Arlington Candidates Night - Mar 19th, 2025

Arlington's candidates night event, sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Each candidate will make an opening statement. The moderator will ask candidates questions that were submitted by the public, and then candidates will make closing statements.

Town Moderator

Greg Christiana is running unopposed for re-election.

(Greg Christiana) Mr. Christiana says the town moderator needs to be neutral, but he is very opinionated on one issue. Free speech is the soul of our democratic institutions. Militias convened here 250 years ago, and today people are afraid and losing hope. Silence would be a grave mistake. Mr. Christiana is proud to stand with people who are determined to use their voice.

(Moderator) Are there any changes you'd make to town meeting?

(Greg Christiana) Mr. Christiana says he's made the speaker queue visible to town meeting members, so the order of speakers is transparent. He also provides a dashboard so residents can see the status of the meeting.

(Moderator) Would you consider a system where speakers lined up at microphones?

(Greg Christiana) Mr. Christiana says the Town Meeting Procedures Committee has discussed this idea. Standing is a logistical consideration, and lines make it harder to take speakers out of order.

(Moderator) Is there consideration of having a hybrid town meeting?

(Greg Christiana) Mr. Christiana says there's been no determination that Arlington will have a hybrid town meeting. We formed a hybrid study committee last year, and they will make a report to town meeting this spring.

The fate of our democracy is highly contested. He hopes people are supported by facts and free speech.

Board of Assessors

William Zagata is running unopposed for the Board of Assessors.

(William Zagata) Mr. Zagata is running for re-election. Assessors estimate the market value of property and hear requests for abatements. He has 20 years of property valuation experience. In the last few years he's tried to make interactions with the assessor's office easier for residents. They've implemented rolling inspections.

(Moderator) Do you have any advice for property owners appealing their assessments.

(William Zagata) Mr. Zagata suggests they go to the assessors website, and be aware of abatement deadlines.

(Moderator) How many appeals does the board of assessors hear.

(William Zagata) Mr. Zagata will have to follow up on that.

(Moderator) How many accessory dwelling units are there in Arlington, and are they taxed differently.

(William Zagata) Mr. Zagata doesn't know how many ADUs there are, but they would be taxed at the same rates as other properties.

Mr. Zagata says that serving on the board of assessors has been a learning experience.

Select Board

Steve DeCourcey is running unopposed for Select Board.

(Steve DeCourcey) Mr. DeCourcey says it's been an honor for him to serve two terms on the Select Board. Arlington voted for a debt exclusion in 2019 in order to rebuild the high school, and the new high school is almost complete. The Board hired Jim Feeney as Town Manager. They also dedicated a new Senior Center last year. Arlington continues to be a leader in advancing its Net Zero Action Plan.

(Moderator) Are there plans to deal with potential cuts in federal funding?

(Steve DeCourcey) Mr. DeCourcey says that Community Development Block Grants are on the initial cut list. Arlington usually distributes about $1,500,000 of those grants each year. Federal cuts could also affect school lunches.

(Moderator) What about the federal government's directive to dissolve DEI programs.

(Steve DeCourcey) Mr. DeCourcey says the town continues to fund its DEI director. He intends for Arlington to remain a welcoming community.

(Moderator) What steps can we take to improve street safety?

(Steve DeCourcey) Mr. DeCourcey says that's an important issue, especially on Park Ave. There will be a public presentation of planned Park Avenue improvements on March 31, and the Select Board will continue to work with the Transportation Advisory Committee. The Board has reduced the speed limit on Park Ave to 25 miles per hour.

(Moderator) Are there upgrades to reduce energy use in town buildings.

(Steve DeCourcey) Mr. DeCourcey says the town continues to work on the implementation of the Net Zero Action Plan. We are seeking funds to convert the Hardy School from gas to electric.

Mr. DeCourcey thanks the voters of Arlington and says it's been an honor to serve on the Select Board.

Housing Authority Board

Timothy O'Leary, Michael Garrigan, and Jo Anne Preston are running for one open seat on the housing authority board.

(Timothy O'Leary) Mr. O'Leary says that serving on the housing authority board will enable him to be an advocate for 1100 tenants. He's a United States veteran, a housing authority resident, and one of Winslow Tower's tenant coordinators. He's taught for 35 years and served on the Minuteman Regional School Committee. He wants to help and serve people, and encourage contributions to the Housing Authority's charitable foundation.

(Michael Garrigan) Mr. Garrigan offers thanks to a number of people. He's a tenant of Cusack Terrace and has never been one to like politics. He says that tenants are having battles with their sense of worth, and he'd like to help them find their sense of worth.

(Jo Anne Preston) Ms. Preston has served on the Housing Authority board for five years. The board made the decision to hire Jack Nagel. The authority has been doing maintenance and secured funding for a window replacement program. She advocated for pedestrian improvements on Chestnut Street.

(Moderator) What are the most important issues facing the housing authority, and what are your solutions to them?

(Michael Garrigan) Mr. Garrigan sees a great number of issues. Cusack Terrace has a terrible sidewalk and he petitioned to get that corrected. There's also a lack of heat in one of the buildings.

(Jo Anne Preston) Ms. Preston says there's a need to renovate existing buildings and the state needs to increase their budget. She says the housing authority needs more accommodations for seniors.

