By Carol Britton Meyer

The candidates for the contested select board, school committee, light board, and planning board races in the May 18 town election answered questions this week at the 2026 Hull Candidates Night in the Hull High School exhibition room, drawing a large crowd of interested citizens.

A recurring theme was the importance of transparency and community input on every issue and subject – from the town and capital budget processes to proposed development projects.

The Hull members of the local League of Women Voters hosted the event, posing relevant questions to those involved in contested races following two-minute statements by all the candidates who were present, including those who are running unopposed.

The local League serves Hull and other South Shore towns under the name LWV of Hingham.

Below are key points of what the candidates shared in their opening and closing remarks and in response to questions posed by moderator Elizabeth Foster-Nolan, past president of the LWV of Massachusetts.

**THE SELECT FEW**: At Tuesday’s League of Women Voters candidates’ forum, four of the five people running for two seats on the select board answered questions posed by the moderator – Susan Short Green, Christopher Niland, Patricia Cormier, and incumbent Jerry Taverna. The fifth candidate in the race, Michael Sampson, was unable to attend the event. [Skip Tull photo]

Select board (three-year term) Vote for 2

• Incumbent Jerry Taverna. With many of his family members in attendance, he commented: “I report to my family, who have a lot of concerns like [our] citizens do. [If re-elected,] I can promise I will continue to ask as many questions as I feel are necessary.”

He also said he believes that “a strong town manager form of governance is something that needs to, and can be, fixed.”

Taverna also said a new public safety facility is “long overdue” but does not support the proposed combined DPW/light board facility.

He also places top priority on “leveling out the budget. I’m not sure how to do it, but we have to stop spending so much,” he said, noting that this is an affordability issue.

• Patricia Lynn Cormier. A current member of the advisory board, she feels serving on the select board is a natural progression.

Cormier also listed two-way communication and dialogue involving the community as important in building trust and transparency, and placed priority on getting the master plan process up and running again. “A master plan drives everything else,” she said.

She said that it is up to the select board to let citizens know about the tradeoffs involved related to various projects and issues and to explain the process while involving the community.

“We need to bring people together,” she said.

• Christopher Patrick Niland. Making sure the voice of the people is heard is one of his top priorities. “I’m someone who listens” to residents of all ages, he said. “The disconnect when some residents feel they are not being heard is disheartening.”

Niland said that if elected, he thinks the select board should focus on the future of the Hull Redevelopment Authority property, “which has been sitting idle for many years. If the land is to be developed, it has to be done in ways that make sense, [focusing on] open space before anything else.”

He also said the town should focus on infrastructure needs. “They can’t be ignored until they become unrepairable and become a burden on everyone.”

Niland said the “heartbeat of the town” is the different generations who have lived, and continue to live, in town. “I want to do right by every member of the community,” he said.

• Susan Short Green. She said she believes that her civic and community service experience has prepared her well to serve on the select board. Green called for “increased transparency,” including with regard to the town budget.

“I’ll champion for [citizens’] voices to be heard,” she said.

She also said that if elected, she would advocate for full meeting agendas, including detailed information about each item to inform citizens ahead of time so they can decide which meetings to attend.

Green considers affordability and accessibility as two major issues facing the town. “Affordability affects [citizens’] quality of life, and the budget is the engine that drives the taxes and fees.”

Citing the importance of elected leaders being available to discuss issues with citizens in a “two-way conversation, and for them to know they are listening to, and hearing, us,” she said.

Green also noted that she thinks the select board should share regular project and budget updates at its meetings, “and if there are cost overruns, citizens need to know about them right away and know why they happened.”

• Michael Sampson. He was unable to attend the forum, but a provided statement was read by Foster-Nolan. In part, he said as a lifelong (36-year) resident of Hull, he cares deeply about the community. “Citizen involvement is what keeps the town strong,” he said.

Sampson pointed to “rising costs” and issues related to infrastructure needs, public safety, traffic, and parking – among others – that affect Hull residents.

“I want to create opportunities for young families to want to remain here,” he said. “[It’s important] to make wise decisions with tax dollars.”

Municipal light board (three-year term) Vote for 2

Candidates were asked questions about Article 40 on the May 4 town meeting warrant – a citizen’s petition calling for the removal of the town manager “from the operation of the municipal light plant” and to restore the statutory authority to the light board, and whether they support the proposed combined DPW/light plant facility.

• Incumbent Patrick F. Cannon. The light board’s mission “is simple – to provide reliable power at a fair and reasonable cost,” he said.

Cannon said is he not in favor of Article 40, but that if it passes, he “will learn to live with it.” He also opposed the proposed combined facility. “The light plant building is in pretty good shape and could be repaired,” he said.

• Incumbent Jacob Vaillancourt. “The ratepayers all own the light plant together,” he said.

He “strongly supports” Article 40. “It was my idea last year,” he said.

Vaillancourt opposed the combined facility, calling the idea “utter stupidity” and a “symbol of a deeper issue [based on] a bad governance model.”

