Candidate Profiles - Falls Village

    This week, The Lakeville Journal offers profiles of candidates in each town for the boards of selectmen and the Region One Board of Education (except in Cornwall and Kent, where the representative is appointed). Information in the profiles was provided by the candidates, at the newspaper’s request. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order.

    The municipal elections will be held Nov. 8. The Lakeville Journal goes to press on that afternoon, so results will be posted online at the company’s website, www.tricornernews.com, and will be published in the issue of Nov. 17.

Board of Selectmen

Charles H. Lewis, Republican, endorsed by Democratic Town Committee

Office being sought: Selectman

Age: 64

Number of years in town: 39

Profession: Retired manager with the state Department of Corrections; former town of Canaan (Falls Village) first selectman

Up to five boards and/or commissions served on (and in what capacity) in the past five years:  Selectman since 2005

If elected, what would you change and what would you keep the same? (Response limited to 300 words.) With today’s local budget constraints, it is imperative that very small towns such as ours take advantage of grant opportunities. The Board of Selectmen over the past 12 years has done just that, receiving and administering a long list of STEAP Grants that have helped us to provide first-rate facilities and programs for our town. I am committed to continuing that policy to help relieve the burden on our local taxpayers

Greg D. Marlowe, Republican

Office being sought: Board of Selectmen

Age: 40

Number of years in town: 3 and a half

Profession: General manager

Up to five boards and/or commissions served on (and in what capacity) in the past five years:  D.M. Hunt Library Board; Planning and Zoning Commission; Republican Town Committee, vice chairman; Canaan Exchange Club, president; Berkshire Rattlers Youth Hockey, board member

If elected, what would you change and what would you keep the same?  (Response limited to 300 words.) If elected, I would like to continue on in the footsteps of my dear friend Peter Lawson, who is stepping down from his selectman’s position, having served in this position for 24 years. Peter has used his position to encourage financial scrutiny in each town budget line item. This is necessary to carry on as costs continue to increase. It is important to realize and acknowledge many town residents are still struggling in this sluggish economy. One of the changes I would like to implement into the town government is a better system of communication with the general population at town votes, such as the adoption of the town budget, with the goal of having people really feel like their opinion does matter. With a small town, it can feel like the same people always make the decisions; however, it takes the whole town to band together to collectively do what is the best for the town. I would also strive to have the town boards and commissions feel connected to the Board of Selectmen by continuing to actively follow and attend their meetings as necessary, as these volunteers are crucial to the success of our town.

Patricia (Allyn) Mechare, Democrat

Office being sought: First selectman

Age: 65

Number of years in town: 40

Profession: Retired educator (37 years at Kent Center School); first selectman of town of Canaan (Falls Village) since 2005

Up to five boards and/or commissions served on (and in what capacity) in the past five years: Board of Selectmen since 1995; chairman of the Oversight Committee at the Northwestern Connecticut Regional Planning Collaborative; Housatonic Valley Regional High School Standing Building Committee; secretary to the Board of Directors of the North Canaan/Canaan Little League; many subcommittees of the Board of Selectmen

If elected, what would you change and what would you keep the same?  (Response limited to 300 words.) I would continue to work toward revitalizing our village centers; maintain and enhance the local educational system; maintain affordable tax bases and work toward ways to encourage young families to stay in the area; work toward continuing to maintain and enhance town-owned buildings and facilities.

Region One Board of Education

Gale Courey Toensing, Democrat

Office being sought: Region One Board of Education representative

Age: 65

Number of years in town: 26

Profession: Staff reporter, Indian Country Today Media Network (www.indiancountry.com)

Up to five boards and/or commissions served on (and in what capacity) in the past five years:  None submitted

If elected, what would you change and what would you keep the same?  (Response limited to 300 words.) I’ll continue to try to make changes where needed in how the board operates — changes that some board members have resisted — including but not limited to the following:

• Set real annual goals for both the board and the superintendent that go beyond normal expected responsibilities and duties (for example, attending meetings is not a goal, it’s a duty)

• Ask — and answer — the question, “How does this benefit teaching and learning for our faculty and students?” before every decision

•Scrutinize the budget line by line and have substantive discussions about staffing levels, programs and other issues before we’re swamped by budget season

• Form a broad-based committee of board members, educators and the public for an in-depth study about why our Connecticut Academic Performance Test results have remained low and flat for so long and what can be done to help our students become more successful in their CAPTs and other areas — with an emphasis on so-called “average students”

• Revise the superintendent’s evaluation process, which is woefully inadequate

•Develop a respectful, transparent and responsive relationship with the public around issues such as Freedom of Information Act requests

•Encourage public involvement and input by engaging the public in discussion at meetings and hosting public forums on various issues, such as the Pingpank report, which taxpayers paid for, but which has been shelved by the board majority

• Form a committee to review the board’s bylaws and recommend amendments, if needed

• Form a committee to review the board’s newly purchased policy book, which includes state mandates directing board, administration and staff functions and accountability — and start conducting our business according to our policies

•Hold extra meetings as needed to do the work

Even though she’s not running again, I would keep Salisbury representative Jill Gibbons.