Around 100 Rindge residents had the opportunity Monday to ask questions of candidates for contested races at a candidates night.
Candidates night allows each candidate running for office the opportunity to present some information about themselves, and in the case of contested races be questioned by the audience.
Select Board candidates Tom Coneys and Karl Pruter were asked their opinion on a petition article to raise $8,000 to make a library position full-time.
Pruter said he supports the position as it is specifically aimed at helping with the youth in the community. Coneys said he didn’t have enough information to make an informed decision.
“I don’t have all the facts. There are pros and cons to both,” Coneys said.
Both candidates were also questioned about allowing public comment during Select Board meetings. Both candidates admitted there was a balance: not enough talk is silencing the public, while too much could lead to a long meeting where not a lot gets done.
“There’s a balance, a free and open meeting could go til 11,” Pruter said.
Candidates for the at-large Jaffrey-Rindge School Board position – Jason Boyle, Mike DiPasquale, and Marcea Gustafson-Belletete – also appeared Monday, as voters from both towns decide that race.
All three candidates said they were against a Rindge petition article that would ask the Jaffrey-Rindge School District to complete a study that examines the effects of Rindge withdrawing from the Jaffrey-Rindge School District.
“I don’t agree, what’s that going to do for our kids?” said DiPasquale, the only Rindge resident running for the at-large seat. “I’m sorry, I don’t agree.”
Budget Advisory Committee candidates James Burger, Don Cook, Phil Motta, and Dan Whitney were asked about the best way the town can put money away for the future.
All four candidates pointed to a reliance on the town’s capital improvements plan (CIP) and consistently putting away money into capital reserve funds, while Cook additionally spoke about the benefits of alternative funds like the Electric Light Trust Fund and revolving funds.
Only two of the four candidates vying for two seats on the Planning Board showed Monday: Holly Koski and Kim McCummings were present while Jeffrey Montuori and John Anderson were not.
Koski and McCummings agreed on a number of topics, including showing support for Planned Unit Residential Development (PURD) in town and a desire to have growth in town that aligns with the town’s ordinances and aesthetic desires.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com.