All four candidates appearing on the May 9 ballot for Lenox Select Committee have been sent a questionnaire (posted below) by a newly-formed political action committee. Thirteen questions address a variety of issues that are facing Lenox, such as wind energy, a fair tax system, the local economy, food systems, PCB's in the Housatonic River, health care, along with budget and revenue issues.

Dr. Michael Kaplan is the Chairman of Berkshire Greens Political Action Committee, whose mission is to advance key values* in public policy by increasing the number of Green-Rainbow Party members and candidates in Berkshire County and by refusing the influence of corporate/lobbyist money. “Judy Merritt and a group of other Lenox voters got together, drafted the questions, and requested Berkshire Greens PAC's support,” Kaplan reports. “We believe that Lenox voters of all political persuasions are interested in knowing candidates' answers to these questions. We will publish the results after the April 20 candidates' due date.”

A similar voter education initiative took place during the City of Pittsfield's preliminary elections in 2009. Since then, and especially since the November 2010 elections, county-wide interest in the Green-Rainbow Party has grown. “We welcome similar sponsorship requests from voters in other towns and cities all over Berkshire County,” Kaplan continued.

One question simply asks the Lenox candidates, “Do you recycle?”

Another question asks the candidates how they responded to last fall's Municipal Services Survey, in which Lenox voters were given the option of ranking which departments in the town budget should receive greater or fewer cuts in the event of revenue shortfalls.

Berkshire Greens Political Action Committee will consider endorsing a candidate who requests it and is either registered as a Green-Rainbow Party voter or Unenrolled (independent).

BERKSHIRE GREENS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
50 RICHMOND AVE. / PITTSFIELD MA 01201
MICHAEL KAPLAN, CHAIRPERSON – WANDA J. BOEKE, TREASURER

*Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Grassroots Democracy, Non-Violence, Decentralization, Gender Equality, Local Economies, Respect for Diversity, Personal & Global Responsibility, and Future Sustainability.

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March 28, 2011

Dear Candidate for Lenox Select Committee:

Congratulations and thank you for the successful effort you have made to place your name on the ballot for the May 9 Lenox election.

As further described in the [above] press release, Berkshire Greens Political Action Committee has sponsored an effort undertaken by a group of Lenox voters to educate fellow voters on the positions of you and your fellow candidates. We kindly ask you to answer the following thirteen questions by April 20, 2011, after which we will publicize the names of the candidates who responded along with the particular answers.

Please let us know if you wish to be considered for an endorsement by Berkshire Greens Political Action Committee. Candidates who are registered in the Green-Rainbow Party or who are Unenrolled are eligible for endorsement.

Thank you.

Michael Kaplan
Chair

Lenox Select Committee Candidate Questionnaire

1.  How did you respond to questions 2 and 3 of the Municipal Services Survey that was widely circulated and publicized by the Lenox Select Committee late last year regarding possible budget cuts and a possible property tax override?  Please use the following PDF to re-record your answers:
http://www.green-rainbow.org/sites/default/files/Lenox_Services_Survey_BG.pdf

2.  In what circumstances will you support wind energy generation on the ridge?

3.  What alternatives to automobile transportation do your support?

4.  What health care cost and/or quality solutions will you use your influence as an elected official to encourage Beacon Hill to adopt?

5.  What is your position on the downtown Lenox Farmers Market?

6.  Most tax experts agree that property taxes are regressive.  What proposals do you have to make the tax system in Lenox more fair?

7.  In what circumstances will you support continued town funding for a Lenox Economic Development Action Plan?

8.  What will you suggest before the EPA when it holds an interactive workshop with the public in Lenox on May 7 regarding the removal of PCB's and toxins in the Housatonic River?  What clean-up solution do you favor?  Will/Did you attend the workshops in Lenox on April 5, 6, and 7?

9.  Have you had an energy audit performed at your residence and/or place of business?  What has caused your carbon footprint to be higher or lower than it was at this time last year?

10.  Do you recycle?

11.  What benefits are there for a regional farm/food system?  How would you start the process of implementing one?

12.  On what issues have you made public statements or testimony at town meetings or public hearings in the last three years?  Was your testimony in favor or in opposition to the issue being debated?  How will these positions inform your public advocacy for Lenox?

13.  How did you vote on the 4 ballot questions last November?
    1.  Repeal of Alcohol Sales Tax  ___YES  ___NO
    2.  Repeal Certain Affordable Housing Provisions  ___YES  ___NO
    3.  Sales Tax Reduction  ___YES  ___NO
    4.  Medicare for All  ___YES  ___NO

PLEASE RETURN YOUR ANSWERS TO US BY APRIL 20, 2011.

BY E-MAIL (preferred) TO: BERKSHIREGREENS@GMAIL.COM

OR BY MAIL TO: Berkshire Greens PAC
c/o Judy Merritt
203 Housatonic St.
Lenox, MA 01240