The Board of Assessors is responsible for determining the fair and equitable valuation of all real and personal property in the town and proposing the tax rate, in accordance with Massachusetts laws. The BOA impacts every residence and business.
Longmeadow Select Board member Dan Zwirko nominated his next-door neighbor for appointment to the Board of Assessors and pushed his appointment with the key qualification of having “new eyes and a fresh start.” Two Select Board members as if reading from a script used the same expressions for their primary justification for the appointment over an incumbent going for a reappointment.
The terms “new eyes “and “fresh start “depend on the context of usage and can have varied meanings. Regardless of usage, it generally interpreted as meaning something is wrong with a process and there is a need for change. The terms can also be recognized as ageism.
The successful applicant for the BOA has served on the Municipal Fiber Taskforce and has a background in information technology. The incumbent who was up for reappointment has been on the BOA for a year and a half. He has also served for three years on Capital Planning and nine years as a Select Board member. His background is in facility management, construction, and personnel management.
Last year the BOA processed a record number of abatements for our community. The unanswered question is just what needed to be fixed on the BOA to make it better and more functional than it is presently? Was the incumbent too burdened with experience and wisdom, or was he just plain too old?
As a result of the Select Board’s actions the BoA Chairman with fifteen years’ experience has resigned. This year’s abatement review process starts in ten days with a BoA that will have two brand new members along with one member who has served for two years.
Wake up, Longmeadow. We need answers and deserve better.
Richard Foster
Longmeadow
