MARLBOROUGH – It’s election season in Marlborough.
As such, city voters will soon head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 2 to decide a handful of contested races.
Incumbent Mayor Arthur Vigeant is seeking another term. He’s running against David Garceau in a rematch of the 2019 election.
Incumbent School Committee members Michelle Bodin-Hettinger, Denise Ryan and Earl Geary are running alongside Maureen Brennan in a four-way race for three seats on the committee.
Ward 4 City Councilor Robert Tunnera is also running for re-election. He is being challenged by Teona Brown.
There are no other contested City Council races as each of Marlborough’s other councilors are running for re-election unopposed.
The Community Advocate reached out to all candidates in contested races, inviting them to make a candidate statement and answer a handful of questions.
Vigeant’s statement and answers can be viewed below…
See responses from other candidates…
Please provide a statement introducing yourself to voters.
I have spent my entire life in the City of Marlborough and 18 years serving on the City Council prior to being elected as Mayor. My wife Sue and I raised our family here and we are proud that our children have also decided Marlborough is a great place to raise their children. This is my fifth term overseeing a great public school system while continuing to improve City services.
As Chair of the Marlborough School Committee, I’ve worked closely with Marlborough Public Schools to ensure the City is giving a great education to our next generation of leaders. My experience as a Certified Public Accountant and a small business owner gives me a unique perspective and set of skills that that I bring to the Mayor’s office every day. My leadership has led to greater efficiencies in City government and guarantees that taxpayer dollars are being spent appropriately.
Marlborough is the cornerstone of economic growth for MetroWest and Central Massachusetts. Under my leadership, over seven thousand jobs have returned to Marlborough and it has become a sought-after destination for advanced manufacturers, as well as the high tech and life science industries. The incredible economic growth in Marlborough over the past ten years has enabled the City to invest in its future and keep its tax rate affordable.
Q1: In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges/issues/concerns currently facing the City of Marlborough?
Being able to balance the City’s growth. We are a very attractive community to developers right now and have no lack of projects coming forward. It’s picking the right projects that will be beneficial to the City and our residents while balancing stable growth without putting a burden on our services and infrastructure.
During my tenure, the City has seen balanced housing growth in addition to an amazing new Apex Center that attracts thousands of customers of all ages yearly bringing in over $1.5M annually in revenue to the community.
Business sectors are having trouble with staffing issues as well as shortages of products and supplies. This national problem has led to delays in some of our repair projects across the City. We will continue to hold job fairs, resume workshops to help companies fill positions, and shuttle services to and from the train station. I continue to meet new-to-the-City business leaders and maintain relationships with current leaders. The Marlborough Economic Development Corp will continue to support small businesses with creative programs and grant funding when applicable.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to use resources, specifically our Board of Health who is tasked with tracking cases. We continue to monitor local and state health statistics and communicate with Marlborough Hospital often.
Q2: What are your goals for your term if elected/re-elected?
Continue my commitment in the public schools and integrating curriculum into the classroom that is applicable with our major life science companies in the City. Upgrading our public housing facilities is also a top priority. Currently, we are renovating the Pleasant Street housing facilities and will be replacing the roof at 240 Main St. I really want to commit to finishing the Lincoln Street project and see the redevelopment of that area begin. The infrastructure has been upgraded and development plans are in process for the Mechanic and Lincoln Street area that will connect the Assabet Rail Trail to Main Street. It’s been a long time coming and will be an improvement for French Hill residents.
We continue to make a large investment in our infrastructure, and we will begin the last phase of our lead service replacement project shortly. We just kicked off the groundbreaking ceremony for the Marlborough Public Library expansion project, and we have identified a location for the long-awaited west side Fire Station. We will continue to monitor our shuttle service and look at expansion opportunities if warranted since more people are returning to work.
My staff and I will continue our commitment on annual road repairs and maintain our prestigious AAA bond rating that allows the City to borrow at a significantly lower interest rate saving our taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Q3: Is there anything else you would like to share with community members?
COVID brought new challenges and I’m proud to say that we kept the City fully operational during this difficult time. We pivoted to virtual learning and public meetings when necessary and set up an informational hotline for residents. Our Board of Health worked closely with Marlborough Hospital and local pharmacies in setting up testing sites and vaccination clinics. We even opened the new Goodnow Elementary School amid COVID and expanded on the popular Hometown Hero Banner Program (Veteran Banners) that line the downtown streets.
In addition to the new school, other major achievements under my leadership include: $967k restoration of Memorial Beach, $3M renovation of Ward Park, $7M new Senior Center, two new turf fields, and a $23M Public Library renovation project that has just begun.
Marlborough is still affordable in comparison to the neighboring communities and it’s my priority to keep it that way by balancing development and bringing in additional commercial revenue. I look forward to continuing to maintain services and improve our infrastructure while making Marlborough a great place to live, work and play. I humbly ask for your vote on November 2nd.
