Newly elected Plainville official pledges focus on pedestrian safety, affordable housing and transparency

A newly elected Plainville town candidate told attendees on election night they will make pedestrian safety, affordable housing and transparency priorities as they prepare to take office. The candidate said they would meet with the select board and the town administrator to get up to speed before the next town meeting.

The candidate, identified in the meeting only by their remarks, thanked voters, family and supporters and said they were grateful for the experience of running. “I thank all the voters and all the people in the town who participated today,” the candidate said, and noted their campaign outreach, saying they had “knocked on over 550 doors to communicate with residents.” They said residents raised recurring concerns about pedestrian safety, the lack of affordable housing and a desire for more openness and transparency from select board members.

The candidate said they regularly attend select board meetings and will be spending time talking with other select board members and with the town administrator to understand current issues and prepare for town meeting.

Later in the discussion, another meeting participant criticized the town’s political dynamics and said they were willing to run to change them. That participant also argued for expanding the select board from three to five members, citing other nearby towns as examples. “There’s no reason why Plainville can’t have five,” the participant said, adding that a five-member board would allow more varied representation and the possibility of a mix of younger and older members.

Speakers traded light remarks about the prospect, including a quip that local public-access television would have a “must see” show if the board expanded. The meeting closed with no formal motions or votes recorded on the record about board expansion; the candidate said the next steps were conversations with current officials and preparing for town meeting.

The remarks focused on the candidate’s immediate policy priorities and the outline of a possible governance change; neither a formal proposal to change the number of select board members nor a timeline for such a proposal was put forward during the session.