Posted by Ed on April 4, 2007, 11:19 pm Here the last but not least, two candidates, post comments or submit questions. Hurd: Taxes should be raised only when needed BILLERICA -- Ed Hurd is frustrated, and he's not going to take it anymore. Rosa stands behind his 4-term record as selectman BILLERICA -- Mike Rosa stands behind his record as he runs for a fourth-term on the Board of Selectmen.
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Here is the last of the postings of the views from the candidates running for selectmen from the Sun article. If you do have any questions you wish to submit but do not wish to post them you can send them to my individual mail on this site. Many of the issues we have been discussing and others will be vital to the future of Billerica and need to be asked before the election. Choosing the right elected officials to represent all of us at this time is more crucial at this point of Billerica’s History than in recent years. I have posted the candidates in alphabetical order.
We will attempt to send the questions already sent in, along with any additional ones to the candidates respectfully requesting comments for us to post before Election Day. Remember, we do not have to agree on every issue, but any candidates who wish to respond will at least show they have the power of their convictions as to where our town should be heading in the future. If anyone would like to post comments from the School Committee race or the Planning Board race or any other races I encourage you to do so because my agenda is just to full to cover them all.
The Lowell Sun
Article Last Updated: 03/28/2007
Since leaving the Board of Selectmen eight years ago, he says he has watched town officials "spend every single nickel and worry about the future in the future."
Hurd said that three of his opponents, Selectman Mike Rosa, former Selectman Bob Correnti and Finance Committee Chairman David Gagliardi, are among the architects of this poor financial planning.
"I may have a different philosophy than them, but we need to plan for the long term," Hurd said.
He added that the town was in a financial crisis when he was first elected to the board in 1994. The West Billerica fire station was closed, Police Chief Dan Rosa, then a patrolman, was laid off.
"When I left office, the town was in the best financial condition in its history," he said. "We had a $5 million surplus for the 2000 fiscal year and were able to put $3 million in the stabilization fund and spend $1 million on capital projects, and another $1 million went toward a tax break for homeowners."
Hurd said he offers voters a vision of how the town should be run for the long term, a move to get "back to basics," by slashing unnecessary spending.
He said the town has raised property taxes by 59 percent in seven years and increased spending $40 million, or about half.
"As a selectman, I will always realize that taxes are paid by people and must be raised only when debated and needed," he said.
He added that he will also fight to build the stabilization fund, and for its proper use, which he says includes funding the town's contractual liabilities.
"If you make a commitment to pay employees sick leave buyback, you need to fund it," he said. "The stabilization fund should never be used to balance the budget, that is like living on your credit cards."
The Lowell Sun
Article Last Updated: 03/28/2007
"Everybody talks about what they want to do. I talk about what I have done and will continue to do," he said.
As chairman of the Board of Selectmen, Rosa pushed to shift the tax rate to the maximum allowed by law, to help the residential taxpayer.
Now he says he is committed to filling the town's vacant commercial and industrial spaces, a move that has seen success in the past few years with projects such as the renovation of the Kmart warehouse into 10, 60-square-foot units, and Nuvera Fuel Cells moving into space once occupied by Nortel.
"We will continue to market our vacant commercial space," he said.
Rosa said one of the greatest threats facing the town are high-density 40B projects, putting a strain on town services and infrastructure.
"I am absolutely against 40Bs, there is nothing good about them," he said. "We should work with Habitat for Humanity, support senior housing and the Housing Authority because affordable housing is necessary."
"How does a town plan for infrastructure when zoning laws no longer apply?" he asked. "It is frustrating to the town."
Rosa proudly calls himself a friend to the town's senior citizens and veterans.
As a member of the Friends of the Council on Aging, Rosa solicited nearly $20,000 from local businesses to buy furniture for the new senior center, as well as getting Millipore to donate $15,000 to fix the center's roof.
He created the World War I and World War II Memorial Committee, which led to the construction of the town's memorial on the Town Common. "I also started the program of providing certificates of appreciation to our returning veterans," Rosa said.
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