Three Democrats are vying for one seat on the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners in the September 1 primary election.
As Tyler Jager reports for the Provincetown Independent, the winner will go up against Republican Adam Hogue in the general election November 3.
CAI's Gilda Geist spoke to Tyler to learn more about the candidates.
Gilda Geist Let's just start really basic, because I think it's pretty much always worth breaking down the specifics of local politics. What is the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners?
Tyler Jager The Board of Commissioners is a three-member body that essentially acts as the executive branch of the Barnstable County government, which is a sort of unique institution here on Cape Cod. It's one of the few counties in Massachusetts that actually has a county government with a robust budget, and the commissioners administer and oversee the county's health, environmental and emergency services and agencies. They review all the funds managed by the county—which total, when you include grants, to around $83 million—and oversee the Cape Cod Commission, which is a really important regional planning and development agency. And the the regional commissioners are all elected for four-year terms.
GG In terms of the candidates, let's start with incumbent Ronald Bergstrom. What's his background and platform and how long has he been a commissioner?
TJ Ron Bergstrom has been a commissioner since 2019. He was elected in 2018. Before that, he was Chatham's representative on the Barnstable Assembly of Delegates, which is like the legislative body of the county government, and then also was a select board member for Chatham. So, he's running for another term on the County Commission and has really emphasized the environmental challenges that Cape Cod is facing, in particular human wastewater and what the county can do about that. Now, one thing that a lot of towns have to do is adapt wastewater management plans, and that's something Bergstrom wants the county to support towns doing, as well as maintaining the AquiFund, which is a way for individual homeowners to get low-interest loans related to upgrading septic systems. He's also emphasized the county's emergency management services. That's something he wants to maintain. He also emphasized he believes that what the county can do when it comes to addressing the housing shortage on Cape Cod is fairly limited.
GG Now let's talk about Dan Gessen, who is currently on the Barnstable County Assembly. What is he hoping to achieve if elected to the County Commission?
TJ Dan Gessen represents Falmouth in the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates. A lot of his platform is really asking the County Commission to do more as a regional government to step up, especially when it comes to the cost of living here, particularly for young people and with regard to housing and other kinds of services. There's a generational difference, I think, between Gessen and the other two candidates in this race. He's now 26, and Bergstrom is 77. Gessen emphasized that many people his age who graduated from Falmouth High School can no longer afford to live here. When it comes to housing, one of his emphases is using housing stock we have rather than only relying on building new development. Other things he's hoping to focus on are how the county as a regional body could address things like improving broadband on the Cape and helping coordinate childcare services.
GG It seems from your reporting that Eric Schwaab is sort of the wildcard candidate here. Tell us about him.
TJ Unlike the other two candidates, Eric Schwaab doesn't have experience in county government. He was elected to an uncontested seat on the Barnstable Housing Authority, where he's a resident, in 2025. He's also a largely self-financed candidate, so more than three-quarters of his contributions come from his own finances. Opposition to new development and the real estate transfer fee underpin a lot of his platform. And in particular he takes issue with the Cape Cod Commission. He views it as not sufficiently going after proposals for development that come with a lot of density. And there is a representative from the County Commission who would serve on the Cape Cod Commission, which, again, is that regional planning agency. Currently that's held by Bergstrom, and that's the kind of position that Schwaab wants to take on.
All three candidates will debate the issues Thursday on The Point on CAI.
