Norm Hills, one of two candidates for Marion Selectman, says it’s time to be “proactive, not reactive.”

If elected, this current member of the Planning Board, chair of the Conservation Committee and co-chair of the Master Plan Subcommittee, said he would work to move forward action items of the forthcoming Master Plan—which impacts everything from housing to roads to open space.

“I’ve read through all the Master Plans, from 1968 on, and you see the same action items come up time and time again. Basically none of them gets done,” said Hills, a retired Navy submarine engineering officer who has lived and volunteered in town for 13 years.

“It's important we actually do these things, that we are not wasting time and exposing ourselves to letting anyone come in. You don't want just any development–CVS proved that people know what they don't want, but they aren't actively trying to recruit what they do want,” Hill said.

Noting that 93 percent of town revenue comes from residential taxes, he said, “if we don’t get significant taxes from businesses, at the rate we’re going, we never will,” he said.

It’s also time to update the bylaws, which include some put in place 30 or 40 years ago when residents were afraid of uncontrolled growth, Hills said.

“The town bylaws are really confusing, contradictory and impossible to do. Some bylaws sound nice, but when you look at them in depth, you realize you can’t do them in town. We need to change bylaws to get the kind of development we want,” he said.

To get things done, Hills suggested more meetings between town departments and committees, as was done for a short time after Selectmen Jody Dickerson was elected.

“If you understand a person's problems and issues and what he's trying to do, you can help each other. It needs to be more organized,” he said.

This type of systemic collaboration is especially important as Marion grapples with potentially costly upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant and lagoons.

“It’s the gorilla in the closet, the biggest impediment and unknown that impacts everything we do,” he said.

Hills said resolution on the wastewater treatment plant issue won’t happen immediately, but requires a systematic approach where all options are considered.

His primary focus is getting through the evolution of the Master Plan and formulating a 10-year capital plan to proactively prepare for and prioritize needs across the town.

As Selectman, he said he would have more influence on getting this important work done.

Hills is going up against Steve Gonsalves in the May 13 election. Read about Gonsalves here.