Selectman Alex Grant will not seek reelection

Feb. 4, 2016 | Chris Goudreau
cgoudreau@thereminder.com

Selectman Alex Grant
Reminder Publications file photo

LONGMEADOW – Selectman Alex Grant announced during the Select Board’s Feb. 1 meeting that he would not seek reelection for a second term in office during the Annual Town Election.

Grant later told Reminder Publications his decision not to run again was due to time commitment.

“Being [on] the Select Board takes a lot of time and it’s been an honor to serve, but there have been a lot of other things going on in my life,” he added. “I’ve got two small kids and I’m coaching all our their teams. This spring I’m going to be the coordinator for the Longmeadow town track program.”

He noted if he had more available time in the future he would likely run for selectmen again.

“Even though I’m not going to run, I intend to stay part of the debates and continue to write and be at Town Meeting,” Grant said. “One of the things I’m looking into now is a bylaw for gun control in Longmeadow. There are other issues that are coming up like the [proposed new Department of Public Works (DPW) project] and [a new or renovated middle school project.”

He said he believes one of the biggest issues facing the town in the near future is developing a “rational” capital funding plan.

“Three years ago, the interim Town Manager [Barry Del Castilho] said that there’s no capital plan and that we should have one,” Grant explained. “We’re basically in the same position three years later.”

The capital plan should account for projects such as a new Adult Center or DPW facility as well as utility projects for roads or sewer systems, he noted.

“We’re not looking at these things together,” he said. “I don’t really see how you can get a handle on that until you look at it together.”

He added there’s a limited ability for residents to “absorb tax increases” and he believes it’s important that the town should prioritize when they should raise taxes.

“I think until we get a handle on that we’re not going to be in a good place on taxes and on the budget,” he added.

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