HATFIELD — Three contested races, including for a three-year position on the School Committee that features an incumbent against a challenger, will be decided in the town election Tuesday.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Town Hall.
Also on the ballot is a $12.03 million Proposition 2½ debt exclusion override to cover costs of upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant. Town Meeting approved the spending this week.
In addition to the race for School Committee between incumbent Danielle Stanisewski and political newcomer Adam Sullivan, the other races are for a five-year seat on the Planning Board between newcomers Virginia Martell and David Leon Bell Jr., competing for the seat being vacated by Paul Dostal, and a three-year position on the Board of Health between incumbent Robert P. Osley and newcomer Timothy Joseph Menz.
Sullivan and Stanisewski both recorded candidates’ statements for Hatfield Community TV to outline their objectives.
Sullivan, a pharmacist and father of two, said he would like to serve on the School Committee to make sure Hatfield, his hometown, has a solid foundation of education as his children enter the town’s public schools.
“I’m running to make sure they have the educational opportunities I had when I was in school,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said he would like to give back to Hatfield, but has concerns for both the future of the schools and the town, in part because of a declining school-age population that is already creating problems. The consequences of less enrollment have already been seen in cuts to middle school sports, French and chorus.
“If there are programs that would benefit our students, if there’s interest in them, we should do whatever we can to bring them back, or bring them in to start, to help our kids along,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan also supports a robust science curriculum and says he would be an advocate for teachers and a sounding board for ideas from students, teachers and parents. He would like to find ways to achieve compromise, while on the topic of masks to p[roterct against COVID believes the town should listen to what experts say.
“Right now it feels like communication between parents and teachers and administration and students is a bit broken, and I would like to work on trying to fix that,” Sullivan said.
Stanisewski, a mother of four, has been active in town affairs. She was elected to the School Committee in 2019 and serves on the Recreation Commission.
“I’m committed to this town, our community and our children,” Stanisewski said. “They are our future,”
She sees challenges in the pandemic that have included remote learning, isolation, face coverings and fear.
“Our administration and teachers are working endlessly to get these kids back to where they need to be,” Stainsewski said. “Throughout the pandemic I have fought hard for these kids. I have fought to get them back to in-person learning. I have fought to allow the children to choose to wear a mask or not to wear a mask. I have fought to allow them to play sports.”
Stanisewski said there is a lot of work to do to get the schools where they need to be, and she also wants to prioritize special education services being provided.
“We are all committed to making our little district the best it can be. So let’s keep Hatfield Hatfield,” she said.
