Norwood's LWV Hosts Board Of Selectmen Candidates Forum Monday

NORWOOD, MA - Norwood's three candidates for the Board of Selectmen in the town election on Monday, April 4 highlighted their differences in approach at a candidates forum on Monday night.

The forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Norwood, allowed voters to gain additional information about the three candidates. Incumbent Selectman Allan Howard is facing challenges from Amanda Grow, a web developer who ran against him in January's special election, as well as Finance Commission member Bob Donnelly. Questions posed to the candidates came from input by LWV and community members.

In his opening statement, Howard stressed his accomplishments since being reelected after the unexpected death of Selectman David Hajjar left a vacancy on the board. Over the past few months, the board has successfully negotiated a contract with Norwood's firefighters. Howard said he supported the recent decision to include Norwood in a regional emergency dispatch center.

Donnelly, who grew up in Norwood, noted his 29-year involvement as a Town Meeting member as well as his service on the Finance Commission, the Personnel Board, the Budget Balancing Committee and the Capital Outlay Committee.

"I am running for selectman because the board needs new perspectives and ideas," Donnelly said. "I believe the board needs to be more forward looking. Specifically, I think the board needs to think more about Norwood's future."

One of his three priorities is getting the best credit rating possible for the town as it seeks to borrow $104 million for the new Coakley Middle School building approved at last week's Special Town Meeting, the most expensive project ever proposed. Another goal is to create a capital reserve fund with some of the proceeds of the Forbes Hill property sale to Moderna for its campus expansion. Developing a comprehensive town master plan is a third initiative for Donnelly.

Grow noted her background in technology, working in the field since she was 16. She helps run a video game production studio in a field that she described as "highly technical and highly collaborative." She also has served the town as a Town Meeting member and member of the Rules Committee.

She also highlighted her involvement in the study of renewable energy, pointing out that Norwood is only one of four towns in which select board members double as light commissioners. Grow said she hopes to bring her expertise in these fields to the board.

"I think it's very important to increase technology literacy in the town," Grow added. "I think it's important for us to also have outreach to residents who might not all get access to that type of information."

The three candidates differed on their opinions on improving community outreach.

Donnelly pointed out "gaps in communication" between the Board of Selectmen, the School Committe and the Planning Board. He also noted that some residents have felt left out of the decision-making process. To resolve this issue, he proposed a community survey to see which platforms are most effective in reaching residents.

Grow noted her experience in survey design and how to format a survey that does not provide skewed results. An example she gave was of 40 respondents saying they never read a plan on which they were supposed to be submitting feedback. He also spoke about engaging elders, veterans and high school seniors in getting "manual feedback" from residents.

Howard preferred a more traditional approach.

"Currently our meetings are televised on Norwood Community Media," he said, adding that they are rebroadcast several times per month. He also said that meeting minutes are available online.

Another area in which the candidates verged was on the sense of inclusivity in Norwood for people of color.

"If you look at the number of Black students in our schools, I would say that people of color are definitely welcome," Howard said. "There's no question of that. I just say we keep doing what we're doing."

He also spoke about the recent influx of children who are foreign born to the school district this school year, adding, "That issue is behind us now."

Donnelly disagreed but added that the question would be better posed to a person of color for a more detailed response. All three candidates in this race are white.

"I think it pains me to say that I believe that there are many who don't feel welcome," Donnelly said.

He recalled a listening session held by town after the murder of George Floyd two years ago in Hawes Park, where he heard stories from people of color who did not feel welcome.

"I think if we were truly welcoming in the most open sense, I think we would see more participation in our own town government," he added.

Grow added that "we have a lot of room to grow" as far as making people of color feel like a part of Norwood. Norwood's boards and committees are not reflective of Norwood's diversity, she said. She encouraged people to run for seats as Town Meeting members, noting that there are vacancies in every district.

"I want us to expand our cultural competency," she continued, noting that holidays such as Lunar New Year are not celebrated in Norwood. "If we show by doing that we are very proud and excited about the people who are in our community - all the people who are in our community - that's what's going to help move the needle."

Affordable housing was another key topic. The state recently set forth guidelines that call for affordable housing units to be located near public transportation hubs. Norwood has three MBTA commuter rail stations and one bus line.

"I think our history with affordable housing is one where our heart was in the right place, but our head wasn't." Donnelly explained. If there were better access to technical assistance several years ago when the development of Chapter 40 B housing was a major issue, perhaps more affordable units could have been built "without having it forced down our throats with 40 B."

Howard said there were "either 5,000 or 6,000 multi-family units" in Norwood, with about 2,000 being close to public transportation.

"However, the powers to be in our state say that we do not get any credit for this work that we've already done," he continued.

Grow pushed for collaboration with neighboring communities to exchange idea to be more strategic in affordable housing development. She stressed the need for "middle housing" so that families can move out of affordable units into homes to free those units up for others.

"We can't be flippant about these decisions," she added. "We have to have plans."