(Timothy O'Leary) Mr. O'Leary says that housing authority tenants include the elderly, people with disabilities, and low-income residents. The authority has lost funding. He'd work on adding more tenants associations.

(Moderator) What is the housing authority's role in increasing supply?

(Jo Anne Preston) Ms. Preston says the state won't provide more funding if the housing authority has more buildings. She thinks the authority should purchase single condominiums. They're also a building a new building for tenants with special needs.

(Timothy O'Leary) Mr. O'Leary says the housing authority has an opportunity to add 150 units at Drake Village, by replacing several two-story buildings with a six-story apartment. He says the state is the landlord.

(Michael Garrigan) Mr. Garrigan says the housing authority is fortunate to have Jack Nagel, who's brought in a lot. He looks forward to seeing that work continue.

(Moderator) What part does federal funding play?

(Timothy O'Leary) Mr. O'Leary says that federal funding goes to the state, which redistributes the money to local housing authorities. Cuts to federal funding will be tough. Arlington EATS and FoodLink delivery groceries, but the deliveries are getting smaller.

(Michael Garrigan) Mr. Garrigan says this is the toughest question we have to face. We might have to find additional funding sources, like making and selling crafts.

(Jo Anne Preston) Ms. Preston says the housing authority is state-funded, which gives them a slight buffer. The housing authority manages section 8 vouchers, which is their most popular program.

(Moderator) How should the maintenance be prioritized?

(Michael Garrigan) Mr. Garrigan says the money just isn't there. Some tenants have apartments where the heat only gets up to 60--62 degrees. He says we need to look for ways to fund maintenance.

(Jo Anne Preston) Ms. Preston says the housing authority needs to preserve buildings and ensure the safety of tenants. We'll apply for more grants and update the fire alarms.

(Timothy O'Leary) Mr. O'Leary says that maintenance at Winslow Towers is doing well.

The candidates give closing remarks.

(Jo Anne Preston) Ms. Preston says the housing authority has made substantial improvements. She'd like to continue writing grants and increase tenant services.

(Michael Garrigan) Mr. Garrigan says we should do whatever we can for seniors in town. He says his building has lost four of them since Christmas.

(Timothy O'Leary) Mr. O'Leary says the state is the landlord and we are the tenants. It would be great to see tenant vegetable gardens. A piano was recently donated to the housing authority and they got a new sound system for the community room. He suggests people look for his interview on ACMi.

School Committee

Leonard Kardon, Dmitry Vasilyev, and Kirsi Allison-Ampe are running for two seats. Ms. Allison-Ampe was unable to attend this evening.

(Len Kardon) Mr. Kardon says one of his first goals was to have a strategic visioning plan for the schools, and that plan has since been approved. He'd like to see it implemented. He'd also like to see the schools build a financial plan and build support for funding their goals. He'd also like to develop a federal funding contingency plan.

(Dmitry Vasilyev) Mr. Vasilyev has three kids in the public schools and is a member of Arlington Mass Parents. He'd like to focus on increasing standards, especially math. He says the Arlington math curriculum is lacking, and children are bored and demoralized. He will advocate for a world-class math curriculum and expand accelerated pathways options to tailor education.

(Moderator) What are your feelings about heterogeneous multi-level classrooms?

(Dmitry Vasilyev) Mr. Vasilyev says this has been a disaster for teachers and students, and we need to go the opposite way. We need to meet kids where they are.

(Len Kardon) Mr. Kardon says the schools are piloting a heterogeneous English program, and this was a recommendation from the high school English administrator.

(Moderator) The federal government has issued a directive to eliminate DEI programs. How can Arlington schools remain welcoming?

(Len Kardon) Mr. Kardon says the directive was to eliminate illegal DEI programs, which we don't have.

(Dmitry Vasilyev) Mr. Vasilyev says that DEI means kindness and we need to be kind. You can't be forced to be kind.

(Moderator) What about targeted policies to accelerate learning recovery?

(Dmitry Vasilyev) Mr. Vasilyev says we need to meet this challenge by with education and tending to student's mental health.

(Len Kardon) Mr. Kardon says that Arlington schools have seen an almost complete recovery but we do have some achievement gaps. We're working on a multi-tiered system of support.

(Moderator) What's your vision for STEM, especially advanced levels.

(Len Kardon) Mr. Kardon says we have advanced classes in the high school, and there have been some discussions about offering them at the middle and elementary school levels. He says we've been successful with MCAS.

(Dmitry Vasilyev) Mr. Vasilyev says we've had an abysmally bad experience with math, and that kids need private schools to make up the difference. There's no flexibility in the learning path and bypass is the only option.

(Moderator) Is the current math curriculum sufficient?

(Dmitry Vasilyev) Mr. Vasilyev says we're doing well with the bottom 25% of students and boring the rest. Kids are bored and disruptive.

(Len Kardon) Mr. Kardon says we have a staff of educators and we have to trust them. The district hired a math coach for the elementary level. In a survey of students, 72% of them felt they were being held to high expectations.

The candidates give closing statements.

(Dmitry Vasilyev) Mr. Vasilyev says he'll be a voice for the children. He has a degree in education. We need to learn to love kids and meet them where they are.

(Len Kardon) Mr. Kardon says he's helped reduce overcrowding and increase salaries. We need an appropriate level of funding for the schools.