BCAT News

Candidates for Burlington’s upcoming 2021 Town Election were given a chance to meet with residents and answer their questions during a virtual forum held this past Sunday. 

The event was hosted by a group of residents in town and was called “A Conversation with Candidates”. During the forum all candidates in contested elections were invited to come on, make an open statement, and field a couple of questions from residents in the virtual audience. 

In the race for Board of Selectmen, candidates Mike Runyan and Shari Ellis participated in the forum while incumbent and current board Chair Joe Morandi was absent. 

Runyan said his background in service makes him a strong candidate. 

“I have a long history in town government having served 12 years on Town Meeting, three years as a commissioner on the Burlington Housing Authority and am currently serving my third term as your selectman,” he said. 

He also talked about some of the things that have been completed during his tenure on the board.  

“I am quite proud of my accomplishments as selectmen over the last nine years, which includes implementing the paramedic services at our fire department, making the MWRA connection a reality to ensure our residents have clean potable water, and creating an Economic Development Director position to ensure our important business partners have a voice in town government,” he said. “You’ve all seen the new Fire Station 2 on Terrace Hall Ave. and the renovations at the Senior Center as well as 33 Center Street. The new DPW and Recreation facility will be completed in the spring.”

Runyan added the town has recently received state funds to improve sidewalks and mentioned other accomplishments of the past nine years. 

“I take very serious the duties and responsibilities of the Board of Selectmen and take great pride in creating new policies and programs that enhance the quality of life for our residents,” he said. 

Ellis, a 25-year Town Meeting member who serves and has served on multiple committees and has a background in human services, said her prior experience would help her on the board. 

“Working at Minute Man and LABBB and volunteering for Meals on Wheels and helping out and supporting many local community organizations including Womenade, HELPIS and People Helping People I did interact directly with residents, seniors, veterans and those living with disabilities and it’s given me a first hand understanding of the challenges many people in our community face such as access to resources, communication, transportation, and housing,” she said.  

Ellis also talked about her accomplishments as a Town Meeting member. 

Working as a Town Meeting member I’ve been a leader of planning and responsible development, a champion for fiscal responsibility and an advocate for housing and resource accessibility,” she said. “Some of my accomplishments include initiating the School Department’s 2018 fiscal review, establishing the town’s Zoning Bylaw Review Committee, co-sponsored the reestablishment of the town’s scholarship fund, and as an advocate for walkable Burlington I did champion the development of the Burlington sidewalk program. 

Ellis also talked about preparing for the role of a member of the Board of Selectmen. 

“I’ve spent considerable time listening to community leaders and different constituency groups and learned their perspectives and concerns on the many issues facing Burlington,” she said. “Through my active participation in various municipal meetings, including the Board of Selectmen, Planning Board, Ways & Means and Capital Budget, I’ve done my homework and am prepared to engage in all the board’s discussion.” 

Both candidates received the same question about diversity on the board and whether enough was being done in town government to better reflect the ever growing diversity in town. 

Runyan said that while it could always improve the town has been making strides for greater inclusion. He pointed to the number of department and committee heads that are either minorities, women or both, including DPW John Sanchez, Council on Aging Director Marge McDonald, Economic Development Director Melisa Tintocalis and Planning Board Chair Barbara L’Heuruex. 

“There is always room for improvement but I think the town has done a pretty good job at electing or appointing women or minorities to positions in town,” he said. “I also always like to point to our police department – we have eight female officers who do a wonderful job. And one of the first appointments we made after leaving Civil Service as a town was a Burlington resident of Indian descent.”

Ellis said her experience would help her work towards greater inclusion as a member of the board. 

“I understand Burlington is truly a diverse community and we are diverse in many ways,” she said.d “We are made up of different cultures, genders, experiences, abilities and perspectives. With my professional, civic and personal experiences I can bring a different perspective to the board and I think having many points of view will enable more thoughtful discussions and will improve the decision making process. I think we should do more to encourage more participation and be more welcoming of all voices.” 

In the race for Shawsheen Tech School Committee both candidates, Christine Kim and Michael Kelly, participated in the forum. 

Kelly, who grew up in Billerica and is a Shawsheen Tech graduate, said his experience includes being a Billerica Town Meeting member for three terms and served in the town’s School Use Committee. Now a Burlington resident he said he wants to represent the town on the vocational school’s committee with his first priority being ensuring the students can attend all classes in the building. 

“My top reason for running is to transition from the hybrid model,” he said. “I’m hoping to have Shawsheen return to 100 percent capacity.” 

Kelly also referred to himself as fiscally conservative while wanting to meet the needs of children and the faculty. He also wants to improve the technology in the school to “have an equal playing field and preserve our strong educational standards for the 21st century.”

Kim, a mother of three children including a daughter currently enrolled at Shawsheen, said her experience as a small business owner and an accountant as well as her degrees in Management and Accounting would help the committee. 

“I chose to run because I believe my skills in accounting and finance balance out the overall profile of the current committee which includes many attorneys and teachers,” she said. “I feel an accountant is necessary as well.”

Kim said her first priority on the committee would be the hiring of a long-term superintendent due to the fact that the current one is working on a temporary basis. She also talked about wanting to improve the school’s technology and move to a 1:1 model with every student having a school-issued device to help their academics. 

Kim added that when the school does fully reopen there should be an emphasis on the emotional well-being of the students. 

“When the school starts going full time in May I want to ensure that the school handles the social and emotional impact of the last year,” she said. 

Both candidates also emphasized the need to better market Shawsheen Tech as a viable option to students in Burlington. They also both said more should be done to highlight the school and the students’ work to the community. 

Finally, Town Clerk Amy Warfield, who does have an opponent on the ballot, Joe Welch, was part of the discussion. She noted that her opponent was not on the virtual meeting and that he had foregone other opportunities to either meet with voters or debate. 

“An informed electorate is the key to effective democracy and I am disappointed my opponent has not taken advantage of the many opportunities like this one to share his qualifications,” she said. 

Warfield, who is finishing her second 5-year term, said she is the more qualified and experienced candidate and pointed to her office’s response to the last year as evidence. 

“I do bring the experience, leadership, dedication and service required to be successful in this position,” she said. “During the pandemic there were many ways I demonstrated leadership, which started prior to Town Hall closing with my decision to split up my staff, physically apart from each other in different locations to minimize the risk and be able to conduct elections, Town Meetings and get done with our job.” 

“Leadership was successfully conducting three Town Meetings, three elections and providing our essential government services in the time of consistently changing regulations and laws,” she continued. “In such an environment, plans are short lived, iterations are many and flexibility is key. My goal was always to keep residents, voters and staff safe while meeting the obligations of being Clerk.”

Town Meeting candidates in contested races were also given an opportunity to participate and many did. Some candidates running unopposed also came on to explain why they were running for office. 

You can watch the full event here.