Rindge residents heard from hopefuls for open town offices, as well as open school district positions, at the town Candidates’ Night on Monday.
The two candidates for Select Board, Karl Pruter and Roberta Oeser, talked about their prior service to the town, with Pruter being the incumbent of three years, including serving as chair, along with having previously been on the Budget Advisory Committee.
“I’ve learned a lot in this position, especially this past year,” said Pruter. “It’s been an opportunity for me to get down into the heart of the town office and I think I’ve grown a lot and learned a lot in terms of how things are done, and how to do budgets and how the town is run.”
Oeser served three terms on the Select Board before losing to Marybeth Quill last year. She said she was not initially planning on running, but was asked by some residents and decided to do so, partially based on what she called “chaos” in the budget process. She also highlighted her past experience and the work she put into the position, including educating herself on the way the town is run and taking training sessions.
“I’m just willing to offer my services again, and hope that we can get the town through this difficult time that we are in,” she said.
Both candidates noted certain areas of trouble in town, with Pruter highlighting a lack of volunteerism, and Oeser pointing out the time commitment that volunteering for the town requires.
The only other contested town race is for a Zoning Board seat, with Deni Dickler and Marty Kulla both vying for the three-year seat. Kulla, who was an alternate on the ZBA for three years and just finished five months as a full-time member, could not attend the meeting.
Dickler just finished a one-year term on the ZBA and said she was looking to use this experience to propel her into the longer term.
“I felt humbled to have your vote and confidence, and I have worked very hard this last year to keep my promises and to live up to your expectations,” she said. “Last year, I made a promise to you, and I make it again — I will listen to everyone who talks because you all deserve to be heard, I’ll research every case beyond what is in the application, I’ll ask tough questions to get all the facts, and decide fairly based on what’s best for the Town of Rindge.”
All of the school district races are contested, including the race for moderator. Shauna O’Malley, who has two students in the district, is up against incumbent Bob Schaumann.
“I do good on staying calm during stressful environments and situations, and I always like to listen to what people have to say and help them through it,” said O’Malley, who runs and owns her own nursing business.
“It’s not a role I take lightly,” said Schaumann. “I’ve been honored to be your school district moderator for six years. I ask for your vote not because I’m from Jaffrey or from Rindge, but because I know the role.”
There are two School Board positions for Rindge residents to vote on, the at-large seat and the Rindge seat. For the Rindge seat, one of the candidates, Jonathan Caruana, stated that after talking with fellow candidate Paul O’Malley, he had decided to throw his support behind O’Malley.
O’Malley said he would like to focus more on quality of education for students and less on spending, and that the Jaffrey-Rindge district is overspending.
“I think it’s worth investing in their education as opposed to all of the side stuff we’re trying to put all the attention on right now,” he said. “I believe we do have a lot of waste in our school district and it deserves our attention.”
Also running for the Rindge seat is Anna Taylor, who did not submit any biographical information.
The race for the at-large seat is between Alicia Stenersen, who is currently on the board representing just Rindge, and Kim Aucoin, a district parent of four children who was a teacher for seven years.
“I’m aware that one person can’t make changes quickly, but I hope to be the voice that people need to start the process, because a change is definitely needed,” Aucoin said. “I’m comfortable in the schools and I can’t wait to get back into them, to talk to staff and students about what they need to make our schools successful.”
Stenersen said her three years so far on the board have been enjoyable and that she was hoping to expand her constituency to both Jaffrey and Rindge with the at-large seat.
“In all of my decisions, I have sought to represent the voice of the community,” she said. “I want to take my three years of experience and continue to serve the community. I’m invested in making sure our district meets the unique and individual needs of all of our learners.”
Stenersen was asked if she would change any decisions she made in the past three years due to town sentiment about the School Board souring, to which Stenersen said she would not.
“I am proud of the way I voted and I honestly can’t say I would do otherwise,” she said. “Because I spent a lot of time trying to get more information about the decisions I have made and talking to members of the community and trying to ensure that there’s equitable representation for each part of the community.”
All of the School Board candidates were asked about their attitudes on masking and vaccines, with Caruana and O’Malley saying they believed such issues should be left up to parents. Aucoin did not take a specific stand on the topic, saying that her role would be to not bring in personal opinions but serve the people of the district.
Uncontested Rindge races include Planning Board, where Holly Koski and Kim McCummings are running for the two open spots, and the tax collector, where incumbent Andrea LaVache is seeking to retain her position.
Moderator Charles Eicher is running unopposed for re-election, as are Karla MacLeod for supervisor of the checklist and Phil Motta and Daniel Whitney for the two Budget Advisory Committee seats.
Also running uncontested are Paula Candy Phillips for cemetery trustee, Sarah Dengler for trustee of the trust fund, and Lisa Wiley and Florence Marsh for the two open library trustee seats.
Voting will be held at Rindge Memorial School on March 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.