To the Editor:
Please vote in Great Barrington on Tuesday and please vote for Sean Stanton and Bill Cooke for Selectboard and for Eugene “Will” Curletti for Finance Committee.
It’s unusual for a sitting Selectboard member to endorse someone running for office but this election is important to me because I’ll have to serve with the people who get elected. Also (and less selfishly), all three of those candidates are great and would be good for our town.
I have no agenda when it comes to local politics. I don’t want to slash taxes (I’d love to if it were possible), change laws, make political statements, etc. I just want to get things done and make decisions for the town that make sense. Mayor LaGuardia said, “There isn’t a Democratic or Republican way to clean a street.” I believe that.
What I like about Sean Stanton, Bill Cooke and Will Curletti is that they are reasonable people with good judgment who listen to others before acting. All three of them get along with nearly everyone, and none of them are coming with a political agenda. They want to listen, to find ways to ease the tax burden, and to encourage economic development to broaden the tax base. Everyone wants that.
They have also all run successful businesses here.
Selectboard: Vote for Two
Sean Stanton is the incumbent. He’s a local farmer who grew up here. He just became a father for the first time, so congratulate him the next time you see him, and he has been on the board for seven years, chairing it for much of that time. He is great at bringing people with diverse opinions together.
William Cooke is just plain great. He just retired from running his own business and he’s lived here for 25 years. His two children went through the public schools and are now adults. He’s been to almost every meeting of the Selectboard and many other boards and committees this past year. Bill has the time to really dedicate himself to this job, as he has already demonstrated. He also has an amazing ability to speak with people who disagree with him and find common ground.
Finance Committee:
Eugene “Will” Curletti is a young father of three children. He grew up here and used to be a volunteer firefighter. He owns Fuel coffee shop on Main Street with his wife, Robin. No one understands the needs of local businesses better than Will and his experience running a real business and making difficult budget decisions (especially now, during the Main Street reconstruction) will be great to have in town government.
Please put it in your calendar now. Please vote on Tuesday (8 a.m. – 8 p.m.).
Ed Abrahams
Pleasant Street
Great Barrington
The writer is a member of the Great Barrington Selectboard.
