With two open seats and three candidates in the race, Hopkinton voters have a choice to make among Alyssa McKeon, Brian Rousseau and Victoria Bram for the select board. McKeon, owner of Witching Hour Provisions in Contoocook Village, moved to Hopkinton in 2018 and has a background in project management and community engagement.

She said she noticed the strong engagement of residents in town politics but felt there is a lack of productive spaces for meaningful conversations.

“These conversations are happening on Facebook or in public hearings, and they’re not true discussions,” said McKeon. “When you’re in a hearing, you’re not supposed to be addressing other folks in the room. You’re just speaking to the board, the opposite of a dialog.”

McKeon said that beyond just public hearings as a platform for conversation, she’s interested in exploring a roundtable discussion format.

McKeon said she also prioritizes ensuring taxpayer dollars fund important projects and that the community receives the services it deserves.

Rousseau, who has called Hopkinton home for 27 years, brings a mix of project management, information technology and emergency medical technician experience to the table. Rousseau declined to be interviewed.

At a candidate night forum on Sunday, he described his goal as “Being able to look at the fiscal responsibilities of everybody that pays their taxes here and making sure that they’re getting the best bang for the buck and the right contractor to do and the right contract that’ll benefit everybody and not be a frivolous waste of money.”

Bram is no stranger to local politics. A long-time resident of town, she served on the Hopkinton Village Precinct’s budget committee for three years and has been the precinct clerk since 2020.

If elected to the select board, Bram said she won’t rush into making big changes. Instead, she said listening and learning are her priorities.

“My favorite thing is to research and to talk to the experts,” said Bram. “I would take the proper time to talk to people who work here in town, to talk to the state department or whatever applicable department.”

Housing: A top priority

Apart from addressing the operations of the transfer station and improving roads, all candidates agree that housing is a critical issue in town, though their views on how to approach it differ.

Rousseau said he is focused on prioritizing business over housing.

“My concern with more housing is we get more people in town that can’t afford their taxes,” said Rousseau. “I think growing and zoning business areas (where) we can grow commercial space, I think that outweighs the benefits of building a ton more houses.”

McKeon sees housing and business as two sides of the same coin.

“It’s going to be hard to attract the businesses without housing to support folks being here to work for those businesses,” said McKeon.

Bram said she favors increasing the town’s housing stock, particularly apartments and rental properties.

Election Day is March 11, with voters able to cast their ballots at the Hopkinton Middle/High School Gymnasium from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The annual town meeting will take place on March 20 at 6 p.m., also at the Hopkinton Middle/High School Gymnasium.