Jim Drawe had served on the Cummington Select Board for 25 years without ever being challenged by another candidate. That all changed this year, when Bill Adams, a relative newcomer to town and a write-in candidate, defeated him by a 111-29 vote in Monday’s town election.
There were no controversial issues before the election, nor had there been any dissatisfaction voiced publicly about Drawe’s service on the board.
“This is the first time that someone has run against me and I didn’t expect it,” Drawe said. “I didn’t take any time to campaign and my opponent did.”
Adams, a retired career Navy officer who operates a Christmas tree farm at 108 Dodwells Road, said that he was just as surprised at his win and was humbled by the experience.
Adams said that he was running for the Select Board not to unseat Drawe specifically, but to take advantage of a chance to run for office, and it was Drawe’s term that just happened to be up.
“I think that he will do a fine job,” Drawe said.
Drawe was himself a newcomer when he began his public service after moving to Cummington in 1976.
“I waited a couple of years, got myself established and then I was nominated to be on the Finance Committee. Six years later, a vacancy came up on the Select Board,” Drawe said.
Drawe noted that there have been six other Select Board members since he was first elected and that the three-member board has a history of working well together.
“I think during my entire time on the board, there was only one vote that was one to two. We always talked things over and came to a consensus,” he said. “We accomplished quite a bit and kept the town running pretty smoothly.”
Drawe also serves on the board of directors of WiredWest, and is a councilor on the Hampshire Council of Governments.
Before retiring in 2000, Drawe had a career in the financial sector as project manager for institutions including the Third National Bank, Bank of New England and Fleet Bank, and he also has served as a financial consultant.
“It would be nice to get some young people on the board,” he said. “I know it is a challenge with time and family, I raised four kids, worked and still found time to participate.”
Drawe said being a Select Board member was about making a conscious effort to contribute to the community.
“It is just a matter of do you want to be a responsible citizen, participate and give back, as others have done for you,” he said.
Drawe said he will miss being on the board and “will think about running again over the next year.”
It took five years of planning and two major setbacks, but Plainfield has finally passed a solar bylaw, taking a giant step forward on the road to becoming a “green community.”
Tim Walter, chairman of the Energy Committee, said this was a significant hurdle to clear.
“We tried to do this twice before and it failed. In 2011 the issue was tabled, then in 2012 it didn’t get enough votes,” Walter said.
According to Walter, earlier versions of a solar bylaw created by the Planning Board likely failed because they designated 90 percent of the town as an area where large-scale, ground-mounted photovoltaic installations would be allowed by right.
“The Planning Board asked us four years ago to work on this, so we came up with the article that finally passed,” Walter said.
The bylaw created by the Energy Committee, passed by a two-thirds vote at Plainfield’s annual Town Meeting on May 7. It designates 1.5 acres near the Plainfield Public Safety Complex where large-scale, ground-mounted photovoltaic installations will be allowed by right.
The town also amended a zoning bylaw to create site-plan review definitions and special-use regulations for large-scale, ground-mounted photovoltaic installations.
Walter said that the last step in becoming eligible for “green community” status is to pass the “stretch code” which sets requirements to minimize life-cycle energy costs for new construction in town.
“I think that people are feeling very positive about becoming a ‘green community’ and that they are eager to get the stretch code passed,” Walter said.
Walter hopes to have the stretch code passed this summer so that the town can apply for “green community” status by October.
If Plainfield becomes a “green community,” it would be eligible for $136,000 in grants to fund energy-saving projects for the town and its residents.
The Williamsburg Congregational Church will hold its annual plant and bake sale Saturday in front of the Grange Hall in the center of Williamsburg from 9 a.m. until noon.
The event will feature a variety of baked goods as well as annuals, perennials and hanging baskets.
“We will be there rain or shine and hope that people will stop by and see what we have,” organizer Jean York said.
All proceeds go to fund the church’s missions.
State Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, will host a “Coffee and Conversation” gathering at the Westhampton Town Hall from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday.
This event is part of Downing’s monthly open forums that rotate through towns across Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden counties.
All are welcome to attend and ask a question, submit a comment or pitch an idea regarding state government.
Coffee and refreshments will be provided.
Ideas for this column on life in the Hilltowns can be sent to Fran Ryan at Fryan.gazette@gmail.com.