Following a tense summer of school budget discussions between city councilors and school board members, Franklin’s candidate forum was relatively calm Monday night.
There was one candidate, however, who posted on social media he chose not to attend due to concerns about his security at the event.
Paul Doucette, a candidate for the Ward 2 three-year seat on the Franklin school board, posted in the Facebook group “Franklin’s Talkin’ ” that he worried for his personal safety following “bullying comments” and perceived “hostility.”
“Yesterday afternoon I requested a police present at the Candidates Forum,” he wrote. “However, based on an independent review of the Facebook postings and comments, I am being advised not to attend . . . the Candidates Forum.”
Doucette added, “Probably an overreaction, nevertheless, I am trusting the independent reviewer’s objectivity and concerns for my safety.”
Two other school board candidates – the two running for the three year, Ward 3 seat – were unable to make it. Those candidates were current board member Tim Dow and newcomer Carla Lavoy.
For the 11 that did show, they took the stage with a roughly full city hall of listeners. In two, hour long sessions, moderator Bob Lucas asked the six school board and five city council candidates questions reflecting what’s on Franklin’s mind: the school system, the drug problem, downtown revitalization and apartment building code enforcement.
This past year’s challenges with the shortfall in the 2016-17 school budget and the elimination of several teachers dominated the stage most of the evening.
Transparency, as well as open lines of communication between the school board and city council, were commonly agreed upon goals among all the candidates. Beginning the budget process earlier was a popular suggestion by school board candidates.
Ward 1 candidate Bill Doherty suggested the superintendent take more responsibility for relations with the city and school budgeting, and Doherty’s opponent Anya Twarog said opportunity efficiencies and grants should be examined.
Ward 2 city council candidate Glen Feener – who has previously served on the council but has been on “hiatus” for the past year – said he thought the school board could work harder to collaborate with the city. He noted that only two of nine board members were present at a joint finance meeting where five of nine councilors showed up.
“We need to get more of a commitment there,” he said.
The topic of drug addiction also took up a lot of time. Candidates for both bodies commended Franklin on its drug task force and the other resources getting a boost through local and state efforts.
There was consensus on educating students about drugs as being a high priority. Ward 1 school board candidate Jeffrey Savary, however, said he thought the elimination of opiate overdose reversal drug Narcan from Franklin High School’s emergency care and first aid policy – approved by the school board in a 4-1 August vote – was a problem.
“I’m not comfortable with that,” he said. Savary added that schools have EpiPens for similar student health emergency situations where a quick response can mean life or death, and he saw the removal of Narcan as a matter of stigma.
During other points of the forum, candidates addressed other hot topics in Franklin: continuing the downtown revitalization, improving academic success for students through vocational opportunities and supporting teachers, and more focus on code enforcement to deal with Franklin’s absentee landlord challenges.
Of the 14 candidates running for the two main elected bodies in Franklin, a number were younger newcomers who – enthusiastically or reluctantly – felt compelled to file for the election given this past summer’s debate.
Savary, who is in a four-way school board race of all first-time candidates, said he got involved after attending council and school board meetings for six months.
“To be perfectly honest I didn’t want to run but I was called to. . . . Much like George Washington didn’t want to run for president, right?” he asked.
“And I think that’s a fair comparison, right?” he added to a chuckling audience.
Sitting among people like Savary, though, were equally impassioned incumbent candidates who want to continue the work they started.
Susan Hallett-Cook, the only incumbent for school board present at Monday’s forum, said she wanted to keep going with the strategic planning she’s begun with the school board.
“I want to see this city and our schools succeed,” she said. “I really feel like we’ve started to make some progress.”
At a period where the city appears to be at a turning point, three incumbent city councilors for the three wards – including Feener – put themselves back on the ballot with hopes of bringing experience to the process.
“We’re living on a goldmine here, if you stop and think about all the things we have going for us,” said Ward 1 Councilor Ted Starkweather.
City council candidates
Ward 1 (3-year term): Heather Moquin, incumbent Arthur “Ted” Starkweather
Ward 2 (3-year term): Glen Feener, Vincent Ribas
Ward 3 (3-year term): incumbent Steve Barton
School board candidates
Ward 1 (3-year term): William Doherty, Bettina Ford, Jeffrey Savary, Anya Twarog
Ward 2 (2-year term): incumbent Susan Hallett Cook, Tina Thurber
Ward 2 (3-year term): Paul Doucette
Ward 3 (3-year term): incumbent Tim Dow, Carla Lavoy
Franklin’s election will be held Oct. 4.