001[Music] hi and welcome to another edition of all politics is local I'm your host John feon on tonight's episode of all politics is local we're going to remember a local I don't want to call him a politician uh let's call him a public servant David teller unfortunately passed on August 14th of 20 24 and our guest tonight John Kerwin had the honor and distinction of serving with Dave teller my words a local Legend on the board of Selectmen for eight years so welcome John great to be here well it's it's a Bittersweet moment that you're here I mean because we are going to remember our friend and I think as Paul Bowden even said as we were setting up the cameras here tonight uh he was a lot of people's friends in the town of
002ashin that is true David uh gave his heart and soul to this town whether you agree with them or disagree with him there one thing it was always always for certain that he had Ash and his best interest in his heart yep so let's talk a little bit about you like I said you served eight years on went to the board of Selectmen uh he was on the board of Selectmen uh for what a term before you were there yeah he was he he got on in 94 I got on in 98 and we served eight years together so Dave served 12 years um he got off in ' 06 I got off an ' 07 so Dave and I sered went saw a lot of things did a lot of things really starts the
003boom of Ashland you guys were on the board a lot of building so we did the library the high school the community center um we did a lot of sewer work and Dave was involved in a lot of that Dave was on the building committee for the Middle School the middle school was done in in the mid99s Dave was also on the building committee for the high school and um you know and he did a great job on on those on those two committees and you know he's really was an asset to the town um you know Dave if Dave used to investigate issues he drive around town to see what things look like and how they were going to look and you know what we can make of it and he was very very
004involved he did a lot of work behind the scenes and I think a lot of stuff he did was very underappreciated but um you know he was great to serve with you know I was a butt of a lot of his jokes you know he could come up with anybody knows Dave he can come up with a oneliner um you know and over time you know you know when I was younger and you know didn't know him that well and I got to know him and we really became great friends and uh it's it's was a sad day for that uh we lost him he told me a story uh one of the many times I had breakfast with him at Sunnyside over the years uh I guess evidently you had sat in his seat
005once and uh oh yeah he wasn't too Keen to that no tell that story real quick well what happened was they put the name plates out back then they have name plate they have real name plates now they do paper paper tents I don't get that but anyway uh someone put the name plates on they put my name plate in with he his his seat was and they put his name plate somewhere and I was just trying to give him a hard time cuz he was always giving me a hard time so I said no I'm not moving no I'm not moving and he was having a bad day so so we we both left the meeting room we had a discussion outside it was the way the way I remember he tells me I
006think he grabbed you by your neck or something like that no well no no you know how the stories get exaggerated over they got exaggerated that was exaggerated but uh so were you guys on the board together when Town Hall got renovated then too we were that was a very controversial time yeah there was a lot of things going on with that um they thought there were some people in town that thought that there was some selectman had some various different motives uh in their own interest that which was ridiculous yeah which was another ridiculous thing but um but at the time you know there was a question what do we tear it down do we renovate it what do we do uh the town hall and its prior condition was in very sad shape
007it was a glorified even though from the outside it looked okay from the inside it was like a glorified trailer you know the creaky floors very very narrow hallways the second floor was was basically storage with poles on the roof it was it was a nightmare and reality was you know the town employees were all basically shoulder to- shoulder trying to work and it just wasn't a very very um conducive atmosphere for positive work environment so now you know now it's we're at 15 years actually almost 20 years later um you know the town hall to me I go in still looks a little czy r m you know um a lot more employees in there than when you and yeah a lot more employees and you know the meeting rooms have kind of shrunk
008a little bit but uh you know that's what this gener that's what the next generation's for they need to they'll come they'll come to bad and figure that stuff out but Dave was a very distinguished looking man very you know good-look friendly you know man and the thing that always just struck me with him is he was just always so nice to me and everybody else yeah they we used to call him the some people used to call him the GQ selectman uh you know always always very well dressed hair you know Nails manicure perfect hair um you know good everything but you know but you know don't forget this is a guy who cared a lot show and it showed he he fought he he fought for his convictions you know um you know
