Election 2018: Eaton Brings Financial Savvy To Selectman's Race

WILMINGTON, MA -- Wilmington voters head to the polls on April 28 for municipal elections. Patch reached out to candidates running in contested races for their thoughts on the issues facing Wilmington. This is the first in a series profiling the candidates running for selectman.

Jonathan Eaton has one thing the other two candidates don't have in the April 28 own election for an open seat on the Wilmington Board of Selectmen: the endorsement of the person currently holding the seat. Eaton is facing Rob Fasulo (who Patch profiled on Monday) and Joseph R. Mastrangelo, but Michael Champoux endorsed Eaton at the same time he announced he would not be running for reelection.

Eaton, 35, is a divorce attorney who currently sits on the towns finance board. He and his wife Sarah have a 17-month-old daughter.

We asked Easton and all candidates in contested races in the April 28 town elections a series of questions on the issues facing Wilmington. Here's what he had to say:

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Balancing the town's need for affordable housing with the preservation of our suburban community.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have been an active and vocal member of the town's Finance Committee for the past six years, and as such, have a strong grasp of our town's finances and operations.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

I was disappointed that the remaining members of the board voted on November 13, 2017 against placing the land next to St. Dorothy's, acquired in 2013 on the Warrant for the upcoming 2018 Town Meeting. I believe in the process of open town meeting; the most democratic form of government. Our town's governing body is the registered voters of our community, and the Board of Selectmen should not have prevented the residents from deciding what to do with that land.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

The idea of creating an economic development committee is not a new one, but it has generated a lot of discussion in recent months. Over the past year, we have seen residents mobilize over business proposals that run contrary to the desires of our neighborhoods.

An economic development committee’s objective is to identify and recruit the types of businesses that we want to have in town. We can stop playing defense, and start playing offense. Let’s be proactive and find the types of businesses that we want in town, and go out and get them into our underutilized and vacant commercial properties.

Terri Marciello and her staff do a wonderful job at the senior center. They have a diverse offering of programs, that are well-attended.

If you drive by during the day, you will often times see cars parked on School Street, as the recently-expanded parking lot is still too small. Too often, the parking spills over to the lower lot where the high school kids park, meaning that our seniors are walking up and down that hill in the dead of winter.

They have outgrown the Buzzell School building. They have been forced to utilize the Fourth of July Building for some of their programs, again, forcing the seniors to walk down, and back up, that hill, and recently a knitting class had no other option but to meet in the senior center kitchen.

To have a bathroom that is not handicap accessible in a senior center is unacceptable.

Our population age 60 and over is projected to grow by 48% between 2010 and 2030. These are the individuals who voted overwhelmingly for a new high school, the invoices for which we are all now seeing in our quarterly property tax bills. Our seniors deserve better than the current senior center, and Wilmington can and should do better for our seniors.

If you gain this position, what accomplishment would define your term in office as a success?

A new senior center.

Please share with voters a story about wisdom gained from a mistake you made in your life or career.

In college, I had the opportunity to manage a group of students in designing curriculum for a new class. There were many different ideas, and many different personalities. I could have done a better job in managing tasks and responsibilities with some of the other students on our team. The end product was a well-designed class, but the process was more difficult than it could have been.

In debriefing, I realized that in managing difficult personalities, it is best to give them tasks and responsibilities designed to engage them in the goals of the organization, giving them a sense of ownership. If handled well, their energy previously devoted to criticism can be steered towards pulling in the same direction.

Why should voters trust you?

I have experience in reviewing the town department operations, as well as critiquing the annual proposed budgets. I have been consistently involved in the community. As an attorney, I have both the ability to advocate effectively, and can provide industry insight as we transition our town counsel.

Share a quote that defines your philosophy:

"Where wise actions are the fruit of life, wise discourse is the pollination." -- Bryant H. McGill

What questions should be asked of current government employees accountable to your board?

We have an IT department for town-side operations, as well as for the public schools. Currently, there is no public school technology coordinator. Understanding the need for some IT professionals to be dedicated to school operations and educational software and infrastructure, why have we not consolidated the two departments to take advantage of the economies of scale to reduce the cost of acquisition for our town and school technology needs?

Explain your attitudes toward fiscal policy, government spending and how taxpayer dollars should be handled by your office (or board)?

I believe in conservative and transparent fiscal management of taxpayer dollars.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have been a vocal member of the Finance Committee, as well as involved in the Library's Strategic Planning Committee. I am an active member and a past president of the Wilmington Rotary Club.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Never tell anyone that you know how they feel. No matter the similarities in circumstances, everyone faces their own obstacles in their own unique way.

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Are you running for office in Wilmington on April 28? Contact Dave Copeland at dave.copeland@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Wilmington Patch.

Photo by Jonathan Eaton.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).