Dean Banfield
Dean Banfield - Candidate for Select Board
Website: https://banfield4theboard.com
Email: banfield4theboard [at] gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dean-Banfield-for-Select-Board-105033091633227
Why are you running for office and what can you bring to the office that you are seeking?
I am running now because I feel the Town should have a robust set of choices for Select Board, where collaborative work is fundamental, but also where a set of strong individual voices are crucial in establishing policy and setting direction for the Town. As a 25 year resident, I have been active in public affairs, and have committed myself to serving where I think I can make a positive contribution. My experiences have led me to believe I can make a positive contribution on the Select Board now.
My love of the outdoors led me to serve first on the Natural Resources Commission. A steady diet of technical wetlands paperwork often seemed like a meal of empty calories for a nature lover, but after 5 years, I can say that through all the filings we reviewed, natural areas were protected and enhanced, which is a Good Thing. Work on the CPC and the Open Space and Recreation Plan provided further opportunities to help conserve our natural legacy, but also broadened my outlook to affordable housing needs and historic preservation. The last 4+ years I have focused on the financial health and future of the Town from my current seat on the Finance Committee, serving as Chair as the pandemic created chaos in all our financial plans for the year. In short, I think I have the chops to do this job, I believe I can make a positive contribution on the Select Board, and I hope you will agree.
What in your opinion are the biggest challenges/issues facing the committee that you hope to serve?
The biggest immediate challenge for the Select Board is to navigate the tail of the pandemic in a way which does not allow it to hollow out our commercial centers, force long time residents to leave the community or fray any further the social bonds which bind us together. I am particularly concerned about finding ways that the Town can stand up social alternatives to the critical community hubs for seniors – the Harvey Wheeler Center and our libraries, which were vibrant spaces that also happened to loan out books.
Aside from the pandemic, we will need to grapple with the twin threats of climate change and the possibility of debilitating debt load. To achieve our decarbonization goals, large investments are required to convert our public buildings and fleets to an electric future. As the proverb goes, “when is the best time to plant a tree? 20 years ago. When is the second best time? Today.” We must make annual capital investments right now in vehicles, heat pump systems, etc. We need to do these things while taking on debt for a new middle school. That school will have an all-electric design. It will be net-zero with the eventual addition of solar arrays on the roof. The school project should serve as a beacon for how sustainability thinking needs to infuse all our capital decisions, and we will need to do all this without so burdening taxpayers that we become a green redoubt of the wealthy due to our onerous taxes.
