Selectmen race: Candidates answer questions

Thursday, March 22, 2007
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Selectmen race: Candidates answer questions

1. How would you approach budget overrides, compensation?

Frederick 'Rick' Livingstone Jr.

The town is discussing debt exclusions and overrides this year. Would you support a general budget override? No! We need to learn how to spend within our means. The sooner we begin to operate that way the better we will be in the long run. The town departments are learning to live within their means. It's time for the School Department to do the same. We need to use a public/private bench-marking to keep efficient.

What, if anything, would you do to improve planning?

It's called accountability. If we are hiring professionals and paying them to do the best job possible, we need to hold them accountable to preset goals and objectives. We are all vested in the common success of the town. In business, you focus on the company's success so it can take care of its employees. There should be no difference when operating the town business.

Overall, our package of salary and benefits for town employees is:

Too generous.

Please elaborate on the issue above by answering the following question: Salary and benefit costs make up the bulk of our budget. Do you see specific negotiated area(s) where taxpayers' money could be better spent? Please explain.

We must bring the health care percentages in line with reality in the workplace today. The current 80-percent town-funded and 20-percent employee-funded premium payment needs to be adjusted to at least 70-percent town and 30-percent employee.

The school budget should be under the control of the town manager as is the case with the rest of the town budget. This will unify the town and reduce an us vs. them mentality, which is counterproductive. This is a more prudent and fiscally responsible way to operate the town as a whole.

Don Robb

The town is discussing debt exclusions and overrides this year. Would you support a general budget override? I have no problem submitting a general budget override to the voters, assuming 1) that the proposal states clearly and exactly what services will be provided if the override passes, 2) that no essential services are included in the override proposal, 3) that officials are prepared to eliminate proposed services if the override fails, and 4) that no money is later "found" in the budget and used to provide the eliminated services during the budget year.

What, if anything, would you do to improve planning?

I would demand "available funds" budgets, not level services. With each budget should be a list, in priority order, of what might be added if more money (in $100,000 increments) were to become available by the time of Town Meeting.

Overall, our package of salary and benefits for town employees is:

This is an unfair question.

This is an unfair question given that some bargaining units have had no contracts for three years, some units have more generous settlements than others, and some units have already agreed to changes in insurance while others haven't.

We should be negotiating compensation, not salary; this would include a package that takes into account wages, benefits such as sick leave and vacations, health insurance, and prevailing standards in the region. Our goal should be fairness, with due concern for both the taxpayer and the generally high level of performance we receive from our employees.

Jerry Stabile

The town is discussing debt exclusions and overrides this year. Would you support a general budget override? What, if anything, would you do to improve planning?

I believe that we cannot burden the taxpayers with an override to bridge gaps as standard operating procedure. As for the debt exclusion approach to funding a variety of CIP and non-appropriated projects I would not support it. It is time to define a budget that works within the construct of our ability to pay. It will not be easy but we have to re-examine the operating budgets line by line and make some difficult decisions. We need to make tough calls on which CIP projects get funded for 2008. I am not satisfied that the present budget process is working and bailing it out again only perpetuates the problem.

Overall, our package of salary and benefits for town employees is:

This is an unfair question.

Please elaborate on the issue above by answering the following question:Salary and benefit costs make up the bulk of our budget. Do you see specific negotiated area(s) where taxpayers' money could be better spent? Please explain.

Working for the town has always meant lower earning potential, higher benefits and greater security than in the private sector. In recent years, through negotiations, wages have improved and benefits have been adjusted. I believe that over time compensation and benefits will become more in line with the private sector; they have to. I think the selectmen and School Committee need to look more closely at headcount and productivity as it relates to compensation and benefits. My initial investigation in this area leads me to believe that there are gross inefficiencies and unnecessary expense that gets buried in the budget.

Mary Carbone

The town is discussing debt exclusions and overrides this year. Would you support a general budget override? What, if anything, would you do to improve planning?

I will not support an override. We are not living within our budget. The town is too reliant on state funds which have been cut significantly. The salaries are very lucrative in the town as well as health benefits. The town has been marketed based on the educational process. Students will learn according to their capabilities. We cannot provide a private school education with public dollars.

Overall, our package of salary and benefits for town employees is:

Too generous.

Before we as a community can figure out how to better spend tax dollars, we have to get our house in order. If you cannot afford your present home you should not put on an addition. We have been doing just that with our budget over a number of years. In order to achieve more revenue I believe developers should be paying impact fees to the town for the maintenance of new roads they initiate.

