Town COuncil

Candidate Website/Social Media Address

Glenn Jones - Franklin Town Council (Facebook)

Candidate Biography

My wife Nicole and I have lived in Franklin since 1998. Of our five children, two are in college, while the other three are currently still attending Franklin Public Schools. I have served the Town of Franklin in an official capacity as a Town Councilor since 2009 and during that time I have been Chairman of Economic Development (3yrs), Member of the following Committees, Master Plan, Capital Improvement, Franklin Education Foundation, Franklin Food Pantry Outreach, and Franklin Downtown Partnership as an Ambassador. I also serve as the Communications Liaison for the Franklin Town Council

My volunteerism includes being a dedicated missionary to Haiti for the Mission E4 Organization and currently serve in a volunteer position as the Science Officer of the US Naval Sea Cadets Massachusetts Bay Division.

Will you support putting the override on the ballot this term? If not, how do you propose addressing the fiscal challenges set out in the FY2021 budget message? https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/2020-05-27_fy_2021_budget_message_narrative_final.pdf

The Council mentioned during the recent FY 2021 Budget hearings in May, that the Council and School Committee will be having discussions about the Schools Financial status at an October 6th regular scheduled Town Council meeting. The topic of financing needs to have thorough public discussion. An over-ride is and always will be community decision. The Town Council has consistently worked with the community whenever such drastic measures were needed. Times have been tough, but together, we can do anything.

How do you propose supporting Franklin’s small businesses? What actions Town Council should take to attract more small businesses to Franklin?

As a former Chair and current member of the Franklin Town Council Economic Development Committee, I work regularly towards the goal of helping small businesses, commercial and industrial entities grow there businesses here in Franklin. One of the ways supported those efforts was when I worked with the Planning and Development Department to establish our first ever Economic Summits. I also am the current communication's liaison for the Council, in which I work closely with various media entities within the Town, such as the Town Marketing and Communications Specialist, FranklinTV, and Franklin Matters to promote clear, concise, and educational media for the community. Continued efforts by the Town Council to promote better communications between the citizens, businesses, and administration will help bolster our ecomomy.

What accomplishments are you most proud of during your most recent tenure? Or, if you are a new candidate, what achievements make you most qualified for the position?

I would have to say that the establishment of the Community Preservation Act and CPC have been some significant milestones that have ultimately help secure the recent purchase of Maple Hill that promises more open space. Our administrations/Councils efforts to maintain the level of staffing and community services provided to citizens despite the many hardships that the pandemic brought to our community has been significant but extra-ordinary. Also, the many marvelous efforts put forth by our Public Schools teachers, staff, and support personnel to continue educating our children despite the many unusual circumstances the encountered.

What do you believe the Town Council’s priorities should be for the upcoming term?

There are many priorities that the Franklin Town Council has moving into the upcoming term; a few are, new Police Station Building, Davis Thayer repurposing, various zoning related items, CompleteStreets streetscapes, road maintenance, maintenance of our 40B affordable housing percentage, low-income housing options, and many more.

In its 2020 update to implementation of the 2013 Master Plan, the Department of Planning & Community Development (DPCD) recommended two goals related to housing in Franklin, the first goal is to provide an appropriate mix of housing alternatives for middle income workers. The second goal is to support development opportunities for low, moderate and middle income households preventing many in Franklin from being able to find affordable housing. Are you in support of these goals? Why or why not?

Considering the Town of Franklin has not had a Housing plan approved by the state in over a decade, the Franklin Town Council will be discussing the topic as early as October. The community should have a significant input into any housing plan moving forward.

In the FY22 Budget Hearing, the Superintendent of Schools presented data showing Franklin falls in the 22nd percentile statewide for Net School Spending (state aid + local contribution) and 75% of districts in Massachusetts spend more, per pupil, than Franklin. Do you believe Franklin's local contribution to education should increase? Reference: https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/fy22_public_budget_hearing_presentation_2.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2kIknw-RiGTdInzDHdBcc4Th8VDGdlug7qYepSxrnoQxUCK_oITKrCiQY

Excellent question, I would highly suggest that all those interested in learning more to attend the upcoming October 6th regular scheduled Town Council meeting at 7pm at the Municipal Building second floor.

In its 2020 update to implementation of the 2013 Master Plan, the Department of Planning & Community Development, (DPCD) recommended two goals with regard to transportation and infrastructure. Goal one was to improve and maintain the Town’s public roadway system. The second goal is to make the Town more walkable and bikeable by creating and maintaining safe interconnected pedestrian and bicycle routes. Are you in support of this why or why not? How do you propose funding?

Pedestrian & Bicycle safe, functional, walkable, transient, and logical interconnected routes has been a portion of the many goals that I and the Council have had since I joined the team in 2009. Many of the improvements started with the HPP and PWED Federal, State, and community funded projects that improved the pedestrian safety and walkability of Downtown Franklin. The re-arrangement of the one-way street to two way traffic greatly improved the Fire Departments response times and lessened unnecessary traffic on Main St. However, there is still lots of work that can be done to improve bicycle routes and I hope to work closely with Council to make such important alterations.