Ayer Committee Interviews Three Candidates for New Affordable Housing Trust Board

AYER — April 21, 2021 — Ayer's Affordable Housing Committee interviewed three candidates Wednesday for seats on the town's newly forming Affordable Housing Trust Board of Trustees. Committee Chair Janet Providekas told candidates that roughly eight applicants are competing for three at-large positions, with the committee planning to forward five names to the Select Board in time for its May 4 meeting. Patricia Bagney Latimer, a real estate professional with experience managing about 9,000 rental units statewide, Pauline Connelly, a longtime CPC chair and Finance Committee veteran whose 43-year insurance litigation career she argued was directly applicable to the trust's property powers, and Cindy Lavin, founder of the Stone Soup Kitchen food pantry program, each made their cases to the panel. A second round of interviews is set for April 28, with three more candidates, including Jake Driscoll and two women from Devens Crest, still to be heard. The trust's bylaws are scheduled for a Town Meeting vote on April 26.