Thomas Quinn, Amherst Planning Board Candidate

Thomas Quinn

Age (as of Election Day)

47

Position Sought

Two year term - Amherst Planning Board

Party Affiliation

This position and all others in Amherst are supposed to be non partisan. I hope it stays that way.

Family

Married with two children

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Proud graduate of Clark, Wilkins and AMS. BS Civil Engineering UNH , MBA Finance Northeastern

Occupation

Self employed in the construction materials industry and real estate investment.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I have not held elected or appointed office in town, local or state government.

Campaign website

I do not have a campaign website.

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running now because for a long time I did not feel the concerns of the average citizen were taken seriously by appointed members of the Planning Board. I believe the Planning Board has improved greatly in this respect over the past year with the resignation of some members and the appointments of others that more fully and thoughtfully consider the impacts related to large developments. I am running for a seat on this board to support the current majority who believe in fully vetting the total impact related to large scale development. I fully support all of the current members of the board that are running for election in June.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I think the biggest question today in front of the PB is how big and how dense is TOO big and TOO dense both for the local neighborhood and the town. Where we might have once seen one home per two or five acre lot, we are now seeing proposals for four or five homes per build able lot. The cost/benefit ratio in that scenario seems to favor the developer over the town and its residents. This issue is even more problematic when we see multiple proposals that each propose similar density. When all are looked at in total, we see significant material impacts on town services, schools, water resources traffic and wildlife habitats.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I believe being a long term resident, having a civil engineering degree and extensive work experience in the construction industry sets me apart from my competitors. I will be able to review plans and other application materials, and understand them, from day one. It is also helpful being a Realtor in that I have an understanding of the local needs of the town. These unique set of skills are particularly suited for a seat on the Amherst Planning Board.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

I am challenging one incumbent, Arnold Rosenblatt, and a number of other candidates for two seats for a two year position. Arnold has done a great job over the past year as Chairperson in methodically going through the applications that are in front of the Planning Board and equally weighing the rights and concerns of all stakeholders. I fully support him, even as an opponent, and I hope that he and I are both elected for the two seats that are open for our term. I also think all of the other current board members running for election have been doing a great job fully vetting applications in front of the PB.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I think the Planning Board did the best they could given the circumstances and having to go to remote meetings. It is certainly not ideal from a citizens perspective to only have an online option available for meetings. Hopefully, we will see an in person option for meetings soon assuming positive trends continue for the pandemic.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I believe an equal weighing of landowner rights and neighbor/resident rights are equally important. With every vote, Planning Board members each make a determination about what they feel is an appropriate scale and pace of development. When in doubt, I will lean towards keeping development smaller rather than larger. I believe leaning towards the smaller side helps to protect the rural and historic nature of the town, puts less stress on town services and the schools and generally helps to maintain the value of many peoples largest investment, their home.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have worked with many others to start addressing the most pressing problems facing the issue of large and high density development. In two years we had impact fees begin to be assessed, removed of a portion of the zoning ordinance that explicitly encouraged large and dense housing development and made the Planning Board an elected board.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"Fill your shovel or fill your coat" My dad would say this to in a fake Irish brogue but I think he was trying to impress on me that I needed to do my job or get out of the way and let someone else do it if I would not.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I will always say what I think whether people agree with me or not. I am also not of the opinion that I know all of the right answers to everything. I am always searching for the right questions to ask and the right information to know that is needed to form the basis of a good opinion. Every decision I make will be what I think is best for the immediate neighbors of a development according to the ordinances and regulations and also what makes the most sense to support the town's master plan.