Alex Vispoli

The town is discussing debt exclusions and overrides this year. Would you support a general budget override? What, if anything, would you do to improve planning? Given our need for fiscal discipline, we must continue to provide the required services within the available resources.

I do not support an override for the operating budget.

Needed improvements in the budget process include a mid-December budget estimate for the upcoming fiscal year and required preliminary budgets from all town departments including the schools. A budget summit with all department heads would be held in early January to review, based on all the revenue estimates, any action needed to remediate any potential deficit.

This should include:

o Available funds / revenue budget

o Level services budget, which defines what level services means to each department. If it is more than the available funds budget, a very clear description and justification for each request must be included.

Overall, our package of salary and benefits for town employees is: About right.

All benefits should be up for review, including health insurance, vehicles and stipends. As we review the town vehicle policy, every vehicle needs to be justified for the position. As town vehicles become due for replacement, alternatives should be explored before purchases are approved. Technology is one of the best leverage points we have to increase taxpayer dollar return, anywhere we can deliver a service, and we should explore technology options. I will propose a technology master plan for the total town. This will ensure that all our technology investments are part of a strategic technology and labor-saving plan.

2. What type of environmental leadership would you provide?

Frederick 'Rick' Livingstone Jr.

"Energy: Encourage the voluntary use of energy-efficient improvements in residences, including light bulbs, insulation, energy efficient fenestrations, and photovoltaic electric supply systems. Establish a program to replace older vehicles with more energy efficient hybrids. Conduct building energy audits, acquiring professional recommendations.

"Flooding: Evaluate and update emergency management plans, allowing for minimal disruption and maximum safety.

"Transportation: Evaluate offsite parking opportunities at train stations, with added parking for bus transportation from satellite locations to train stations. Encourage commuting to work or mass transit location lots. The sound barrier initiative is important along I-93 and further evaluation is needed along main arteries."

Don Robb

"I will consider environmental issues when evaluating all town projects, such as plans for the town yard.

I will insist that energy concerns be addressed whenever building renovations or expansion are discussed.

Having just been involved in efforts to raise funds for victims of last spring's flooding, I will require that proposals from Merrimack College to build along Haverhill Street address the issue of wetlands and impact on nearby homes.

"Reducing automobile traffic has a positive effect on the environment. I will work to create bike trails and walking routes, expand bus transportation, and open a new train station."

Jerry Stabile

"I believe what is good for the environment is good for Andover and our taxpayer's pocket books. Let me see, as we recycle more our waste disposal costs go down. Programs to reduced fuel and utility consumption help us spend less on gas, electricity and fuel oil. Again our costs go down. Well planned real estate development can ensure that water levels and flooding are controlled. As selectman, I will champion initiatives that mutually benefit the environment and our residents."

Mary Carbone

"As a candidate for selectman, my view is that these have been progressive issues based on many factors:

o Materialism, energy and gasoline consumption, introduction and abuse of technology

o Misdevelopment of land, exacerbating flood conditions

o Human induced

Keep community safe

Re: civil service, public safety

In touch with State and Federal government

Re: Programs."

Alex Vispoli

"I was instrumental in initiating the I-93 Interchange Task Force involving Andover residents at a critical time in the planning. I foresee a positive impact for transportation, the environment, and energy savings such as a new train station potentially serving thousands of commuters, which would conserve fuel. The correct plan will significantly reduce traffic issues in Ballardvale and Route 125 neighborhoods. Combining this with the likely expansion of our commercial tax base will create exciting opportunities for Andover.

"Regarding flooding, I support development of a Stormwater Management bylaw that's effective, clear, and doesn't add layers of administrative overhead."

3. All town employee contracts expire at the end of June. What do you think of existing contracts? In moving forward, how should the town approach negotiations?

Frederick 'Rick' Livingstone Jr.

"The current contracts expire this June and all but the police and fire are completed already. The biggest [improvement was] to increase the personal health insurance deductible, which reduced Andover's insurance costs ... The savings that we were to realize would then be shared back with the employees in pay increases. I think that was a good thing for the town. The biggest disappointment is that the police and fire have not yet settled. I think we've begun to make a move in the right direction. I think it's fair and balanced, which I'm all about."

"I'd like to see a professional negotiator handle our negotiations. It's awkward to have the town manager negotiate with the people that he supervises every day.

"As a business man, I understand the long-term implications of negotiating settlements to contracts. Each 1 percent increase is a major amount of money added to the bottom line of the budget... We must run the town like we run a successful business."

Don Robb

"I think some of the existing contracts need some scrutiny.

