Candidates for Plymouth Select Board: Everett Malaguti and Richard Quintal
Part III in a Series
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(PLYMOUTH) — When Plymouth goes to the polls for its Town Election on
May 20th, voters will be asked to vote for candidates for the two open seats on the Select Board. This article will examine two of them: Precinct 2 Town Meeting Member Everett J. Malaguti III, and current Selectman and Vice Chair of the Select Board Richard J. Quintal, Jr.
There are six candidates in the race in total. In the order that I heard of their announcements, they are: Planning Board Member and Charter Commissioner Frank Mand; School Committee Member Vedna Heywood; Advisory and Finance Committee Chair Kevin Canty; Precinct 15 Town Meeting Member and Charter Commissioner Wrestling Brewster; Mr. Malaguti, and Mr. Quintal.
I covered Mr. Mand’s and Ms. Heywood’s campaigns last January, after they announced, here; I will in very short time be updating and re-running their article in order to give equal space to all candidates. I covered Mr. Canty’s and Mr. Brewster’s campaigns here. The Plymouth Town Election is on May 20th.
( The view from Plymouth Town Hall; photo credit — J. Benjamin Cronin. )
Everett Malaguti
Everett Malaguti, a lifelong inhabitant of North Plymouth, has served as a Town Meeting Member for twelve years, initially for Precinct 1, and then, after the recent redistricting, for Precinct 2. A fourth generation North Plymouthean, Mr. Malaguti noted in a conversation with The Plymouth County Observer that both he, as well as his entire family, share a passionate love for the Town, for its people, lands, waters, and long-term wellbeing. In addition to Town Meeting, he presently serves as Chair of the Natural Resources and Coastal Beaches Committee, and as a member of the Cemetery Committee, the Energy Committee, the North Plymouth Steering Committee, and the Visitor Services Committee.
( Everett Malaguti being interviewed by PACTV’s Julie Thompson; credit — PACTV. )
“I’ve been proud to serve Plymouth for the past twelve years as a member of the Town Meeting form of government that we have — which I love dearly. I am actually running to … support the citizens in many efforts, along with providing a more civil environment for us to have our agreements and disagreements,” said Mr. Malaguti, at the May 4th League of Women Candidates’ Forum.
“I believe over the past couple [of] years that there’s been a breakdown within the government and the public of having much heated arguments” — disagreements, Mr. Malaguti acknowledged, would inevitably occur — “But I believe we need a much better attitude towards this, and we need to have more civil debates,” he said.
“I’ve been gearing towards having the taxpayers have a more affordable life, and having a work-play environment that is more affordable, but also protects the quality of life that we en[joy]. I believe that I am one of the best candidates for this position, and I humbly ask for your vote,” said Mr. Malaguti.
Ultimately, Mr. Malaguti said his goal if elected to the Select Board would be to preserve and enhance the integrity and well-being of the Town, across a number of spheres, from affordable housing and decent, well-paying jobs to preservation, conservation, and protection of the aquifer. The balanced integrity of the community as a whole is central to Mr. Malaguti’s vision of the future of the Town.
Part of that entails economic development, he said, so that decent, well-paying jobs can be available to Plymoutheans in the Town itself, as opposed to outside of its bounds. However, Mr. Malaguti was clear that, in his view, this ought to entail using existing, zoned commercial space first, before increasing the amount of commercial zoning as a whole.
He has decried what he argues is unnecessary and destructive commercial development on parcels that were subject to legal protections for the preservation of the water supply and the integrity of the Town’s ecosystems. He has expressed, for instance, his opposition to the new Rountree Hyundai dealership that is being built on Cherry Street on the Plymouth-Kingston line, on a parcel that is in a MADEP Division II Wellhead Protection Area, and which is also covered via a protective covenant that the developers of the Independence Mall entered into with the Town of Plymouth.
The affordability of housing is likewise a major issue facing the Town, said Mr. Malaguti. Towns find themselves moved by larger forces, such as a national housing crisis, as well as certain state laws, such as M.G.L. Chapter 40B. This law, while well-intentioned and responding to a real and pressing social need, ultimately fails to produce the very affordable housing for which it was enacted. There is deep concern, not only in Plymouth, about a statute that appears to produce little in the way of actually affordable housing, while offering a fig leaf behind which economically powerful and well-connected development interests can construct what is essentially luxury housing.
