Why I am running for Reelection to the Select Board for the 7th Time

Dear Longmeadow Neighbor,

I am writing to ask for your vote for the Longmeadow Select Board.  A preliminary election is being held on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, and the final election is being held on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.  Your support is important in both the preliminary as well as in the June 3 election. Polls are open from 7AM to 8 PM at the Longmeadow Community House on both those days.

The Town of Longmeadow is required to hold preliminary elections when there are more than two candidates for each position.  Five people submitted nomination papers for the two Select Board Positions, necessitating the May 6 preliminary election. 

In addition to asking for your vote, I am also requesting that you share this message on Facebook and other social media including email to other Longmeadow residents, along with your endorsement, asking that they too support my candidacy.

[Here is the direct link to this information for sharing via email --> bit.ly/3RJM8ud

I am running for reelection to the Select Board because I believe I can uniquely continue to contribute to the progress of Longmeadow.   

The experience I’ve gained during my 16 years on the Select Board (since 2009) has provided me with knowledge and understanding of the issues that are important to the residents of Longmeadow, and the ability to make progress on resolving those issues.  My position as the senior member of the Select Board provides stability and consistency that continues to support our Town Manager and Chief Financial Officer.  Yet with all that my past initiatives have helped achieve, there are achievements that remain incomplete, and I am asking for your vote to allow me to complete these goals. 

Over the past 16 years I have brought much to the town through my involvement on the Select Board.  A summary of some of my notable achievements includes the following:

• Helped develop and supported sixteen consecutive annual town budgets within the limitations of Proposition 2½.
   
• Identified and oversaw the purchase and conversion of the town’s street lights to LEDs, saving the town over $500,000 per year in lease and operating costs.
   
• Identified and helped implement an automated water meter reading system for the town that enabled redeployment of three water department employees and enabled a more equitable water use billing system.
   
• Supported the town through the October 2011 power outage.  As the chair of the Select Board at the time of the 2011 week-long power outage I worked daily to assure that our electric utility company gave sufficient resources to Longmeadow during this difficult time.  I organized a meeting at Longmeadow High School with the CEO of Western Mass Electric to give residents the opportunity to speak directly with the utility CEO during this crisis.
   
• I took the lead in the negotiation with MGM that resulted in a $265,000+ annual surrounding community payment for the town.
   
• I led the effort to pass the 0.75% supplemental local meals tax.  This tax that was estimated to bring in $60,000 per year has resulted in revenue that is over $150,000 in the current fiscal year.
  
  
• Along with CFO Paul Pasterczyk, I led the effort for structuring and securing bonding (funds) for the Longmeadow High School construction project.  The bonding structure optimized the payment structure of the bonds to minimize the impact on tax rates over the life of the bonds.  My education and training make me uniquely qualified among Select Board candidates to support this municipal bonding as we move toward funding a new middle school.
   
•  I developed and guided the Select Board to pass an improved sewer rate structure that significantly reduces sewer payments for water used to irrigate lawns.
   
• I have been instrumental in the negotiations of three trash hauling contracts.  My participation in the trash hauling contract process significantly advanced the town’s negotiating capability, not because Longmeadow’s purchasing team is weak, but because their negotiation skills are limited.  Other than trash hauling, the state requires other contracts be awarded to the low bidder. Trash contracts can be negotiated.  When negotiating against a large corporation such as these haulers, the town has found that it helps to have someone on the Town’s side of the table who is experienced in understanding the negotiating process and goals of the vendor on the other side of the table. 
  
  Most recently I had a leadership role in negotiating the FY 2026-2030 contract for the curb-side pick-up of trash, directly participating in vendor discussions during those contract negotiations.  As a result of this involvement, the town contracted for trash hauling (the second largest contract of the town) at a first-year cost that is lower than the prior contract.

In the coming term I will continue to bring opportunities for financial and operational savings to Longmeadow, such as those listed above.  New revenue streams will be pursued, such as leasing our old DPW land for development into a solar farm.  Additionally, I initiated a program that will bring town residents the opportunity to participate in the group purchase of electricity through a Municipal Aggregation project to get savings on their home electrical bill.

 

People who follow the actions of the Select Board know that I have an understanding at both the budgeting level as well as the operational level of the financial issues of the town and its functional departments.  My work for the town goes beyond the twice-monthly board meetings.  I represent Longmeadow on the Metropolitan Planning Committee, Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, and the Scantic Valley Regional Health trust as well as continuing to track the interests of the town at the Hampden County Regional Retirement board. 

