Longmeadow Buzz

South Hadley's Financial Difficulties

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 01:12:00 +0000

Longmeadow Select Board

Below is a "letter to the editor" in today's May 19, 2026 Republican outlining significant financial difficulties on the horizon for the Town of South Hadley and its residents. According to this LTE written by a South Hadley resident, Denise L. Presley, voters will be asked to approve a Proposition 2½ Operational Override of between $9-11 million. Ms. Presley has served on the South Hadley Electric Light Dept Board (MLP) for the past 5 years.

[A Proposition 2½ operational override in Massachusetts is not financed in the way a capital project is. It is simply a permanent increase to the property tax levy limit.]

How does this relate to Longmeadow voters and property taxpayers?

The Longmeadow Select Board/ Longmeadow Municipal Light Plant (MLP) is proposing that the Longmeadow Fiber Network will be developed, maintained and operated by the South Hadley Electric Light Department (SHELD). At the present time there is an Inter Governmental Agreement in place with many details missing from public view. The South Hadley Electric Light Department- SHELD is a public utility and it is owned by the Town of South Hadley

Has the Select Board or the MLP (still to be appointed pending a charter change to the Longmeadow Town Charter at the MA State Legislature) considered the implications of doing business with SHELD given the Town of South Hadley's financial difficulties?

Jim Moran/ Longmeadow Resident

__________________________________________________

Heating oil, gasoline, mortgage interest rates and groceries are all rising. Food banks are turning the needy away, and the chief investment strategist at the country’s second-largest bank has warned that 2026 market conditions and asset performance bear an “ominously close” resemblance to the 2007–2008 financial crisis.

So how are South Hadley’s leaders responding? They’re asking its 8,000 taxpayers to increase spending:

• A $9 million or $11 million tax increase (in addition to the annual 2.5% increases state law already allows).

• A new $36.5 million building for the municipal light company (SHELD).

• $47.2 million in Wastewater Treatment Plant updates.

• $49.6 million (the 40% that won’t be reimbursed by the state) for a new elementary school.

These proposals are being supported by well-organized efforts that dismiss the affordability fears of many lower-income homeowners. Take South Hadley’s school district. It serves approximately 1,644 students, costs over $25 million annually and the yearly deficit is projected to total $3.2 million by FY 2030.

But activists contend we need a $9 million or $11 million taxation override to “save our schools.”

Another special interest group is the town’s 652 employees who want to protect their jobs and/or health care insurance.

Other municipalities are negotiating with their most profitable tax exempt organizations to make payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs), but not South Hadley. Remarkably, if the town’s largest tax-exempt property owner paid the $2.8 million assessed annually on its properties, no override would be necessary. Sadly, the town’s leadership would rather make homeowners choose between taxes, food, heat and medicine.

Two years ago, the town’s Planning Department was promoting a Housing Production Plan based on its finding that South Hadley is unaffordable. It’s unclear how the town’s spending spree will cure that problem.

However, the planners are now pushing a new bylaw to allow property owners to raise “goats or pigs, or other meat animals for your family.”

Residents can visit the town’s website and calculate the override expense for their address. If you can’t afford the new tax, which doesn’t include the existing 2.5 % increase or the fire district tax, vote no overrides on April 14.

Denise Presley, South Hadley

When Comcast Goes Down: Using Your iPhone Hotspot to Power Your Home WiFi

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 21:08:00 +0000

Mobile Cellphone Hotspot Providing Home WiFi

When my Comcast/ Xfinity Internet service recently went offline due to a technical outage in our neighborhood, my home instantly lost WiFi. That meant no television streaming, no work-from-home access, and no connection for several computers and devices.

Instead of waiting for the outage to end, I used a simple backup solution that many people already have in their pocket: my iPhone hotspot.

Surprisingly, it worked very well.

My home Xfinity connection normally delivers about 950 Mbps download speed to my Ethernet connected devices while my iPhone cellular connection provides roughly 250–350 Mbps. That is slower than my wired internet service, but it was still more than enough to keep the household running.

Within a few minutes I had the iPhone hotspot powering:

• Television streaming
• Multiple computers/ iPad
• Work-from-home applications

Everything was operating in the same room as the phone, and performance was quite good.

However, because the phone itself becomes the home WiFi router, you should expect lower signal strength and slower speeds in rooms farther away.

Why a Phone Hotspot Works So Well Today

Cellular networks have improved dramatically in recent years. Modern 5G cellular networks can easily deliver hundreds of Mbps in many areas.

In my case:

Connection	Approx Speed
Comcast/ Home Internet	~950 Mbps
Verizon iPhone Hotspot	~250–350 Mbps

Even though the hotspot was slower, it still had plenty of bandwidth for:

• Zoom meetings
• Streaming TV
• Email and cloud access
• Web browsing

For most households, a temporary hotspot can keep things running during a short internet outage. Note: In Longmeadow not all homes have access to sufficient cellular service.

Limitations of Using a Phone as Your Home Internet Backup

A hotspot is a great temporary backup, but there are some limitations.

1. WiFi Range

Your phone becomes the router, which means the signal is strongest near the phone.

Devices located farther away may experience:
• weaker WiFi signal
• slower speeds
• buffering on TV streaming

2. Data Usage

Many cellular plans include hotspot limits. Streaming TV can consume a lot of data.

Typical usage:
• HD streaming: 3–5 GB per hour
• Zoom meeting: ~1 GB per hour

Check your cellular plan if you plan to rely on this often.

3. Battery Drain

Running a hotspot consumes significant battery power. Plugging the phone into a charger is recommended.
_____________________________________________________

Written by Jim Moran/ LongmeadowBiz

Before We Blame Comcast — or Build a New Network

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:32:00 +0000

Many residents say they’re not getting the speeds they pay for.

But here’s something worth considering in the Longmeadow Fiber discussion:

Your internet speed is only as fast as the weakest device in your home.

If you’re using:
• An 8–10 year old computer
• A spinning hard drive instead of SSD (solid state drive)
• 8GB RAM or less
• Older WiFi 4/5 hardware
• A 1-Gig Ethernet port on a 1.2-Gig plan

You may never see advertised speeds — even if the network is performing perfectly.

I recently replaced a 10-year-old Lenovo desktop with a modern SSD-based system.

Same Comcast plan
(1 Gigabit plan- $85/month including taxes, fees and Gateway rental)
Same Xfinity gateway.
Dramatically better performance and measured speeds.

A townwide fiber network build will not automatically fix:
• Old routers
• Outdated laptops
• Mechanical hard drives
• Weak internal WiFi cards

That doesn’t mean fiber isn’t valuable. It means we should separate:

Infrastructure limitations from In-home technology limitations

Before concluding that the problem is “the provider,” it’s worth asking:

Is the bottleneck outside the house — or inside it?

Jim Moran/ LongmeadowBiz, LLC

What Problem Are We Trying to Fix?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 22:54:00 +0000

Working from Home (WFH)

Longmeadow is considering construction of a $25–30 million town-owned fiber network, financed over 20–30 years and ultimately backed by taxpayers. The proposed financial model suggests a 40–50% take rate (roughly 2,320–2,900 of 5,800 homes) is required to break even through subscriber revenue.

Before committing to long-term debt in a town already facing major capital obligations (new middle school, roads, infrastructure), it is reasonable to step back and ask:

What specific problem are we trying to fix?

Do Most Homes Need Symmetrical Gigabit Speeds?

There is a common perception that 1 Gig up / 1 Gig down — or even 5 Gig symmetrical — must be better.

But most households do not use bandwidth that way.

Typical 2026 Residential Usage Needs

[click chart to enlarge]

For most households:

Download demand dominates. Every household does not need 1 Gig download speed.
Upload demand matters primarily for multiple simultaneous HD video calls or heavy cloud uploads.

Most residents today report satisfactory performance with:

1 Gig / 100 Mbps cable service
Streaming TV via Roku
Video conferencing
Gaming

References:

1. What are the Current Market Conditions?

Longmeadow is not a broadband desert.

Current competitive landscape:

- Xfinity / Comcast

1 Gb down / 100 Mb up
Approximately $85/month
5-year rate guarantees (no contract)
Planned DOCSIS 4.0 upgrades nationally

- Verizon & T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Wireless alternatives
Existing wireless technology already supports multi-WFH homes which could dramatically impact take-rate.

New DOCSIS 4.0 technology is designed to enable:

Multi-gigabit service
Symmetric or near-symmetric capabilities
2Gb/2Gb and potentially higher tiers over time

The competitive environment could shift significantly over the next 5–10 years.

2. Financial Framework: 5,800 Homes

Assume:

- 5,800 total serviceable homes
- Break-even requires 40–50% take rate
- 2,320 – 2,900 subscribers
- $90/month estimated municipal fiber cost

Annual Revenue at 45% Take Rate (2,610 homes):

2,610 × $90 × 12 = $2.82 million per year

If take rate drops to 35% (2,030 homes):

2,030 × $90 × 12 = $2.19 million per year

That’s a revenue difference of $630,000 annually.

In a 20–30 year debt structure, sustained shortfall can create significant financial pressure. Even if structured as an enterprise fund, bond markets and rating agencies view the municipality holistically.