Mr. Malaguti suggested one particular, mixed-use solution: building somewhat, though not excessively, taller buildings, mitigated by greater setbacks, that would feature commercial space on the ground floor (or floors), and residential units located above those.
In general, Mr. Malaguti agreed with several other candidates on the importance of “strategic planning, but also planning to protect our quality of life, planning to protect the Town that we love; planning to protect the infrastructure that we so dearly pay for in our taxes that should be protected at all costs, to make sure that we have the quality of life that we deserve, but also have the services that everyone deserves, and even enhance the services through better planning,” he said.
(The May 4th League of Women Voters Candidate Forum; credit — J. Benjamin Cronin.)
“I believe that the way that we do that is to make sure that every voice is heard, and to make sure that everyone is at the table. Whether we agree or disagree for this, we need to make sure that planning is the key paramount to anything that the Town does; it protects our quality of life, our tax dollars, and everything that we hold dear,” said Mr. Malaguti.
These are just one of a number of ideas Mr. Malaguti hopes to bring to the Select Board.
“I would humbly ask for your vote on May 20th. If you want a person that is up to the job, having a fresh perspective, new creative ideas that the Town is lacking; a way that we can actually have cohesiveness, collaboration, and actually insight from the residents, and not just from developers or from Town staff. We need to have cohesiveness, and a willingness to make compromise whenever it’s due. We need to stop infighting, [to] have all departments, have all citizens, come together. It’s tiring having everyone fight each other and have nothing accomplished,” he said.
“I’m probably one of the youngest candidates on here – don’t let that deter you, I have spent all my time in Town government listening to everyone, young and old, and from all different backgrounds. I am here to compromise, and to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard, and I ask for your vote,” continued Mr. Malaguti.
The Plymouth Town Election is on May 20th.
Richard J. Quintal, Jr.
Selectman Richard J. Quintal, Jr., presently serves as the Vice Chair of the Plymouth Select Board, having served as the Chair prior to the reorganization of the Board following the May, 2022, Town Elections. He has spent the great majority of his life in Plymouth, having made his home in North Plymouth; his family has run Quintal Brothers Produce and associated businesses since 1958. Mr. Quintal was most recently elected to the Select Board in 2020. Prior that, he had served for well over a decade on the Board. He has been active in public life in Plymouth for decades, including including chairing the Holy Ghost Festival in the past, and working for the creation of the Town 9/11 Memorial.
( Richard Quintal being interviewed by PACTV’s Julie Thompson; credit — PACTV. )
“ It has always been my goal to devote my time and experience to Plymouth Town Government to address the issues that concern the taxpayers of Plymouth. Last year, I led an effort with my colleagues to develop a set of goals and priorities to set the direction of the future of Plymouth. These goals will continue the foundation of a long term strategic plan,” said Mr. Quintal, at the May 4th League of Women Voters Candidates’ Forum at Town Hall in Plymouth.
Mr. Quintal pointed to his work with the unions representing municipal employees in order to come to an agreement on health insurance:
“Because of these goals, we have been able to collaborate with the unions on a health insurance agreement that will save the taxpayers over 3 million dollars per year,” he said.
In addition, he noted his efforts to improve public safety.
“In June, I plan to announce an agreement with Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department that will transform our 911 system, [decreasing] our response time for our fire, safety, and EMS systems,” said Mr. Quintal.
The Plymouth County Observer attempted to contact Mr. Quintal on three separate occasions. There was no response to any of these communications1; therefore, I rely upon the public record.
Mr. Quintal appears especially focused on, and passionate about, commercial development, arguing that commercial development is preferable to residential development, and will reduce the proportion of the tax burden borne by residential taxpayers.
“You have to expand the commercial tax base. We really have to do more in that area,” said Mr. Quintal at the League Forum.
