Age: Never ask a lady her age!
Address: 10 Grand Street
Years lived in Claremont: 52
Community organizations you belong to: One term as councilor at large, 4 year member of the Claremont Planning Board, past member of Zoning Board and Claremont School Board. Past member of the Master Plan Steering Committee and served on the subcommittees on Housing, Land Use and Facilities. Past member of two city manager’s selection committees.
Employment: 27 years as CEO of Sulco Corporation.
Incumbent? If so, how many terms? Yes, 1 term.
What do you believe are the top 3 issues facing Claremont?
Creating housing. Maintaining roads. Tax rate stabilization.
What do you propose to address them?
As a member of the Claremont Planning Board, we’ve worked with the planning office and, in concert with the master plan, are looking at zoning amendment changes to encourage housing development.
We need to allocate more funding for road repairs. I was in favor of bonding that would have utilized funds from a retired bond to allocate to road repairs in this recent budget. but many councilors were not in favor of bonding. We need to find ways to address this.
Tax rate stabilization is important. I look at all city expenditures carefully and have experience in running a multimillion-dollar budget in my own job. There are always ways to do things more efficiently and we need to look at every penny of taxpayers’ dollars spent wisely.
Is Claremont headed in the right direction or the wrong direction? Please explain your answer.
I’m excited that we have a young, enthusiastic and intelligent city manager on board. The recruitment process is not easy with city managers. We were fortunate to find Mr. Manale as he has some great ideas. I think we are definitely headed in the right direction. We are seeing investments from major players, like Chinburg (the Peterson Mill Building) and other developers who are coming to Claremont to invest. They are making that choice because we have made a choice to invest in ourselves (the downtown project).
How do you plan to engage the public, get its input on city matters and address those issues with the council?
I like that we televise our meetings and I think a lot of people watch. We allow citizen input there. I would like to expand our social media presence.
How could city government be more transparent to the public it serves?
Again, I think we need to make sure we discuss matters in the forum of our public meetings. All councilors take phone calls from citizens.
Do emergency responders need mental health training? If so, how should it be provided?
I would be in favor of emergency responders getting mental health training if they choose. Their jobs are difficult and mental health is something we all should be concerned with. I am sure there are programs that offer such training to first responders.
Businesses on Pleasant St. have not only had to contend with the COVID shutdown but also Pleasant Street’s construction shutdown. What, if anything, should Claremont do to assist businesses struggling to recover from these events?
There are developers who are purchasing properties on Pleasant Street and investing funds. There were grants and programs available during COVID that the businesses could have taken advantage of and the city planning office assisted in that.
What do you like about Claremont?
Everything…it’s home to me. I grew up here, raised my kids here, my mom’s family grew up here. My husband’s family goes back to the early 1900’s. Claremont is a great mid-size community. Its downtown and square and mills are beautiful. We have great recreational opportunities for the kiddos. But, most of all, the people are great. We are truly a family here.
If you could wave a magic wand, what would you change about it?
More funding for the roads.
What would you like voters to know about you?
I am honest, hardworking, and will never duck an issue. I stand up for what I believe. I may not always be right, but I will always have the best interest of the citizens of my hometown in mind. My candidacy is not financed in any way by any special interest group, therefore, my votes will not be bought and paid for. I will run on my own terms and represent the entire community equally without being obligated to any group’s agenda.
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