Residents, Select Board debate who to appoint to the Board of Health

MATTAPOISETT — The decision of who to appoint to the Mattapoisett Board of Health may not be a straightforward one, after Board of Health member Michele Bernier and residents pushed back against the Select Board.

Doug Schneider, a civil engineer and land surveyor of 40 years, is up against Kathy Eklund, who has been in the public health field since 1975 to be appointed to the Board of Health

All three Select Board members voiced their support for Schneider during their Aug. 26 meeting.

Select Board member Jodi Bauer said  Schneider demonstrated a “strong interest” in the position because, despite running for a seat on the board in the May 2025 Town Election and losing to Bernier, he chose to try for the position again.

Chair Tyler Macallister agreed, stating, “He’s still showing interest in the position, which I really appreciate, and I think he would be a great fit.”

However, some residents were concerned that the Select Board wanted to appoint Schneider because he appeared to demonstrate more interest in the position, not because he was more qualified

“It’s his interest that makes him more qualified than Kathy, rather than the fact that he would fill a gap in a three person board. That’s the message that’s coming through to the audience here,” said resident Rachel Deery.

While Select Board member Jordan Collyer agreed that “it is incumbent upon us to make a decision based on qualification [and] what is best for the town” he noted that the seat on the Board of Health is an elected position.

“An elected position means that anybody could run for that position,” he said, adding that “it doesn’t matter” whether they or anyone else feels they’re qualified.

He said that “technically” everyone at the Select Board meeting was qualified by simply being Mattapoisett residents.

Bernier said qualifications matter “if you can find people that bring things to your board that … aren’t there already.”

According to Bernier, one area that the Board of Health isn’t currently covering is public health, which is a gap Eklund said she would fill.

Eklund said that her background is in healthcare, having entered the field in 1975. She has worked at The Forsyth Institute for over 40 years, where she is the senior director of occupational health and safety.

She said she chose to submit papers for the position because several people approached her to see if she was interested.

Bernier was also concerned that Schneider would have to recuse himself often due to a conflict of interest.

Schneider worked at the civil engineering company Schneider, Davignon & Leone, Inc. up until about three and a half years ago when he left the company.

While Schneider said he has “zero relationship“ with the company and “completely divested” from it, Bernier was concerned with name association.

“[People] see Schneider on the Board and they say, ‘Oh, Schneider Engineering, let’s go hire Schneider Engineering because one of their family members … is on the Board,’” Bernier said.

She said that having board members recuse themselves at “every meeting is a problem for us,” noting that homeowners and engineers are waiting to advance projects.

Schneider said that if the board chooses to appoint him he would treat Schneider, Davignon & Leone “as any other applicant that comes in front of the board that is representing a homeowner.”

Bernier said that Eklund “doesn’t have any conflicts that I can see.”

“I see Kathy Eklund stepping up to the plate as a big deal for our board,” she said. “I think we couldn’t ask for a better person.”

At the Aug. 26 Select Board meeting, board members delayed voting on who to appoint, opting to first see if the extent of each candidate’s potential for conflict of interest can be determined.

Once named, the appointee would be in office until the May 2026 election when the town will vote on who to officially fill the seat.