With regard to capacity planning, he said the town needs a “grid-scale battery – 5 to 8 megawatts – that would give us a few more years to come up with a long-term solution. Otherwise, we could run out of capacity as early as the summer of 2027.”

• Mark Kohn. Running “to reduce electrical rates” is one of his top priorities. “Hull has [one of the] most expensive electrical rates in the state,” he said.

He also opposes the proposed combined facility. “The DPW and light plant are two different entities,” he said. “I think the light plant should stay where it is and be raised out of the flood plain as its own entity.”

In addition, Kohn said he is a strong supporter of solar and battery power and said he feels his expertise “in solving problems and managing personnel and assets would be good for the community.”

planning board contenders Jeanne Paquin and Lisa French. [Skip Tull photo]

Planning board (five-year term) Vote for 1

• Incumbent Jeanne Paquin mentioned the importance of balancing the concerns of the community with the rights of property owners, with “everyone having a voice” in the process.

Acknowledging that the master plan process “had a rough start,” she noted that those involved “are regrouping now. This is important to the community. We’re working with MAPC [Metropolitan Area Planning Council] on the issues and working through them as a board.”

Paquin also said a top priority of hers is “very robust agendas so people understand what we will be covering” at each meeting.

• Lisa French. If elected, she said her focus would be on “planning that works for the town as a whole for the common good,” she said. “The planning board plays a central role in guiding Hull’s future.”

French also expressed concern that the planning board wasn’t involved in the master plan process – which is temporarily stalled – from the beginning. “The board is supposed to be leading the way. [One of its roles] is to vote on it and reassess it every year,” she said.

She also said she feels optimistic “about some possible changes, and I want to be a part of those.”

school committee candidates Ernest Minelli, Aleeza Hagerty, and Courtney Littlefield. [Skip Tull photo]

School committee (three-year term) Vote for 2

• Incumbent Courtney Littlefield. She said that her leadership experience and involvement with Hull youth sports serves her well as a member of the committee. She also believes that civics classes play “a huge role in our students’ education. Our educators are doing a good job.”

With regard to artificial intelligence, Littlefield said that it is the role of educators, parents, and community members “to understand how to manage it. It’s here and always changing,” she said.

She also noted that “Hull High School graduates are very well rounded, with a variety of opportunities, whether an athlete, interested in music, or an ‘A’ student.”

With regard to tight budgets and budget uncertainties beyond the district’s control, Littlefield said her suggested “Plan B” would be continued involvement by the school administration. “As a district, we do a good job in maintaining a good budget,” she said. It would also be important to listen to “staff and community feedback.”

“For me, [my candidacy] is all about the students and the big picture,” she said.

• Incumbent Aleeza Rose Hagerty. In running for re-election, she is interested “in continuing the important work” of the school committee “and advancing the success of our schools.”

As a former classroom teacher, Hagerty said she understands the “opportunities and challenges in our school system.”

In this time of tight budgets and the uncertainty of federal and state funding, she suggests “we can look at things creatively with regard to budgeting and staffing.”

With regard to AI, Hagerty suggested looking at a possible policy implementation, while acknowledging its “ever-changing” nature.

“The schools are the heart of our community,” she said, noting that she looks forward to “continuing relationship building between the Hull Teachers Association and the school administration.”

• Ernest Minelli IV. Educators, students and their families, and taxpayers “are important members of the decision-making process,” he said. “My former school committee experience positions me [for election] – including my involvement with collective bargaining. I also have good lines of communication with everyone.”

In light of budget uncertainty, Minelli said it would be important to involve the public in addition to the school business administrator, superintendent, and the school committee if a “Plan B” were to become necessary.

He has confidence in the civics education provided to students, stating that members of the Hull Public Schools social studies and history departments “do a really nice job.”

Minelli said he also believes that HPS “does a fantastic job” preparing students for the next level of education after high school. “It’s like providing a private education because of our class size ratio,” he said.

Hull Redevelopment Authority (three-year term) Vote for 1

• Incumbent Charles J. Richardson Jr. said his hope is to continue to bring the “leadership, communication, and collaborative skills” that he has gained in his professional experience to the board for a new term. “Serving on the board allows me to give back to the town that has given me so much,” he said.

library trustee candidates Amy Hyde and Thu-Hang Vu Tran and HRA candidate C. Anne Murray. [Skip Tull photo]

Redevelopment Authority (five-year term) Vote for 1

• C. Anne Murray expressed optimism that the HRA “is at the launching pad to get something done on the property, but we want to see whatever is done is done right – as a usable community place” attracting residents and visitors alike.

Trustees of the Public Library (three-year term) Vote for 2

• Amy L. Hyde. As a lifelong supporter of libraries, she has served in various capacities throughout her lifetime. “Libraries are the heartbeat of the community,” offering resources for all ages,” Hyde said.

• Thu-Hang Vu Tran. Libraries have been a very important part of her life for the past 50 years. In the 14 years prior, “there were no public libraries where I lived,” she said. “Libraries have made me and my siblings who we are today.”

Her goal in running for a trustee position is to “support the library director and staff and the mission of the library.”

A replay of the forum will be posted on Hull Community Television’s website, www.HullTV.net.

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