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Welcome to with the candidate. I'm Davidson Calfee and I'm sitting with andrew putnam who's running
for County Assembly
Andrew, how are you?
I'm well Davidson. How are you? Good. Good.
Well. tell me uh... tell the viewers a little bit about yourself and the position you're running
for
You know, everyone knows my name. My name is Andrew Putnam.
uh... I'm running for the County Assembly. I'm twenty-two years old
finishing up 4C's
as a marketing major next uh... next year
uh... i was born and raised here in the Town of Falmouth.
and uh...
I'm young and energetic I guess is the best way to put it. So...
So how'd you like growing up in the Town of Falmouth?
it's quite an experience um...
You know... going through the school system what i was elementary school i actually did me
a couple friends couple my best friends moved from like kentucky in florida
uh... and
it was kind of interesting being able to
talk with them you know if you'd be moved from a landmark status of the
shock nickel mine god
you've never lived near a beach light
like heroes so it you know in aghast at all it was is x
it's a good experience that i've had have really enjoyed the fact that yeah i
really could imagine life growing up anywhere else you're looking to move in
session
beautiful place
the
even with the traffic even looked at it
so you have those of growing up period the passion for the community definitely
a uh... i mean when i was growing up uh... my great grandfather my
grandmother
it took most uh... art college
when i was born
uh... and my mother my father were both working three four jobs at peace uh...
my father was finishing school so i spent most my time with my
great-grandparents nam which a lot of people in town now irene and robert
roderick
um... and my great grandfather used to driving around the town
and his truck
and we'd see all the people he knew it all the property c_e_o_ landing
and just all the other businesses he did business with the wave at them and you
say i was in my little body and now he's going to use the box you know him
so we do know growing up to see you i really learned quickly that this is a
small town everyone's friendly one p
community
uh... for how everything was tied together
so i'd it was
his as good yet
soooo lead you into the politics
uh... right will pick father
mhm
uh... of really wasn't
uh...
sad to say you he wasn't as much of it influences you jumping into the game is
people might think
uh... i kind of realized they wanted politics uh... early on in high school
uh... i was rose
kinda stuck between two different
two different ways i really want to go once i was nosedive college knew that
once it was interesting
uh... i was really good at biology really good anything scientific
uh... i was always uh... one
that students in my school terms
doing projects all these different crazy experiments coming always research
uh... things you wouldn't expect high school come up with
actually seen that coming 'cause when i was uh...
seventh-grade
sorry no i wasn't it great
as it is great
hi actually built tesla coil
and so here i i was walking to school with my dad holding this diane machine
that call it s look better to transport electricity but it really to sparks
electricity all over the place
probably like very much walking in the lawrence with local advocacy that could
kill somebody but
yellow is
it's great how i felt like i was cool cuz i don't have an audit done before
hans but
then came the second piece which was politics
uh... i have a real big passion for history
i started to realize
you know being high schooler howell
helpless was wasn't anything i could do it wasn't left vote that wasn't old
enough to have a voice to be able to make a difference in yet
i'm sitting here looking at
half the things going on the world u_s_ time going
have any of you open to history book
this has been tried on before no one sixty that you know when it was that
want to know being able to step up in just feel like listen
just listen me for two seconds
it's been done and we can go a different direction we can actually
do this right now
in the end
clearly as we see today
political side prevailed in wanting to
kinda get out there in makes a difference make sure that we do learn
from our history
uh... not mixing six again
prevails so what do you learn from history
uh... to bring into today's society and today is
position of the county
for here them larry that uh... at
the classic
alarm by and learned that
government needs to be
very open
and very honest with citizens
and it needs to be more engaging
one greens started as a
began archer creating discover
are founding fathers
were very actively engaged with the communities the new with the people want
to deal with side by side
and more importantly they made themselves known improbable so everyone
knew who they are representative wants everyone knew who their congressman
everyone knew who the president wants
uh... and everyone knew when voting day wasn't there when you were to go to vote
and it was just this huge sense of
for a
probably more so due to the fact that we just moved from
uh... from a monarch controlling us to being able to have our own voice that
there was this your sense of pride but he did carry on for quite some time and
we've seen that for our history
that pride
has his continued on
and
and just think that's that's one of most important things when you learn from
'cause as i watch today
there's so many people in my generation aren't
getting out
and voting in exercising that right and they're so me people my generation art
realizing the sacrifices that had to be made
in order to have what we have today
and
you know the stitches it's one of the things i think we can really learn from
but it's a lesson we need to have over and over and over again think it's time
for us to have that les fagen let's let's be actively involved in our
government
because you know watching what your government is doing
your government's going to do what it wants to behind your back
various you know it's sad to say but it's it's a truth you know there are
their elected officials who understand that land
certain people don't watch
they can do certain things
and it's not just in politics it's everywhere in business in knin in
education and whatever you want to talk about so
