Goin' to the Candidates Debate

Actually I am there already. I am online and semi-live blogging the Candidates Forum for the three candidates who are running for Mayor of Cheverly. As most you know, my dear readers, I ran for a seat on the Town Council last year, but was not elected. The three candidates are Michael Callahan, current Ward 1 Council Member, Tom Foley, and Micah Watson, current Ward 2 Council Member.

The debate opened with a testimonial for outgoing Mayor Julia Moseley, who is retiring. Debate moderator Aimee Olivio went over the rules and then turned it over to Mike Callahan who gave his opening statement. Callahan stressed his fiscal responsibility and his devotion to Keep Cheverly Great - a statement that many of the residents have said to him is most important to them.

Callahan was followed by Dr. Tom Foley, who gave his opening statement. Foley's primary issue is the Town's fund balance, which has increased dramatically over the past several years, during which time, both Callahan and Watson have been on the Council. Foley wants to reduce taxes and offer a tax credit to residents and allow the fund balance to be reduced somewhat.

The final candidate to speak was Micah Watson. He stressed his career in public service and his efforts on the Town Council and his love for Cheverly.

Of the three candidates, Callahan and Foley offered the most passionate statements about what Cheverly means to them.

The first question went to Dr. Foley and was focused on what attributes and knowledge he would bring to the office of Mayor. The same question was asked of the other two candidates. Dr. Foley mentioned his outsider status and his understanding of the Town's financial structure. Mr. Watson talked about the relationships he has forged in Cheverly. Mr. Callahan talked about his twenty five years in Cheverly and his career managing a 20 million dollar revenue stream.

After a question to the three candidates about peace, there was a short break while another set of bleachers was pulled down to accommodate the large number of people who are in attendance.

The next question concerned public service experience. Mr. Callahan responded by emphasizing his work in the private sector. The responses turned (based a lot on Mr. Callahan's response) to coalition building.

The next question was about public use of public buildings. Dr. Foley is concerned about groups that might be shut out of using public buildings. Mr. Watson echoed the comments and would support a wider policy of using public buildings. Mr. Callahan also agreed but cautioned about the possibility of increased costs to allow greater use of the buildings.

The next question was about the current Town Attorney and what role the Town Attorney would have in the decision making process and if he would consider making a change. Mr. Watson would look at all of the issues before making a decision about retaining him. Mr. Callahan would "absolutely retain" the current Town Attorney. Dr. Foley also believes he would retain the current Town Attorney.

This was followed by a question about Code Enforcement and what would the Town would do about abandoned properties in the Town. Mr. Callahan was first to respond and hopes the Code Enforcement Officer would occasionally get out on foot to see what is going on in the town. Secondly, he believes the Town is doing a good job on abandoned properties but that each house should be handled on a case by case basis. Dr. Foley agreed with Mr. Callahan that abandoned properties should be dealt with on a timely basis and fully resolved. Mr. Watson responded first to the abandoned properties and also responded to the Code Enforcement issue. He believes it should be a more proactive response.

The next question concerned the infamous "booms" that occasionally rock Cheverly. Dr. Foley responded first and believes that a reward should be offered, which might prompt an employee of the alleged boom maker to turn his boss in. Mr. Watson then discussed his efforts to try and stop the booms, one of those efforts was the placement of a camera on top of a local fire house to see if the origin of the booms could be isolated. Mr. Callahan broadened his response to talk about noise in general, mentioning the issue of helicopters landing at the hospital and the road noise from Route 50.

The next question asked the candidates to identify a problem in Cheverly and how they would deal with it. Mr. Watson responded first and identified communication as a larger problem and also mentioned Public Safety and infrastructure in the Town. Mr. Callahan's response focused on the need for greater economic development on the borders of Cheverly. Dr. Foley turned his response around by focusing on what does work in Cheverly, namely the head of Public Works, the Town Administrator, and the Chief of Police. He wants to see more people getting involved and building a larger sense of community.

This was followed by a question regarding bridging the gap that is believed to exist between the police and the residents of the Town. Mr. Callahan responded that one of Cheverly's greatest assets is Chief Robshaw but Callahan also acknowledged the youth of Cheverly's force and hopes the force will interact more with the youth of Chevelry. Dr. Foley would like to see more, if not all, of the police force to live in Cheverly. Mr. Watson acknowledges there is a gap, but was not entirely clear about how to resolve that, other than to echo Mr. Callahan's comments about the strengths of the current police chief. He would "rule nothing out" in listening to ideas about how to best connect the force to its residents.

The next question was about activities for teens in Cheverly and what the mayor could do to resolve issues that can come up with teens with too much time on their hands. Dr. Foley responded first, getting a laugh by saying that "teenagers are always a problem." He would like to see more organized activities. Mr. Watson wants to come up with programs to engage teenagers, but did not offer any concrete proposals on what could be done. Mr. Callahan discussed a proposal the Council has on the books to find opportunities for teenagers. He further remarked about the existing services (Cheverly Soccer Club, the Boys and Girls Club), which many residents are now aware are available.