In closing, I ask for your vote in both the preliminary (May 6) and final (June 3) Select Board elections so that I can remain on the Longmeadow Select Board and continue to assure that the quality and character of Longmeadow remains the same as you expected when you first moved to town.

Thank you for your support.

Mark Gold
Longmeadow Select Board

Our Longmeadow Select Board Needs Some Changes

Letter to the Editor- Feb. 12, 2025

The recent resignation of Longmeadow Board of Assessors Chairperson Michael Zeller in his letter to The Reminder raises questions on the rationale and decision by the Select Board which led to Mr. Zeller’s stepping down.

Mr. Zeller who has 15 years of experience on the board made the recommendation to maintain Richard Foster to the Board of Assessors but three Select Board members in the majority voted against him in favor of an inexperienced newcomer. Mr. Foster has served the town admirably in various positions including as a member of the Longmeadow Select Board.

Vote for Michael Mclane appointment to Board of Assessors
12/16/24 Select Board Meeting

The newcomer for nominee for the board was a neighbor of a Select Board member with no experience as compared to that of Mr. Foster. Nepotism? Back door politics? Was the decision by three members of the Select Board to vote against Mr. Foster retaliatory since he filed an open meeting complaint with the Massachusetts State Attorney General’s office last August based on the selection of a resident for a position on the Board of Registrars who was personally attacked by a select board member.

We have enough drama with elected officials in the Massachusetts State House and in Washington DC. The residents of Longmeadow need certain members of the town Select Board to put their political motivations aside.

Abraham Lincoln said it best... We want a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”

Fran Bogdanowicz
Longmeadow 

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[Here is the video clip showing the 12/16/24 Select Board meeting discussion during which Richard Foster was replaced by inexperienced newcomer Michael Mclane on the Board of Assessors.  If you watch the clip you will observe clear bias against Mr. Foster despite current chair's (Michael Zeller) strong letter of recommendation to the contrary.] 

Survey Results- Longmeadow Town Owned Fiber Network

This survey was conducted by LongmeadowBiz, LLC to determine the interest of town residents in supporting a fully town owned optical fiber Internet network as a competitor to Comcast/ XFinity.  There were 100 responses to this survey.

Background Info

Warrant article #9 at the upcoming November 12, 2024 Longmeadow Special Town Meeting warrant asks voters to transfer $491,444 of available "free cash" to commence design/ engineering work and required applications for addition of fiber cable to town telephone poles.

ARTICLE 9 To see if the Town will vote to transfer from available funds in the Treasury, the sum of $491,444.16, or a greater or lesser sum, for the purpose of fiber network design, project management services, pole attachment applications, and to authorize the MLP board to take all steps necessary to carry out this task, or take any other action relative thereto.

Here are some of the highlights to the LongmeadowBiz survey questions:

1. 82% of users rate Comcast's Internet service as Fair --> Excellent while 17% rate it as unacceptable.
2. The high cost of Comcast service (including TV programming) was ranked as the highest service complaint (71%).
3. Town residents use their Comcast Internet connection for a variety of reasons with the highest usage being for email, social media, TV programing and web browsing (87+%).  72% also use it for working from home.
4. 31% of respondents indicated that they need higher speeds while 56% indicated that their Internet service and speed was sufficient.
5. Greatest concerns about the proposed project included the cost, potential increase in taxes, long term maintenance and management and the transition process from the existing supplier.
6. There was financial support for the project by town residents including support for a small increase in taxes if the project delivered on its promises.
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a summary of additional comments provided by Survey Respondents:

• Challenges for the Town: Some believe the town lacks the capacity to manage a fiber network due to other major infrastructure projects including building a new school, replacing water/sewer lines and road repair.
• Skepticism of Municipal Management: There’s concern that managing utilities or communication networks may not be appropriate or effective for local governments.
• Competition and Sustainability Concerns: Some worry that competition from other Internet providers or emerging technologies might make a local town owned fiber network less sustainable in the long run.
• Frustration with Comcast: While some residents have reliable internet, others criticize Comcast for high rates, monopoly control, and lack of alternatives.
• Political Concerns: A few respondents expressed frustration with Comcast for political reasons, opposing support for their media platforms and favoring local alternatives.
• Self-Sufficiency Goal: Supporters believe the project can become self-sufficient, pointing to the success of other community fiber initiatives.