Barnstable County Commissioner · Nov 3, 2026
Watch the Candidate Forum
Republican Adam Hogue and Democrat Dan Gessen took questions from Mashpee residents on September 10 at the Mashpee Public Library. Watch the whole thing below — then see where they stand, in their own words.
Full forum, 71 minutes · Recorded by Mashpee TV · Co-hosted by the Mashpee Republican and Democratic Town Committees
Below is what each candidate actually said. Every point links to the exact moment in the video, so you can hear it for yourself.
The Republican
Adam Hogue
“I don’t look at this race as defeating a Democrat. I look at this race as defeating bad policy.” ▶ 7:16
What he said at the forum
- Against the county transfer tax. Select board after select board told the Assembly of Delegates “We do not want this. Please do not do this.” — “And what did the assembly do? They passed it.” ▶ 7:49
- No county cut of town money. If a town chooses its own fee, it keeps 100% of the revenue. ▶ 48:08
- “Not just tax and spend, tax and spend.” A long-term, common-sense approach instead. ▶ 23:54
- Property-tax relief for seniors and young families: “best way to help them is put money back in their pocket.” ▶ 24:34
- Sewers first. Build the infrastructure towns say they lack — sewer and power — and go after state and federal money to pay for it. ▶ 20:06 ▶ 59:46
- Local control of zoning. On the statewide two-family-by-right bill (S.178) and ballot Question 7: “I’m absolutely against that.” ▶ 38:07
- Shared services that save towns money — a regional DPW facility, shared HR, payroll and IT. ▶ 22:06 ▶ 49:17
- Open the county up. Move commissioner meetings from Wednesdays at 10 a.m. to evenings, so working families can attend. ▶ 51:02
The Democrat
Dan Gessen
“One is creating a revenue source for housing.” — his first-named priority ▶ 14:46
What he said at the forum
- Two new charges on homes. “A fee on the sale of luxury second homes,” and “a property tax surcharge on homes that sit empty more than half the year.” ▶ 15:43
- Points to the transfer fee passing the Assembly of Delegates, which he says 10 of 15 towns supported. ▶ 12:53
- On cutting property taxes: “Anyone that tells you you can just cut property taxes by a couple percent and that’s going to solve the fact that the home on Cape Cod requires three times the median income to afford — it’s not a sustainable policy solution.” ▶ 32:37
- A county that does more. “This whole campaign has largely focused on the idea that Barnstable County can do more.” ▶ 1:05:43
- A regional child-care program through the county, pooling the child-care credits towns now run on their own; towns would vote to join. ▶ 17:18
- On housing supply: “I’m a big believer that we can’t build our way out of the housing crisis here in Cape Cod.” ▶ 56:10
- On himself: “I’m well aware that I’m only 26 years old. And I’ve got a lot to learn. But I see that as a strength and not a weakness.” ▶ 1:09:05
Where They Differ
Side by side, from the forum.
| Issue | Adam Hogue (R) | Dan Gessen (D) |
|---|---|---|
| A new fee on home sales | Opposes the county transfer tax. If a town wants one, the town decides and keeps 100%. ▶ 48:08 | Supports a fee on the sale of “luxury second homes.” ▶ 15:43 |
| Homes that sit empty | Waive the transfer tax when an empty home is sold in exchange for a year-round deed restriction — no new cost to taxpayers. ▶ 1:02:47 | A property-tax surcharge on homes empty more than half the year. ▶ 15:43 |
| Your property taxes | Relief: “put money back in their pocket.” ▶ 24:34 | Cutting them “by a couple percent” is “not a sustainable policy solution” for affordability. ▶ 32:37 |
| The county’s role | “The county government can do more, but not by just shoving stuff down our throats, but by working together, listening to our select boards.” ▶ 8:27 | “Barnstable County can do more.” ▶ 1:05:43 |
| Local zoning (S.178 & Question 7) | “I’m absolutely against that.” “I’m all for local control.” ▶ 38:07 | Did not say whether he supports or opposes either; answered on short-term rentals and deed restrictions. ▶ 40:47 |
| Where they are now | Barnstable homeowner; works from home and says he can be at local meetings. ▶ 52:06 | Falmouth; enrolled at Columbia Law School in New York (Cape News, Feb. 12, 2026). |
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Questions about voting? Contact the Mashpee Town Clerk. Learn more about Adam Hogue at hogue4thecape.com.
Quotations are taken from the Mashpee TV recording of the September 10, 2026 forum and are trimmed for length only, never reworded; each timestamp opens the video at that moment. The forum was co-hosted by the Mashpee Republican and Democratic Town Committees. Next forum at the Mashpee Public Library: the 3rd Barnstable State Representative race, Rep. David Vieira and Jack Richardson, Thursday, September 24 at 3:00 PM.