I wanted to follow up on my announcement and give you a little more background on why I’m running for Clinton Board of Selectmen.
The short answer is I think I can help the town get better. My background is in journalism and marketing/public relations. I’ve made a career out of getting to the bottom of things, looking at problems and issues from different angles, and tracking down people who know what they’re talking about, to get their take on things. As selectman, I’ll seek out other town officials, residents, business owners, state and federal legislators — anyone who can contribute creative solutions to Clinton’s problems.
My first newspaper job was 25 years ago, working at the (then-Daily) Item covering the Clinton Board of Selectmen and School Committee. Back then, the newly minted Education Reform law was supposed to save the state’s cities and towns from the crushing costs of education, and our economic development plan was centered on getting someone to reopen the Strand and save High Street.
What’s changed? Well, we were right about the Strand. It’s a perfect example of how something that is special about Clinton can be leveraged to encourage development, improve quality of life, and bring in some tax revenue. We need more of this and, as selectman, I will leave no stone unturned when it comes to improving the town through smart, aggressive economic development.
Unfortunately, more and more it’s looking like the formula Education Reform came up with to determine Chapter 70 school aid is outdated, if not broken. Cities and towns from the Berkshires to Boston are overwhelmed, trying to keep up with state mandates in the classroom and double-digit jumps in health-care and special education costs. The current model is unsustainable.
There is hope, though. State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz has introduced a bill that would update the formula to adopt the recommendations of a 2015 state commission report that argued the foundation budget doesn’t reflect the rising costs of special education and health care.
Fiscal responsibility is one thing and, as selectman, I will strive to make sure Clinton lives within its means. But being forced to play a rigged game is something else. If elected, I will push our local representatives in the House and State Senate to get state education aid right again.
Some problems don’t change. That doesn’t mean our approach to solving them should stay standing still. In 2017, if we are not moving forward, we are falling behind.
I’m running for selectman because I think I can help the town fight for what its residents need, including a stronger industrial and commercial tax base, and fairness when it comes to funding our schools. I hope you’ll give me your vote on June 12.
Visit kerriganforclinton.com for more information.
Sean Kerrigan, Clinton Select Board 