3. Capital Risk in Context

Longmeadow taxpayers are already facing:
- ~$100 million local share for new middle school
- Potential additional $200+ million of capital needs for road, water/sewer and storm sewer, school, DPW, etc. improvements as outline in the 5 year capital program (March 2025)
- Inflationary construction costs

Adding $25–30 million of subscriber-dependent infrastructure debt introduces:

Market risk
Competitive pricing risk
Technology evolution risk
Take-rate uncertainty
Political risk if a taxpayer subsidy becomes necessary

4. Is Symmetry the Problem to Solve?

Symmetrical speeds are technically superior.

But the policy question is:
How many households are meaningfully constrained by 100 Mbps upload today?

If the number is small, then:

The issue is one of preference, not access.
The project becomes a competitive choice, not an infrastructure necessity.

That distinction matters when debt is taxpayer-backed.

5. Technology Risk Over 20–30 Years

Fiber is long-lived infrastructure.

But:

Cable is upgrading (--> DOCSIS 4.0).
Wireless 5G continues improving.
Pricing strategies may change dramatically.
Promotional competition could suppress municipal take rate growth.

A project financed over 20–30 years assumes:

Stable subscriber growth
Competitive resilience
Sufficient ARPU (Average Revenue Per Home)
Technology relevance

In telecom markets, those assumptions carry risk.

6. The Core Policy Question

The town must determine whether this is:
Critical Infrastructure Gap or Competitive Enhancement

If residents:

Already receive gigabit download
Have competitive pricing
Have alternative providers
Report minimal service dissatisfaction

Then the “problem” may not be capacity.

It may be:

Price stability
Local control
Long-term competitive leverage

Those are policy goals — but they are different from fixing a service failure.

Conclusion

Fiber is excellent infrastructure, but infrastructure should solve a clearly defined problem.

In a town with:

Existing gigabit service
Competitive providers
Major concurrent capital obligations
20–30 year borrowing horizon

It is reasonable to ask:

Are we solving a broadband deficiency — or entering a competitive telecom business at scale?
Longmeadow has already heard from at least one major Internet service company that is interested in investing their own "risk capital" to bring Internet performance improvements to Longmeadow residents as well as serious competition to the existing players.

Why is the Longmeadow Select Board continuing to block these efforts? Let's not risk taxpayer money investing "risk capital" in this technology.
_______________________________

I urge all town voters to learn about this Longmeadow Fiber project and the potential impact on the financial well being of our town and not just listen to all of the fiber "hype".

I will vote NO when this project is voted on at the upcoming Town Meeting in May.

Jim Moran
48 Avondale Road

Vote NO on Article 4

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

This letter to the Select Board was sent by Mark Gold, a former Longmeadow Select Board member recommending a Vote NO on Article #4 at the Longmeadow Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, November 4.

_________________________________________________

M Gold <mgold129@yahoo.com> Wed, Oct 29, 2025 at 3:58 PM

To: "selectboard@longmeadowma.gov" <selectboard@longmeadowma.gov>, "jlevine@longmeadowma.gov" <jlevine@longmeadowma.gov>, "alam@longmeadowma.gov" <alam@longmeadowma.gov>, "vhemavathi@longmeadowma.gov" vhemavathi@longmeadowma.gov>
Cc: "adminassistant@longmeadowma.gov" "lsimmons@longmeadowma.gov"

To the Longmeadow Select Board:

I've stayed away from town politics for the past four months, feeling that the Select Board deserves the right to oversee the town without the peanut gallery getting involved. But my recent reading of Article 4 on the warrant for the November 4th Special Town meeting requires my comments, primarily because it has misinterpreted at best, and twisted at worst, the intent of the streetlight purchase and LED conversion.

Let there be no misunderstanding: the funds that are under discussion for being placed into a "revolving fund", both the lump sum amount and the ongoing revenue stream, are the direct result of the conversion of our streetlights to LEDs. I believe I may be one of only a handful of town residents who lived and understand this entire story. I am happy to go into greater detail at your request, but there can no disagreement that the funds under discussion resulted from the conversion of streetlights to LEDs and the SIGNIFICANT reduction in electricity use in the accounts that charge the town for powering our street lights.

The concern I have, and the reason for this letter, is that the street light purchase and LED conversion was done for one reason, and one reason only: to reduce the cost of that line item in the town budget and allow for the control, if not lowering, of the Longmeadow tax rate. The street light purchase and LED conversion was NOT done to create a "DPW Electricity and Energy Improvement Revolving fund". The diversion of funds from lowering taxes to providing a special fund is a significant deviation from the intent of the LED conversion program. No one, particularly me who individually worked extensively on this program, went through the effort of converting our streetlights so we could create a (pardon the expression, but it seems to apply here) slush fund for the DPW to use to address issues as they see fit.

The purchase of the streetlights has indeed reduced the street light line item cost by eliminating light and pole rental charges. This purchase was accompanied by the conversion of our streetlights to LEDs, and that conversion was not done only to be more "green" and reduce our energy consumption, it was specifically directed at reducing our energy (and overall budget) costs. To divert those saved funds from a reduction in the budget (and effectively a reduction in the taxes that need to be raised) to a revolving fund is a disregard for the intent of town residents and the vote of the town meeting at which funds were appropriated for LED conversion.

In summary, I believe the Select Board and town administration is wrong in submitting this proposal to Town Meeting. The intent of the street light conversion to LEDs cannot be misinterpreted, and as the person who identified this cost savings opportunity and who, along with our Town Manager, worked harder than anyone in town to make this happen, I can state unequivocally that Warrant Article #4 gets it wrong on every account. We should be using the revenue (and accumulated lump sum) into reducing our energy costs and our taxes.

Therefore, I intend to vote against this warrant article, and urge all town residents to also vote against Warrant article #4 at the November 4th Special Town meeting. Funds returned to the town as energy credits should be used to pay other energy costs in town (ideally electricity) and reduce the overall budget of the town.

Regards,
Mark Gold

P.S. This letter should appear as "correspondence" in the November 3rd Select Board distribution packet as it is directed to a majority of the Select Board members. To delay it's distribution until after the Special Town Meeting is to further disregard the intent of the voters.

A Local Perspective: The Cost of a Municipal Fiber Network vs. Private Options

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 18:08:00 +0000

The Town of Longmeadow is evaluating a plan to create a town-owned fiber-optic Internet network, with construction and operation contracted to the South Hadley Electric Light Department (SHELD). The estimated capital investment is $27 million, to be financed and owned by the Town. The project would take roughly five years to complete.

Under the proposed structure, SHELD would not only build the network but also operate it on Longmeadow’s behalf once construction is finished. That includes:

Hiring and supervising its own staff,
Managing customer billing and technical support, and
Providing ongoing maintenance of the fiber system and customer equipment.

In essence, SHELD would act as Longmeadow’s contracted network operator, while the Town retains ownership of the physical infrastructure and the long-term financial obligation.

💰 Prevailing-Wage Requirements and Cost Implications

Because the network is a municipally owned public-works project, Massachusetts law requires that construction labor be paid at the state’s “prevailing wage” rate. These rates — established by the Department of Labor Standards — can run 1.5 to 2 times higher than equivalent private-sector wages for the same type of telecommunications work.

That means Longmeadow’s build cost will be significantly higher per mile than what a private company would pay for the same installation. When combined with public-sector procurement, permitting, and bonding requirements, total capital costs typically exceed those of private builds.

Once the network is built, ongoing operation and maintenance may fall into a more nuanced category. If SHELD provides these services under a service contract as an independent utility entity — not as direct employees of the Town of Longmeadow — prevailing-wage laws usually do not apply to those operational functions. However, these costs are expected to remain higher than those of private networks, since municipal contracting and staffing rules restrict flexibility and raise administrative overhead.

📊 Comparing the Three Models

Category	Comcast/Xfinity	Private Fiber Company	Municipal Fiber (SHELD–Longmeadow)
Infrastructure Status	Existing, fully operational	New build	New build
Construction Cost	Minimal (incremental upgrades)	Moderate	High (prevailing-wage labor)
Financing Source	Private capital	Private capital or investors	Municipal bonds (taxpayer-backed)
Operations	Existing large-scale staff	Private management	SHELD-contracted operation
Prevailing-Wage Impact	None	None	Required for construction; likely not for contracted operations
Financial Risk	Comcast shareholders	Private investors	Longmeadow taxpayers/ratepayers

Summary

Comcast’s existing hybrid fiber-coax system already reaches nearly every home in Longmeadow and continues to be upgraded to faster standards, reducing the need for costly new construction. A privately financed competitor could theoretically build a new all-fiber system at market-rate labor costs but would bear its own financial risk.

By contrast, the municipally financed network would build new infrastructure at a higher total cost, due to prevailing-wage requirements, borrowing expenses, and the need for a separate contracted operator. If subscriber revenue falls short, ratepayers as well as taxpayers would be responsible for covering the deficit.

As the town evaluates this proposal, the key question remains:

Will Longmeadow’s investment in a new municipally owned fiber network truly deliver better performance or lower costs than the upgraded systems already available from Xfinity or new private providers?

