EASTHAM — Eleven candidates are running for office in this year’s town election, seeking seats on the select board, the elementary school committee, the regional school committee, and the library board of trustees. They were all present for questions at a Q&A session organized by Lower Cape Television and held at town hall on May 12.
The questions, which were submitted in writing by members of an audience that filled the Earle Mountain Meeting Room and were read by LCTV Executive Director Teresa Martin, were most often directed at the select board candidates.
Four people are running for two seats in that contest. Suzanne Bryan and Jerry Cerasale are running for re-election; Brian Earley and Davis Hobbs are the challengers, though neither one of them is new to town boards. Both are on currently on the planning board.
The prospective select board members were asked how the town should “manage growth and expansion,” a question they answered with praise for the work of the zoning task force. That group’s effort resulted in a series of new so-called form-based zoning policies passed at town meeting with hopes that they’ll ease the way to future development of an area with a walkable, mixed-use “downtown” feel for this town bisected by Route 6.
Despite praising the task force’s work, Brian Earley said that he had not supported the zoning changes that were approved at town meeting on May 5. He didn’t give a reason but has previously said he thinks the free market would do a better job of responding to townspeople’s desire for such a district.
“This question gets at the adverse — the changed — relationship between the part-time and full-time residents here,” said Martin, referring to a question asking for the candidates’ takes on the residential tax exemption (RTE) policy that the select board said in January it planned to implement at its fiscal 2026 tax classification hearing in the fall. “How can we look at this dynamic?” asked Martin.
Bryan said she thought it would always be the case that full-time and part-time people have “different lived experiences” and added, “I think there is frustration around full-time residents not feeling understood about the effect living in a vacation community has on their lives.” But she also said that relationships often cross those boundaries. “We are all neighbors,” she said. Bryan supports the RTE.
Hobbs said that he’s also decided the RTE is “a good start.” Though he’s opposed it in the past, he said he had done some “soul-searching” since voting against it when he was a member of the board of assessors. The town, he said, “needs to take care of those people that live here year-round.” He said that an RTE might make some part-time residents unable to afford their second homes but judged that it would also help retirees on fixed incomes. “We need to have the RTE to help people both young and old,” he said.
Cerasale said he opposes the RTE and reiterated his idea that the town’s Taxpayer Assistance Fund would be a better way to help residents in need. “Giving myself a tax cut and making my neighbor pay for it violates everything everyone told me on ethics,” he said. Still, Cerasale also said that, once the RTE has been implemented, he wouldn’t be inclined to vote against it.
Earley said he is undecided about the RTE.
No questions were asked of newcomer Lindsey Palmer or incumbent Sara Higgins, the candidates for two seats on the elementary school committee. The same was true for Moira Noonan-Kerry, who is running unopposed for another term on the regional school committee.
There were two questions for the four candidates running for the library board of trustees, where there are two seats to fill. Incumbent Sara Higgins and newcomers Bob Harnett, Robin Rowe, and Mike Narracci were asked their positions on book banning and “diversity hiring,” issues that have been in the national news.
The three challengers stated their firm opposition to book bans in libraries, saying it was up to parents to decide what their children can and can’t read. Higgins said the library does have a relevant policy that requires those who object to a book to submit a written complaint and meet with the librarian to discuss it. She said such challenges may be made only by Eastham residents to prevent outside influence. According to the American Library Association, 72 percent of book ban attempts in 2024 came from organized movements and pressure groups.
On the question of diversity, the three challengers expressed support for diverse staffing but said that being qualified for a job was the most important thing for an employer to consider, while Higgins explained that it isn’t up to the trustees to hire library staff. She added that diversity on the board is one of its current goals.
Higgins added that she was pleased to see so many people running for the board. She had, after all, pushed the board to get the word out about the election.
“It’s my fault if I don’t get re-elected,” she said.
