Senior Page: At 93, Jo Ann Sprague Continues To Serve

Chatham resident Jo Ann Sprague, a member of the town's finance committee since 2007 and recently appointed to another three-year term, knows these are challenging times for the town. She is currently the most senior member of the committee in years served and has seen the changes over time.

"I may be the oldest ever, at 93," she said with a laugh, "but I love serving on this committee.

"We all tend to get complacent because everything is so lovely here," she said recently. "But the world has changed," she wrote, "and Chatham has changed in those 17 years. Chatham has grown into close to a $60 million corporation and Chatham taxpayers are shareholders in this growing corporation. Growth brings change and change usually costs money," she added.

Ever since Sprague enlisted in the Women's Army Corps right out of high school in 1950, the secret to her happy and active life has been service. A wife and mother of six, she went on to serve as Walpole's representative in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for six years, followed by another six as a state Senator. Her service on the Massachusetts Ways and Means committee made her a natural for appointment to the finance committee after she and her late husband Warren moved to town in 2006.

Serving on the finance committee, a volunteer job that has been estimated to take about 300 hours a year, is a significant commitment of time and energy. Sprague admits that her energy level is "about the energy of a 92-year-old," so she feels she has to focus her efforts where she can make the biggest difference.

"That's why I concentrate on finance where my skills are the best fit. I don't travel anymore...I don't walk as well but I am happy to be here!"

The committee meets twice a week, for up to two hours at a time, from January through April, with summers largely off, although the day we spoke in mid July she had been communicating with officials, for whom she had high praise, trying to learn more about an issue.

"It's not always easy," she said, "but they often get back to me within 30 minutes.

"Our job is to determine immediate and long-term fiscal and tax implications of all articles on the Chatham Town Meeting warrant, and to recommend approval or not," Sprague said. "We help to educate our townspeople and help them figure out our most pressing needs...and what they want the town to look like in 20 years." She added with a smile, "I have a strong belief in taxpayers, once you get their attention."

While on the finance committee, she has focused on a number of important issues, including affordable housing. While that issue continues to need to be addressed, along with a more widespread housing shortage, she believes today there are a number of other primary areas of concern ahead.

Water is high on her list, with the quality of the town's drinking water topmost on her mind, especially dealing with the impact of PFAS chemicals. In addition, "we are racing to sewer all of Chatham to keep us from polluting our own coastal waters." Both areas will require money, she believes. "We must plan and pay for special treatments and new wells to protect our drinking water," she said.

She is also concerned about the effect of the recent breakdown of Vineyard Wind's turbine blade on both the environment and Chatham's fishing industry, noting debris has been spotted south of Monomoy Island.

Along with her work with the finance committee, Sprague is so happy to have time with her family, which was elusive when she was an elected official in Walpole.

"I did not have that when I was working," she recalled. "It was challenging to be a Republican in Massachusetts," she added. "I had to keep working hard to keep my job."

She had some thoughts about how to inspire people to volunteer. "It comes from an inner need and curiosity," she said. She advises anyone new to the community who wants to get involved to start by "going to everything," including clubs, meetings and committees. "Go to the select board meetings," she said. "There is everything there. That's where you will begin to realize what it takes to run this town."

Don't be afraid to speak up at any of these meetings, she added. "Once you attend a meeting and you see people speaking you will realize they may not be experts but they have an interest...they are not perfect but they are a part of this town."

Once you decide you want to speak up, "write it down word for word. Time yourself so you don't go over the allotted time. And keep your notes in front of you," she said. "You don't have to be funny, just know the facts and know what you want to say. Anyone can speak, and has a right to speak, at town meeting. Speak honestly, factually and thoughtfully."

Sprague has made several concessions to her age. On her 90th birthday she got an Apple Watch from her children, which provides a notification if the wearer falls. So far she hasn't activated that function, she was happy to report. "I am extra careful!"

She also enrolled in the town's Reassurance Program, which checks in on two dozen or more residents who call in to the Chatham Police Department each morning before 10 a.m. If she forgets to call, they will call her. If she doesn't answer (it has happened three times when she was out at meetings, she said) they will "come to the house, come in and leave a note on the counter" that they were there.

"It's a wonderful program," she said. "I didn't think of it when I was 70 or 80," she said, "but when I turned 90, I did it. The sooner the better!"

She added, "I have a large family and otherwise would have to set up a phone tree to call my children each day to reassure them. But my town gave me the opportunity to be safe in my home, like having a relative calling me every day. I happily pay my tax dollars for that!"