Jim Moran
48 Avondale Road

A Smarter, Faster, and Cheaper Xfinity Upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 22:20:00 +0000

After years of dependable but expensive Comcast service, my wife and I decided it was time to take a closer look at our monthly bill — and we're glad that we did. By rethinking what we actually use and how we watch TV, we ended up with faster Internet, the same entertainment options, and major savings every month.

📺 From Cable TV to Streaming

Our original Comcast package included television programming with DVR service on multiple TVs, along with Internet at about 500 Mbps or less.
The total monthly cost? $285.

The reality was that most of those cable channels and extra DVR boxes went unused. So, we made the decision to eliminate the traditional TV programming and keep only Internet service.

To replace live TV and DVR, we switched to Roku streaming (device cost ~ $30-40) and added YouTube TV for ~$82 per month, which includes many local and national channels as well as full cloud DVR capability — perfect since my wife and I often watch shows at times different vs. broadcast time. It took a short learning curve, but we quickly adapted and found that nearly everything we watched before is available through streaming. This includes watching Select Board/ School Committee meetings on YouTube Live (streaming).

⚙️ The New Xfinity/Comcast Plan

We recently upgraded to a new Gigabit Internet plan that includes a free Xfinity Gateway modem/router for $85 per month, guaranteed for five years — and best of all, there’s no contract.

That’s down from our previous Xfinity Internet-only rate of $124 per month, saving $39 per month or $468 per year right away.

📱 Free Phone & Verizon Reimbursement

By transferring one of our mobile phone accounts from Verizon to Comcast/Xfinity Mobile:

We received one full year of free phone service (valued at $480).
Comcast also covered the remaining $195 phone financing balance on our Verizon plan, reimbursing us via a $195 Visa card.

📺 Bonus Streaming Value

The new plan even includes two years of Peacock Premium streaming at no charge — a $10.99/month value, or $132 per year.

📶 Extra Perk from Verizon

Ironically, Verizon offered a $10/month discount for one year on our second phone line, adding another $120 in savings. (Could this be a competitive retain customer incentive since we transferred one of our two Verizon mobile accounts?)

💰 Total First-Year Savings

Source	Value
Lower monthly Internet rate	$468
Free phone service	$480
Verizon payoff reimbursement	$195
Peacock Premium (2-year value, annualized)	$132
Verizon wireless discount	$120
Total Savings (Year 1)	$1,395

Even after paying $85/month ($1,020 per year) for Gigabit Internet, we are effectively ahead by $255 — meaning our new high-speed Internet and streaming setup is essentially free in the first year.

⚡ Real-World Speed Results

The performance boost has been impressive. Here are the up/down data speeds from the Xfinity Gateway to one of our computers connected via an Ethernet cable.

Download speed: 931 Mbps
Upload speed: 118 Mbps

At the incoming cable connection (Xfinity Gateway), we are receiving around 1.2 Gbps, slightly above the advertised 1.0 Gbps Gigabit plan speed — a great sign that Xfinity’s network capacity has improved locally.

🏁 The Bottom Line

By cutting cable TV, upgrading to Gigabit Internet, and embracing streaming through Roku and YouTube TV, we reduced our total monthly cost from $285 to $167 — and improved both speed and flexibility.

Between the first-year savings, free streaming perks, and better Internet performance, this upgrade has been well worth the change.

Sometimes a little rethinking — and a willingness to learn something new — can lead to faster service, lower bills, and a better experience overall.

Jim & Judy Moran
45 year Longmeadow residents and 35 year customers of Comcast/ Xfinity and prior cable system owners (ATT-Broadband, Media One ...)

Renovate Glenbrook and Williams Middle Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 22:45:00 +0000

This letter to the editor was submitted to LongmeadowBuzz by Curt Freedman- a long time resident of Longmeadow.

Dear Editor:

I have lived in Longmeadow since before I was born and completed grades K-12. I attended Glenbrook and was a member of the class of 1973 (Go Bulldogs). I have firsthand knowledge of busing as I was bused from Primrose Drive to Glenbrook for three years.

For 33 years, I have been a registered professional engineer and practice in 23 states and work as a forensic engineering investigator across the country, as well as instruct renewable energy as an adjunct professor at a local engineering university. I am tremendously grateful for the professional and academic opportunities enabled in part by my public school education in Longmeadow.

My sons have also attended grades K-12 and are each highly accomplished professionals. My wife, in blessed memory, was a speech/language pathologist and previously contracted with the Longmeadow Schools.

I have previously supported the renovation of Blueberry Hill, Wolf Swamp, and Center Schools. As co-chairman of the Longmeadow High School Task Force Committee, I helped lead the renovation of LHS to its present state. Our LHS Building team, as supported by the Longmeadow School Committee, actively worked to avoid decisions that would adversely affect abutters or create an unreasonable financial burden to our community. Although multiple architects recommended a brand-new high school on Russell Field, these recommendations were rejected out of respect for Longmeadow.

My direct experience taught me that there is nothing positive about busing; it extends the school day, interferes with participation in school activities, and can create time conflicts with family and homework studies, especially during inclement weather. An 11 or 12-year-old does not have the independent transportation options of a high school student; a local neighborhood middle school is a tried and proven option.

I feel that the proposed combined middle school is fundamentally flawed for the following reasons. The project conflicts with sustainability, the Longmeadow Long-Range Plan, as well as professional engineering standards. The project will eliminate multiple sports fields. The project will lessen the quality of education for the majority of students. The project will maximize busing/vehicle traffic and cause unresolvable traffic gridlock. The project will be financially burdensome for our community. The project will lessen property values for many of our residents.

Renovate Glenbrook Middle School.
Renovate Williams Middle School.

Sometimes, Less is more.

Let us work together for the best interests of our Longmeadow community.

Curt M. Freedman, PE
24 Ridge Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106

Being An Effective Select Board Member

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 17:31:00 +0000

This post was originally written in 2023 to reflect important roles for Select Board members in anticipation of challenging times ahead for Longmeadow.

Longmeadow Annual Town Elections will be held tomorrow on Tuesday, June 3. There are four candidates vying for two open SB seats in this election:

Mark Gold, Dan Zwirko, Maury Garrett and Shelly Maynard-DeWolf

Because Mr. Garrett and Ms. Maynard-DeWolf are newcomers to our local election politics, I felt that it would be helpful to ask Mark Gold- a current and the longest tenured member of the Select Board (since 2009) for an outline of the “homework” that is required for him in order to adequately prepare for SB meetings.

Below is a summary of his responses which were recently reviewed and updated...

Jim Moran

_______________________

Contrary to what many people believe, being an effective Select Board member is more than committing time for the meetings- two nights a month.


Mark Gold *Select Board member since 2009*

Mark attends an average of 8 meetings outside of the Select Board each month.

(As a minimum Select Board members should attend those meetings for which they are the SB liaison.)

Mark attends on a regular basis the following standing committees:

Scantic Valley Regional Health Trust
Meets 9:30 - 11 AM/ once/month
Pioneer Valley Transit Authority
Meets 12 – 2 PM/ once/month
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission’s MPO (Traffic and Roadway) Meeting - PVTA
Meets 10 AM – 12 PM/ once/month
Longmeadow Permanent Building Committee
Meets 3-5 PM/ once per month

In addition, Mark is also a member of the PVTA/ Paratransit subcommittee (Dial-a-Ride) because it is an important service in the Longmeadow community as well as the PVTA’s executive compensation committee. These two sub-committees meet about 4-6 times per year in addition to the board meetings (for about an hour at a time).

Mark’s participation on these committees provide critical contacts with leaders of other Western Mass communities as well as insight and information that supports actions by the Longmeadow Select Board.

Mark also tries to attend a couple of Longmeadow Finance Committee meetings during the year, at least one Community Preservation Committee and one Longmeadow Capital Planning Committee meeting as well. These meeting are "seasonal" -generally during budget time. He also attends all of the town sponsored forums on the budget and related topics which typically occur 1-2 times/ year.

Prior to serving on the Select Board, Mark served as the chairman of the Longmeadow Capital Planning Committee. For eight years on that panel Mark championed the maintenance and rehabilitation of Longmeadow's buildings as well as planned spending for DPW fleet purchases and Fire Engines. Mark feels that this earlier experience on the Capital Planning Committee provided many benefits and insights for his current role on the Select Board.

Mark has no idea how much time other Select Board members spend outside the regular meetings. He does know that the SB chair has to spend time before every meeting reviewing the agenda with the Town Manager Lyn Simmons.

A Select Board member with a full time job and family commitments could be hard pressed to participate in many of these types of board meetings that are regularly held during "normal business hours”. For many of these boards and committees, it's important that a representative from Longmeadow is present to represent the town’s interests and report back the committee actions.

Mark participates in as many Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) training webinars as possible. Last year he participated in 3 or 4 of them and usually skips the annual training on Open Meeting Law and Municipal Finances since he has completed them several times and they really don't change. There are two required training programs that all town employees (including Select Board members) must complete on Open Meeting Law and Conflict of Interest. These training programs are conducted on-line and take about 2 hours each to complete. Select Board members must complete a "test" at the end of the course and pass to be certified. Mark also attends the MMA annual meeting in Boston for two days every January.. Many initiatives that continue to benefit the town were first identified through participation at the MMA meeting such as street light purchases and the upcoming municipal electrical aggregation.