so it should lose voters know about
young and old bowlers
i think uh... in terms of the office i'm running for i think the county should no
uh... voters a promise to know that the county government is that are very
crucial point right now
there was any special commission
put together
uh... about
eight nine months ago
actually start almost a year ago actually
anne was put together by the county commissioners
and
the special commission's task
was too
evaluate the county government as it was
and decide from there where they county government should go now these are
strictly recommendations
but some of the things they've recommended were
a little
not sober off
to me but the little scary
one of the recommendations i feels most important i think voters should know
about was the recommendation to eliminate
the county assembly position i'm right before
that is something that we
absolutely cannot allow to happen
what they wanted to do was eliminate the assembly
eliminate the commissioners and instead
have a seven-member legislative body that was paid
and a county administrator
who was hired by that legislative body to be the executive
branch of the time
right now we have he fifteen-member legislature that is the county of san
one-member from each for the fifteen towns like it
full-time paid they're all volunteers
your three commissioners again volunteers
susan volunteer
position it's of volunteer position
and
they do a really good job right now
getting what we need done and representing cape cod as kit contents
and if we move to the seven-member legislature first film loses its ports
we no longer have an individual representative in the government
it would be like congress turning around tomorrow and saying new hampshire maine
vermont massachusetts you get one
they just doesn't make sense
is maine has different needs the massachusetts does well
comic has different needs then nash be or barnstable or truro orleans
uh... we need our own represented plaza sounds like it's more spending
it is more spend seven paid positions versus fifteen
uh...
volunteers correct it is a lot more spending and it's a question of where
this money's gonna come from right now the county government has no taxation
authority
uh... to create this body means that we have to find the funding for and
ultimately means that we could end up moving in that direction
of having uh... county government taxation powers melb
no one has really come out
saying
uh... that yet we're going to create attack countywide tax
it's deftly something that could be in the future if you want to really change
the former government
i think that's something very important for the voters to know and i think it's
something for them or voters to be aware of this time around
that this is an important crucial year and
i fully intend of course if i'm elected to make sure that the assembly stays
where it is and it states
doing its job accurately representing
each of the fifteen towns
so uh... issues to the county
focusing
right now the county's folks in the couple issues that are really important
the first of which is wastewater
and we all know that's a huge issue for us right now in cape cod we're dealing
with nitrogen issues in the waters in our local estuaries
and uh... we really do have to come to a solution
we have to find a way to solve this crisis that were in basically
and do it in a way that's known to be cost effective
but in the long term
a good solution for all of us and for our children our grandchildren
so my custom residence
correction
correct it could cost the residents of millions
uh... it's not an exaggeration it's it's gonna cost millions
the question is is what is a long-term
uh... costs going to be for us
right now
stirring
is is really the big thing that's done in a lot of uh...
densely populated areas
it's understandable
you know you go to a city people are
literally
living on top of each other britain announcer hit you clearly don't have any
other arabs the ground
but in a place like cape cod we're not densely populated in terms of
uh... city population
we don't have skyscrapers with people living on four one up to thirty no you
know
instead
we have people space that most of those homes are close together net may present
a bit of a problem
but this is where we have to really look at alternatives
my big piece to this thing that i want boaters to understand thing i wanna make
sure that are elected officials understand
is in terms of solving this problem we can't book ten years down the line
we have to look fifty years ago seventy years count
stirring is a
very old way of doing things
the romans it's over
that alone should tell us how
ancient technique is
uh... and we've come up with a lot of new ways of dealing with nitrogen and
and and waste at this point
and i think it's time for us to really
buckle down and find out which one of those is going to be a good solution for
us
because what may cost more now may not cost more later but what may cost
less now
notably cost more later
and that's was suing could be it could be one of those things and it has been
in many other places one of those
items costs will now
cost a lot later
they had only
individual septic systems
you're looking at us early
uh... you're looking at uh... a sewer line attached to all the homes mandates
it's something that can cost us a lot later because you have to maintain the
sewer
you have to do upgrades to the sewer if you get more people living now you've
got attach more people to the store line
this is an achiever
project this is a multi-million-dollar project
and
what we're looking at here as cape cod residents is the option
before we even jump into something like this and evaluating these other
solutions and finding out which one of them has a long term goal could end up
costing us a lot less
worked with others his to the assembly
focus
assessments
well one of the other issues is definitely a traffic and transportation
uh... and i think it's an issue that we do need to start tackling sooner rather
than later we've kind of this is one of those issues we've definitely kicking
the can down the road
for years so the bridges
when people to the bridges are very good example
okay
uh... maintenance on the with on the bread
it should be good for a while
right maybe uh... the army corps of engineers
released a uh...
