Ashley Andreas

Selectboard Candidate
2-year Term

Bio

My name is Ashley Andreas, and I just completed a one year term on the Hartford Selectboard. I'm 33 years old, and a proud graduate of CCV. I work for a housing non-profit, and have been in the construction industry for 10 years. I am happiest when I can work on projects centered around energy efficiency and affordability, which is what has guided not only my career, but also my volunteerism. My husband and I both work full-time and are raising two awesome daughters, both in the Hartford school district (thank goodness no more day care bills!). I love gardening, attending community events, and making new connections. Throughout my life I have always been called to do more, to learn more, to give more. That drive is why I am seeking re-election to represent the awesome people of Hartford.

Q & A

1. Why do you want to be on the Selectboard and what skills would you bring to the role?

After serving one year on the board I feel I am just getting started! I have enjoyed this past year, and have a huge amount of respect for my fellow board members and town staff. There are several projects that have either started, or are in the pipeline that I would like to see through. Some of these include implementing annual work planning, town wide review of ordinances, centering equity and public health in policing, and making decisions about solid waste management. I bring critical thinking, transparency, passion for affordability, and clear communication to the board.

2. What do you see as the main purpose of the Selectboard?

I see the board as having two big picture roles. One is overseeing the very literal operations of the town as spelled out by policy. This includes everything from working with staff to craft the annual budget to deciding what kind of planning and programs the town departments should support. The other role is to be open and available to the public, to listen to their concerns and ideas, and to bake that feedback into decision making.

3. What do you think are the top three issue areas in Hartford and what ideas do you have to make progress in those areas?

1. Affordability- From groceries to taxes, many are struggling to pay their bills. While we do not exist in a vacuum, we can and must find ways to shift the cost burden from low- and middle-income residents. We should evaluate goals and spending to make sure the taxes people pay translate to services they need, look for structural solutions for high cost challenges such as public safety, and continue to seek state and federal grants. 2. Transparency- Somewhere along the way, many residents have lost trust in the process, and do not feel heard by the board. I want to tackle this and continue working to structure our process and decision making in a way that shows the public that we hear them. No one will agree on every decision, but I think we can improve this dynamic. 3. Mental health and addiction- The effects of a broken healthcare system are evident in our community. I want to work with service providers and related organizations to start deploying services everywhere we can. I also want to think creatively about public safety and how we can spend less money to help more people.

4. What strategies would you propose to limit increases to the Town tax rate and increase affordability for all residents of Hartford?

There is no easy answer to this, but here are some thoughts I have: I believe we need to prioritize infrastructure, because when we don't it costs more. We could also develop more metrics to measure the value of spending. Leadership has to have data to understand if programs and initiatives are producing the outcomes we thought they would at the start.

5. What strategies would you propose to address affordable housing challenges in Hartford?

Making the permitting process easy and friendly is the lowest cost way to support small scale development. Strategies I have been following in other areas include regulations on short term rentals and rent caps, which in these unprecedented times, I think is worth considering. I'm also very interested in the way COVID sales affected our town wide reassessment. While I understand the methodologies used, it's hard to accept the insane price gouging that happened during COVID has created the new floor for property values. The sad reality is that in a free-market there is very little a town can do to make a meaningful change in housing. We either have to spend money to build or subsidize housing or regulate the market. Both present challenges, especially spending money when raising taxes the way we do would cause even more housing insecurity. I'm open to regulation, and would want to hear more from the public on the topic.

6. How would you approach balancing local concerns and broader state or national issues that come before the Selectboard?

While the definitive scope of town business is and always has been the main priority of the board, we must recognize how wealth inequality perpetuated at the federal and state levels is suffocating our municipality. The cost burden the town is taking on due to the lack of an adequate healthcare system is staggering. We see this not only in our town and school budgets, but also in the addiction crisis. We have to ask ourselves how much more can we take on? The majority of taxes we all pay are not municipal. Our federal and state tax dollars should go to funding healthcare, housing, and other social services to support our most vulnerable people. I'm not sure Hartford, or any other town can reduce our costs if something doesn't change up river. I also think all elected officials should be free to take a stance on issues that go beyond their district. In that spirit voters should know I support the Apartheid Free Community Pledge on the ballot, and do not support funneling billions of our precious tax dollars to ICE.

7. What are some Town initiatives or services that you would like to improve or change?

Recycling/ solid waste is an issue that we need to continue discussing and should create an ad-hoc committee to address. I'm excited about the Big Little Build initiative the planning dept and Housing and Homelessness Committee are working on. I also hope we can find a transformative resolution to parking in downtown WRJ centered on public transportation and reducing the need for more and more parking. I'm also excited about the prospect of a community space to serve the rec department and senior center.