Prior to each Select Board meeting members receive a packet of information to review. The packet generally comes out on the Friday before the regular Monday meeting. It can take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours to review the information (depending if you read the many department monthly reports that are included). When there's a SB hearing (usually a liquor license or public utility), Mark will review the information more closely and if there are questions he tries to send them to the petitioner in advance of the meeting so they have the answers. Mark decided some time ago that "got-ya" questioning doesn't work well in town government. He also believes it's a waste of time when they say "we'll have to get back to you on that" which just wastes everyone's time. “I can't tell you how many times I have found an error in the packet.”

Around budget time, the time he spends on reviewing the budget can be as much as 6-8 hours in advance of the budget review meeting. As good as our Town Manager is in the preparation, he believes that oversight is worthwhile and wants to understand the budget as well as the Town Manager and our new CFO Ian Cottington do. This same preparation goes for development of water and sewer rates. With Paul Pasterczyk now retired, Mark probably understands what makes up those rates better than anyone in town, and takes the time each year to closely review the proposal. This secondary review is even more important now that Paul has retired.

Mark has not added up all the meetings and times, but his best estimate is that he spends 6-8 hours per week on town business, not including phone calls he gets at home and being present at meetings that he has with the Town Manager.

Being an effective Select Board member is more than committing two nights a month for meetings.

Mark has been a Select Board member since 2009 and has the longest continuous membership of anyone else since the mid-1980's having now spent 16 years as a Board member. While this is a salaried elected position at $2000/ year, Mark does it primarily as a give back to Longmeadow where he has lived with his wife Ellen for over 47 years. His two sons Daniel and Eric attended Longmeadow Public Schools.

Mark has made many significant contributions to the financial health and well-being of our town by being adequately prepared for the regular biweekly Select Board meeting and getting involved with the business of our town. His record of accomplishment sets a high standard for town residents seeking election to the Select Board. Here is a list of his Top 10 Accomplishments that he outlined when he ran for Select Board in 2022.

Thank you Mark for your commitment and many years of service to our town.

__________________________________

Longmeadow Annual Town Elections will be held on Tuesday, June 3. There are four candidates vying for two open SB seats in this election: Mark Gold, Dan Zwirko, Maury Garrett, and Shelly Maynard-DeWolf.

With the exception of Dan Zwirko who decided not to participate, candidate Election Profiles can be found on the LongmeadowBuzz blog. Here are the links: Mark Gold, Dan Zwirko, Maury Garrett and Shelly Maynard-DeWolf.

Do your homework by reading these profiles to become an informed voter and then go to the Community House tomorrow, June 3 to vote for the best candidate.
Polls are open from 7 am - 8 pm.

Written (& Updated) by Jim Moran

Facts Matter

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 31 May 2025 00:12:00 +0000

This post was written by Jim Moran, Longmeadow Town Resident

Annual Town Elections

It’s unfortunate that instead of owning her lack of civic engagement, Select Board candidate Shelly Maynard-DeWolf has been accusing me of a “smear campaign” for asking basic, fair questions about her voting record and involvement in Longmeadow town government.

Let’s be clear: asking whether a candidate has voted in an election or participated at town meetings is not a “gotcha” moment—it’s a matter of public trust. These are not attacks; they are facts, and voters have every right to know them.

I have never engaged in personal attacks or “worked behind the scenes” against anyone. I’ve simply asked the questions that matter when someone asks to lead our town. That’s not gatekeeping—it’s accountability.

What is very disappointing is the tone this campaign has taken. I call on Ms. Maynard-DeWolf to ask her supporters to stop the personal attacks and character smears being made against me. Longmeadow deserves better than this.

Let’s bring this election back to the issues and the experience our town needs.

- Jim Moran

Letter to the Editor- I'm Voting for Shelly Maynard-DeWolf

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 May 2025 01:45:00 +0000

Letter to the Editor- Vote for Mark Gold

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 May 2025 01:24:00 +0000

To Longmeadow Voters,

      As a group of Longmeadow citizens, we want to let other Longmeadow residents know how important it is for them to go to the polls on Tuesday, June 3^rd and vote for Mark Gold for Select Board. Mark is the most knowledgeable and qualified candidate for the position. As a sixteen-year member of the Select Board he has demonstrated his leadership and provided results that serve both the town as well as its residents.

    Mark’s achievements include a strong impact on controlling the town’s tax rate, holding water and sewer rates in check, and improving the quality of life for all residents of town. Longmeadow needs to collect over $1.3 million less in real estate taxes in 2026 than would otherwise have been necessary because of his work in: purchasing and converting streetlights to LEDs ($450K), negotiating a casino mitigation contract ($280K), driving the adoption of a local meals tax ($180K), and negotiating a new trash hauling contract ($400K for each of the 5 years of the contract).

       Over the coming years all residents will benefit from the Municipal Aggregation plan that Mark initiated that will allow homeowners to take advantage of lower priced electrical generation compared to Eversource.

       As involved citizens, we know that by electing Mark Gold to the Select Board we will keep his work ethic and positive impact working for the town of Longmeadow. It's not enough for us to just say we support Mark Gold for Select Board, we must all go to the Longmeadow Community House on Tuesday June 3^rd between 7AM and 8PM and vote for Mark Gold for Select Board because LOCAL ELECTIONS MATTER and Mark’s Trusted Leadership and Proven Results are unique among the candidates.

Sincerely,

Zach Verriden- Candidate for Re-election to the Longmeadow School Committee

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 28 May 2025 17:25:00 +0000

This information was submitted to the LongmeadowBuzz blog by Zach Verriden- Candidate for Re-election to the Longmeadow School Committee.

______________________________________________

Meet Zach Verriden, Candidate for Reelection to the Longmeadow School Committee

My name is Zach Verriden and I am running for reelection to the Longmeadow School Committee. I am running once again because I care deeply about civil service, serving our community, and preserving the progress we have made in a post-COVID society. I am a lifelong educator who has previously served as the Chair of the Longmeadow Select Board’s Coalition for Racial Justice Task Force Chair, as a member of the Blueberry Hill Elementary School Council, a parent in the Special Education Alliance of Longmeadow (SEAL) and as a leader with the Longmeadow Anti-Racism Coalition (LARC). Additionally, I am also currently a practicing educator and principal. I am also, most importantly, a Longmeadow parent and frequent youth sports coach. I hope to continue to bring these experiences and insights to the Longmeadow School Committee in order to build on excellence with an eye toward equity and inclusion for all learners.

I have taught in classrooms across the country and am passionate about education. I have also served as a building principal and district superintendent in other regions while navigating facility renovation and construction projects very similar to the middle school decision facing Longmeadow at this time. I am a career educator who received my master’s degree in Education Policy and Management in 2008 from Harvard University and am currently completing my Ph.D. in K-12 Education and Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I also hold a business certificate in Educational Entrepreneurship from Rice University.

I am a proud father of four children and our family moved to Longmeadow, Massachusetts specifically for the educational opportunities offered to my children, but in particular for my oldest son Henry who requires a complex Individualized Education Program (IEP). As a parent, educator and neighbor, I hold the unique perspective of being on both sides of the table for children in Longmeadow. I have worked as an independent educational consultant offering innovative solutions to educators and previously served many Longmeadow families as the Senior Director of Youth & Family Programs at the Springfield JCC.

I look forward to working in continuing to serve with a wide range of community members and colleagues on the Longmeadow School Committee and throughout the school community to realize the district’s vision of seeing all students engaged in rigorous, introspective, and culturally responsive learning with a commitment to anti-racism, equity and social justice.

I need your vote on Tuesday, June 3rd to help Longmeadow Public Schools realize the promise of excellence with equity for all learners.

Here is a link to my Facebook campaign page.

Zach Verriden- Candidate for Re-election to the Longmeadow School Committee

A couple of comments and questions for Shelly Maynard-DeWolf

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 May 2025 18:32:00 +0000

Shelly, in your election profile you cite three challenge areas that you will try to address if you are elected to the Select Board. I have a couple of comments and followup questions for you.

1. Communication Gaps
2. Lack of Transparent, Proactive Information Sharing

The town’s communication tools have evolved greatly since the town website was first developed in 1997. Recent efforts by Town Manager Lyn Simmons and others included development of a multitude of new means to get information to town residents. This includes an updated website also available as a mobile app with access to announcements, budget summaries, important documents, meeting schedules and agenda postings for all town committees and much more. You can also sign up to receive newsletters, updates and announcements via email from various town organizations including the Longmeadow Adult Center and the Town Manager Monthly Newsletter. The Town also has a Code RED alert system for broadcast via text, email and phone calls of localized and town wide emergency announcements. Our Town Manager also has scheduled regular monthly face-to-face meetings with town residents on the second Wednesday of every month.

Our Select Board, School Committee and other important events are broadcast LIVE on LCTV with replay available on YouTube. Participation via Zoom is available for Select Board meetings. Residents can make Public Comments via Zoom. Before each SB meeting, agenda information (including correspondence to the SB that will be discussed at the meeting) is posted on the town website.

There is not much that you cannot find on the current Town website and other town sponsored social media.

