Bruce Bowler Wants To Continue Service To Town

Bruce Bowler is with his hometown for the long haul.

The current chair for the Board of Selectman is seeking re-election this year in the contested race for two open selectman seats. He is running against incumbent Brad Galinson and newcomer Charlie Sherman.

“Amherst is my home and I need to be involved and do something for the community,” said Bowler.

The lifelong resident has served on the board for nine years and has served as either chair or vice-chair for most of his time in service. Prior to that he had served on the highway department, fire department and ways and means committee in town.

He wants to continue serving on the board in order to continue working with taxpayers and town employees to guide Amherst through the economic recovery. His main focus will be to make sure that the town is spending responsibly, but putting money where it needs to be in order to keep future costs down.

“There is no way we could sit back and let the town go backwards,” he said. “If you start doing that, it is going to cost you in the long run.”

Bowler explained that he has a passion for the Amherst community and isn’t afraid to do what needs to be done to help out. For example, he has been known to step in with some labor if a department is in need or assist in cleanup after a storm like Snowtober.

He added that he has been proud of the work the board has done since he joined, such as establishing a 24/7 dispatch center and working with town departments on their budgets.

Volunteers are an essential part of the community, according to Bowler, and he said will continue to work to find ways to maintain volunteerism in Amherst. This includes finding fair compensation and benefits for the town’s employees who work to make the town a safe and positive place to live.

At the same time, he wants to ensure that taxpayers are considered and that the town’s budget is crafted fairly and sensibly each year.

“I want to keep a reasonable budget and maintain the services that the residents of this town have come to expect and want,” he said.

His knowledge and experience in town and work maintaining budgets at his position at Ferrotec makes him an ideal candidate to continue serving on the board of selectman, says Bowler.

Looking into the future, he said that he wants to continue working on Amherst’s economic development and maintain his open communication with the public to solve the big issues facing the town.

“The bottom line is the taxpayer and I want to continue to listen to the residents and do what is right for the town,” said Bowler.