Old Schoolhouse Road resident Bob Eubank and Oak Hill Road resident Cindy Russo are candidates for the Town Moderator position vacated by David “Doc” Westerling. The Town Moderator fills two important roles: leading and guiding Town Meeting, and making appointments to the Finance Committee. During the past year there was a proposal to change the way Finance Committee members are selected; some people thought members should be elected rather than appointed. After considering a study presented by a committee at the last Town Meeting, voters opted for retaining the appointment method, with a more open selection process.

The moderator candidates, who will face off in a special town election on Tuesday, Sept. 16, agreed to answer a set of questions posed by the Press, related to Finance Committee appointments. Here, in their own words, are the candidates:

Q. What are your thoughts on having appointed FinCom members vs. elected?

Eubank: During the past year a selection committee studied this issue carefully, reached conclusions, and made recommendations that were approved by the town at our last Town Meeting. I agree with the recommendations of the committee and the rationale they used to arrive at them. The recommendations include appointment rather than elected Finance Committee members and a more open selection process. While we haven’t had the opportunity yet to see if the results of this change will bring improvement, the process will be reviewed by the town in three years, providing an opportunity to make changes as necessary.

Russo: I was a member of the FinCom from 2002 to 2007 and was chairman of the FinCom for four of those years. I believe strongly in the importance of an independent, nonpolitical Finance Committee. The Finance Committee Selection Committee, which reported to the 2008 Annual Town Meeting, recommended against an elected FinCom and I agree with that recommendation. The citizens of Harvard rely upon the FinCom to understand and advise on all of the details of the town budget. That advice will have no credibility unless the FinCom continues to be nonpolitical.

Q. What qualities and qualifications are important for FinCom members to have?

Eubank: Finance Committee members must have adequate financial expertise and experience. They should also possess good interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively within the Finance Committee and with other town boards and committees. Further, committee members should have the ability to communicate effectively with, and to, the town at large so that positions and choices before the town regarding financial and budget matters are clearly expressed and understood.

Russo: All members of the Finance Committee should be independent—not members of any political group—and open-minded. They also have to be willing and able to commit a lot of time to the committee. After that, the goal is to achieve a balance of expertise and experience. It is important that some members have experience with the town budget process, and that some have knowledge of accounting, but it isn’t necessary for all members to have that expertise. It is important that some members are longtime residents of Harvard, that others are newer to town, that members are of different ages and participate in different town activities. A membership which represents a cross-section of the town is essential to maintaining an independent and effective Finance Committee.

Q. How will you evaluate candidates for FinCom positions? Would you take into account feedback from residents about the pros and cons of anyone’s candidacy?

Eubank: Evaluations of potential committee members will be based on public interviews (as required by the new process) and recommendations, not on any political litmus test. Resident comments and recommendations are always encouraged and welcomed.

Russo: First, the candidate must be independent and open-minded. I would hope to evaluate this quality through in-depth discussions with each candidate, and through the public participation at the selectmen’s meeting where potential candidates would be presented. I would definitely consider feedback from residents in this public forum, but I would be more wary of “private” feedback which might be motivated by political biases. Once candidates with the appropriate personal qualities were identified, I would consider how each of them would contribute to the balance of experience and expertise on the Finance Committee.

Q. When someone is up for reappointment to the FinCom, would you take into consideration their past performance on the committee? How would you evaluate that?

Eubank: There are no objective standards for measuring the performance of a committee member at this point. Experience, attendance, and availability would certainly be important factors as would the recommendations of the sitting committee and others. Committee members who have been noted for a particular contribution or knowledge of a key area would also be highly regarded.

Russo: The Finance Committee is not a lifetime appointment, but the Finance Committee Study Committee also rejected the idea of term limits. Candidates for reappointment should be evaluated on exactly the same criteria as new candidates. I would look at the length of service of current FinCom members to balance the value of the candidate’s institutional memory against the need for members with new ideas and approaches. I would certainly consider any past performance that indicated a FinCom member was not open-minded or independent, or did not carry their share of the work. The only way to evaluate that would be to attend and observe FinCom meetings occasionally but regularly, and that is what I would do.

Q. What do you see as the biggest challenges for the Finance Committee in the next year?

Eubank: I see four challenges for the committee: 1) Continuing to make sound and well-communicated recommendations to the town at a time of closer scrutiny on financial matters than perhaps ever before. 2) Working effectively with other committees so that the information provided receives the right amount of scrutiny and prioritization and presents a unified position to the town. 3) Continuing to set an excellent example so that volunteers want to serve. The new process creates associate positions that will help to develop a pool of future committee members; however attracting the best people we can is always a goal and often a challenge. Potential volunteers must also understand that the open interviewing process is not a roadblock, but hopefully a constructive experience. 4) Taking the lead in addressing our systemic financial weaknesses

Russo: The biggest challenge for the FinCom is that the town’s costs for maintaining level services increase by more than 2½ percent each year, requiring either Proposition 2½ overrides or program cuts. This is Harvard’s “systemic budget problem,” and it has been a challenge for many years. I participated in the budget process from 1999 to 2002 as a selectman, and from 2002 to 2007 as FinCom member. I know how difficult that challenge is.