The next question was about Tax Increment Funding (TIF) and how it would impact the Pointe at Cheverly. Mr. Watson responded first and used part of his time to explain how TIF works and then expressed his support for the Pointe at Cheverly and hopes the Council and future mayor be more forward leaning in their fiscal planning. Mr. Callahan agreed the Council had supported the TIF program for the Pointe at Cheverly but countered that he believes the plan may not have gone far enough and more investigation and communication should be undertaken before proceeding further. Dr. Foley talked about a meeting he had with Mr. Callahan about TIF and the Pointe but wasn't convinced that it was the right move for Cheverly and wished it had not gone forward. For the first time in the evening, additional time was given to the candidates to respond to this issue.

The next question was how the Mayor would administrate the Town Council and make meetings more efficient and build consensus for agreement on the issues they are running on. Mr. Callahan responded first and hopes that Council members would be more prepared for meetings and that possibly consensus could even be reached beforehand. Dr. Foley would "run a stricter ship" and noted that Cheverly is a "weak mayor" system and the role of the mayor is limited to what they can actually do. Mr. Watson also noted his desire to have meetings run more efficiently and hopes the Council would agree with much of the issues he is campaigning on.

This was followed by a question regarding the development of Tuxedo Road on the edge of Cheverly. Dr. Foley was not aware of the plan but pledged to learn about it and would work the issue if elected Mayor. Mr. Watson discussed a plan that has been around for several years and hopes that it would move forward sooner rather than later. Mr. Callahan is afraid the plan has stalled and would want to talk to each of the businesses along Tuxedo Road and see what their goals are and how Cheverly can help.

The next question involved a planned addition to the Town Hall building and what their position was on the previous plan and would they support an expansion. Mr. Watson responded first, slightly dodging the question, saying the planned expansion predated his time on Council and never took a position. He would talk with residents about any planned expansion before doing anything. Mr. Callahan turned the question around and discussed the reconfiguration of the Town Hall space and wait and see if the residents really want and demand an expansion. Dr. Foley concurred with Mr. Callahan.

The next question regarding pedestrian and bicycle access to the Cheverly Metro Station. Mr. Callahan elicited a laugh from the audience by saying the bridge over Route 50 could be blown up and start over. The existing bridge is not pedestrian or bicycle friendly and all issues need to be explored to resolve the issues. Again, Dr. Foley concurred with Mr. Callahan. Mr. Watson recounted the need for better transportation solutions and additional infrastructure to deal with the intersection.

At this point, moderator Aimee Olivio announced there were still a number of questions unanswered and she wanted to reduce the time of responses to one minute. The first question in this new period concerned sound barriers on Route 50. Dr. Foley was not aware of any plan and both Mr. Watson and Mr. Callahan called for increased lobbying and pressure on state agencies to see if the noise levels could be abated.

This was followed by a question regarding trash and littering following pickup by Town sanitation. Mr. Watson would like to see better communication and a better sense of neighborliness to make residents aware. Mr. Callahan would like to see an anti-littering campaign and more facilities for improved walking about the Town of Cheverly. Dr. Foley would like to see an aggressive anti-littering campaign and perhaps the placement of trash cans around the Town.

Next question was about fully loaded trucks cutting through Cheverly Avenue. All three would like to see this curbed and would involve the police to enforce it.

Next question was about the Town of Cheverly's financial support of the Cheverly Prom. Dr. Foley would like to see the event only funded through ticket sales. Mr. Watson would like to see the event be self-supporting but does not object to the Town's support. Mr. Callahan believes that Cheverly should support it fully, because Cheverly Day and the Cheverly Prom is our time to promote the Town.

This was followed by a question regarding instant runoff elections if a candidate does not achieve a majority. All three candidates agreed the idea had merit and bears further investigation.

The next question was about securing grants for the Town. All three men believe that grants should be pursued but they all should be clearly targeted to needs in the town.

The next question (for which the candidates were given additional time to respond) dealt with animal issues, specifically a dog park in Cheverly and the problem of feral cats. Dr. Foley addressed the feral cat issue and would like to see a town-wide TNR (trap - neuter - release) program. Mr. Watson also believes in a TNR program and would like to see a dog park in Cheverly, but the idea has not come to fruition. Mr. Callahan also would like to see a dog park in Cheverly, but it needs to be on the right parcel of land and not infringe of neighbors rights. Mr. Callahan also spoke to the larger animal rights issues (chickens, bees) and wants to see additional dialogs.

The final question before closing statement asked the three candidates to outline their vision for Cheverly. Mr. Watson spoke first and offered his record of experience of building alliances and consensus. Mr. Callahan talked of "alliances being what I live by." From his experience in the private sector and his tenure on Town Council, he has constantly sought to build alliances and partnerships to make things happen. Dr. Foley admitted that he would have to start fresh, making new alliances to get things done for Cheverly.

Moderator Aimee Olivio concluded the debate to thank everyone for coming and for the great questions. She then turned it over to closing statements, starting with Mr. Watson. He offered his five promises for Cheverly if he is elected. Dr. Foley gets a bump for mentioning "What is Past is Prologue" and notes the quote in inscribed on the National Archives, but discussed that he would come in as Mayor and hope to streamline the processes of the Town. He concluded with a statement about speed cameras and chastised the Mayor and Council (including Mr. Watson and Mr. Callahan) about using a loophole in the state law to create a revenue stream for Cheverly, which will also serve to augment the already inflated fund balance. Finally, Mr. Callahan used his time to in part, respond to Dr. Foley's allegations and to discuss budget issues and that the next Mayor will need to focus on continuing to protect the financial health of Cheverly.

Following some closing announcements, light refreshments were served and an offer to mix with the candidates.