News

Three Rowley candidates seeking two selectman seats

By Lynne Hendricks
Correspondent
Published: May 9, 2008

With two three-year selectman seats to be filled in Tuesday's election, voters will decide between three candidates: incumbent Jack Cook, Zoning Board of Appeals member Thomas Heidgerd and Planning Board Member Robert Snow.

Here is a closer look at the candidates:

Jack Cook

Age: 66

Address: 84 Main St.

Education: Rowley Elementary School, Newburyport High School

Occupation: Self employed with Cook's Rubbish

Past elected offices: Selectman, first term

Volunteer Town Boards: Rowley Housing Authority for past nine years; Rowley Water Board for past 12 years; Cemetery Commission for past 32 years; Shellfish Commission for past six years.

What do you hope to accomplish if elected to Rowley's Board of Selectmen?

If elected, I hope to work to accomplish, with all town boards and departments, a unity to help Rowley meet its needs for the future.

What are the two biggest challenges facing Rowley this year?

Rowley's biggest challenges this year are to get all bridge repairs underway as soon as possible and to work with the town's surveyor to get much-needed road repairs accomplished.

What measures would you support to meet those challenges?

I will work with all committees and boards to get 100 percent of these important jobs completed. I am all for bringing new businesses to Rowley to help with the tax burden on the town citizens with increased tax revenue. I support Question 1 on the election ballot for a purchase of a desperately needed fire engine for the protection of the town's citizens.

Tom Heidgerd

Age: 57

Address: 156 Newbury Road

Education: Bachelor's degree in political science from Ithaca College; MBA from Syracuse University

Occupation: Marketing VP & Partner, Financial Services/E-Commerce Payments Firm

Past elected offices: None

Volunteer Town Boards: Zoning Board of Appeals 2005-08; Bradstreet Farm Land Use Committee, 2007-08; Superintendent's Task Force on School Choice, 2007-08; Rowley Affordable Housing Committee, 2006-07; Triton Middle School Council, 2004-06.

What do you hope to accomplish if elected to Rowley's Board of Selectmen?

Improve communication between the Board of Selectmen and other town boards, as there are too many cases when one hand does not seem to know what other hand is doing. Keep a tight rein on town expenditures. Secure new revenue sources. Expand ZBA and Planning Board enforcement. Development of online payment programs so residents can pay taxes, town fees, etc easily and quickly and town will receive payments electronically.

What are the two biggest challenges facing Rowley this year?

The town will need to dispose of valuable portion of Bradstreet property and the old library. Both represent important revenue flows to town and need to be managed effectively and efficiently so as to limit town liabilities and costs associated with maintaining the properties into the future at an effective net loss basis. There are (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) contracts (union contracts other than fire and police) up for negotiation that present potential increases in cost. And more importantly, there will be difficult comp negotiations to settle with our Police Department. Both represent cost impacts that will require collaborative efforts and practical planning in order to avoid future cutbacks.

What measures would you support to meet those challenges?

For the Bradstreet property, the town needs to take an aggressive posture in its marketing efforts to secure a ready, willing and able buyer. As a member of the Bradstreet Land Use Committee, I am well versed in the parameters of the property, and as a former licensed real estate broker for 25 years, I am familiar with the dynamics of the sale process.

As for compensation issues for these two groups, the town will need to take some new and extreme measures to keep costs manageable. There will have to be some belt tightening that heretofore has not been explored.

Robert Snow

Age: 58

Address: 7 Saunders Lane

Education: Bachelor of Science in management, Lesley College

Occupation: Engineer, Verizon

Past Elected Offices: Current member of Rowley's Planning Board

Volunteer Town Boards: Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, member of the Metropolitan Planning Commission

What do you hope to accomplish if elected to the Board of Selectmen?

My aspiration is to see that our children get the best education we can afford, that the Triton school system excels and leads the surrounding communities academically, and that our town services — Police, Fire, Parks and Highway departments — are the best we can afford. I believe I have the skills, training and strong work ethic to meet the challenges ahead.

What are the two biggest challenges facing Rowley this year?

I see two challenges that face us as a town: shrinking revenues and surprise budget increases. We need to entice businesses to come to Rowley and build a strong tax base. I would like to see an Economic Development Committee formed to build a strong alliance between all of Rowley's town boards, including the Board of Selectmen and Rowley's Chamber of Commerce, to bring in the revenues our town needs to continue its basic services.

What measures would you support to meet those challenges?

I support the formation of an Economic Development Committee staffed with the right mixture of business and corporate leaders. What we need is smart business growth — businesses that increase tax revenues while having minimal impact on town services. Since I have been on the Planning Board, I have seen some good projects come to town that have added not only money and jobs, but have also given a face-lift to the business district. This is a great town to start a business, grow a business and raise a family.