Meet Lakeville Select Board candidate Paul Hunt

Born and raised in Lakeville, Paul Hunt believes he can provide a new perspective to the Select Board if elected, bringing in a “hometown approach.”

A product of the Lakeville school system, Hunt graduated from Apponequet High School in 1985 before getting his associate’s degree in criminal justice and a bachelor’s and master’s degree in criminal justice administration.

After a 28-year career on the Lakeville police force, Hunt partially retired in 2015, opening up a gun shop in town with his sons, the Assawompset Arms Company, and working as campus police at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences until the commute wore him down. He then worked for a nationwide cannabis company doing security and investigations. 

Now, after years of residents asking, he’s seeking a seat on the Lakeville Select Board.

“There’s no one thing on the agenda that either I’m in favor of or I’m bothered by, which I think makes it a pretty good time to try and get a seat at the table, where I don’t have an ax to grind or an agenda to push,” Hunt added.

Having lived in town all his life, Hunt believes he can bring an objective view to issues Lakeville faces. 

One topic that has been on residents’ minds for a while is the Rocky Woods Development, which is now known as Simonds Hills. While Hunt supports growth and getting housing for those in need, he has concerns with the volume of units planned for the project. 

Though the exact number of units is still up in the air, developer Muhammad Itani’s original proposal for the property called for 200 units, including 44 single-family homes, 46 duplex cottages catering to an older demographic and 11 10-unit condominium buildings. At least 50 of the units would be restricted to people with low to moderate incomes.

If elected, he said he would like to work with the developer to control the growth and perhaps have it done in phases instead of all at once.

Despite all the discussion around 40B affordable housing, he said he would like to see more focus on 40Y, which was a “start a home initiative” from 2022 that encourages the production of single-family houses.

Additionally, Hunt supports bringing more business in town to counter the burden of high property taxes residents currently face, which can make it difficult for them to stay in town.

Another hot button issue for residents is the fate of the Lakeville Hospital Property, where Rhino Capital plans to build 190 units of senior living, including memory care and assisted living; 200 units of multi-family housing and 68 units of 55 and older homes on the site. Lakeville residents had previously rejected plans for a warehouse at the location. 

The developer needs help from the town pursuing state funding. Hunt said he would support the town helping pursue those grants for the remediation of the land as long as it doesn’t jeopardize the future grant opportunities for the town and the town is indemnified against future problems that may arise at the property.

“I think anything to get it from where it is today would be positive,” he added. “I remember that as a vibrant hospital.”

Having gone through the school system himself, along with his five kids. Hunt said he’s “very happy” with the Freetown-Lakeville school district, but he’s aware it is going to outgrow its current resources. 

“We need to keep tabs on the amount of money spent, but we do have to keep our standards up high and make sure that our children are safe and well-educated,” he said.

Hunt said although some may see him as “townie,” he does not intend to favor everything that is town-oriented. 

“I’m not a fan of tunnel vision,’’ he said. Having an array of perspectives on the board, he noted, will “service the town in a better way.’’