Voters in New Ipswich heard from candidates Tuesday about their visions for the town’s governance and schools during a forum in the Mascenic Regional High School auditorium.

Just over a dozen residents came to the event, a turnout that Select Board Chair Shawn Talbot, who moderated it, called “disappointing.”

Candidates for Select Board spoke first, with Lou Alvarez asking to be reelected. Alvarez has been on the board for three years, and said that the town must think of its future in terms of accommodating different generations.

“There’s lots of growth coming in, and we have to think of affordable housing for young people and for the elderly,” he said.

Phil Andrews is seeking to join the Select Board, and noted his background as a director of engineering at a firm and running two laundromats as good experience for the position. 

“I’d like to see our town stay small and rural. We don’t want to become Amherst,” he said.

A parent of four children who are homeschooled, Andrews proposed an idea regarding calls to police and fire departments. 

“What about user fees for some of the non-emergency calls to fire and police?” he said, although he did not elaborate on details.

Jesus Cantu-Trevino followed Andrews, and promptly announced that he was dropping his bid for the Select Board and endorsing Andrews for the seat. Cantu-Trevino said that age was the reason for him choosing to support Andrews rather than Alvarez. When asked after the forum if there were other factors in his decision, he said no.

“If it wasn’t for Lou’s age, I’d support him,” he said.

Noting that he’d moved to New Ipswich from Texas three years ago, Cantu-Trevino proceeded to address matters of the Mascenic School Board.

“The School Board isn’t going to get any better. They (board members) get on there, and then they put their parents, their children and their friends into (positions),” he said. Cantu-Trevino did not offer specifics, and said that he would not take any questions.

Two candidates for New Ipswich representatives to the Mascenic School Board touted their experience at different levels of education. Mitch Gluck is currently an interim board member completing the term of Rachel Anderson, who stepped down from the board last year. Gluck is a former university professor who taught in the California State University System and at the University of Arizona, and was an administrator of a psychiatric hospital. He currently sits on the Finance Advisory Committee, and is seeking a three-year term on the school board.

“Public education is a big part of my life, and last year’s (Mascenic School Board) deliberative session was very discouraging, the way people treated each other,” Gluck said, referring to a contentious session in 2024. “The role of leaders is to eliminate barriers, and to serve the community, the staff and the district.”

Gluck cited his administrative experience as being useful regarding costs.

“I had a $47 million budget at my hospital,  and in my first year as an administrator, I cut it by $8 million,” he said.

Ellen Salmonson is also completing a term on the board, filling the seat of Keryn Matson, who resigned last year, and seeking a 0ne-year term. With 30 years of teaching experience, including 13 at MRHS, Salmonson said, “My children and my grandchildren have been and still are in the school system here.”

She noted that her husband attended assemblies in the auditorium in which she was speaking.

“He says it looks pretty much the same now as it did then, so we need some attention to our buildings,” she said.

In addition to the physical plant, she noted three priorities she saw for the district.

“How do we improve student performance? How do we improve our buildings in a financially responsible way? How can we attract and retain teachers?” she said.

Planning Board Chair Deirdre Daley spoke to why she is seeking re-election.

“(I) try to make sure that all the stakeholders in town are considered,” she said. “We have no designs to be like Amherst. We want places our parents can live.”  

Bernard Hamill noted his MBA in a pitch to join the trustees of trust funds.

“Watching money is what I try to do,” he said. He is also seeking to be on the Board of Assessors.

Voting is Tuesday, March 11, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Mascenic Regional High School.