the released a statement
uh... you were to go
basically stating that the
uh... the bridges we're reaching
maximum capacity
in terms of the traffic running amuck of running over them
what that means to us as residents of cape cod
is that we have to start looking at this and saying all right more than what your
plans
we don't have control over the bridges the state does not have
complete control over those bridges those bridges are owned
and operated by the army corps of engineers
so we need to be talking to the federal government at this point
and
that's the question
what are they going to do for us
we s rely on those bridges
of our local businesses rely on those bridges
all of us is residents rely on those bridges that's were all over supplies
como
we don't get food by carbon dioxide we'll get food by boat
supplies by plane
we get everything over trucks over those bridges so that if that is an issue that
the county needs to start focusing on you know
the regional government for fifteen towns that rely on those bridges
it's time for the county to stop up and ask the army corps of engineers who said
that
down at the table and say
what is your long-term solution
what is your long term goal with the bridges
and
more to the point what his morgan
control of the county
directly right now
is figuring out how we can bring people over those over the canal with helping
their cars off
could even if the army corps has a plan
that play may not take affect right away
the traffic increase is happening every single year
that's the question i think the assembly needs to start looking at when they do
look at transportation which is under their purview
then you start asking themselves how do we bring
torres
over the bridges
over the canal more importantly
bringing their cars
and that could be either bus that could be
you're getting the train system back up and running is that right
we always love the transit i was actually out uh... going door to door
the other day and i i knocked on the ladies door and she she was she was very
nice lady
and she said all all your your you're the young man who wrote the article
about the trains so i have to have
on what young people he'd
there's a c she was just very sharp uh... she's very happy to see that you
course we've been talking for a couple minutes
she remarked that she travel the world by train
she went from one side of europe to the other side of the year
by train
and she got there
less time than it took to take a car or a box
and she got there
less money than it took to fly train
uh... font flat plain right right
uh... and and
and you know from say paris to moscow
so trains have been an efficient way of moving people from one place to the
other and i think it's time for the county to look at
possibly in the train up and running
and there's no harm in us actually
part of you know reaching out to the
uh... cape cod central railroad
and doing a public-private partnership
to get the training they own be dinner tray going along the railroad
or what's the harm in asking them if if
weekend sat down and come up with some solutions
hill uh...
there are other train systems like the uh... and be ta up in boston
they lose money a lot of every year
and i'm not a fan of losing so they gave us out
so
this is an opportunity for us to get a private business involved that uh...
you through the help of the county we won't be losing money off of something
where
people over the to cape
without using cartoon you know it's something that that stephanie's to be
looked at him maybe that's not the right answer
we do need to start looking at those kinds of solutions
like the train
like our bus system that we already have a and running
uh... and so you will be can do
now often does the counties and we need
him rack
uh... they meet
twice a month
basically every other week seemed to me now they me a little more often if they
have neo individual committees to get to things style
n who does the cans and we uh...
they
uh...
talked
pending the legislature neighbor very closely with the county commissioners
who are these active branch of the cup
the family
really
it's an interesting position
uh... outside if you want to talk about grassroots what american government
should be
mhm and what we started as you can definitely put the assembly is that kind
of because the volunteers are there the volunteers just like congress was when i
started
not paid at all full time at all
and uh... more importantly the represent
the town's and communicate that
between the town's and the people and disney on town hall and the county in
the kind of just how everything in together
uh... so
i would save your good representative really strong
in the assembly
you're probably meeting at town hall
often you're probably going to select ans meetings again reports often
and more importantly you are probably out there speaking with people on the
streets and in in talking with them and and getting to know what the feel of the
issues mentioned curtly
ajai already do a lot of not
here's the uh... about uh... packed with people
getting involved issues yet
and make it a very good point uh...
to make sure that power knowing aaron might well informed about what
people are thinking and feeling but
but they're well informed about the actions i'm doing to the two
sort of approved things shin
now
voter turnout so it's been a tent
uh...
back in history voter turnout was
probably a lot higher it at this
now hal
as a marketing manager
we'd get
the voter turnout
uh... increase in the south which is
or cape cod
i think it's around thirty percent yet
it's interesting and
may be very careful in how i say this
because i wanted to exploit self-care and anything but
uh... essentially what it is is you know you have to have
the right
candid
and that's all comes down to you know like i said when when we start as a
nation people lambeau too because it was pride in cool with that one
and because he was the right thing to do the just got mr it the right
it's a right that we have
that most people in the world don't get to enjoy
you know it's something that uh... people the world don't have
uh... when you go to from country to country to country
well we were the first
real big
power she say no our people will decide based on
based on what they feel is right
but what about ideals right as a leader you know
uh... so
we've course live in a whole different world now at this point what i see a lot
of than what we've seen in recent history here is voter turnouts higher
when it's the right candidate
uh... i'll give a good example
doesn't matter what people's personal politics is on this example but
when president obama ran four years ago
we saw voter turnout come out the way we never did before
uh... and it is that that is a undeniable fact whether we like them and
we don't like to me
it's an undeniable that turned out to increased it increase
and you saw a lot of increased voter turnout
with younger
generations
you know my generation really stepped up to the plate
uh... and that was one of those things where it was the right candidate there
was somebody who
inspired people
and got the moving
yet regardless of people's personal policy right right
and you did you got out there they're given other presidents have done that as
well kennedy did that kennedy really inspired people got the martin luther
uh... you know ragan ragan dot people up and moving to
uh... you know you you do have these individuals in history
clint was another example quentin kopp people up and running as well
and i think it's just you need the right candidate so
uh...
