Candidates Focus on 'Mending Fences' During Forum

A return to “civility” was the theme of the Town of Kensington’s candidates' forum Monday night, as the five residents vying for the mayoral seat and two council seats stressed moving forward in the wake of what was described as a “contentious” and “divisive” process that ultimately saw the approval of the long-awaited sector plan.

Two candidates are vying for mayor: incumbent Mayor Peter Fosselman is seeking a fourth term against development consultant Stowe Teti, a 10-year Kensington resident. Three candidates are running for two council seats: past council member Glenn Cowan, former media buyer Tracey Furman and incumbent council member Sean McMullen.

The election will be held June 4 between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Town Hall.

The format for the nearly two-hour forum moderated by resident Doug Smith included some of the more than 60 residents in attendance writing their questions on note cards and the moderator giving each candidate an opportunity to answer each question. The candidates addressed such issues as the redevelopment of Warner Manor, traffic, public transit, the budget, attorney’s fees, historic preservation and the next steps for the sector plan.

The five office-seekers also gave opening and closing statements.

The most time—during opening and closing statements and the question-and-answer session—appeared to focus on mending fences.

Teti said he would bring back work sessions to promote transparency to promote stability.

“I think it’s important that residents are able to see the deliberations of the council and the mayor to understand the thought processes that are working and the decisions that made,” said Teti, who had previously sought a council seat. “There are going to be things that people will disagree over, but they can be understood, especially if the reasons behind them are clear and open for everyone to see.”

Fosselman said he would continue the outreach efforts that he has been doing for the past six years, which include an improved website, newsletter, and weekend coffees for residents who cannot attend council meetings. He said he’d also like to see the town return to the basics, such as a town picnic.

“I’m continuing to run a positive campaign based on my accomplishments and merit,” Fosselman said during his closing statement. “I’d like to see our council return to operating in a civil manner. The last two years have been absolutely horrible.”

McMullen, who is seeking another two-year term, said he would focus again on good humor and being an information gatherer.

“We have some healing to do,” he said. “The fact is there is more that binds us than we disagree on. What I would emphasize are some of the things that we have in common.”

Furman said the residents of the town will not be “judged by how tall the buildings are, but how well we treat each other” and that there are lots of opportunities to be informed: website, listserv, newsletter, town meetings.

“It’s helpful to have respect on both sides,” she said. “I’m pretty pragmatic in my approach and I’m able to step out of my comfort zone and listen to the other side and try to come to a solution.”

Cowan, who has worked promoting democracy around the world, said that the goal of any legislative body is to have a combination of reflecting the views of their constituents and their own experiences, analytical skills and expertise. The most important thing to mitigate problems is to have open communication and “reasonable explanations” for the positions that were taken.

“You can’t even begin to try to satisfy all of the forces at play, even in a small town,” he said. “At some point, I think members of the town council have to simply reach a conclusion about what they think is correct and stick with that view.”

Resident Sharon Roelvnik, who has lived in Kensington for three years, said it was time for the town to move forward. She said she especially wanted to hear from the non-incumbents at the forum.

“We love this little town that we moved into,” said Roelvnik, who is originally from California. “The town meetings have been quite contentious…and there were times when it was quite uncomfortable. [The sector plan has] been approved.  Let’s move on and make it the best we can.”