I don’t think that this should be a focus of your efforts if you are elected on June 3 to the Select Board.

3. Limited Community Engagement

Our town would not be the town that it is today without the many volunteers who step up and provide hours of “community engagement”. For example, I led the volunteer effort in 1997 to create our original town website- www.Longmeadow.org with 4 other town residents including Mark Gold who is also running for Select Board on June 3rd. We maintained it almost daily until 2010 saving the town a large amount of money that could be used for other essential purposes such as teacher, and police/ fire salaries.

Volunteerism and community engagement are what makes Longmeadow a great place to live. There is a large amount of resident participation on town government committees, town forums, schools, youth sports, the Adult Center and much more.

I do agree that community engagement when it comes to attendance at annual and special town meetings is lacking. I did a recent study of voter turnout for recent annual town elections. I found that only 1 out of 5 registered voters voted in recent elections- even fewer town residents attend the Annual or Special Town Meetings.

________________________________________

Shelly, you have lived in Longmeadow for the past 16 years but the election profile that you posted does not share any community engagement or volunteer activities or membership on any town committees but lists only work related skills and roles. I have a couple of questions:

Can you share with potential voters any community related involvement including town government or school related committees as well as any local volunteer work?
Do you vote in Town Elections and attend Town Meetings?

Thank you for any answers that you could provide.

Jim Moran

Shelly Maynard-DeWolf for Longmeadow Select Board

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 24 May 2025 23:06:00 +0000

This information was submitted to the LongmeadowBuzz blog by Shelly Maynard-DeWolf who is a candidate for one of the two seats on the Longmeadow Select Board.

I’m Shelly Maynard-DeWolf, a proud Longmeadow resident of 16 years, and I’m running for Select Board because I believe in the power of thoughtful leadership, transparent communication, and an engaged community.

My husband Damian and I have raised our two sons, Aiden and Carter, right here in town - enjoying everything from the schools and parks to the close-knit neighborhood feel that makes Longmeadow so special. Like many of you, I want to see our town continue to thrive for the next generation. I am an advocate for driving inclusive, transparent change in high impact areas such as fiscal management, community inclusivity, environmental conservation, public safety and education.

Professionally, I’ve built a career at the intersection of public service and financial leadership. I spent over a decade working for the City of Springfield - serving on the Conservation Commission, in the Finance Department, and as Chair of the Taxi Commission - where I gained a deep understanding of municipal operations working side by side with a state appointed control board, the Mayor, City Council and various Departments. During that time, I also earned my law degree, which strengthened my ability to navigate complex policy and regulatory challenges.

Today, I serve as Vice President of Participant Transactions at Empower, where I lead high-performing global teams and help shape long-term strategic plans. I also lead Empower’s National Women’s Empowerment Group, a role that reflects my passion for elevating voices and driving inclusive leadership. Whether it’s managing budgets, protecting our environment, or fostering a more inclusive and engaged community, I believe meaningful change starts with transparency and collaboration.

Why I’m Running for Select Board

I’m running for Select Board because I care deeply about this community - and I know we can do better when it comes to how we communicate, plan, and involve our residents. Longmeadow is full of talented, thoughtful people, but too often, they’re left out of the decision-making process or don’t know how to get involved.

My focus will be on:

Improving communication so residents are informed and engaged before - not after - decisions are made
Establishing a long-term financial planning strategy that reflects our priorities and prepares us for the future
Creating clearer pathways for community involvement, ensuring town boards better reflect the people they serve

I’m not just a candidate - I’m a mother, a neighbor, and a problem-solver who wants to give back. I’d be honored to have your vote on June 3rd.

What I Bring to the Table

Here’s a snapshot of the experience and skills I bring to the role:

10+ years in Springfield city government, including roles in:
- The Conservation Commission
- The Finance Department during the city’s Finance Control Board
- Chairing the Taxi Commission
- A law degree earned while working full-time
- 17 years in financial services industry

A current leadership role managing global teams at Empower
Strategic planning expertise, cross-functional collaboration skills, and a high bias for action
A deep commitment to transparency, fiscal responsibility, and inclusive leadership

Top Challenges - and How I’ll Address Them

Communication Gaps

We need a modern, multi-channel communication strategy that ensures timely and consistent updates about town meetings, decisions, and opportunities to get involved.

Lack of Transparent, Proactive Information Sharing

I’ll push for tools and practices that make our governance more accessible - from simplified budget updates to clearer public notices - so every resident feels informed and enabled to be involved. Additionally, I will look to improve our strategy deployment practices to ensure each area is aligned to our short, mid, and long term objectives.

Limited Community Engagement

I want to demystify the process of getting involved in town government. That means raising awareness about open positions, making it easier to volunteer, and ensuring our boards and committees reflect the full diversity of our community.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me and my vision for Longmeadow. I’d be grateful for your vote on June 3. You can cast your ballot at the Longmeadow Community House between 7 AM and 8 PM.

Shelly Maynard-DeWolf

Joel Illouz is running for one of the two 3 year seats on the Longmeadow School Committee

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 24 May 2025 22:40:00 +0000

This information was submitted to the LongmeadowBuzz blog by Joel Illouz who is a candidate for one of the two- 3 year seats on the Longmeadow School Committee.

My name is Joel Illouz, and I’m running for a seat on the Longmeadow School Committee. I am doing so because I truly love Longmeadow. I was raised here, and went to the public schools here. In doing so I made lifelong friends and unforgettable memories, it also prepared me to leave the nest and go to college to find my independence. I wanted that for my children as well, so we knew Longmeadow was the place. Unfortunately, in this ever evolving world, I feel as though we are lagging behind. I believe our community is standing on the shoulders of past success—but not building on it. We must confront today’s challenges with urgency, transparency, and a fresh perspective if we want to restore the reputation and excellence that once defined our school system.

For years, Longmeadow was a magnet for families, professionals, and especially physicians who valued strong schools and a supportive town culture. Today, we are watching that reputation quietly erode. Talented families are choosing neighboring towns like Hampden and Wilbraham, which directly impacts not only our school enrollment but also our home values and broader community appeal.

Even more concerning: I’m hearing from families whose children—despite strong academic records and straight A’s—are being turned away from UMass Amherst and other competitive schools. These outcomes raise serious questions about how we’re preparing our students, how we’re advocating for them, and whether we’re focused on the right priorities.

My first goal is to continue to listen to parents, educators, school committee members and students. I want to hear directly from the families of Longmeadow: What are your biggest concerns? Where are we falling short? What does success look like to you? And most importantly, What do you need?

I will work to ensure our district leadership is accountable—both to families and to results. When problems arise, we need clear answers and fast action. I will challenge complacency and push for performance across the board. To improve we must tackle shortcomings head on, and not sweep it under the rug.

Great schools require great educators. And we have so so many! I’ll work to ensure teachers have the support, professional development, and resources they need to meet high expectations and inspire student success. I feel that with all of these standardized tests, it must be hard for teachers to teach how they want. Uniqueness makes great teachers, do they have the flexibility to be unique?

Strong schools mean strong property values and a vibrant town. By focusing on academic quality and responsiveness, we can attract new families, retain our top talent, and secure Longmeadow’s future.

This campaign is not about politics—it’s about priorities. It’s about making sure Longmeadow lives up to its promise for our next generation. I’m ready to ask the tough questions, bring new energy and ideas to the table, and together’ to get our schools—and our reputation—back where they belong.

On June 3rd, Vote Joel Illouz for Longmeadow School Committee.

All the best,
Joel Illouz

Maury Garrett- Candidate for Longmeadow Select Board

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 May 2025 20:19:00 +0000

This information was submitted to the LongmeadowBuzz blog by Maury Garrett who is a candidate for one of two seats on the Longmeadow Select Board.

Maury Garrett
Candidate for Select Board

I’m motivated to run for Select Board because of my ongoing commitment to the betterment of our community. Since I first moved to the Town, I have always dedicated my time to service of Longmeadow and I intend to continue this record of Service as a member of the Select Board. I'm focused on repairing our roads and facilities, improving our athletic fields and parks, retaining our seniors, and supporting our schools.

I bring my many years of experience serving our Town on the Finance Committee to the Select Board to further benefit the people of Longmeadow, and see Longmeadow through this fiscal crossroads.

As Chair of the Finance Committee, I cast votes for the Finance Committee to recommend funding the construction of the Longmeadow Adult Center at Town Meeting and I have been a proud supporter of the Adult Center in Longmeadow.

I have a track record of dedication in my years of service with particular focus on our seniors, our youth and our families with school children. I have worked in-depth on matters involving tax and fiscal policy in Longmeadow, roads, facilities and infrastructure maintenance, Community preservation and athletic field improvements.

On the Finance Committee, I led the effort to establish a new practice of regular joint meetings between the Finance Committee, Select Board and School Committee, which persists to this day. I also championed the establishment of the Finance Committee policy to avoid the "fiscal cliff" by advocating limits on the annual tax increases in Longmeadow.

Currently, on the Finance Committee, I am supporting systematic efforts to increase funding to the DPW and capital funding, in order to perform deferred maintenance on our roads and facilities in Longmeadow.

