Steven St. Arnault
Address: 54R Central St., Byfield
Age: 46
Occupation: Realtor
Education: Bachelor's degree from Bentley College
Personal: Married to Anna Tenaglia, daughter is a third-grader at Newbury Elementary School
Residence: Lived in Newbury since 2000
Steve St. Arnault wants to strengthen the fiscal management of the town and make sure all residents have access to all of local government. He said the town is trying to meet "more and more financial obligations with less and less resources forthcoming from traditional aid sources."
St. Arnault wants to try to close some of that gap by continuing Finance Director Charles Kostro's campaign to collect back taxes. He also wants to sell "nonperforming town assets" such as the Woodbridge School, which has been vacant for a decade.
He favors appointing Kostro as town administrator, a move that would simplify and clarify lines of authority within town government.
St. Arnault said he wants to "make public meetings more public" and to share more information with the public.
"I want complete, full and equal access to Town Hall," he said. "Equal access to everyone, including Town Hall employees. There's sometimes a fear of retribution in town, and there shouldn't be."
On the issue of beach erosion on Plum Island, St. Arnault said Congressman John Tierney and the state's U.S. senators should be the spearhead of the effort to secure federal funding for dredging the Merrimack River channel, for on-shore deposit of the dredged sand and for fixing the jetties to redirect water flow so it won't scour the beach.
"I know Congressman Tierney in particular feels strongly that he is our lobbyist in Washington," St. Arnault said.
He said Tierney had secured funding for the dredging, but the appropriation was cut after a presidential veto.
"Long and short of it is that while I know Plum Island residents are very.concerned.about their homes and are ready to do whatever necessary to save them," St. Arnault said, "I would support public-private sector efforts for a funding solution."
St. Arnault also wants to see the Board of Selectmen expanded from its current three members to five, which would eliminate what he called the "two-person quorum." He thinks the best method for electing the new selectmen is to have two three-year terms and one two-year term, rather than awarding three years to the top vote-getter, two years to the second-place finisher and one to the third-place candidate.
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