For Your Consideration: John Carlson

Editor's Note: Every morning this week, Grafton.Patch.com will feature a profile and video introduction from each of the 5 candidates for 2 open seats for selectman. The candidates were each asked to answer questions submitted by our staff and the public and to include a video telling why they should receive your vote. Mr. Carlson chose not to submit a video.

Candidate profiles are running in the order they were received. Today's candidate is John Carlson.

Name: John L. Carlson

Age: 65

Address: 42 Old Upton Rd.

Occupation: Self employed-carpenter-boat builder-stained glass artisan (prior experience 20 years management).

Relevant experience: Selectman for 3 years, Affordable Housing Trust  6 years (present chair), Agricultural Commission 1 year, present Inspector of Animals for the town of Grafton 10 years, Center Fire Station Building Committee, 4 years, past member on Economic Development Committee, present co-chair on the Grafton Community Advisory group (Tufts). Twenty years of management experience with a company that sent me to 5 facilities to troubleshoot. I worked with the staff, made changes I felt would turn the loss to a profitable facility and never had to make the decision to close the plants.

How voters can reach you: At my Website www.carlsonforgrafton.com  Cell phone:  508- 612-7373  Home:  508-839-3248.

Why did you decide to run for selectman? 

I believe the town of Grafton needs the experience that I can offer, which will be necessary to make the tough choices that will be facing the town in the upcoming 3 years. Additionally, I feel that implementing strategic planning in areas of facilities management and capital expenditures will allow the town to spread the costs of on-going upkeep and new building if necessary. I have experience with large budgets and I know what can be reduced and where we cannot compromise funding. I believe that communication is essential in maintaining effective government and I hope to have an impact on implementing routine updates on projects and issues that should come before the Board of Selectmen.

What is the most pressing issue facing Grafton? 

Getting our house in order!

What will make you a good selectman? 

My experience, my love of Grafton, my devotion to the position as proven in my previous term as selectman, and my ability to listen to what the taxpayers of Grafton are saying. This job is not one to take lightly. It requires respect for people, and the trust the voters place in their elected officials. I believe that good decisions are the result of thorough investigations.  There are always more than one way to attack a problem and resolve an issue. I feel I bring these qualities to this job.

The town’s infrastructure (roads, buildings, dams and vehicles) is crumbling. What is the best way to fix it? Should the town borrow $15M in one shot, introduce new taxes or take another approach? 

We cannot at this time take such a great step as borrowing $15M. Our infrastructure took time to get in its present condition and cannot be fixed overnight. We need to take a long-term approach to this. We need to make a plan and stick to it, and not let any other agenda get in the way. We build buildings, and other than the school, provide no long-term maintenance program to cover what we build. We wait 20 years to find out that the roof leaks. However, that being said, it all comes down to the dollars, or the lack there of. For the next 2-3 years we may have to fix the crucial issues as they come up. However, we need to build a long-term plan to budget for routine maintenance and upgrades on every building and road so that we will never face this situation again.

Fiscal times are tough. How can Grafton keep taxes and budgets under control as state revenues, property values and personal incomes shrink? 

By being fiscally prudent. The town always seems to be "putting out fires" instead of creating them. Granted, there are some we have no control over, like 100-year rainstorms and record winters. We are fortunate that we have a good handle on our free cash and stabilization fund, which can be used to make up shortfalls. We survived the Great Depression by working together, using every resource available to minimize waste, and we did without anything that was not critical. In many ways our town government can take a lesson from that time. I’m sure we will all come together and sacrifice what we must in order to have what we need.  We are a town with many resources in our community. It has been my experience that people step up to the plate when they are asked. Perhaps we need only ask.