Meet the Candidates: Bob Hassinger

(Editor's note: Grafton Patch submitted a series of identical questions to the three candidates for Planning Board. These are the answers as submitted by Bob Hassinger. The responses from Mike Scully will be posted later today. Candidate Robert Sims did not respond. Don't forget to vote May 15.)

Name: Bob Hassinger

Address: 48 George Hill Road
 
Age: 71
 
Education: Bachelor of Science and graduate studies in electrical engineering at Northeastern University

Relevant experience: Member of the Planning Board since 1991 and chairman several years. Planning Board delegate to our regional planning commission CMRPC since 1991, member there of the Transportation Planning Committee, Community Development Committee, and Executive Committee, as well as the search committees for the Executive Director. Chairman of the Commission five times. Awards for leadership, community service, and the town's development of a Comprehensive Master Plan.

Also a member of the Cable TV Oversight Committee since it was formed and chairman since 1987. Town Cable Access Coordinator. Chairman of the Cable Alternatives Committee that looked for alternatives to Charter. Chairman of the Cable Advisory Committee that negotiated the cable licenses. Member of the Information Technology Committee since it was created. Member of several screening committees for Town Administrators and Town Planners.   
 
Some have said the town has a reputation for being unfriendly to business. Do you think this is a valid viewpoint and, if so, what can be done to improve the situation?

The fact that people feel that way means it is a valid concern that we need to address. We need to listen to and understand people's concerns. We also need to do it with perspective and balance. It is easy to complain about regulations, and most of us do, but is Grafton significantly different from other nearby towns?  How? That level gives a perspective to work with and identify concrete opportunities to improve. 

Perceptions of the town's outlook toward business result from the laws the voters enact and the way our administration interacts with business interests. I think our current administration  has heard the concerns and is working hard to address them on their level, and progress is being made. 

We need to look on a regular basis at our laws and rules to see if they are the best balance between competing priorities as times, needs, and priorities change. In Grafton's favor I should note that the biggest business friendliness factor for any community is its tax policy. Some area towns, and particularly Worcester, tax businesses at a much higher rate than residential property.  Grafton's single rate tax is a definite plus from the point of view of businesses.

Many people would like more businesses in town, to reduce the tax burden on homeowners. How can Grafton do this?

Much of the reason businesses are such a small part of our tax base is the town's situation - location, transportation connections, population, the way the town has developed over the years, and so on. Some complain there is very little place for businesses to locate. There has been interest for many years in developing better inventories of the resources we have to offer, and to expand what we have through initiatives like rezoning. 

A current initiative I have been actively supporting is to explore with the full involvement of the South Grafton community the possibility of a mixed use zone there that would present more and better opportunities for businesses that complement the local community. I have also been very active in the Chapter 40R "Smart Growth" initiative that is making possible the cleaning up the Fisherville Mill site and providing a special zoning overlay option there that can help business development. As we gain experience with those projects we can look for opportunities and to apply them elsewhere in town too.

On the resource inventories and rezoning possibilities, I continue to work for the updating of our Comprehensive Master Plan that the state tells us needs to be done every five years. Because of the costs that has not been happening. My push is to break it down and select individual sections of the plan that are the most important and helpful in our current situation and work on them individually. The inventory of available business properties and exploration of possibilities for zoning changes would be an excellent, affordable, doable place to start. We have some help for that getting that started available from CMRPC as in-kind return for my participation in its activities. We are in the process of coordinating with the EDC to help get that started. 
 
What are the three most important characteristics of a successful Planning Board member?
Leadership and strategic planning require:
Knowledge: Of the town, its people and its history, the laws, how and why we are where we are now, where we can go in the future and how to do it.

Commitment: To the Town and its values, to the preparation and work required in and outside meetings, and to the judicial temperament required for much of the board's permitting work.

Communication: With the residents and the rest of town government to help us all understand one another and work together positively and productively.
 
How can voters learn more about you?
I am very available and always interested in talking with anyone who is interested or has questions. Call me, write me, talk to me at any of the Town activities I participate in. I am easy to find , I am in the phone book (but I do take some care putting my contact information in places like this on the Internet where it is too easy for spammers to harvest).