i mean that's that's the tough part it's it's gotta be somebody who inspires
people some new gets people moving somebody who makes people feel like
tomorrow
is going to be
it better
do you feel you're accusing to increase voter turnout this time around
uh...
i_d_
italian i do yet
thank you
you know uh... i've always been one of those on those kinds of people that that
does feel like
if i can get this done if i can accomplish this onepass
tomorrow
we'll be
he better day not just for me but for everybody around
if you can make a difference
i do feel like i make a difference are you know i mean this look past fall i
went to town meeting
and
uh... introduce an article
to town meeting
first time i've done that great
and that is the article
needed patho pasok pleased about it up
but the article was to create a true separation of powers between
tell meeting which their legislature
and
reports like which is the executive
hosted basically say that the selecting could not be tell meeting there's
president cannot be a member of congress
our governor cannot be a member of the state legislature
selectmen should not be members of
they decide what goes on the warrant
tell me decides whether the want passes
that's what you call e
balance of powers
and
that's great presented no needed two-thirds of past is a required e
charter change
uh... here
however it only dot
half of them
wells af of l_ i mean i was only first alleged is an article i hope people
hotel pretty accomplishes oakley's eluent five percent
that or not i thought of the mark round the corner always happen people that
right
and and no one person even even uh...
called for a recount the vote they want italy at that point button
did they were it made me feel good
at some but for now we got the conversation rolling knows their after
that was a lot of conversation in the town about
of all of the board of select
and what the border cycling should and shouldn't be allowed to do
and more importantly
whether the board of cycling was as strong as an executive is it needed to
be
uh... which personal thought on that is you would like the right people you'll
have a strong executive donor electorate people but we can't
so uh... do you think you can make the assembly
strong
i think they can i think i bring a lot to the table that has not been brought
there before first of all if i'm elected and helping the youngest person ever
elected sakhalin some new blood to move use different views reg
represent ah... young people
but i think that that's uh... that's a big key i'd bring to the table is
younger
but new perspective
on things
the world is moving very quickly
and a lot has changed technology is a huge thing for us now
and uh... i think it's time that cape cod
starts to embrace
the world as it is about to be
uh... and i think it's time for us to start solving our problems
with these new solutions that are being i discovered across the world
sure we're also talking about
internet
speeded exempted
i think that's that's an important issue you know i i i'd sat down with someone
who actually said that he doesn't think it's important uh... the speed at that
point we don't need it
up them on cape cod because
of
the fact that there's a lot of retirees here
but it's very giving me thinking will
let me ask the question then
but when i retire
my generation's the one growing up using this for work more important than most
people
we're getting jobs now the internet is now kind of becoming
that piece that connects one company to another company one job to another job
you know your shopping to your home you know
uh... this is now becoming part of our daily lives in for my generation it is
our daily lives you've grown up with it this week no nothing else
so to sit there so it's not important to make sure the cape cod is keeping up
with the rest the u_s_ in terms of what we have to offer
uh... with internet
speeds
as an infrastructure
is is really it's it's
you can't you can see you can't argue with that fracture
of my generation we go to retire
seventy eighty years from now
what we're gonna be looking for those places that have that kind of
infrastructure
and it's gonna be more costly to go creeping slater unicef great things now
we don't want to kick the can down the road
lotte lot of businesses depend solely
on the internet
okay communicate with me
over the bridge the outside world outside work you feel like the other
worldhealer play
yes uh... but
you know your deftly right and poor ism is is now starting to circulate around
the internet is well you know people are different booking things online they
wanna find things online
they want to view things uh... that that you know what they want to see their run
before they get to the rumble online
uh... when people come from the city to cape cod they want
to have the same sort of speed that they used to
right and that's what you find to a lot of people who've been nation
they want to have
that kind of uh... uh...
environment in which they can relax
but if they've got to do a little business they've got the tools at their
testicles
well thank you very much for being on the shirt say we do appreciate n and
when is loading when should people get out and vote
people to get although on november six uh... they should
come out break early november sixth it o'clock in
boattrader patent for the county assembly saw sounds good