2022 Natick Candidate Profile: Kathryn Coughlin, Select Board

NATICK, MA — Voters in Natick will have a rare chance to elect two new members to the Select Board.

Longtime Select Board members Sue Salamoff and Richard Jennett will step down when their terms end this spring. Three candidates have stepped up to run for the two open seats: Kathryn Coughlin, Bruce Evans and Cody Jacobs.

To help voters get to know each candidate, Natick Patch sent all three a questionnaire to probe their thoughts on municipal issues. Here's what Coughlin had to say:

Occupation: Consultant on human rights in the global Muslim world
Experience as an elected official: Town meeting member; appointed to the Natick Zoning Board of Appeals for 5 years

What do you think is the biggest issue facing Natick, and what would you do about it?

The single most important issue facing Natick is the town's fiscal sustainability. Without ensuring that, we cannot make progress on the other serious issues facing us: sustainability and the environment; capital planning; economic and commercial development; helping our town's elderly to age in place; expanding our affordable housing stock; addressing social and economic inequities. Before committing to an operational tax override, I will examine all the available data, ask the hard questions and work with our town administrator and school superintendent to ensure that they have the resources they need. Supporting our commercial businesses is key: when they are successful, tax revenue like local option taxes increases. To that end, I support a single tax rate for both residents and businesses. And I understand the economic pressures that Natick residents are facing now with rampant inflation and higher fuel prices, which is why I propose a means-tested tax exemption for the first $100,000 of assessed value for owner-occupied residences.

Natick may have to decide later this year whether to adopt the CPA. Where do you stand on that issue?

Each year, the state offers a match from the Community Preservation Trust Fund, which is supported by fees collected at the Registry of Deeds and occasional appropriations by the state legislature. Over the last 22 years, Natick residents have paid these title transfer fees to the Registry of Deeds, which was then transferred to the state Community Preservation Trust Fund and distributed to towns and cities that had adopted CPA. None of this money came back to Natick. In the current proposal, a home assessed at $600,000 would have a property tax bill of $8,004. The first $100,000 of assessed value is exempted from the surcharge, so the surcharge would be calculated on taxes for a $500,000 home or $6,670. A 1 percent surcharge would cost that homeowner an additional $66.70 or a little over $5 a month. Based on these criteria, the CPA would generate a little over a $1 million a year for Natick. The Natick proposal also offers an exemption for qualified ownership of low income housing and low and moderate income senior housing. These are funds that could be used to purchase open space, aid historical preservation and buy or build affordable housing.

Had Natick adopted CPA in 2001 as is now proposed, we would have collected more than $30 million for our Community Preservation Fund. The Fund would have received a state match totaling $6 million or more.

Natick in 2022 will form a governance committee to study town strengths and weaknesses. What do you think the town's strengths and weaknesses are, and what changes would you want in any charter review?

One of Natick’s strengths is its professional staff. Our community is fortunate to have committed, smart and hard-working staff in the town’s many departments and in our schools. We need to commit resources to support and retain them, especially during this time of the “Great Resignation.” Another strength is the quality of many of our volunteers who serve on boards and committees. We have a vibrant arts and cultural community, a lovely downtown and one of the best farmers markets in the state.

As for weaknesses, I think that the representative town meeting as a form of governance should be reviewed. We rarely have contested races or full slates of candidates running for town meeting; and some members are chronic absentees. The most oft-heard complaint is that town meeting takes too long; many other peer towns are able to complete business in two nights. Natick’s annual town meeting can run several weeks and is usually 3 hours long each night. We need to look for efficiencies and possible reform to ensure that we have an engaged electorate. I would not want to prejudge the outcome of the town governance committee’s findings in asserting a charter change review.

Due to rising school and town costs, the Select Board may have to decide whether to put a Prop 2 override on the ballot. Where do you stand on this issue?

The pandemic has exacerbated Natick’s structural budget deficit over the past two years. On the revenue side, local receipts are slowly rising as more people eat out and stay in hotels, but it isn’t increasing quickly enough. New growth is also slack, as the cost of building materials has soared and problems with the global supply chain continue. Rising interest rates also makes new growth more expensive. On the plus side, state aid is expected to increase by 13 percent. On the expense side, health insurance has risen 4.5 percent this year, and the supply chain problems impact the town. And retaining our excellent professional staff also costs money. Additionally, we need to rebuild our reserve funds, as we’ve borrowed from them during the pandemic. All of these things point to the very real possibility of a Proposition 2 ½ override in the near future. But I will not just automatically assume that it is inevitable without reviewing all the data. As I noted above in question one, I understand the economic pressures that Natick residents are facing now with rampant inflation and higher fuel prices, which is why I propose a means-tested tax exemption for the first $100,000 of assessed value for owner-occupied residences.

If you could snap your fingers and make it happen, what's one thing you would change or fix in Natick?

If I could only do one thing that would instantly change something in Natick, it would be to eliminate racism, inequity, and hateful or discriminatory acts of any kind. That no resident would be discriminated against, harassed or excluded based on gender, race, class, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, learning style, abilities or political party. While Natick strives to be an inclusive community, we still have work to do. I am hopeful that the hiring of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer will help us in our efforts to make Natick a place where everyone is welcomed and feels safe.

More Natick 2022 election coverage:

• Natick 2022 Candidate Profile: Julie McDonough, School Committee
• Longtime Natick FinCom Member Will Seek Select Board Seat
• New Natick Select Board Candidate Enters 2022 Race
• Natick Woman Charged In Capitol Riot Won't Be On 2022 Ballot