NORWOOD – In this installment of “Meet the Candidates,” we profile Kathryn Ahnger-Pier, a Town Meeting member and public health professional vying for a seat on the Board of Health.
Ahnger-Pier is no stranger to the local political landscape, having served on Town Meeting since 2019. Currently the chair of the Town Meeting Rules Committee, she believes her professional background offers a unique advantage for a board that has seen little turnover in nearly 15 years.
“I have had the opportunity to speak to Board of Health meetings in other towns and it leaves me feeling like there is more that can be done here in Norwood” Ahnger-Pier said. “I could bring fresh ideas to a board that has not changed composition since 2010.”
Drawing from her experience with municipal and state health departments, Ahnger-Pier suggests that Norwood’s current health infrastructure is functional but perhaps too traditional. She believes Norwood can do more than just meet the status quo.
“The current Board and Health Department are focused on doing just what is required,” Ahnger-Pier noted. She argued for a push toward “innovating and expanding communications” to ensure residents are fully aware of and utilizing available services.
While she grew up in a small town in Vermont, Ahnger-Pier says the “community sense” of Norwood is what drew her to the area to raise her family. With a daughter in second grade at the Prescott School, her daily life is a mix of local business stops and volunteerism.
Her resume of local involvement is extensive, including weekly shifts at the Norwood Food Pantry and seats on both the Impact Norwood Steering Committee and the Norwood Public Schools’ Health Council.
“Neighbors look out for each other, and there is a real pride in saying ‘I’m from Norwood,'” she said. “I might not ever ‘be’ from Norwood, but I feel at home here.”
With town leaders anticipating potential overrides in the coming years, Ahnger-Pier is centering her platform on fiscal sustainability. Her primary goal is to find ways to fund new health initiatives without further straining the local tax base.
She pointed to the Norfolk County 8 Shared Service Arrangement and the Opioid Settlement Fund as two vital sources of non-town funding that could be leveraged to expand services. “More services without impacting taxes? Sounds like a win-win to me,” she said.
When asked about the future of the local hospital which is a major concern for many residents, Ahnger-Pier offered a candid assessment, eschewing political promises for pragmatism.
“I alone can’t bring it back,” she admitted. “I don’t want to mislead anyone into thinking that I have some magic abilities to make this happen faster… but if anyone DOES have supernatural hospital powers, please let me know!”
Ahnger-Pier emphasized that her professional history with updating regulations and managing complex programs means she won’t face a steep learning curve if elected.
“As a public health professional, I know the issues the Health Department faces,” she said. “I will be able to hit the ground running.”
As the campaign enters its final days, Ahnger-Pier is encouraging voters to reach out with questions. She can be contacted via email at kathrynapfornorwood@gmail.com, through her website at www.kathrynapfornorwood.com, or on Facebook www.facebook.com/kathrynapfornorwood/ .
Norwood’s Annual Town Election will be held on Monday, April 6. -RD
If you’re running for office in the upcoming election, you can be profiled in our “Meet the Candidates” series by emailing insidenorwood@proton.me.
