Sisters Sandy and Debbie Vasko sat at the intersection of South Main and Central Streets in Franklin and waved enthusiastically at rush-hour drivers honking their horns.
The Vasko sisters have picketed for candidates every weekend for the past month, standing everywhere visible, from Trestle View Park to Elk’s Lodge. Ahead of the Franklin municipal election on Oct. 7, they have upped their game and come out every day this week.
“Change really starts at a local level, and you can have significant impact by participating in a local election,” Sandy said.
Over 100 people packed into Elk’s Lodge Monday night to hear the candidates for Franklin’s school board, city council and mayor speak about pressing issues in the community.
Candidates at the forum, hosted by nonprofit Choose Franklin, discussed economic development, funding for public services and strengthening trust and communication with constituents.
Mayor
Mayor Desiree McLaughlin, first elected in 2023 over then-Mayor Jo Brown, is running for a second term. Glenn Morrill, a lifelong resident whose made bids for mayor and city council in the past, is challenging her.
McLaughlin said she is running because two years has not been enough time to accomplish the change she wishes to see.
When asked about building trust and improving communication with the city, Morrill said it’s important to answer people’s questions quickly or connect them with a department that has the answer.
McLaughlin said she communicates regularly with all three wards and pointed to a recent sewage issue as an example.
“You have to be a responsive mayor,” she said. “And to do that, you need to collaborate with everybody.”
On increasing economic development, McLaughlin said the key to attracting new residents is to take care of basic necessities, such as paving roads and updating infrastructure, before taking on “flashy projects.”
Morrill said working with local businesses and promoting education is what’s needed.
“Families that move here to Franklin are looking to see what their education is before they take a job in Franklin,” he said.
City council
Every ward represented on the city council has a contested race.
In Ward 1, Benjamin Forge is running against the incumbent Bruce Marshall. In Ward 2, Samuel Jacobson is challenging Councilor Glen Feener. And in Ward 3, Leigh Webb has chosen not to run for reelection, leaving the seat to one of three candidates: Bradley Camley, Justine Hoppe or Lillian Machos.
Moderator Leah Cote’s first question to the city council candidates was one Bill Stronge shared. Cote, a Franklin resident studying at Plymouth State University, and Stronge, a resident of 20 years, wondered how the candidates would navigate Franklin’s budget considering its status as a tax-cap community.
Stronge said he noticed that funding is underwhelming for many city departments, like police and fire, and that there has not been a solid plan to improve the situation.
“Where is that money going to come from?” Stronge said. “I think the residents are going to have to decide.”
Most candidates were of the mentality that it is up to the residents to decide if they want to adjust the tax cap to fund capital improvements. Some, like Jacobson, suggested that infrastructure projects should be paid for outside of the spending limitation to maximize the impact of those tax-generated funds.
“We can’t remove the tax cap, and so we have to deal with the hand we’re dealt,” he said. “I’d like to see those capital improvements moved outside of the tax cap, and so we can actually start paying for them as a community.”
For Sandy, one of the Vasco sisters, reevaluating the tax cap holds the key to Franklin’s future.
“We’ve not had a serious look at the tax cap for many years, and I think that it needs to be examined, needs to be really studied, and it needs to be looked at in relationship to where Franklin was, where Franklin is and where Franklin needs to go,” she said.
The candidates also discussed Soldier’s Memorial Hall, a historic building that closed to the public in 2022 dude to fire hazard concerns. The city approved a $6.8 million bond last year for repairs.
Every candidate said they would like to see the project go forward, reiterating that the building is a part of Franklin’s history and can be a good revenue stream through ticket sales and local business boom.
“60 years of band aids have worn off, and that’s what the problem is,” Machos said. “And the longer we wait on it, the more expensive it’s going to be. We can’t let something like that be destroyed.”
School board
For the school board election, John Demakowski and Jack Finley are running for a three-year term to represent Ward 1, and Kayla Morse is running uncontested for a two-year term to represent the same ward. Finley and Morse are currently on the board. Adam Heath is running in Ward 2.
One of the top issues on residents’ minds is school funding. Franklin ranks the fifth-lowest in the state for the proportion of local taxes going to education, with 35% of taxpayer dollars going to schools. The city recently lost an almost $500,000 federal grant used to fund certain positions and staff training opportunities.
Candidates differed in their approach to bettering schools.
Finley said he wants to put pressure on legislators to provide adequate funding from the state. Heath is willing to make “hard decisions” and come to compromises in order to meet school needs. Demakowski emphasized the need for prayer and faith to guide priorities. Morse said community involvement is key.
Jule Finley, a teacher in the Franklin school district of 22 years and Jack Finley’s wife, said it was clear that candidates wanted to make positive change.
“You can tell that everybody does care, and there’s a lot of concern about the future of our schools,” said Jule. “It just was very refreshing to know that that’s a focus for people.”
Voting opens on Oct. 7 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Polling locations are at Elk’s Lodge at 125 South Main St. for Ward 1, Franklin High School for Ward 2 and Franklin Middle School for Ward 3. More information can be found here.