Patrick Long '10

Hi,

I am running for Selectman because I think Great Barrington can do better, even in times as tough as these. We are going to have to make some difficult choices in the next few years, and I have the experience to make the right ones after serving on the Finance Committee for three years. My top priorities are getting our economy back on track and making the Selectboard more accountable to the citizens of Great Barrington and Housatonic.

Our first priority should be creating jobs. Massachusetts had a 10.4% unemployment rate as of January. That doesn't count people who have given up on looking for work. In the short term, creating jobs requires optimizing the resources currently available to us. We should be working with local businesses to find out their major obstacles to hiring, and remove those obstacles. Town-owned properties should generally be sold to buyers who are going to create the most good jobs.

In the long run, we need to rethink our approach to job creation. The town is losing population, especially people in my age bracket (I'm 22). I'm here to stay, and I want to make sure others around my age are too. We need to create more jobs that appeal to recent college graduates and expand our economy beyond reliance on tourism. Tourist dollars are great during the good times, but vacations are a luxury, which means that a small recession in New York or Boston can cause us to have a big recession. We should work with other cities and towns in Western Mass to find solutions. This problem needs to be addressed on a more regional basis. Everyone from Springfield west has problems similar to ours.

The major issues that matter to almost all business owners or prospective business owners are the education and skills of the local workforce, public safety, and transportation links to a customer population large enough for the business to be profitable. All three areas should be trageted in a comprehensive regional economic development plan.

A brief note about good government: The current Selectmen have made a few mistakes in their use of executive session and may not have fully complied with the state's open meeting laws.  I believe these were honest mistakes which they will try to avoid in the future. My main concern in this area is that two of the other candidates running might make things worse. Two of the other candidates are on the School Committee and have definitely been resistant to accepting input from the Finance Committee during the time I have been on the FC. My impression from conversations with concerned parents and taxpayers is that they have been similarly resistant to any kind of public input and have often conducted meetings in ways designed to minimize the influence of dissenters.

If you have any questions about these or other issues, please feel free to contact me through the website or call me at (413) 841-5595.

Please contact me for more information.