Political newcomer Shawn Talbot is challenging incumbent Bert Hamill for his Select Board seat this year.
Hamill, who has served in previous terms as both a Select Board member and a Planning Board member, pointed to his experience as a selling point.
“I’m very familiar with the ordinances,” Hamill said. “And I’m a straight shooter in regards to my opinion on ongoing issues.”
This is Talbot’s first foray into town government, but he currently serves as the sports coordinator for the town’s recreation department. He has been assisting in various capacities in the department since coaching his child’s youth soccer program. He has also served on the Souhegan Valley Ambulance Association and helped to negotiate a memorandum of understanding between the ambulance and the town. He said his experience in helping run a department gives him a valuable perspective from the opposite side of the table.
“The focus for me is to help the town departments work better together and bring back communication into the process,” Talbot said. “We need to trust the people at the heads of our departments and help them find what we need.”
Talbot said he would likely stay on in his position as sports coordinator, at least at first, if elected, and recuse himself from votes relating to the department when necessary.
Both candidates said the ongoing conversation on the future of the police department is high on their list of concerns. Currently, the town rents office space for the department, which police say is inadequate for their needs. However, the town has voted down several proposals for a permanent home for the station, including building a new station on town-owned land and purchasing and renovating the currently rented offices.
Talbot called not resolving the police department situation the town’s “biggest failing of the past decade.” Talbot said he was for the department being on town-owned property, and said the town seemed most likely to support a newly constructed facility. He said the town may have to approach the project in phases over the next several years if there is not enough support to get it done in a single year. He said the police department would be “the first thing” he looks at if elected.
Hamill has also supported a new building for the department, even proposing a petition article this year when the town failed to notice a bond hearing in the proper time frame, meaning a town-sponsored article isn’t on the warrant this year. Hamill’s proposal is to build a police station behind the current town offices, after tearing down the former police building, which was abandoned due to a mold issue.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.