HADLEY — All four candidates seeking a three-year position on the Select Board at Saturday’s town election say they understand that the initial challenge facing them will be largely financial as the town attempts to recover from the COVID-19 while keeping residents safe and healthy.
The four running for a seat held by Molly Keegan are Nicole S. Bercume, of 9 Indian Pipe Drive; Brenda A. Fydenkevez, of 99 Rocky Hill Road; Jane H. Nevinsmith, of 16 Sunrise Drive; and Amy Parsons, of 143B Mill Valley Road.
Parsons said she is aware of the hardships that have been caused by the pandemic and hopes to be a steward of the town’s finances amid significant lost revenue that will continue to be felt because of the closed college campuses and cancellation of spring and summer events.
“It is important now, more than ever, to be fiscally responsible,” Parsons said. “All town departments will need to come together and figure out what cuts can be made in the short term to maintain longevity.”
As one who works on a farm and for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Parsons, 31, observes that farmers have not been spared from the impacts of the pandemic.
“With dairy farms being told to decrease their production from 5 to 15 percent, and crop growers having trouble getting their much-depended on seasonal labor, this hurts many residents and families in Hadley,” Parsons said.
Parsons said she is confident Hadley residents and businesses will successfully make it through the pandemic by continuing to practice social distancing, limiting capacity in businesses and stores and having retailers and restaurants step up their cleaning protocols.
Nevinsmith said the economic damage from the pandemic, including lost income from hotel and meals taxes and new construction, which she estimates at $850,000, means town officials will have to be restrained in the budgeting approach and that town departments will have to make do with less.
“This is not a time to raise taxes, we all have to tighten our belts while supporting each other,” Nevinsmith said. “This will take a big piece out of the town budget, which is already tight. All departments are going to need to share this burden with reductions.”
A longtime senior center volunteer, Nevinsmith, 79, said she understands that there are additional costs related to the pandemic which the town must meet, such as remote learning for the schools and supplies to keep first responders safe, even as town affairs to continue.
“We have the task, more important now, of selecting the new town administrator, who will be knowledgeable about budgets, and hopefully has the skills as a grant writer to get monies for the town from a variety of sources,” Nevinsmith said.
Nevinsmith said Hadley was a great place to raise her children and she wants to protect its character while listening to the needs of all townspeople and serving their interests.
Fydenkevez said she is calling for an immediate spending freeze and leaving vacancies unfilled, except for any public safety openings, due to the significant questions caused by the pandemic for the town’s revenue streams, including likely loss of property, lodging and meals taxes.
“By no means are we where we were before,” Fydenkevez said. “We’re about $1 million in the hole, and no one’s talking about it. But I will be ready to make really hard decisions and get into it and get it done.”
Running Split Excavating Inc. for nearly 24 years, Fydenkevez, 60, said she is devastated driving up and down Route 9 and seeing restaurants trying to survive through grab-and-go meals, and numerous businesses that are the lifeblood of the town closed. But she also understands that residents want to feel safe and are staying home, at a likely loss of income, so they don’t fall ill.
“Some people can’t afford to pay mortgages let alone their taxes,” Fydenkevez said. “I am here for the residents. I’m very concerned for seniors, business people, kids and young families.”
Fydenkevez said she will be ready to make a decision on hiring a new town administrator, getting strategies underway for improving the water and sewer infrastructure and doing better short- and long-term planning.
Bercume said that she is invested in Hadley and looks forward to ways to assist business owners and farmers get back on their feet, and is confident that once people feel secure going about their lives, the economy should bounce back.
“It’s important as a community to find unique ways to help businesses, especially the retail,” Bercume said “If I’m on the Select Board I want to find ways to support businesses, both new and existing. It does feel like the town of Hadley will persevere through this.”
An attorney with a practice on Route 9, Bercume, 32, said increasing tax revenue and making up for the current financial losses as soon as possible is vital.
“My focus will be on how the town can make more money,” Bercume said.
Bercume said she will also advocate for supporting senior and affordable housing as a way to expand the tax base, and find ways to rehabilitate buildings, such as the Russell School, without large expenses for the town. She said transparency and communication is also important to her and pledges that following each meeting she will put out a one-page summary of actions taken and topics discussed.
Bercume has a campaign video at https://youtu.be/ScilL7v5uVE and campaign website at https://www.facebook.com/NicoleBercumeforHadley/.
Fydenkevez has a campaign website at https://www.facebook.com/bfydenkevez/.
Nevinsmith has campaign video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIssPsVQZj8 and campaign website at https://www.facebook.com/Jane-Nevinsmith-for-Hadley-Selectboard-109030170703388/.
Parsons has a campaign website at https://www.facebook.com/Amy-Parsons-for-Hadley-Select-Board-100369164910303/.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
