Southbridge council candidates split on regional dispatch ahead of June 9 election

Select Board · Meeting of May 20, 2026

Southbridge council candidates split sharply over regional emergency dispatch at a May 20 candidate forum ahead of the June 9 election. Six candidates — incumbents Ariel Ortiz, George Chenier, and Joseph Dow, along with challengers Gus Steves, Kathy Grenier, and Shelley Klein — are competing for three seats in a race that will shape whether the town revisits its November 2023 six-to-three vote against joining the Central Massachusetts Regional Emergency Communications Center. Klein cited current dispatch costs approaching $1.3 million annually in FY27 and said state funding would cover the full cost of joining for the first three years, while Chenier and Dow said they would not reverse their no vote even if residents approve a non-binding ballot referendum on the same question.

Steves noted a gap between a projected $1.1 million annual cost and a $775,000 budget allocation for dispatch. Candidates were also divided on housing strategy, with Klein arguing a financing stack of low-income housing tax credits and state grants could fund a $10 million affordable housing project at no cost to the town, and Dow and Chenier warning against converting industrial space to residential use.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of May 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.