Mary Powell-St. Louis (R): Candidate for Lyme Selectman

Biography: 

Mary Powell-St. Louis has lived in Lyme for 27 years, where she raised her family. She previously represented the town for eight years on the Board of Education and currently serves on the Building Committee for the school district renovation project. She has been a community volunteer with Scouting and Master Gardener endeavors and has been a frequent attendee at Board of Selectmen meetings for many years. As a physician, she has worked both in private practice in Middlesex County and the corporate world with the companies of Pfizer and Argenx, where she has refined her business skills.

1. Why are you running for the Lyme Board of Selectmen, and what skills or experiences make you the right candidate for that role?

My decision to run for a position on the Board of Selectmen comes from my desire to care for and serve others, which is reflected in my 30-year tenure as a physician caring for patients. I believe Lyme deserves thoughtful and robust leadership; I want to use my experience, dedication, and energy to make a meaningful difference for everyone who calls our town home.

My Town of Lyme service includes eight years as a Board of Education member, and current membership on the PreK-8 Building Committee, Lyme Fire Department, and the Lyme Veterans Memorial Committee. Within the greater community, I have been a dedicated adult leader for our local Scout organization, supporting youth development including supporting my three sons through their journeys to achieving Eagle Scout. 

Coupling my professional and business experience with my advanced degrees (MBA, MPH), I will bring a unique and balanced set of skills to our Board of Selectmen: public service, communication expertise, critical thinking, crisis management, teamwork, advocacy, and networking. A foundation to my career has been an unwavering commitment to ethical integrity in all aspects of my work and personal life.

A recent demonstration of my leadership skills and abilities was earlier this year when I created and led the “Save the Music” campaign in Region18 Lyme/Old Lyme schools.  In this campaign, I rallied parental and community support to reverse a Board of Education decision to cut a music teacher thereby preserving and strengthening the performing arts in our school system, which has always been close to my heart. As a result of this experience and my other qualifications, I’m confident I will make a meaningful contribution to our Board of Selectmen; my desire is to keep Lyme the special place that it is today. 

2. Lyme, like the other municipalities in the state, is being called upon to increase the availability of affordable housing. What is your view on the need for affordable housing in Lyme, and how should the town balance state requirements with local calls to preserve its rural nature? 

I support affordable housing for Lyme that maintains our town’s character while utilizing our existing zoning regulations.   

When I moved to Lyme decades ago, I was immediately drawn to the open space, farms, and its rural aspects. Many others have chosen Lyme for the same reasons. With fifty-three percent of the town in open space and with dozens of beautiful preserves, Lyme has made clear for decades that local control of town matters is important to its residents as is keeping Lyme rural.  

In affordable housing space, Lyme is no exception to what is observed in other towns and cities: there is a lack of available lower cost options whether owned or rented for those looking to stay or relocate. 

I agree with the governor’s veto of HB5002 which would have potentially removed the power of local decision making by our Planning and Zoning Commission in addition to recommending a “fair share” number of affordable housing units for our town. 

Neighbors have expressed to me while I’m knocking on doors that they support Lyme’s existing zoning control and acreage requirements. Our town lacks the infrastructure to support high density cluster housing (no sewer; no public water supply) – but we do have residents who support accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to age in place or rent. 

I believe the town can support existing ADUs while encouraging additional units through outreach and appropriate property tax incentives – all without state deed restrictions.  Ultimately, there would be no permanent outlay of town cash for land purchase, project development, ongoing maintenance, and the related risk to property value fluctuation. 

3. Lyme proudly relies on its volunteers to create a safe and supportive community, from fighting fires and responding to medical calls to sitting on boards and commissions. With volunteer numbers shrinking and a limited pool to pull from, what ideas do you have for encouraging more people to serve the town? 

Like our affordable housing shortage, volunteer shortages have impacted many towns and Lyme is not immune. Our own Lyme Ambulance made this publicly known in The Day in a published article (September 7) that their volunteer personnel base is strained and may require additional town funding for part-time drivers. EMS service is not the only organization in town affected by lack of volunteers – it’s commonplace for most town groups. 

While I believe we have made strides in town to connect volunteers to organizations with initiatives like our biennial Volunteer Fair at the library, it does not consistently reach everyone.    

One idea is to develop an ongoing program supported by the town like “Come with me – Be a Volunteer – Bring a Volunteer” where existing volunteers have direct reach out to friends or neighbors to join an event of interest.  By pairing a personal touch, skill set, flexibility, and a guarantee of fun and food there could be an improved recruitment outcome. Any ongoing program would need to be consistently monitored and adjusted to meet evolving interests and needs of our community.      

Our townspeople are looking for connection and interaction. We need to be sensitive to skills, interest, and physical ability to contribute. We need to also be sensitive in communicating and publicizing in all forms – direct personal contact, written word, and digital media. With all this in mind, I think this will bring wins on the volunteer front. It will take extra effort, but the potential payoff, both personally and in increased volunteerism, is worth it.

4. In order of importance, what do you see as the top three challenges facing Lyme over the next two years? 

Challenge of increased taxes:

Currently, property owners in Lyme have a low mill rate of 14.5 and the Board of Finance is forecasting no change for the fiscal year 2025/2026. Increases in mill rate are projected 2027/28 and beyond for at least five years due to the Region 18 debt service associated with the PreK-8 building renovations. Lyme taxpayers will be facing increases in property taxes in the years ahead. The Board of Selectmen should make good fiscal decisions in concert with the Board of Finance to minimize other factors influencing the tax burden on our residents. 

Challenge of connectedness and engagement with the community: 

I have heard from our townspeople while knocking on doors that they want more community events to gather and socialize, but also, they want online access to local board meetings. I believe the Board of Selectmen could collaborate with the recreation director to sponsor additional events to improve community engagement. I also believe the Board of Selectmen should commit to more frequent communications with our town by means of a periodic newsletter. With the improved technology at the Town Hall that was installed several years ago supporting video display and Zoom meeting access, I pledge if elected to improve online availability of important board meetings where in-person attendance is not feasible due to scheduling conflicts.

Challenge of reduced numbers of volunteers: See response in question 3.