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Today’s entire posting is dedicated to the Franklin Town Council election. We contacted all 15 candidates by email and asked each of them the same questions and also asked for a response on our proposed “pledge.” [Could you also include whether you would support/agree to the Pledge we have proposed? (see: https://franklinobserver.town.news/g/franklin-town-ma/n/335372/editoria… ). Five candidates responded: Jane Callaway-Tripp, Caroline Griffith, Stephen Malloy, Joe McGann, and Max Morongiello, presented in alphabetical order, with the caveat that the platform does not always post in the order requested. Some submitted photos, other did not. A sixth candidate, Debbie Pellegri, responded only to the Pledge question, stating, “I will not accept money from any group.”We wish all candidates well and thank them for their willingness to serve the Town of Franklin.
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STEPHEN MALLOY
[https://www.sgmalloy.com]
A) Briefly discuss ‘who you are’ in no more than 150 words.
Our family has proudly called Franklin home since 1999. We chose Franklin for its affordability, excellent schools, welcoming community, and easy access to the city.
Over the past 26 years, Franklin has exceeded our expectations. Our children thrived here receiving a strong education while participating in sports, theater, and scouting.
During my 40-year career at Big Four accounting firms, most recently at PwC, I held senior leadership roles in infrastructure operations, and security.
- Operations Leadership: Managed multi-million-dollar budgets and directed operations staff across the East coast, overseeing office operations, facilities, and construction projects.
- Crisis Management & Security: After 9/11, I was asked to establish and lead PwC’s national Crisis Management and Business Continuity functions. In time, my responsibilities expanded to include workplace violence prevention, event security, background screening, and security protocols across U.S. offices.
I hold both a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and an MBA. I retired in 2019.
B) Briefly state why you are running for TC and why someone should vote for you (75 words max)
Massive overdevelopment and unrestrained town spending have brought us to a crossroad. Taxes continue to rise, especially as our home values have surged, traffic congestion worsens, and residents feel ignored. Many residents feel they are paying more as they watch our town transform into something we do not want. I’m running for Town Council to restore balance, ensure fiscal responsibility, and put residents first.
1. Personal Impact of Tax Increases
A tax override increase would force my family to readjust our personal budget. We are retired now, and we plan our financial needs carefully. Of course, this would be true not only for the initial year, but our tax bill will increase by 2.5 percent on top of that every year going forward. Thus, our tax bill would represent a significant portion of our annual living expenses.
2. New Growth and Affordable Housing
A) What is your position on new growth in Franklin, in particular with regard to the town accepting of encouraging more so-called affordable housing?
I think the town has done enough regarding affordable housing as more than 10% of our housing stock is deemed affordable by state standards. However, reaching that threshold through massive housing developments has been counterproductive in my view.
These developments strain infrastructure, worsen traffic, and diminish the quality of life in Franklin. Projects like those on East Central Street and the proposed 444 East Central development will add hundreds of residents in an already crowded one-mile stretch of road. Rapid growth risks not just congestion, but also civility in our community. We should note, these massive buildings do not really address affordability as the majority of apartments or homes are priced at market rates. Further, this densification is eroding the benefits of suburban living. Most people moved here to enjoy single family home subdivisions, nice sized lots, and access to business and services in nearby commercial zones. I want to preserve our suburban lifestyle.
I will not support any more large-scale 40B housing projects.
B) How do you view the role of affordable housing in our town’s future—both its benefits and its challenges?
I think we should consider small scale housing development, maybe with an affordable component, as long as it can be supported by our roads and municipal services. However, we need to be mindful of the impact on the entire community. Traffic, infrastructure demands and overcrowding need to be considered for future building projects.
3. Senior Center and Revenue Shortfalls
The Town Administrator has projected potential closures—including the Senior Center—if revenue doesn’t increase. What is your position on closing the Senior Center?
The Senior Center is an important and well-loved part of our town, and I would not favor closing it. Nor do I think we have to. We do, however, need to honor the voters who have rejected two override requests. Our deficit should be addressed by finding thoughtful savings solutions across all town departments. Please see question five for my thoughts on how to address our deficit.
4. Rebuilding Trust and a Sense of Community
Franklin is divided. Many residents have expressed frustration with each other and mistrust in town leadership. If elected (or re-elected), how would you work to rebuild trust and help mend the divide in our community?
Building trust comes from frequent and clear communications from the Council to residents. I will work toward building a process where residents can be regularly informed of pending issues and the work before the Council and other key departments like the Planning Board and ZBA. Our town web site is a great resource for this information, but I don't think it's enough to expect that people will access it often. I will work hard to build a culture on the council where we regularly ask how we can push more information to residents.
Another key element to building trust is to be respectful of other opinions. I think social media draws us apart by encouraging people to stay within their own groups. It's easy to be angry and repeat bad information online. I would favor more in person, telephone and direct email conversations where we can regain our civility, get to know each other, and build trust.
5. Budget Deficit and Future Overrides
We are facing a budget deficit, and two override attempts have failed.
How would you approach this challenge going forward?
It is very important that we honor the voters who have rejected two consecutive override requests. We held two votes and the results were clear. I would not support another request. We need to keep in mind that our budget has grown by almost 50 million dollars over the past ten years or so. Our energy needs to be focused on cost savings and efficiency gains. We need to get to a point where we can fund our budget with the regular annual tax increases for a period of years before we consider asking residents to further increase their taxes.
I would focus on the expense line items across all town functions and look for ways to reduce costs. We need to review how we buy services and materials and ask hard questions like can we do without certain items, can we buy less, can we change purchasing practices to combine efforts with other towns to gain better pricing? We don't need drastic measures like closing the library or Senior Center, but we need to look and see where and how we can trim back costs in every Town department. Additionally, we need to look at all the processes with Town departments to ask where we can gain efficiency. Are there procedures we can redesign or eliminate? Can we use technology to speed services and reduce costs? I think it's very important to ask the people who work across town for their ideas on how we could save money and improve operations.
6.
What other initiatives or directions do you believe the town should
undertake to address its fiscal problems?
In addition to the above actions, we need to work hard on more economic development. Attracting new business, growing and retaining existing businesses, and leveraging town assets to bring in new revenue should be considered. For example, I know there is a committee looking into the reuse of the Davis Thayer building and property. I would push for options there to somehow provide new revenue for the town.