I have been a Longmeadow resident since 2013, an Attorney with a JD from Rutgers University School of Law, practicing Insurance and criminal Defense. I have an Undergraduate degree from Princeton University, where I met my wife, Jackie, a local Physician and Allergist at her own practice, Agape Allergy in West Springfield. We have 3 children, Maury III, a freshman attending Longmeadow High School, playing varsity Lacrosse and Football, Grant, attending Williams Middle School and playing Longmeadow Intermediates Baseball, and Longmeadow Knights Youth Football, and Gillian, attending Williams Middle School and playing Longmeadow Youth Lacrosse and Longmeadow Youth Field Hockey.

I am a member of the Longmeadow Finance Committee for the past 10 years and served as Chairman for 6 years. I am President of Longmeadow Youth Football and a Longmeadow Football Inc., Board Member as well as a Coach of Longmeadow Youth Football for the past 8 years. I am also a Longmeadow Little League and Longmeadow Baseball Association Coach for the past 10 years, currently coaching our Longmeadow Intermediates baseball team. I have also Coached Longmeadow Youth Basketball.

Thank you for reading my election profile.

I'm asking for your support and your vote at the upcoming Longmeadow Town Elections on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.

Voting will take place at Community House at the corner of Longmeadow Street and Williams Street. I would appreciate you taking the time to come out and vote for me. Polls are open from 7AM to 8PM.

Thank you for your support,

Maury Garrett

Facebook
Email: MauryGarrettforSelectBoard@gmail.com

Gregory C. Macdonald, III- Candidate for the Longmeadow School Committee- 2 year seat

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 May 2025 18:26:00 +0000

This information was submitted to the LongmeadowBuzz blog by Gregory C. Macdonald, III who is a candidate for the 2 year seat on the Longmeadow School Committee.

Gregory C. Macdonald, III
School Committee Candidate

Why are you running for School Committee?

As a third generation Longmeadow resident and a proud graduate of the Longmeadow Public Schools- Class of 2019- I’ve experienced firsthand the power of our educational system. Our town’s commitment to excellence in education is something I’ve lived- not just heard about. It’s part of who I am.

I’m running for School Committee to bring a voice that’s currently missing: the perspective of a recent student who understands what it’s like to be on the other side of the policies we create. Our current committee is composed of incredibly dedicated and knowledgeable individuals, with expertise in education, finance, and governance. Many are parents and have deep roots in the school system.

What I bring is a bridge- from policy to student experience. I’ve lived the outcomes of our decisions. I know how it feels to navigate the classroom, the college process, and the broader challenges today’s students face. That perspective matters.

Our schools do many things very well. Programs like the Vision of the Graduate are inspiring examples of how we’re preparing students for real-world success- teaching critical thinking, collaboration, and accountability. I want to build on that momentum by further integrating wellness, leadership, and life skills into everyday learning. Not just because I believe in it, but because I’ve seen how powerful those tools are when done right.

I’m also focused on how we can better align our resources with student needs. With ongoing formative assessments, we have a clear opportunity to target our investments- whether it’s in academic support, extra- curriculars, or emerging technologies. We owe it to our students, and our taxpayers, to make sure every dollar is working for the their future.

I’m not running to replace experience- I’m running to complement it. I believe we can continue to honor our schools’ strengths while enhancing them by incorporating student-led feedback, highlighting the mentorship opportunities, and supporting personalized learning pathways that meet students where they are.

I deeply support the great work already happening in our schools and want to help build on it- by bringing a voice that connects the classroom experience to the policy table. With the right vision, collaboration, and heart, we can ensure every student feels seen, supported, and set up for success- however they define it.

What are your qualifications and skills including relevant experience?

While I don’t have formal municipal experience, I bring a different kind of experience recent, firsthand knowledge of what it means to be a student in Longmeadow public schools. I’ve lived the outcomes of our School Committee’s decisions. I’ve seen what works, where students feel supported, and where there’s room to grow- from the inside. That student-centered perspective is something we currently don’t have on the committee, and I believe it’s essential.

In addition to my lived experience, I bring strong communication and collaboration skills, a deep respect for teamwork, and the ability to listen with intention. I’ve been actively engaged in my community in informal ways- talking to families, peers, educators, and students about what matters most to them. I’m a fast learner and someone who takes responsibility seriously.

Most of all, I care deeply about our schools. I’m not here to claim I know everything- I’m here to contribute honesty, ask thoughtful questions, and bring a valuable perspective to the table that’s currently missing.

What are the largest issues facing Longmeadow as a community?

One of the largest challenges Longmeadow faces is ensuring our schools evolve to meet the needs of today’s students while preserving the high standards our town values. Student mental health is a major concern- many students are dealing with stress, anxiety, and the lasting effects of the pandemic. We need to continue building the bridge between our students and our well-funded support systems, like counseling services and social-emotional learning, to meet students where they are.

Another issue is ensuring our schools are preparing students for more than just tests- we should be focusing on real-world readiness. Programs like Vision of the Graduate are a great start, and we can build on them by expanding access to STEM, career exploration, and leadership development. We also need to listen to students more- the more we integrate student voice, the more responsive and relevant our schools become.

Lastly, the condition of our school buildings is an important issue. Students and teachers need safe, functional, and inspiring learning environments. Addressing these needs with transparency and community input will be key.

At the core of these challenges is a simple question: Are we creating a school system where every student feels seen, supported, and set up for success? That’s the lens I’ll bring to the table.

How would you propose to resolve these issues?

I believe good policy starts with good listening. First, we need to hear from students and educators- directly- about what’s working and where support is needed. From there, I’d advocate for targeted investments based on real-time student data and formative assessments. That means putting our resources into areas where they’ll have the biggest impact: mental health, academic support, extracurriculars, and student services.

To support mental wellness, we can continue to notify students of their abundant access to counseling, peer support programs, and classroom practices that support emotional health. For academics, I’d like to see us grow and foster opportunities for hands-on learning- whether it’s through STEM labs, career pathways, or mentoring programs that connect students with professionals in the community.

And when it comes to school facilities, I would support a transparent, community-driven conversation about building maintenance and improvement policies, always with student learning and safety as the focus.

Most of all, I want to make sure students feel like they have a seat at the table- that their experiences help shape the decisions we make. That’s the kind of leadership I want to bring.

Please vote for me on June 3, 2025.

Gregory C. Macdonald, III

Why Mark Gold is running for reelection to the Select Board

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 May 2025 23:35:00 +0000

This letter to the Longmeadow Buzz blog was submitted by Mark Gold, candidate for re-election to the Longmeadow Select Board....

Why are you running again for Select Board?

I’m running for reelection to the Select Board because I believe I can uniquely continue to contribute to the progress of Longmeadow. The skills I bring to the position, combined with the experience I’ve gained during my tenure on the board have provided me with knowledge and understanding of the issues that are important to the residents of Longmeadow, and the ability to make progress on resolving those issues. My position as the most experienced member of the Select Board provides stability and consistency that continues to support our Town Manager and Chief Financial Officer. Yet with all that my past initiatives have helped achieve, there are achievements that remain incomplete, and I am asking for your vote to allow me to complete these goals.

What are your qualifications/ skills including relevant experience?

I bring unique qualifications and skills to the Select Board. My formal degrees are in engineering and business administration. I primarily worked as a corporate manager but have had a second career as a management consultant. With those skills, I bring an analytical approach to understanding the issues facing the town, from budgeting to setting water rates. I am the only Select Board member who has worked in a management position for a Fortune 500 company. With this background, I uniquely understand companies the town deals with, whether that be MGM where I used these skills to help the town negotiate the second largest surrounding community agreement in Western Mass, to trash hauling contracts, were my skills supplemented those of the town’s purchasing department, a department designed to administer, not negotiate contracts, normally assigning them to the lowest bidder. My additional experience of managing subordinates, something no other Select Board member has, and working as a consultant to Boards of Directors, makes me uniquely skilled at working with the town administration as both a partner as well as part of the elected oversight team.

What are the largest issues facing Longmeadow as a community?

The largest issue facing Longmeadow remains providing the services town residents require within the fiscal constraints of the residents and Proposition 2½. Addressing this issue involves understanding the town’s services and tax structure as well as listening to and working with the residents who pay these bills. The town must aggressively reduce costs wherever possible (such as I did when I led the program that purchased and installed LED Streetlights) and find sources of revenue to supplement tax income (as I did when I initiated the local 0.75% meals tax).

A second issue requiring the attention of the town is the need to maintain a level of department staffing that provides the services town residents require, which in turn requires control of the town budget. Maintaining working relationships with Town employees in balance with budget constraints is an essential need of the town.

The third issue facing the town is the disposition of the Glenbrook school property. As we move forward with a single middle school on the Williams site, the town needs to have a comprehensive plan for the development of the Glenbrook property in a way that maximizes the financial offset to the cost of the new middle school while maintaining the character of that neighborhood and the overall town.

How would you propose to resolve the top 3 issues?

It’s a trite-sounding answer, but the way to address the first two of these issues is for the town to be ahead of the financial requirements of the town rather than be reactive to these financial issues. That means that we need to continue to work on reducing the cost of providing services where those costs can be reduced as well as to identify and implement opportunities to bring supplemental revenue to the town. I have identified several cost savings and supplemental income opportunities for the town and will continue to address these issues if re-elected to the Select Board.

