Town Council Candidates Meet Mansfield at Community Forum

Local residents gathered in the auditorium of Tuesday night to learn more about the candidates running for Town Council in Mansfield.

The event allowed a 30-second introduction for each candidate, including a short bio and reason for running followed by questions from the public.  

Town Council Candidates: Incumbent Elizabeth Paterson (D), Denise Keane (R), Carl Schaefer (D), Meredith Lindsey (R), William Ryan (D), Ed Neumann (R), Antonia Moran (D), Christopher R. Paulhus (R), Paul M. Shapiro (D)

Town council member Peter Kochenburger (D) did not attend.

OFFICE HOURS 

A Mansfield resident asked Town Council candidates if they would support Town Council office hours prior to meetings once a month.

Councilwoman Keane was the first to respond. 

“I would say yes. I’ve sat for the office hours when we were able to do that.,” Keane said. “Unfortunately, the council’s had many meetings scheduled prior to the council meeting, which has basically eliminated that ability to do office hours.”

Deputy Mayor Moran said “all of us support increasing our availability to the public."

"…We are also available to the public by e-mail, by written comment…and any other kind of direct contact people would like to make with us,” Moran said.

Councilwoman Lindsey and Councilman Ryan also voiced their support for office hours. No candidate spoke out against office hours.

TOWN BUDGET/DEBT

A Mansfield resident asked Town Council candidates what they planned on doing to curtail spending, reduce debt and make Mansfield a “liveable” town for residents.

Ryan was the first to respond.

“That’s a good question and it’s an important question,” Ryan said. Ryan said that a meeting had been scheduled in December to look at bonding and where the Town stands. “…I’ve asked the Town Finance director to prepare a number of exhibits for us in that regard. It is important and it is something we have to keep our eye on.” Ryan added that the Town’s two main projects (Four Corners and the downtown project) “are designed to return more than it will cost us, and I hope that to be true,” he said.

Keane said she and members of the Republican Party sat down with the budget this year and went “line by line” looking for places to “reduce or eliminate spending.” Keane said they came to “close to $1 million worth of cuts.” The Democrats, Keane said, did not agree with their suggested cuts, “and the votes didn’t go with us,” she said.

FOUR CORNERS/DOWNTOWN PROJECT

A Mansfield resident asked Town Council candidates their opinion on Four Corners and the Downtown Project and how they would continue to monitor the sites. 

Ryan was the first to respond. 

“The downtown project is one that is vital to our community and the concerns are too. …Will it be economically viable? Will it produce tax revenue in excess of its cost? I don’t know the answer to that. I think it will.”

Ryan went on to address another concern about the project: 'Will the downtown project become student housing?'

“We know that’s a concern,” Ryan said. “We had the developers in just a week ago to discuss that very issue. We have been monitoring that closely in regard to the marketing plans. Ryan said that so far, it appeared that the developers were not trying to market to students.

Councilman Paulhus, who said he serves on the downtown partnership board of directors, said he is trying to “protect the Town’s interest” in both the downtown and Four Corners projects.

Councilman Shapiro said that given both projects design, he hoped the potential success of both projects would “shift some of the burden from the residential taxpayers and homeowners to the commercial sector.” 

Neumann added that it was important for Mansfield residents to make their “own personal commitments to support what ever new businesses show up,” as a result of the projects in order for them to survive.

Moran responded by saying that the projects are “certainly something the Town will be paying very close attention to.”

SCHOOLS

A Mansfield resident asked Town Council candidates where they planned to take discussions of the Town’s school building project. 

Mayor Paterson was the first to respond.

“The Town Council has a work session devoted to that topic coming up within the next month,” Paterson said. “There have been no decisions made yet, but we do have every intention discussing it thoroughly and discussing it in terms of bonded indebtedness and what we feel residents will and can afford.”

Neumann said the school building project was “probably the most important thing” before the council. Neumann added that it was important for the council “keep an open ear to the wishes” of the Town. “…Our job is to listen to what the people of the Town want and to respond to them,” Neumann said.