Citing encouragement by friends and neighbors, Bill Adams, 70, of Maple East Farm at 108 Dodwells Road, is running as a write-in candidate for the Cummington Select Board in the town election May 9.
Adams is running for the seat currently held by James Drawe, whose 3-year term is up this year. Drawe, who is on the ballot seeking re-election, could not be reached for comment.
A retired career U.S. Navy officer, Adams now operates a Christmas tree farm on his property. He currently is a member of the Cummington Ad Hoc Education Committee, the solar coach for town’s Solarize Mass project and a trustee at the Village Church.
Adams said that running for the Select Board could be an uphill battle for someone who is relatively new to town.
“The toughest part is not having lived in the community for a long time, so you don’t know everybody,” Adams said. “But I think that I can make a difference and be supportive to the town in terms of its culture, history, and ability to support its citizens.”
Adams began selling Christmas trees in 1991 on Porter Hill Road.
He and his wife Jane purchased Maple East Farm from her uncle, the late Frannie Wells, in 2001. The property has been in her family for four generations.
“I didn’t grow up here but I spent summers here with my grandmother,” Jane Adams said, noting that the home has been in her family since 1864.
The couple moved into the property in 2013.
“I think running for Select Board goes with the house,” Adams chuckled. “Jane’s uncle Frannie was a selectman for over 25 years.”
Adams said that his decision to run for office is not issue-driven, but service-driven. He said that being on the Select Board would be a unique opportunity to use his “lifelong skill sets and work ethic” to make a meaningful contribution to the town.
“In the service you worked as a team, and it was service before self and actions for the good of the whole. Even after I retired that is still ingrained in me,” Adams said. “The citizens in Cummington have been very kind, accommodating and have welcomed us with open arms. It is time to give back.”
The towns of Cummington, Goshen, Windsor and Worthington have formed a partnership to bring solar power to the four towns through the Solarize Mass program.
The team is applying for a Solarize Mass grant that would provide up to $5,000 for each town to promote and publicize solar energy and to offer technical support.
To participate in the program, each town must have a solar coach, a municipal representative and one additional person on the team, which will select the official Solarize PV installer for the towns.
For more information contact in Cummington, Bill Adams at 634-5342; Goshen, Dave Christopolis at 296-4536; Windsor, Jan Bradley at 684-3732; and Worthington, Maire Burkhart at 238-5930.
The Plainfield Historical Society will host a dinner April 30 to benefit to the historic Shaw Hudson House at 286 Main St.
Dr. Samuel Shaw built the house in 1833. As Shaw is the great-great-grandfather of famed chef Julia Child, the five-course dinner will feature her Boeuf Bourguignon. The menu will offer locally sourced ingredients complemented by local wines and other beverages.
Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:45 p.m., and dessert at 7:45 p.m.A $50 donation for the evening will go toward repairs and upgrades to the Shaw Hudson House electrical system.
This event is open to the public but reservations will be limited to 24 guests. Those interested in attending should secure their reservation by Sunday by email at infoplainfieldmahistory.org or by calling Judy Williams at 634-8099.
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