Biggio and Leahy will battle it out on Tuesday
Published on March 31st, 1999
STONEHAM, MA - The countdown is on and in just a few short days, residents will cast their votes for the candidates they want to see lead Stoneham into the new millennium. In a race that always draws great attention, two Stoneham natives are vying for the lone seat on the Board of Selectmen. Emery Court resident and incumbent John Biggio and Whipple Avenue resident Darin Leahy both cite pride in their town as a motivating factor in their decisions to run for the office.
Leahy, a newcomer to the political ring, stated that the biggest change in Stoneham today in contrast to the Stoneham in which he grew up is the tremendous development that has taken place, particularly since 1980. 'We've built on every piece of available land... We need to conserve our open space for the quality of life and recreation in town," he said.
Biggio has also witnessed the transition and stated that more changes are taking place at present than at any other time he can remember. According to the selectman, both his parents' and-grandparents' homes have been torn down due to this development and yet he still sees a positive picture for Stoneham.
Most recently, his boyhood home, at 9 Summer Street, was razed to make way for the new South School, the first in the town's elementary school rebuilding project, an undertaking that Biggio stated he has been behind since the very beginning. "I see a magnificent structure going up ...
It's great for the kids in Stoneham." For Leahy, addressing the rate of rise in taxes and spending is a great concern and one that he will focus on should he win the seat. With so many projects currently underway in Stoneham, Leahy stated that potential for a rapid rise in rates and the sub sequent burden on the taxpayers must be watched closely by the board in the next three years.
"One of the most important jobs of a selectman is fiscal responsibility," he stated. With regard to taxpayers' money, Leahy added, "Spend it wisely and frugally...We need to be careful we don't spend too much on one project." "It's always a balancing act," stated Biggio regarding the money and budgeting issue.
He credits the current board with having done a good job in addressing the needs of the town, from the initiation of some of the town's current projects to striking a balance between the municipal and school portions of the budget. He also considers the inevitable disagreements that arise from conflicting view points as helpful and affective in forcing the board to make good and informed decisions.
Among what Biggio considers his greatest accomplishments while serving on the board is winning Town Meeting approval for a town common. Biggio was serving as chair man of the board when the common article finally passed, a feat that took place during the largest Town Meeting in the history of Stoneham.
'We got something that the majority of Stoneham had wanted for years," he stated, refer ring to the hard won two-thirds vote that ultimately sealed the deal. The town common, he said, represents a new and rejuvenated Stoneham Square and an optimistic outlook for the down town business community. "Banks are investing money back into the square," he said. Overall, Biggio is optimistic about Stoneham's business community despite recent closings of two of the town's larger retail operations, Caldor and Bed & Bath. Stoneham is not to blame for either closing, he said, since both were part of large corporations, which as a whole, were' forced into bankruptcy.
"The Stoneham stores might have been doing great," he said. With regard to another hit to the town, Biggio stated that the recent closing of Boston Regional Medical Center is a result of the tough business climate that health care has found itself in. What will replace the hospital on that campus is a point of great speculation to residents and officials alike, but Biggio cautioned that the town must proceed carefully in determining an appropriate use for the site, especially in light of the potential effect on tax revenues. "It could be the future of Stoneham if we do it right," he said.
Leahy also sees great potential for the Woodland Road site and stated that it would be in the town's best interest if a for-profit operation moved in. "Something that pays property taxes so we can take the burden off the (residential) taxpayers" is what Leahy foresees as the best use for hospital campus, even suggesting a company's world headquarters or a hotel as an appropriate fit.
Leahy's sees improvement needed in Stoneham's business community. He suggested that the town could do a better job in utilizing the role of community development director to its full advantage by working closely with local businesses to increase the quantity and value of the town's commercial district and therefore enhance revenues.
'We have empty buildings ... and this is the biggest economic boom of twentieth century," he exclaimed. Another avenue toward enhancing the business community, Leahy offered, would be through a coalition formed between the Stone Zoo and the Chamber of Commerce. He suggested that such a relationship could allow promotion and advertisement of increasing number of visitors.
Both candidates recognize Spot Pond as of immense value to the community. Leahy called the area a buffer zone between Boston and Stoneham but advised against overdevelopment of a recreational opportunity at the site, which could increasingly overburden Stoneham's fire, police and emergency response departments.
"It's a great thing," Biggio said of the Spot Pond area and of the MDC's plans for public access. He called the MDC land Stoneham's "savior" and that which separates it in character from neighboring Medford and Malden. However, he too cautioned against destruction of that buffer zone.
"It will give us one more positive thing for the town," he said and praised the proactive role the town has assumed in the MDC's project as well as in the various other projects in town. Being proactive, rather than reactive, he said, allows for better planning and yields a better outcome.
The candidates disagree on the issue of funding school bus service. 'We have a responsibility as a town to safely transport our children to school," said Leahy. If the town can afford the various projects currently underway, it can certainly afford to offer school bus service, he added.
"Busing has always been under the control of the school department," said Biggio, adding that it should remain there. Last fall, he pointed out, the Board of Selectmen supported funding of the service by appropriating money after the school budget was deemed incapable of doing so without jeopardizing academic programs. This action, the board has maintained, would not be continued in future years.
Both candidates agree on the importance of the town's initiatives to improve its infrastructure. Among these initiatives, Leahy considers the public shade tree and drainage programs vitally important to the town and its citizens. While the replacement tree program will bring back many of Stoneham's tree-lined streets, the updating of the drainage system will alleviate the chronic flooding problems in many areas of town.
Biggio sees the next three years as his chance to see the town's endeavors through to completion. Of particular interest to him is the town's sidewalk improvement program, a project which he initiated due to its growing role in controlling traffic and safety as the town continues the growth and traffic...We've made a commitment to improving the quality of life through (these) infrastructure improvements."
As a third generation Stonehamite, Biggio now sees the fifth generation of his family taking advantage of what Stoneham has to offer. His four children and four grandchildren are part of what motivates him to continue serving the town through the Board of Selectmen. "I have an interest ... I'm doing this for future generations of Stoneham ... I think we really are the envy of all other towns."
Leahy, a father of two young daughters, said that his education, work experience and i
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