Candidates in contested Select Board and Planning Board races in the March 11 election weighed in on their vision for town growth and keeping the tax rate low during the Rindge Candidates’ Night on Tuesday.

Vying for a single three-year seat on the Select Board this year are Larry Cleveland and Forbes Farmer, who have both held other town positions, but would be new to the role of selectman.

Cleveland has been on the town’s Master Plan Committee, run the Memorial Day Parade,  is part of the Patriot Mutual Assistance Group and is a local organizer for the Rindge chapter of Wreaths Across America, which lays wreaths on veterans’ graves in Rindge cemeteries. Cleveland said his priorities would be keeping Rindge affordable and taxes down, including exploring the concept of a tax cap.

Farmer, a retired Franklin Pierce University professor who has served on the Planning Board, School Board and Zoning Board, said he’s a political independent who is for common sense growth in town. He said if elected, his role would be to keep the town portion of the tax rate as low as possible without sacrificing standards for the police, fire and highway departments.

When asked to weigh in on some subjects on the warrant this year, including a request to fund a 10th police officer for the town, Cleveland said while the statistics support the need for a new officer, he doesn’t support it this year, particularly with potential increases to the school portion of the tax rate. Farmer said that he believes having it on the warrant is the right way to go, to allow the voters to decide transparently.

When asked their opinion on the school budget and proposed Career and Technical Education Center addition, Cleveland said he supported the now-cut proposed budget and was against the new CTE center, and Farmer said he was still undecided on both issues.

The Planning Board is the other contested race on the ballot this year, with Mark Hower, Matt Olson and Curt Sauvola running for two seats. Olson did not attend the forum, but according to his submitted bio is a 51-year resident in town in the real estate developing/home-building business.

Sauvola has lived in Rindge for 45 years, and owns Quality Concrete, and said that the business corridor and preserved town center were the result of careful planning. He said he’s for common-sense growth, keeping the commercial base on the 202 corridor and not pricing people out of their homes.

Hower moved to the area three years ago, and and has since become involved in community coaching and the Rotary Club. He said his background is in business, sales and management, and he would bring those skills to the board. Hower is also running for one of two available seats on the Budget Advisory Committee, along with incumbent Dan Whitney.

Whitney is seeking his third term, and said a balance between the town needs and keeping the budget low is a hard needle to thread. He said this coming year will be challenging due to the scheduled revaluation.

Running unopposed for other boards are Martin Kulla for Zoning Board, Anne Reed for Trustees of the Trust Funds, Joseph Hannon and Paula “Candy” Phillips for cemetery trustee and Lorraine Horne and Florence Marsh for library trustee.

Also speaking were school district candidates, including current School Board Chair Chris Ratcliffe and Judy Wilson Ferstenberg for a floterial seat. Ratcliffe said he’s the father of three school-aged children in the district, and has been a volunteer on the Conservation Commission and as a coach, and was involved with school committees before being elected to the School Board. He said he doesn’t accept a coaching stipend, and donates his board stipend back to the school each year, because he views the seat as a service. His background is in engineering, finance and project management.

Ferstenberg is running for her first elected position, and said her main goal is to strike a balance with the budget, and keep tax increases to a minimum. She said her first year will be focused on learning, keeping costs in line and providing a quality education.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @Ash leySaariMLT.