To address the issues surrounding the Glenbrook property, the town should convene a group of elected leaders and neighborhood residents to identify and develop options for repositioning that asset. The goal of the group must be clearly defined by the convener (Select Board) and be evaluated by the residents.

I ask for your vote in the June 3rd Annual Town Elections to allow me to make that possible.

Emily James Hansen- Candidate for 3 year School Committee Seat

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 May 2025 22:36:00 +0000

This information was submitted to the LongmeadowBuzz blog by Emily James Hansen who is a candidate for the 3 year seat on the Longmeadow School Committee.

Emily Hansen
Candidate for School Committee

My name is Emily Hansen and I’m a candidate for School Committee.

I earned my Master of Arts in English with an emphasis on 19th-century American literature and composition & rhetoric studies from Middle Tennessee State University (the largest undergraduate university in Tennessee), where I also taught Freshman Composition and Research & Argumentative Writing. At the time, I was the only MA candidate to teach Research & Argumentative Writing while still earning my degree; the course was typically taught by Ph.D students. Since leaving the university, I’ve stayed tangentially involved in academia. I’ve published essays on Edgar Allan Poe and also pop culture, and served as an associate curator for an online exhibit showcasing connections between Edgar Allan Poe and French poet Charles Baudelaire.

For over a decade, I’ve worked in tech including at two Fortune 500 companies. As a project and program manager, I’ve been tasked with keeping projects moving forward, raising and resolving issues quickly, motivating teams to deliver on-time, and tracking the budget so we can complete the work without asking for additional funds or removing a deliverable. I’m not afraid to raise my hand when something needs to be addressed. I’ve created roadmaps for long-term strategic planning and phased implementations, and worked with teams to make adjustments as priorities changed so we are delivering the most value to stakeholders. Currently, I am a program manager in operations and work to ensure everyone is on the same page about how we need to grow, how we plan to measure growth to see if we are on track to meet our goals, and to decide what we need to do if we are falling short. Additionally, I’ve been formally recognized for efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within my company.

In 2023, my husband (Nathan) and I moved to Longmeadow with our son (Miles). As Miles approached school age, we decided to leave Nashville where we had both lived for decades and started looking for a community that valued education. My husband’s mother is from South Hadley so we were familiar with Western Mass and fell in love with Longmeadow.

We moved here from Nashville largely to seek better education opportunities for our son. I’m running for School Committee because I want to ensure the continued success of our schools. With the recent re-opening of the shops on Shaker Road and the upcoming build of the shops on Bliss, our fabulous library, excellent schools and after-school programs, more and more families are going to be attracted to our amenities and quickly fall in love with our community and the people who make our town so special. With this growth comes some growing pains. As we’ve seen with the middle school project, we have a lot of needs and wants from our community to consider. The increased traffic from cars and busses routing to the new middle school will impact our residents and I know they are keen to mitigate this. While I agree we need a new middle school (more cost-effective to build one new school rather than try to bring the existing schools into the 21st century), I also don’t want to lose sight of the refurbishments our other schools need as well. As a parent of a Wolf Swamp Elementary student, I’m concerned about the number of times mold has been detected in a nearby classroom this school year. While I’m grateful lunch is provided to students at no additional cost, I do want to explore some other dietary options. Having spent so many years in research, I’m comfortable spending time to understand the root cause of the issue and finding a solution to resolve it.

I value public education and believe a good education is one of the best investments we can make in our children. Growing up in both blue and red states, I know the value of education, and the importance of an educated populace. I also believe civic engagement is important and our community is strengthened by the commitments we make to nurture it – this is why I am excited to run for School Committee. I plan to put my background in education and my extensive experience as a project and program manager to good use as your representative. I’m creative and scrappy, and love solving problems. I’m also diligent and persistent. I see a challenge through to the end, even when it’s hard.

One last note and a thank you for reading this far. Servant Leadership is central to who I am. I’m not running for School Committee for me, I’m running to serve this town and to give back to a community that has welcomed me and my family and provided a nurturing space for all of us to be safe and to grow.

I humbly ask you to vote for me to represent you on the School Committee. Visit my website (www.emilyjhansen.com) for my info and please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Emily James Hansen

H. Kate Bean- Candidate for the 2 Year School Committee Seat

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 May 2025 18:47:00 +0000

This information was submitted to the LongmeadowBuzz blog by H. Kate Bean who is a candidate for the 2 year seat on the Longmeadow School Committee.

H Kate Bean
School Committee Candidate

I would like to introduce myself as a candidate for the Longmeadow School Committee. I have been a resident of Longmeadow for over 40 years and collectively my husband and I have had 4 children benefit from the Longmeadow schools.

I am currently a consultant pharmacist and work with a group of nursing homes. I came to pharmacy later in life as an attestant to my commitment of life long learning. I received a degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology and went on to receive a bachelors degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts.

My careers have spanned working as a financial consultant and ultimately managing offices in Connecticut and Massachusetts for a small brokerage company, to a training program at Mass Mutual working as a system analyst.

I then decided to become an entrepreneur and opened a clothing boutique in town, Perion which I ran successfully for 8 years.

My pathway to pharmacy began in my late 40’s and I received a Doctorate of Pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy.

I have always had a commitment to civic duty. My volunteer work has been varied and took many paths. Highlights include Co-chairing the Young Patrons at the Springfield Museums, President of the Board at Heritage Academy for 2 years and a member of the Longmeadow Zoning board.

Why are you running for School Committee?

I want to continue my dedication to the town that has provided so much to our family. We have a strong history and commitment to Longmeadow and plan to stay in town for the duration. I want to participate in keeping our schools the pride of Massachusetts. We have enjoyed seeing our particular neighborhood change over and we have many friends and neighbors with young children. I want to be a part of making those families realize what we were able to benefit from.

There are significant challenges for educators and young people these days. I hope to guide our schools in inclusivity, fairness, respect and excellence.

I believe a well rounded education fosters a well rounded individual Exposure to the arts, athletics and music are not extras, they are critical.

What are your qualifications including relevant experience?

The School Committee budget is the largest of the town budgets. My experience in financial services and running a small business provide a background to able to review budgets and make positive decisions.

Critical thinking, challenging the status quo and attention to detail are skills I have honed that will be imperative to spend our tax dollars wisely.

What are the key challenges facing Longmeadow as a community?

I believe Longmeadow, as well as every other community, is going to face increasingly tighter fiscal constraints. Creativity and attention to detail are going to be imperative to be able to continue to offer the superior education Longmeadow is known for.

How would you propose to resolve these issues?

I am a team player and look forward to offering my experience and expertise to the other quality members of the Longmeadow school committee. I think it takes a village to raise a child, I am a member of that village and look forward to being a part of making sure the future of our schools is a priority.

Thank you.
H. Kate Bean

I would appreciate your support.

Please mark your calendars to come out and vote on Tuesday, June 3rd at the Longmeadow Community House.

Wake Up Longmeadow! Need vs. Want

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 May 2025 18:40:00 +0000

This article was submitted to LongmeadowBuzz by Richard Foster- a long time resident of Longmeadow and former member of the Longmeadow Select Board- for consideration by town voters.

There is a clear difference between a Need and a Want.

The Selectmen are the executive branch of government for our Town. They have the authority and burden of steering our Town into the future while employing adequate fiduciary responsibility. Often through analysis and research they project program execution to meet the needs of our Town well into the future. To accomplish these tasks, they must be keenly aware of many different long-range programs and analysis to determine if current day practices meet the needs of our future. This is not an arena for impulsive behavior and shortsighted planning.

Our Select Board is currently pushing for the installation of a town-owned fiber Internet system. To my knowledge this proposal has never been identified in any of our formal planning documents as a need for our community. Accordingly, this is not an identified need for our community. Its origin is not supported by any analysis of long-term needs, it simply arrives on our planning horizon being sponsored by the current Chair of the Select Board. Having it be something relatively simple is one thing for spontaneity planning, but we are talking about an enormous financial burden being place on our community as we push aside the funding needs of known critical deficiencies.

We are talking about funding a twenty-five to thirty million dollar ($25,000,000- $30,000,000) plus Town-owned fiber internet network while we can’t afford to patch potholes and remove hazardous trees. This is not prudent fiduciary management. Don’t be fooled by the old “it will fund itself” routine. It hasn’t worked in the past and it won’t work in the future. Take a deep look at your Enterprise Accounts for Water and Sewer in Longmeadow and you will have your answers. This is not advanced planning; it is chasing the next shiny object.

Our town in FY2023 had a $24,352,528 item identified as deferred and unfunded maintenance needs on our roadways. We had a $50,327,612 unfunded liability on our Regional Retirement system. We had a $24,352,528 unfunded liability in OPEB (other post-employment benefits) retirement fund. These are not discretionary expenditures, they are driven by law or directly connected with quality-of-life services in our Town. Decaying roads and other infrastructure are not only visually troubling and an inconvenience for our residents it also will affect our property values. Failure to address retirement system liabilities could harm our bond rating and increase lending costs.

