8 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 5, 2023
COMMUNITY NEWS Assabet Chamber of Commerce hosts candidates’ night Candidates | from page 1
tinue to improve the town’s infrastructure and provide the best services within fiscal restraints. “I will take all the input I receive from the public into consideration when making decisions on various town issues,” he said. His opponent, Kabakoff, submitted a written statement. Kabakoff moved from Acton to Hudson in 2015, has a master’s in business administration and has served in the Air Force. A retiree in 2017, he served 17 years on the Acton Finance Committee and two Select Board terms in Acton. “Trying to make a difference through the system is in my DNA,” he said. Kabakoff believed he could make a difference in Hudson with the skill set he has. He pointed to last year’s proposal by Portman Industrial for a 1.2-million-square-foot
warehouse on the former Intel property as an example of having zoning by-laws that are hard to understand. He said, “We should support the study to update the zoning in our town.” He concluded that he has experience and “provides a fresh approach” to problemsolving for the town. School Committee For School Committee, Steven Sharek, Erica Ankstitus and Nicholas Martino shared their background and reason for their candidacy. Among the questions, the candidates were asked about the “budget cliff” and the top three priorities should be for the newly appointed Superintendent Brian Reagan. Sharek said he supported the appointment of Reagan as superintendent and was proud of the School Committee for coming together during
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negotiations. The challenges ahead for the Hudson Schools, he believed, were to improve relations with the Town Select Board and Finance Committee, to raise the public profile of Hudson schools, and a smooth transition for the superintendent. For her top three priorities, Ankstitus highlighted student participation before and after school as a priority and hoped “to work with the superintendent to come up with creative ideas.” She said they needed to figure out why students are missing school, and also support students who may struggle socially and emotionally since the pandemic. Martino also noted equity, or ensuring students with the greatest needs are served by the schools, and community, especially showing people what they are investing in at
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the schools, were top priorities. Light Board The Hudson Light Board has two candidates on the ballot, Justin Provencher and Lawrence Fine. Fine was not running for a position, but to support the non binding referendum called Secure Green Future. He was an advocate for sustainable, renewable energy. He was there that evening to bring “more of an awareness of the need for renewable, clean energy,” with the hope of making it more affordable in the future. Provencher, who has served since 2017, was asked about the issues Hudson Light and Power faces, and he noted the age of the infrastructure,
especially transmission lines. “One of the issues we have currently is supply and demand where there is not enough supply,” he said. “We’re unable to purchase certain things.” Board of Health In the Board of Health contest, Tony Buscemi and Allyson O’Malley are running. Buscemi was in attendance. Buscemi said he has been in Hudson for over 50 years. He is the owner of Buscemi’s Convenience in town with his two sons. He noted his experience running a deli and handling food safety as well. With his small business experience, he said, “I can give a lot of insight about food safety and about decision making for businesses.”
Schlacter retires as chamber president Schlacter | from page 1
basic question – what is the real value proposition of a membership in the chamber? “I listened to what members wanted,” he said. The chamber was relaunched with a new brand and mission statement, and lots of new programming. “We’ve added a layer of networking events – monthly meetings at breakfast, lunch and dinner,” he said. In addition, the chamber has added how-to programs for chamber members, from creating a 401k program for your business to how to apply for grants to forming networking groups. Less than a year after he joined, he found himself with a challenge that kept everyone busy for the next two-plus years – the COVID-19 pandemic. “COVID hit, and we were told to go home,” said Schlacter. Instead of putting everything on hold, the chamber pivoted and executed almost everything – including most events – virtually. This included a tri-chamber program, partnered with the Collings Foundation, that honored veterans. The program included a virtual tour of the
American Heritage Museum in Hudson. “We continued to grow through COVID thanks to our amazing staff, which was incredible considering every event was virtual. What really moved me was how members rallied around the chamber,” said Schlacter. In addition, the chamber helped members navigate local, state and federal regulations regarding COVID-19, including the Paycheck Protection Program and obtaining loans. “The chamber did a great job advocating for our members,” he said. “There were incredible acts of selflessness by chamber members.” Looking back, and forward With the pandemic easing, Schlacter can look back on the last four years with pride. The chamber currently includes 400 business members – “every industry you can think of,” he said. “I made the change from a large corporation to a regional, nonprofit membership organization. It was one of the best experiences I had in my professional career,” he added. “I apSchlacter | 9