Pair vie for Swampscott assessor seat

SWAMPSCOTT – The only contested race in the April 28 town election is for a seat on the Board of Assessors and both candidates for the seat are employed by the town.Linda Paster, who works in the Building Department, and Connie Goudreau, who is employed by the school district, are vying for the one seat up for grabs.Paster, who lives in town with her husband, has been employed by the town for 10 years and for seven of those she worked in the Assessor’s Office.”I am knowledgeable in all aspects of the assessor’s functions including real estate, automobile and boat excise tax, personal property tax and the Massachusetts abatement and exemption statutes,” she said. “I am currently working in the Building Department and also work closely with the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, the sources of all new growth revenue to the town of Swampscott.”Paster said she believes she has the expertise necessary to serve on the Board of Assessors.”I have the acquired knowledge and experience that the office needs,” she said. “I have the desire to represent the citizens of the town of Swampscott, having been a homeowner in Swampscott for 30 years and a business owner for several years. I know first hand how the tax base affects the individual and I want to be the person that can understand their needs and represent them fairly.”She said if elected she would work to ensure residents are treated fairly and with dignity.”We are in the toughest economic time frame than any we have been in the past 80 odd years, which will cause local governments to make some tough choices,” she said. “What I wish to accomplish during my term of office is to ensure that all persons are represented fairly, that all persons have the understanding of their tax process, that any person qualified for a state tax exemption is aware of it and is handled with dignity. I want to advocate for the Swampscott taxpayer by giving them an understanding and answer to their questions.”Goudreau, who is a native of South Carolina, has lived in town for 25 years. She has been employed by the schools as a paraprofessional for the last seven years. Prior to her tenure with the school district, Goudreau worked in Town Hall for six months filling in as needed on temporary assignments.”During this time I worked in the Selectman’s Office, Building Department, Health Office and in the Assessor’s Office as a secretary to the Assistant Assessor and the Board of Assessors,” she said. “I have first hand knowledge as to the inner workings in the Board of Assessors Office.”Goudreau said if elected, she is committed to working with the assistant assessor to assure fair and equitable assessments in a volatile real estate market.”In working with Board of Assessors I would also like to help maintain the senior tax work-off program and make sure that all seniors are receiving statutory exemptions,” she said. “In working with the Board of Assessors, Massachusetts and Essex County Associations of Assessing Officers, I hope to have input into future tax policies that impact the statewide tax payers and more importantly the taxpayers of Swampscott.”Goudreau, who lives in town with her husband and two children, said she also believes it’s important for the Assessor’s Office to be accessible to residents.”I believe that an open-door policy should be instituted in the assessor’s office to listen to the taxpayers’ issues and work with them on a case by case basis,” she said.