in advanced facilities for pharmaceutical and biotech companies, for 34 years. He has served on various boards and committees in town over the last two decades for things like buildings, the Fire Department and public works.
He moved to Chelmsford in 1971 and graduated from Chelmsford High School in 1979 and has since raised his family in town.
“I have been very happy raising my family in Chelmsford, and I thought
it was time to give back,” said Maloney.
For Maloney, some of the biggest priorities for Chelmsford coming over the horizon are upcoming building projects.
“There will likely be another fire station project coming up in the next few years, and our superintendent has come out with the possibility of the [Massachusetts School Building Authority] approving a middle school project for us,” said Maloney. “All that stuff is right in my wheelhouse because I have worked with the MSBA in the past on school stuff.”
Maloney has also provided owner’s project management services to the town of Chelmsford for no cost, and has been involved in various capacities in at least 10 major town projects including additions and renovations to some of Chelmsford’s schools, the Chelmsford Fire Department headquarters and the North Chelmsford Fire Station.
Maloney moved to Chelmsford as a child in 1971 and has lived there since, graduating from Chelmsford High School and raising his three children in town.
Maloney said he is aware of an impending “budget crunch” the town will have to contend with, but said that Chelmsford is, at least for now, not in the same immediate peril as some of its neighboring towns.
“We haven’t gotten to that level our neighbors are at, but we can see that there will be some real grappling with the budget,” said Maloney. “Cuts could be looming. I am not one to arbitrarily make cuts. I would rather explore ways to produce more revenue before we start cutting.”
Also not unique to Chelmsford is the MBTA Communities law, which a contingent of residents are advocating for the town to not comply with. Maloney said he thinks the Planning Board has a good handle on it and that it would be “a detriment” for the town to not comply.
“There is a contingent in town who do not want to support it, but we would lose possible grants and future state funding,” said Maloney.
Maloney also said the town should be lobbying to the state about a proposed bill that would expand the number of residences in the state that could have ADUS built on the property.
“This would render single-family zoning obsolete in Massachusetts. Now is the time to be lobbying to Beacon Hill and our state reps and state senators,” said Maloney.
Cunningham has been living in Chelmsford for six years, but has considered himself to be a member of the community for much longer with his wife serving as a teacher in the school system for more than 25 years. His children even attended Chelmsford schools through his wife being an employee.
When the Cunningham family finally moved to Chelmsford, he immediately decided he wanted to be more involved in the community, first joining the Recycling Committee and then getting involved in any other way he could, like being an election officer.
“If I win I am going to miss those long election days,” said Cunningham.
Cunningham has a more than 25-year career, including once owning a retail shop and a small restaurant and serving for the last five years as an independent consultant. When his two small businesses closed down, he said it gave him the extra time he needed to become more involved in Chelmsford.
Cunningham said he considered running for School Committee, but decided on the Select Board in part because his wife still works in the schools, and because he is more interested in the town policy side of the equation.
“But I feel one of the things I can bring to the table is to professionally and politely challenge the status quo,” said Cunningham.
If elected, Cunningham said he is ready to contend with what appears to be a tight budget situation, which is not unique to Chelmsford after COVID19-ERA relief funds dried up.
“I feel a little less doom and gloom myself, but I recognize that the town is going to get a tighter budget,” said Cunningham. “I think (Town Manager) Paul Cohen has done a good job over the years to put us in a position to weather that storm.”
Cunningham said he wants the town to further scrutinize future budgets, and to try to separate the
“nice to haves” from the “must haves,” especially with incoming building projects like a new school and fire station. Additionally, he said the town needs to fill its commercial spaces.
“We have 6 to 8 million square feet of available commercial space. We need to figure out why we are not attracting the businesses we need to attract,” said Cunningham.
Cunningham acknowledged himself as a sort of “longshot” candidate in this race, but said he chose to run to at least force the other candidates to “step up their game.”
“Going through an election process will be good for the town and for me,” said Cunningham, adding that if he is unsuccessful this year, he is likely to run again next year. Despite the longshot, Cunningham said he has received positive feedback as a candidate from residents.
“I met with a couple of longtime Town Meeting representatives who are residents of Chelmsford for 50 years. They were enthusiastic about me running and how I looked at things and what I could bring to the Select Board,” said Cunningham.
“This is a serious job, and it is a time commitment that I am fully committed to,” he added.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2. Voters from Precincts 1 and 2 vote at the Chelmsford Senior Center, Precincts 3-8 vote at Mccarthy Middle School and Precincts 9-11 vote at the gymnasium in the Town Offices. Chelmsford does not have an early voting period for local elections, but absentee voting is available at the Town Clerk’s Office during regular business hours until noon on April 1.