Kirstin Reveron

As an island community, Jamestown's water system is complex, with two different modes of water supply — from the aquifer or from the town's treatment center — and both of these have considerable challenges. We as a community face questions about growth, conservation, and infrastructure investment over the years ahead. I want to dig into the details the way that I have been with water and air quality issues — and help the town build a thoughtful, lasting plan for our water future.

Too many families who've called Jamestown home for generations, and the teachers, firefighters, and shop owners who keep the island running, are being priced out. There are lots of ways to come at this problem, and I am ready to work with neighbors and the Town Council to find solutions.

Fort Getty has been discussed island-wide for the last year, and the framing of the question has unfortunately caused division in the community.

Fort Getty needs a solution. But the question needs to be reframed. And the answer is not in the "who" this park serves, but in the "how" we accomplish that.

How do we make this park accessible, safe, and useful for the most people possible? The ad hoc committee came up with a thorough plan in an attempt to answer this.

But the current budget is undersized. In June of 2025, the town voted for a $500,000 bond to address the long list of infrastructure issues at Fort Getty. I fear that is nowhere near the amount of money it will cost to upgrade the systems needed.

The bottom line is we need more information about what the costs for the proposed changes will be in current dollars. Decades of delayed action have added to the expense, but rushing into commitments without solid projections of what it will truly cost goes against good financial management. As a candidate for town council, I am asked to commit to a plan for the park, and I believe the only answer I can give is that I cannot commit to any single plan without seeing what it will actually cost.

When we have the total estimate for the repairs, upgrades, and long-term maintenance of the project, we can make some decisions and get to work in earnest. What we cannot do is delay action or decision any longer. As soon as the costs are clear, we need to have a community-wide discussion about next steps.

Balancing long-term responsibilities and debt with the needs of our community requires careful, creative, and responsible stewardship. In talking about many issues, I use the word "stewardship" frequently. To me it embodies the understanding that public service often means caretaking of limited resources. Fiscal stewardship means keeping individual taxpayers at front of mind when working with budgets. I'm ready to work on solutions and plans with that ethic as a guide to policy, so Jamestown stays on solid footing as we face serious, upcoming challenges on the Island.