009the funny thing is he did so much work for the schools in terms of the building committee and all that his last year in the Board of Select when he came out against an override and rightfully so and uh there were a lot of things that the schools could didn't know I think the school superintendent of town couldn't tell us how many employees he had all all kinds of things and um so rightfully so he came out against the override and uh the school people voted him out but which just too bad because you know he really wanted to serve a one last term and I think that would have been a fitting way for him to go um off the board but you know he gave everything he had so uh it was a
010pleasure to serve with him you know looking back he taught me a lot you know taught me a lot about town government taught me a lot about you know representing a town uh I grew up a lot during that time because I was a very young man when I got yeah you were matter of fact when I got off I well I wasn't the youngest I was the second youngest Maybe by like a year so um but I served yeah after eight years yeah after nine years yeah so so so Dave also owned a local business in town yes Ryan uh Ryan insurance uh right downtown for the longest time and agus Elli and Teller insurance which has moved to town uh the offices emerged and they're out there in Front Street um you know
011so he's always in the center of everything in the center of everything always in the center of everything I mean you'd walk into Sunnyside he'd be old in court every there every morning with his friends and I give him credit though um one time when I was on we were on the board together was I wantest say it was like 2001 Town made international news okay and and Dave's downtown and you know NBC you know dine NBC is there CV all the major networks are there tell the story boat parked up well there was uh The Story Goes there was a a woman in town who uh they thought had passed away so the police yeah police and fire went up and they brought they brought the the person's body to Mes in a body
012bag four or five hours later John mes goes down to uh do a start you know embalming the body he unzips the he unzips a bag of the person you know the lady starts coughing and turns out she's alive so uh I remember hearing the story she still lives in town too she still lives in town for What from what I understand so I remember the town manager telling me the story and I'm like oh boy sh this time it gets out this is going to be this is going to be a nightmare M two nights later I'm watching TV at 11 o'clock at night and I see somebody from Channel 4 out in front of town hall I'm like oh no can you imagine in today's world where social media was what it would
013be like yep the next morning I went into town hall just to see you know dexas say you know how's it going it turns out he was on a uh he was on the phone with a radio uh radio station in Ecuador or someplace but uh yeah but so Dave stayed away from the cameras which was very smart uh as a matter of fact during that time they didn't interview the selectman at all huh they the fire chief the police chief maybe a couple of others but no they left us out of it good thankfully good so what else does the general public need to know about the legend Dave teller you know Dave teller um you know he's 71 years old uh love golf mhm golfed any chance you could get um and you
014know for his 50th birthday he had his 50th birthday party we had at the old Legion Hall and um I think Judy had commissioned a drawing of him taking a swing oh really yeah oh it's a great drawing looks just like them it's really really nice only this one thing is it's a full swing but the ball still between his feet to get Dave I say Dave you missed you missed but I'll say this Dave you know Dave teller um as many know he suffered from Parkinson's disease and for a long time for 15 years and um one thing I will say is that you know um he didn't in my mind he did not lose his battle to Parkinson's disease he beat Parkinson disease by the way he lived the whole time he lived
015a full life you know he worked he worked up until he couldn't um he sold his business and you know he still went to the cape a lot with his family uh he used to brag about his kids all the time Jessica and um Jennifer Jessica and Matt he used to brag about them all the time uh but he lived the he lived his life to the fullest and uh you know and I'm very proud have known him and proud to call my friend and I'm very proud of the way he fought and fought and fought and lived his life and that she' be an inspiration to anybody I agree and you brought up Judy his wife behind every great man is a great woman Judy is a legendary in the town of ashon as
016well yes Judy yeah yeah Dave and Judy were married I want to say around 1999 2000 do married about 25 years um great lady um a lot of Grace uh very caring person and um you know it just my heart goes out to her yeah I mean you had inform fored me unfortunately it was passing and uh it was it literally sent chills down my spine because as you said you know we knew that he wasn't well but uh we didn't think that this was going to happen so I mean uh that's why I thought it was important that we get together tonight and uh unless you have any closing thoughts oh I just um you know just hope that family just continues to heal um you know got you know got to you know
017talk to a little little bit at the Wake um you know great three great kids and great family you know he's going to be missed yeah going to be missed you know you drive by as you know if you if you drive by where he lives or if you drive by um agus Elli and Teller and Sh it's it's different now it's you know right it's just different it's just different so on this special edition of all politics is local we'll just with all politics local with everybody just observing a moment of silence for the great Dave teller you've been watching all politics is local here on waca TV and we will be back again with another episode shortly