John D'Angelo for Amherst Selectman
My name is John D'Angelo and I am running for Selectman on March 12, 2013. My wife, Daryl, our daughter, Michaela, and I moved to Amherst from Texas three years ago this summer. We deliberately chose Amherst as our home for its beauty, the friendliness of its people, and the quality of its schools. Our roots in New England run very deep. I grew up in Massachusetts (Quincy and Weymouth) and went to college in Cambridge, while my wife’s New Hampshire roots predate the Revolutionary War. We have family throughout the Northeast, and we are proud to call Amherst home. We expect to be here for the rest of our lives.
If given the opportunity to serve as a Selectman, I will bring many years of problem solving experience and education to the position. I am a management / business consultant by trade, having been in that line of work since 1985. I have consulted with large companies and small, for-profits and nonprofits. I do a lot of work on basic business processes, helping small companies put processes and procedures into place, while helping large companies reengineer and simplify processes that no longer fully support the needs of the organization. In addition, I provide services for--and sometimes teach--program and project management. I hold a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master's degree in Business Administration from Tulane University in New Orleans. I currently serve as a volunteer Educational Counselor for MIT.
I have followed the recent controversies in Amherst with dismay: the dump truck purchase, the Town Manger being put on (paid) leave, and then being abruptly brought back, the $11 million of "accounting adjustments" that were recently discovered. I have seen such problems before. Process breakdowns undermine the confidence of the people who rely on the leadership, as well as drain funds away from better purposes. Throughout my professional career, I’ve helped solve issues just like these, and I’d like to put my experience and knowledge to work for our town.
The economic environment has changed a lot since we arrived, and Amherst needs to change with it. As Selectman, I will do all I can to help Amherst be the town its people want and deserve. Please vote for me on March 12th.
John D'Angelo
Amherst, NH
steve forte
9:28 am on Sunday, February 3, 2013
Hello John . Why dont you give us a little insight on your political standings on things currently going on statewide. I understand you are not running for a statewide position , but it will help voters know where you are likely to stand on things affecting the town.
John D'Angelo
2:01 pm on Sunday, February 3, 2013
Hi Steve. Thanks for the question. I need to make myself better known to the people I'm asking to vote for me, and this is a good way to start.
We moved to New Hampshire in part because of its relatively unobtrusive political climate. I believe government should set a framework of rules, then let people manage their own lives within it. My preference is for the framework to be unbiased, i.e. not try to favor one group of citizens over another, though in an elected democracy, that's frequently difficult to achieve.
To pick a couple of issues before the legislature right now, I don't favor raising the NH minimum wage to $8 / hour, even though I have a teenager who would love it. Raising the minimum wage by 10% will benefit those who have (or can keep) their minimum wage jobs while preventing jobs from being filled that are not worth the extra cost to the employers. Youth unemployment is high enough already. It would also send a bad message to employers considering relocating to, or expanding operations in, New Hampshire.
For similar reasons, I favor the Right To Work bill before the legislature, even though it is likely doomed. Even if it is true that people with jobs in "closed shop" stares earn a bit more than people in neighboring right to work states--and I don't know that that's true--nationally, jobs are migrating towards right to work states every month--or are moving overseas.
The last thing I want is to see NH turn into Massachusetts--or Michigan.
Tedd Landon
9:34 pm on Sunday, February 3, 2013
Hi John,
How does one get in touch with you?
Tedd Landon
John D'Angelo
1:10 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
Hi Tedd,
Thanks for your interest. I can be reached at
<john.dangelo@comcast.net>.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
John
steve forte
6:47 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
Thanks for answering the question John. Seems we are on the same page. You can count on my vote.
Charles burke
4:56 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
I agree on both issues, and you'll bring some new ideas on town management and fiscal allocation to the forefront.
Seamus Carty
10:05 am on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
"the dump truck purchase, the Town Manger being put on (paid) leave, and then being abruptly brought back, the $11 million of "accounting adjustments" that were recently discovered"
If you campaign with the promise to get to the bottom of what the heck was going on in this situation, I'll vote for you...
John D'Angelo
1:25 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Hi Seamus,
Thanks for your interest. If elected, I will certainly try to get to the bottom of these and other curious events. However, I believe that openness and transparency is important on all matters before the Board. We must be completely open as a Board, particularly given a history and culture that has been less than forthcoming. I believe that people will forgive honest mistakes, provided that 1) we admit them, and 2) we learn from them, so the mistakes are not repeated. One of the worst effects of a culture of secrecy is that little learning takes place, and mistakes keep being repeated (and concealed).
John Harvey
1:05 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
Let's take a non-political tack -- your opening statement said " I do a lot of work on basic business processes, helping small companies put processes and procedures into place, while helping large companies reengineer and simplify processes." Does that imply you are willing to spend some selectman time as a consultant to the town, investigating (say) authorities, expenditure levels, job descriptions, cost-effectiveness of this-and-that, continuous improvements, etc. and put them on the agenda of Monday BOS meetings? The budget gets all the talk but the business practices among the town departments is where the money gets spent.
John D'Angelo
3:27 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
John,
Thanks for the question. The short answer is "yes". I would bring my skills as a business consultant to the town; it's just part of how I approach things. Applying the discipline of business to how decisions are made comes naturally to me, and will be very helpful to town operations..
I have heard much that leads me to believe that more discipline and rigor in the town's business practices would be a good thing, along with a more data driven decision making process. I look forward to bringing these to the Board of Selectmen.
Andy rowe
9:09 am on Saturday, March 9, 2013
Read and exclusive Q&A with John http://bit.ly/10lNxpf