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Stage Set for
Election on April 27

By Scott MacKeen
Staff Writer
4/22/10
The political landscape in town may look different after next week’s election, as several key town government seats are being contested.

Town Clerk James Mullen Jr. said he isn’t expecting anything unusual in terms of voter turnout for the April 27 election.

“It’s about your average election season in Milton,” said Mullen. He predicted a 37 percent turnout, although he added, “You never know what they’re going to do.”

Here is a breakdown of the races:

Selectman

Incumbent Kathy Fagan, who is seeking to secure a second three-year term on the board, is being challenged by former School Committee member Bob Sweeney.

Sweeney, who served 12 years on the School Committee, is a retired teacher of 30 years and a lifelong resident. He runs Milton Youth Hockey’s “Learn to Skate” program and recently co-chaired a committee that studied potential land use of the Town Farm property.

He said he would advocate for the schools and work to keep a “reasonable tax structure” while maintaining “transparency” in the town government.

Fagan, who unseated Mullen in the 2007 election, is an attorney and works for the charity Cradles to Crayons. She formerly served as a trustee to the Milton Public Library and has lived in town for 13 years.

Her time on the board has seen the opening of two new restaurants and the start of a revenue-driven wind-energy project.

Fagan said if she is re-elected, she will continue to explore cost savings through combining shared functions across town departments, exploring ways to control health-care costs and making government more “user-friendly.”

School Committee

Four candidates, including one incumbent, will vie for two available seats on the School Committee.

Incumbent Glenn Pavlicek is seeking his third term, having been first elected in 2003. He is a former Warrant Committee member and chair, and has two children who recently graduated from Milton High. He cites his prior work on town budgets, and 25 years of experience as a math and computer science professor, as reasons he should be re-elected.

The challengers are Denis Keohane, Murray Regan and Margaret Eberhardt.

Keohane has lived in town 16 years and has three daughters in Milton schools. He describes himself as “fiscally conservative.” He says 20 years of owning his own business and handling budgets and contract negotiations give him the experience to serve on the School Committee.

Regan, a lifelong resident of the town, is a real estate broker with two daughters in the Milton public schools. He says he will be an “independent voice” on the committee and will continue to explore ways to control costs and encourage efficiency. He is a member of the Consolidated Facilities Exploratory Committee, which is working toward bringing town and school building maintenance systems together under a shared facilities department.

Eberhardt has three children in the Milton public schools and works as a program administrator at the Children’s Happy Day School in West Roxbury. She is a board member on the Milton Foundation for Education and past PTO president. She cites her experience working with principals, department heads, teachers, parents and students as qualifications to be on the School Committee.

Incumbent Beirne Lovely, who has served on the School Committee for nine years, is not seeking re-election. He said his decision not to seek re-election was due in part to his work as general counsel to the Archdiocese of Boston, a position he was appointed to in November 2007.

Planning Board

The contest for the available seat on the Planning Board will be a one-on-one affair between incumbent Ed Duffy and challenger Cheryl Tougias.

Duffy has served on the board for 10 years and worked for the town for 40 years. He recently voiced opposition to a zoning plan put forth by Temple Shalom to redevelop its Blue Hill Avenue property with commercial elements, including a CVS Pharmacy, saying it did not fit within the residential neighborhood. He was one of two Planning Board members to vote against recommending the zoning at Town Meeting in February, the other being Bernie Lynch. The plan was voted down by Town Meeting.

Duffy says he sees mixed-use developments, such as that at 88 Wharf St., as the best way forward for the town, provided that “neighborhoods come first.”

Tougias, a registered architect with 25 years experience, was in favor of the Temple’s zoning proposal. During the lengthy zoning process, she served on advisory committee established to advise the Planning Board in discussions of the project. She says her experience in zoning, land use, and building design would serve well on the board.

Assessor

In addition, there is a three-way contest for a seat on the Board of Assessors. Fifteen-year incumbent Kathi Heffernan is being challenged by Todd Greenwood and Jim Henderson.

Heffernan has served as a Town Meeting member since 1979 and formerly served on the Warrant Committee.

Greenwood is a 20-year resident of East Milton. He ran unsuccessfully last year in a campaign to unseat longtime assessor Thomas Gunning.

Henderson has lived in town for 15 years and has 30 years of experience as a certified public accountant.

Other Candidates

Town Moderator Brian Walsh, Treasurer James McAuliffe, Cemetery Trustee Anthony Sammarco, Board of Health member Anne Fidler and three incumbents on the Board of Library Trustees – Hyacinth Crichlow, Ingrid Shaffer and Janet Evans – are all running unopposed for re-election.

Tamara Berton, Stephen Freeman, Eric Issner, Gary D. Nunley, Daniel F. Joyce, Robert A. Mason, Justin J. O’Shea and Edward J. Villard are vying for four positions as town constable.

Absentee Ballots

Absentee ballots are available for registered voters who will be unable to cast their vote due to absence from town during the hours the polls are open, because of physical disability or because of religious belief.

The absentee voting takes place prior to the election until Monday, April 26, at noon in the town clerk’s office, located at Town Hall, 525 Canton Ave.

Those who need an absentee ballot must apply to the town clerk before April 26 at noon.

For more information, call the town clerk’s office at (617) 898-4859. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.