Cindy Russo and Bob Eubank, the two candidates for Town Moderator, share a laugh during their debate in Volunteers Hall on Tuesday night. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
When Harvard voters head to the polls Sept. 16, they will have a choice of two candidates for Town Moderator, both with long resumés of volunteer activity in town, as well as a similar regard for the traditional Town Meeting and a cautious approach to any change in the way that institution is run. Both Bob Eubank and Cindy Russo pledged to stay above partisanship in their opening statements to the small crowd assembled for the League of Women Voters Candidate’s Forum Tuesday night in Volunteers Hall, where the candidates fielded questions from LWV moderator Janice Boyce and the audience.
Differences between the two candidates appear largely confined to demeanor and professional background. Bob Eubank, who has served the town as a selectman, Library Trustee, and member of both the Zoning and Planning boards, currently works as the executive director of the Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA). NEHRA is one of the largest human resources organizations in the country, Eubank said in a phone interview on Sept. 7. That background gives him the skills the Town Moderator needs, he said, for the position’s two principal duties: choosing the right people to serve on the Finance Committee and running Town Meeting.
Paul Green poses a question to the two candidates.
“When it comes to evaluating people for positions, I have a long track record of expertise, and I bring that to the table,” he said.
Getting a good variety of people in all stages of life is as important as the right financial skill set, he added. Just as important, he believes, are his skills as a trained mediator. It is no secret that Town Meeting can get contentious, but Eubank said his background could be helpful when resolving differences and moving the process along.
“I have mediation skills and tactics that can be used to solve differences, and that comes into play too.”
Eubank’s responses during the forum yielded an easy wit and light touch, while emphasizing his vision of a meeting with time limits for speakers, an adherence to Town Meeting procedure and etiquette, and a respect for tradition.
“The moderator presides over one of the oldest traditions in our democracy,” Eubank told the audience, adding that he would like to continue in the tradition of past Town Moderators with some “wit, intelligence, and common sense.”
Cindy Russo has an equally lengthy resumé as a volunteer, having served the town as a selectman, a member of the Planning Board and the Devens Focus Group, chairman of the Public Safety Building Committee, and former chairman of the Finance Committee. An attorney and graduate of Harvard Law School, Russo took a hiatus from practicing real estate law to raise her four children and volunteer her skills where needed, a path that took her to almost full-time volunteerism. Her broad experience gives her a depth of knowledge of town government, Russo said in an interview on Sept. 8, that would be helpful as Town Moderator.
“I know and value the town,” she said.
Debbie Ricci, Ron Ricci, and Dan Justicz listen to the candidates respond to questions.
Russo believes her background as an attorney and her knowledge of legal process make her uniquely qualified for the position. In her research about Town Meeting procedure, she has found a strong precedent for attorneys as moderators, she said, and pointed out that in her years as a volunteer, she has run any number of meetings to a successful conclusion. Like Eubank, Russo supports the idea of time limits for speakers at Town Meeting, as well as a tactful, respectful approach to resolving controversial issues.
Russo also pointed out that her background as chairman of the Finance Committee would be helpful in evaluating candidates for those positions.
“I understand the variety of skills that the Finance Committee needs,” she said. “You need a mixture of people who bring different attitudes and experiences to the job: not everybody needs to be an accountant.”
Russo responded to questions with an air of common sense leavened with a light humor, and answered queries in a practical, matter-of-fact way. She and Eubank share a similar approach to many of the questions asked by Boyce and the audience, including a belief that term limits for members of the Finance Committee would not be a good direction for the town. Both candidates emphasized their regard for the tradition of Town Meeting, and while they promised to consider an idea for seating changes proposed by Selectman Tim Clark, neither committed to doing so on the spot. Paul Green asked the candidates to address the issue of sparse attendance at the meeting near the end of the day, when zoning articles tend to get short shrift. Russo agreed with Green, and said that time control at the meeting is key to retaining the audience’s attention on all the issues, while Eubank thought that moving some of the zoning articles forward in the agenda might help solve that problem. At the end of the open-question session, both candidates agreed that a more genteel race for Town Moderator could not be run. The forum ended with brief remarks from Boyce, who thanked former Town Moderator David “Doc” Westerling for his years of service.
