ROCKLAND — March 31, 2026 — In a high-stakes forum hosted by WRPS Rockland, candidates for the Rockland Board of Health sparred over the future of the department, with challengers calling for an end to “internal discord” and the incumbent defending his record while pushing for new public health regulations. The three-way race between incumbent Robert Stephens and challengers Jennifer Smith and Bob Coughlin highlights a community at a crossroads, balancing traditional public health duties with a pressing need for administrative stability and proactive leadership ahead of the town’s April 11 election.
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The 2026 Board of Health race is shaping up to be a referendum on the current board’s performance. Throughout the nearly hour-long forum, a recurring theme was the perceived dysfunction of the existing board. Challengers Bob Coughlin and Jennifer Smith both leaned heavily into the need for a “professional” and “stable” governing body, citing missed meetings and internal friction as primary motivators for their candidacies.