This doesn’t even start to scratch the surface on the current and future needs of our Town. Other resources such as buildings, athletic fields, drainage systems, water distribution systems, sewage collection systems, sidewalks, etc. all have extensive identified unfunded needs that are being overlooked as we chase the next shiny object while disregarding the true needs of our community.

If all of this wasn’t as concerning as it is, some members of the Select Board are now pushing the concept of them being assigned as members of a Municipal Light Plant Board. One more task to divert their attention away from the true needs of our community.

As residents the choice is ours, do we want long-term financial stability or are we content with chasing the next shiny object? The Select Board should focus on their duties as elected officials instead developing new projects through impulse driven planning.

Richard Foster, Longmeadow resident

Why I am running for Reelection to the Select Board for the 7th Time

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 03 May 2025 18:44:00 +0000

Dear Longmeadow Neighbor,

I am writing to ask for your vote for the Longmeadow Select Board. A preliminary election is being held on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, and the final election is being held on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. Your support is important in both the preliminary as well as in the June 3 election. Polls are open from 7AM to 8 PM at the Longmeadow Community House on both those days.

The Town of Longmeadow is required to hold preliminary elections when there are more than two candidates for each position. Five people submitted nomination papers for the two Select Board Positions, necessitating the May 6 preliminary election.

In addition to asking for your vote, I am also requesting that you share this message on Facebook and other social media including email to other Longmeadow residents, along with your endorsement, asking that they too support my candidacy.

[Here is the direct link to this information for sharing via email --> bit.ly/3RJM8ud

I am running for reelection to the Select Board because I believe I can uniquely continue to contribute to the progress of Longmeadow.

The experience I’ve gained during my 16 years on the Select Board (since 2009) has provided me with knowledge and understanding of the issues that are important to the residents of Longmeadow, and the ability to make progress on resolving those issues. My position as the senior member of the Select Board provides stability and consistency that continues to support our Town Manager and Chief Financial Officer. Yet with all that my past initiatives have helped achieve, there are achievements that remain incomplete, and I am asking for your vote to allow me to complete these goals.

Over the past 16 years I have brought much to the town through my involvement on the Select Board. A summary of some of my notable achievements includes the following:

Helped develop and supported sixteen consecutive annual town budgets within the limitations of Proposition 2½.
Identified and oversaw the purchase and conversion of the town’s street lights to LEDs, saving the town over $500,000 per year in lease and operating costs.
Identified and helped implement an automated water meter reading system for the town that enabled redeployment of three water department employees and enabled a more equitable water use billing system.
Supported the town through the October 2011 power outage. As the chair of the Select Board at the time of the 2011 week-long power outage I worked daily to assure that our electric utility company gave sufficient resources to Longmeadow during this difficult time. I organized a meeting at Longmeadow High School with the CEO of Western Mass Electric to give residents the opportunity to speak directly with the utility CEO during this crisis.
I took the lead in the negotiation with MGM that resulted in a $265,000+ annual surrounding community payment for the town.
I led the effort to pass the 0.75% supplemental local meals tax. This tax that was estimated to bring in $60,000 per year has resulted in revenue that is over $150,000 in the current fiscal year.
Along with CFO Paul Pasterczyk, I led the effort for structuring and securing bonding (funds) for the Longmeadow High School construction project. The bonding structure optimized the payment structure of the bonds to minimize the impact on tax rates over the life of the bonds. My education and training make me uniquely qualified among Select Board candidates to support this municipal bonding as we move toward funding a new middle school.
I developed and guided the Select Board to pass an improved sewer rate structure that significantly reduces sewer payments for water used to irrigate lawns.
I have been instrumental in the negotiations of three trash hauling contracts. My participation in the trash hauling contract process significantly advanced the town’s negotiating capability, not because Longmeadow’s purchasing team is weak, but because their negotiation skills are limited. Other than trash hauling, the state requires other contracts be awarded to the low bidder. Trash contracts can be negotiated. When negotiating against a large corporation such as these haulers, the town has found that it helps to have someone on the Town’s side of the table who is experienced in understanding the negotiating process and goals of the vendor on the other side of the table.

Most recently I had a leadership role in negotiating the FY 2026-2030 contract for the curb-side pick-up of trash, directly participating in vendor discussions during those contract negotiations. As a result of this involvement, the town contracted for trash hauling (the second largest contract of the town) at a first-year cost that is lower than the prior contract.

In the coming term I will continue to bring opportunities for financial and operational savings to Longmeadow, such as those listed above. New revenue streams will be pursued, such as leasing our old DPW land for development into a solar farm. Additionally, I initiated a program that will bring town residents the opportunity to participate in the group purchase of electricity through a Municipal Aggregation project to get savings on their home electrical bill.

People who follow the actions of the Select Board know that I have an understanding at both the budgeting level as well as the operational level of the financial issues of the town and its functional departments. My work for the town goes beyond the twice-monthly board meetings. I represent Longmeadow on the Metropolitan Planning Committee, Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, and the Scantic Valley Regional Health trust as well as continuing to track the interests of the town at the Hampden County Regional Retirement board.

In closing, I ask for your vote in both the preliminary (May 6) and final (June 3) Select Board elections so that I can remain on the Longmeadow Select Board and continue to assure that the quality and character of Longmeadow remains the same as you expected when you first moved to town.

Thank you for your support.

Mark Gold
Longmeadow Select Board

Our Longmeadow Select Board Needs Some Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Letter to the Editor- Feb. 12, 2025

The recent resignation of Longmeadow Board of Assessors Chairperson Michael Zeller in his letter to The Reminder raises questions on the rationale and decision by the Select Board which led to Mr. Zeller’s stepping down.

Mr. Zeller who has 15 years of experience on the board made the recommendation to maintain Richard Foster to the Board of Assessors but three Select Board members in the majority voted against him in favor of an inexperienced newcomer. Mr. Foster has served the town admirably in various positions including as a member of the Longmeadow Select Board.

Vote for Michael Mclane appointment to Board of Assessors
12/16/24 Select Board Meeting

The newcomer for nominee for the board was a neighbor of a Select Board member with no experience as compared to that of Mr. Foster. Nepotism? Back door politics? Was the decision by three members of the Select Board to vote against Mr. Foster retaliatory since he filed an open meeting complaint with the Massachusetts State Attorney General’s office last August based on the selection of a resident for a position on the Board of Registrars who was personally attacked by a select board member.

We have enough drama with elected officials in the Massachusetts State House and in Washington DC. The residents of Longmeadow need certain members of the town Select Board to put their political motivations aside.

Abraham Lincoln said it best... We want a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”

Fran Bogdanowicz
Longmeadow

___________________________________________

[Here is the video clip showing the 12/16/24 Select Board meeting discussion during which Richard Foster was replaced by inexperienced newcomer Michael Mclane on the Board of Assessors. If you watch the clip you will observe clear bias against Mr. Foster despite current chair's (Michael Zeller) strong letter of recommendation to the contrary.]

Survey Results- Longmeadow Town Owned Fiber Network

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 19:54:00 +0000

This survey was conducted by LongmeadowBiz, LLC to determine the interest of town residents in supporting a fully town owned optical fiber Internet network as a competitor to Comcast/ XFinity. There were 100 responses to this survey.

Background Info

Warrant article #9 at the upcoming November 12, 2024 Longmeadow Special Town Meeting warrant asks voters to transfer $491,444 of available "free cash" to commence design/ engineering work and required applications for addition of fiber cable to town telephone poles.

ARTICLE 9 To see if the Town will vote to transfer from available funds in the Treasury, the sum of $491,444.16, or a greater or lesser sum, for the purpose of fiber network design, project management services, pole attachment applications, and to authorize the MLP board to take all steps necessary to carry out this task, or take any other action relative thereto.

Here are some of the highlights to the LongmeadowBiz survey questions:

82% of users rate Comcast's Internet service as Fair --> Excellent while 17% rate it as unacceptable.
The high cost of Comcast service (including TV programming) was ranked as the highest service complaint (71%).
Town residents use their Comcast Internet connection for a variety of reasons with the highest usage being for email, social media, TV programing and web browsing (87+%). 72% also use it for working from home.
31% of respondents indicated that they need higher speeds while 56% indicated that their Internet service and speed was sufficient.
Greatest concerns about the proposed project included the cost, potential increase in taxes, long term maintenance and management and the transition process from the existing supplier.
There was financial support for the project by town residents including support for a small increase in taxes if the project delivered on its promises.

Here’s a summary of additional comments provided by Survey Respondents:

Challenges for the Town: Some believe the town lacks the capacity to manage a fiber network due to other major infrastructure projects including building a new school, replacing water/sewer lines and road repair.
Skepticism of Municipal Management: There’s concern that managing utilities or communication networks may not be appropriate or effective for local governments.
Competition and Sustainability Concerns: Some worry that competition from other Internet providers or emerging technologies might make a local town owned fiber network less sustainable in the long run.
Frustration with Comcast: While some residents have reliable internet, others criticize Comcast for high rates, monopoly control, and lack of alternatives.
Political Concerns: A few respondents expressed frustration with Comcast for political reasons, opposing support for their media platforms and favoring local alternatives.
Self-Sufficiency Goal: Supporters believe the project can become self-sufficient, pointing to the success of other community fiber initiatives.