He suggested a more intensive use of existing commercial space, including allowing greater building heights in two of the Town’s industrial parks. “I think that needs to be re-looked at; if you can bring in additional revenue without disturbing any new area,” that would be a net positive, said Mr. Quintal. He also pointed to allowing several buildings on one lot in the industrial park, including shared use of utilities and parking. Increased revenue will be increasingly necessary as the fiscal effects of the decommissioning of the nuclear plant become evident, he said.
(The May 4th League of Women Voters Candidate Forum; credit — J. Benjamin Cronin.)
Mr. Quintal did note that he had conservation goals. He was particularly vocal at the League Forum about the approximately 1,500 acres owned by Holtec, a significant portion of the remaining undeveloped ridge of the Pine Hills, a recessional moraine which, at 395 feet above sea level on the summit of Manomet Hill, is the highest elevation in the Town.2 However, this conservation, he said, was premised upon other land being put into commercial zoning: "If the Town can … plan a place for new growth –- a business district, industrial park if you will, light industrial -- then the 1,500 should probably go in conservation," he said.
He also stated he wished developers would not engage in such wholesale clear-cutting as they have thus far.
Nevertheless, Mr. Quintal defended his appearance before other boards of the Town in support of development interests. “Last time I knew I can go to any meeting I want to go to, and I hope that’s always the way it is. That’s the way it is with this board, at the present time,” he said.
He said the following of the Town’s Master Plan: “The Master Plan – it’s going to be a work in progress even when it’s finished. There’s going to be issues that are [going to] come to this Town, they’re [going to] change that. There’s going to be soft sites up for development, and it’s up to the people that own this land, and what their rights are. So I think we need to look at the Zoning Bylaws – that’s the first big step – and expand our historic district on Water Street – look what’s happening. You want to know what people don’t like? I can tell you what they don’t like, they don’t like condos! They don’t like condos at every corner,” said Mr. Quintal.
Mr. Quintal pointed to the current Select Board’s achievements, including shoring up Water Street and the waterfront in the vicinity of the wastewater plant.
“My platform is simple. It will take a lot of work by all concerned to implement. First, we must follow our first-ever strategic plan. This certainly means difficult spending choices will have to be made,” said Mr. Quintal.
“Second, we must promote new sources of income for the town. This includes creative evaluation and implementation of smart growth. More importantly, our commercial tax base has led to the tax burden being shouldered by the residents. Additionally, continued non-55+ residential development is a net tax loss for the Town, further adding to the tax burden for existing residents; we have no choice but to address this,” he said.
“Third, we must continue to work with the Town, and stop the amount of misinformation that has become divisive and separates our Town. We live in one of the most beautiful Towns in the Commonwealth; we all love this Town; and let’s do what’s best for the Town, to keep personalities out of any decision making,” said Mr. Quintal.
The Plymouth Town Election is on Saturday, May 20th.
I made three attempts to contact Mr. Quintal over two months, with no reply. I first contacted Mr. Quintal via his Facebook campaign account, which has posted campaign material and is active, on March 13, 2023; I received no response.
I then followed up again on May 10, 2023; Facebook data indicates that the Quintal campaign account saw this message at 11:07 a.m. on Wednesday, May 10th.
Having received no reply, at the suggestion of an individual who has worked with Mr. Quintal, I emailed him at his Town email address, on the morning of Friday, May 12th. I again received no response.
I had to write the article, however, so have relied exclusively in the case of Mr. Quintal’s candidacy on statements in the public record.
Indeed, Manomet Hill is the highest elevation directly on the Atlantic coast south of Maine, and north of the Mexican State of Veracruz. Following the last ice age, it came into the territory of the Wampanoag. During the Age of Encounter, it was almost certainly sighted and used as a landmark by early European voyagers, including Giovanni da Verrazzano, who seems to me likely to have sighted it on his voyage between Narragansett Bay and Casco Bay in May, 1524. Verrazzano stayed offshore from Cape Cod, and does not appear to have entered Cape Cod Bay; nevertheless, Manomet Hill is of enough height compared to the Atlantic that it is visible for quite a distance at sea).
Very helpful. And footnote #2 is divine.