Last Word Before the Election: Christopher Hartling

In the lead-up to to Burlington's town election this Saturday, April 6, Burlington Patch interviewed the three candidates for the two open seats for Board of Selectmen.

We asked each candidate the same five questions. The following is based on our conversation with Christopher Hartling. Visit Burlington Patch's homepage to find the interviews with incumbent Robert Hogan and candidate Virginia Mooney.

The Burlington Town Election will be held this Saturday. The polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Burlington High School.

Hartling is a Town Meeting member in his third term and is currently on the Board of Directors for the Burlington Council on Aging. He has also served on Ways & Means, which he said gave him an understanding of the town's financial  process that would help him on the board of selectmen. He is also a lifelong Burlington resident.

What made you decide to run?

"I would call it a long-term interest," Hartling said. "I’ve been heavily involved in the town, especially in last 10 years. I grew up here and always paid attention to the issues."

Hartling said he likes to get involved when he feels like he can contribute. 

"I don't like to just site back and watch, it’s my nature to get involved provided I feel I have something to offer," he said. "I've been lucky to get to know some of the selectmen and I have a lot of respect for work they do. I feel it’s my turn to continue some of the good work that they've started."

What do you see as the biggest issue coming up for the board?

Hartling said that rather than an issue, he feels that the thing the board needs to do is to take each issue before it and discuss it and make responsible decisions.

"I think it's not an issue, but a responsibility," he said. "I feel like the board has a responsibility to work as a group and be open to and pay attention to each issue as those issues come along. I feel like sometimes people can get caught up in who they’re agreeing with and who they are disagreeing with and I feel like the board has a responsibility is to work more as a group. I'm hoping to be a part of that."

He did say he thought the liquor license question, especially in light of the recent vote to provide one to a convenience store, was something the board will have to continue to discuss.

"As a private citizen and as a Town Meeting member and somebody who asked a lot of people in town I went to meeting to ensure people who were against issuing a beer/wine license to that type of business were represented," he said. "I think that got passed in a hasty fashion without what a lot of people felt to be the proper time to establish guidelines – feel it was rushed through. As a result of that passing that with be a topic of conversation and debate going forward."

What is something you’d like to accomplish in your first term if elected?

"Probably the most important thing for me to accomplish is to figure out where I fit in with the group," he said. "If elected I think my first responsibility is to figure out where I fit in and make it a point to establish good working relationships on the board. I would do my best to make myself a productive member of the board and work to ensure that Burlington is a good place to live and raise a family."

What do you think of the FY13 balance of the town’s split rate tax, which is set at 11.85 per $1,000 for residential and for 31.70 per $1,000 commercial?

Hartling said he would like to see the residential tax rate low but doesn't want to see it as favoring one tax base over the other.

"As someone who owns a house and lives here, like everyone else, I want to pay the lowest possible tax rate and I want the optimum services," he said. "I want the schools and other services to continue to be really good"

"On the other side of the equation, I recognize we need to make sure Burlington is an attractive place for businesses to operate. We offer a lot geographically. We need to work to make sure our businesses partners, business of all sizes, feel that Burlington is the place to be and that the town government is supportive of what they are trying to do."

Hartling said the town should also work to expand the business community and attract new types of industries. 

"I think we should be doing what we can to attract other industries, such as biotech," he said. "The goal I have is to ensure the relationship between the town and business is strong and continues to get stronger."

There was a recent vote by the board to allow a liquor license for a convenience store that was controversial. What do you think about the decision?

Having already discussed this particular issue earlier in the interview Hartling spoke more to the issue of liquor licenses as a whole.

"If you are asking if beer and wine license should be a tool to attract good business partners to the town, I absolutely agree," he said. "Having a beer/wine license enables you as a town to go out and attract the types of businesses you want. I think it’s important to realize they’re not something you have to feel pressure to hand out just because you have them. My feeling is you hold them until you have the opportunity to grant them to a business you want to lure into town."