"At least three groups have no [new] contracts from the last time they expired. I think we have a history of not working well with employee relations."

"We have to get employees to understand that it's not just an issue of salary, it's of total compensation, which is salaries and benefits.

"I think the key to this year's negotiations is to get our insurance costs to somehow stabilize so we can work around that and offer some of the other things that people want, like wage increases.

"This is probably the most critical thing facing the town manager and the Board of Selectmen in the coming months."

Jerry Stabile

E-mailed response: "I would compare the town to any service business. Most of the operating expense is in payroll and benefits. If we cannot effectively negotiate these contracts in a timely and mutually acceptable way, then we will continue to find ourselves in the current situation where we are working off three-year-old agreements and facing retroactive payments."

"The town has been negotiating these contracts for the past three years. I believe frank conversations between town management and employee representatives have to happen. Both sides have got to understand where the other is coming from and they need to come up with a win-win agreement."

Mary Carbone

"The existing contracts, the health portion has gone far beyond the cost of health, and in some ways so has the contract in total [become too much of a financial burden].

"After the contracts are negotiated and achieved by the town manager and the unions, it [should] be brought before the Board of Selectmen and the residents before the contracts are signed ... at a public meeting so that the residents know how the negotiations turned out."

Alex Vispoli

"I'd rather not have all of the contracts go up for renewal at the same time. It's a budgeting challenge.

"To get an agreement that is both fair and done in a timely manner, some changes in our approach should be taken... In the next set of contracts, key factors that must be considered: the long-term impact to the town's finances, the town's ability to pay, and setting realistic expectations given the town's current financial situation.

"One improvement that I will aggressively work to implement is establishing a firm time-line agreement up front by all sides, to set the expectations [of a] shorter negotiation period in an effort to reach a consensus sooner. I believe this will speed up the process and sort out the key areas of differences and agreements.

"We should explore both public and private sector solutions. There's no monopoly on good ideas."

4. The Townsman asked the candidates if they support the two debt exclusions proposed by the town manager

Debt exclusion 1: School Roof Replacement Program, five-year plan

Debt exclusion 2: Sidewalk Reconstruction Program, five-year plan

Frederick 'Rick' Livingstone Jr.

Roofs: "I wouldn't be in support of that. I wouldn't vote for that. I'm not in favor of that warrant article. I'd like to finance it through the operating budget. I want to work within the existing revenue that the town has to work with."

Sidewalks: "Same exact answer for the same exact reason. Operate within the operating budget. And if we can't do that I wouldn't be in support of that right now. We definitely want to maintain capital assets within the operating budget."

Don Robb

Roofs: "Absolutely not. I will never support overrides for essential town spending. You don't replace roofs or buildings on an override. That would be irresponsible spending. I would support the alternative article, which would be to support it on a one-year basis. ... My view is that you put up for override votes things that are optional."

Sidewalks: "Absolutely not. I would never support bonding sidewalks. ... It is a small enough expenditure, if we did it on an annual basis we could have good sidewalks. It's an ongoing thing and the town should do it on a regular basis. ... That, again, is irresponsible fiscal management."

Jerry Stabile

E-mailed response: "It's this kind of fiscal thinking that has prompted me to run. We are being proposed a level services operating budget of $126 million that leaves many departments short-staffed and under-funded. Our projected revenues for the 2008 budget are $134 million. That would leave $8 million in discretionary spending for warrant articles and other non-operating expense items. Unfortunately the $8 million is not enough to cover all the articles that have been submitted and we are being asked to consider financing five-year plans for roofs and sidewalks. This is just posturing to cloud the real issue."

Mary Carbone

Roofs: "Personally, I don't think this should happen. ... I don't believe that all the roofs have to be done. ... My opinion is there's a possibility that some people might get the idea we're (voting) for a total override, and that's what I'm against."

Sidewalks: "We should be maintaining our infrastructure within our general budget. ... It should not be included in a debt exclusion."

Alex Vispoli

Roofs: "There's no question that we've got to maintain the roofs. That's not something we can sit on and put off. ... Last year, the board decided to not fund it through an override and through the operating budget. I would support that same approach moving forward. One thing I support is keeping up with the infrastructure, but it's a slippery slope, putting them through a debt exclusion."

Sidewalks: "I would take the same approach on these. Clearly, we've got to maintain the sidewalks ... I think we need to maintain a proactive approach and maintain them as we go. ... Anything we need to do with these we need to do out of the operating budget via bonding. I think both of these [sidewalks and school roofs] are slippery slopes. We've got to be disciplined on how we maintain our infrastructure."