HUNTINGTON – There are two open seats for selectmen in the town election which will be held this coming Saturday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Stanton Hall.
One seat will fill the two years remaining on the term being vacated by John McVeigh, who has resigned effective June 30 to pursue higher education. The other three-year term is currently held by Jeffrey McKittrick, who is not seeking re-election. Both races are contested, with Evelyn Korfias and Darlene McVeigh running for the two year seat, and Karon Hathaway and Dylan Mosher running for the full three-year term.
Evelyn Korfias
Evelyn Korfias is a Huntington business owner who is running for the two-year seat on the Board of Selectmen. In describing herself, Korfias said she is one of four rambunctious kids born to a housewife and steel mill worker in a small, small town in Illinois. She attended grade school in a four room school house with 24 other students. She earned her associate’s degree in graphic arts and bachelors of science in advertising from Southern Illinois University. After that, Korfias worked in Chicago as an art director and problem solver for several nationwide and international brands.
In 2001, she and her partner Gary bought the Huntington package store and moved here permanently. She is serving the town on the Planning Board and hopes to be elected to the Board of Selectmen.
“I feel that sustaining town services is a challenge, but we need to improve them. Budgets are necessary, but even more so is growth,” Korfias said.
Korfias believes that raising taxes on the town’s aging and diminishing population and businesses is not the answer. “Keeping things the same … sustaining things is like treading water. Your head is above water, but you’re going nowhere. Time for a change. Are you ready for Evey?” she added.
Darlene McVeigh
Darlene McVeigh is also running for the two year seat. McVeigh said having grown up in town, she and her husband, Bill decided to raise their family here. Bill taught in the Gateway schools and, for several years, McVeigh worked in the paper mills. “We understand the special quality of life that a small rural community has to offer,” McVeigh said.
She is a professional accountant with 12 years in public accounting and 18 years with a Hartford-based international insurance company. She joined the town’s Finance Committee In 2014, which she currently chairs. She is also co-moderator of the Gateway Towns Advisory Council (GTAC) and Huntington’s representative on the Hilltown Collaborative.
“As chair of the Finance Committee, I have been committed to developing a town budget that meets the needs of all of our citizens without jeopardizing the financial sustainability of our town. During the last several years, the Finance Committee and Selectboard have worked together to steer our town through some difficult fiscal issues. Funding our annual expense budget approved at Annual Town Meeting depends mainly on real estate tax revenues supplemented by state aid. We have been able to maintain a consistent level of town services, provide modest salary increases and benefits to town employees and meet increased school assessments. We have been prudently replacing aging town equipment, upgrading IT systems, and maintaining town buildings, all without a Proposition 2 ½ override,” McVeigh said of her tenure on the Finance Committee.
“As a member of the Selectboard, I will remain committed to the needs of our citizens and the sustainability of our town,” McVeigh said.
Karon Hathaway
Karon Hathaway is running for the three-year seat on the Board of Selectmen. Hathaway, who is originally from Chester, has lived in Huntington since 2000. She and her husband Bill currently reside in the Norwich Hill section with their two Golden Retrievers.
Hathaway works full-time for an electrical distributor in Holyoke, and has 30+ years of business management experience. “As I retired, I thought I would pay it forward, and work for the town,” she said.
Hathaway has been a member of the Planning Board and the Finance Committee, and currently serves on the Capital Planning Committee. She said she has demonstrated sensible decisions with the best interest of the town in mind. Her main focus in running for the Board of Selectmen is representing the voice of the taxpayers, who are her 1,409 bosses, she said.
“This is a rural community and a bedroom community, with a large population in retirement. How do they continue to afford to live here,” asked Hathaway.
“I strongly believe a different perspective can be conducive to creative solutions. As a board member elected by you and representing you, I will encourage dialogue and take input from all parties before coming to a decision. My composed disposition has always been a strength in navigating different opinions and finding common ground,” she said.
“With your support, I look forward to learning more about town governance, other boards and committees. More importantly, I look forward to effectively working to resolve issues facing our town,” Hathaway added.
Dylan Mosher
When asked why he is running, Mosher explained that 3 ½ years ago, the Huntington Fire Department saved his life when a plow truck hit him while he was on a quad near Gardner State Park. He said he died three times, and they brought him back to life. He said it was “a real eye opener.”
Following the accident, Mosher joined the Fire Department, and is now serving with the people who saved him. He said he is interested in going for his Basic EMT this year.
Mosher said he has had so much fun on the Fire Department that he wants to do more to help the town. At 23 years old, Mosher, a Gateway graduate, is the youngest person running.
“It’s really good to get the community to come together more, like the bonfire that was held last year,” Mosher said, adding that he would like to see more of these town-wide events.
He said he would also like to make town more presentable and more inviting to people passing through.
“It’s nice to bring in a new generation. This is going to be our town,” Mosher said.
