Platform

I support the continuous work to meet the emerging service needs of Acton residents by adding positions without increasing headcount through the reorganization of Town departments. Positions in the Land Use, Health, Library, and Town Manager departments have been restructured to enable the addition of a Teen Librarian, Communications Specialist, Clinician, and more. Additionally, several positions are shared regionally, a cost effective way to provide services that don’t require a full-time position – public health nurse, inspectors, and veterans services officer.

While employing studies as part of planning processes costs money, they ultimately result in better transparency, public engagement, and decision making. I participated in the Economic Development Strategic Plan initiative, the Habitat for All working group, the Acton Libraries Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, the Memorial Library Redesign feasibility study, the Housing Production Plan and Open Space and Recreation Plan updates, the school district’s AB Forward focus group, and several Complete Streets public forums.

Acton is involved in several regional collaborations and Select Board support of these is critical for scaled cost savings, improved efficiencies and cooperative relations with neighboring communities. I have been involved with the Powder Mill Corridor cooperative initiative with Maynard, the Climate Collaborative recently launched by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the Organization for the Assabet, Sudbury and Concord Rivers, and the town of Concord.

Town staff have been extremely successful in securing earmarks and grants which offset the cost burden of projects, purchases, and initiatives, such as the construction of affordable housing, the removal of a hazardous dam, improving energy efficiency in Town facilities, planning initiatives, safety and medical equipment for the Fire Department, and many more. This leads to savings for Acton taxpayers, and I would continue to support initiatives like these.

The Select Board meeting structure and Open Meeting Law constraints can sometimes lead to frustration for residents. Meaningful dialogue is not always possible in this format. I have addressed this by encouraging more robust liaison reporting during Member Updates, engaging regularly on social media to share events and other news, respond with accurate answers to queries and post links to documents, meeting 1:1 with residents and volunteers, and supporting the Acton Exchange, our local news source. Offering a short term goal to create a communications position that was adopted by the board, the Town now has staff dedicated to timely and effective dissemination of important information, first funded by a grant, and now through a reorganization of the Town Manager Department. I am committed to continued sharing of accurate information to residents and visitors on the many platforms available: social media, news, email, and public forums.

I value follow through, so I support the delivery of regular progress reports so residents can be sure that action is being taken to meet the established short and long term Select Board goals. Reprioritization is a necessary part of governance, but any shift in goals should be made transparent and communicated to the public.

Another check that is needed is of board/committee work. Select Board Liaisons are a vital link between the many volunteer bodies that support the Town’s governance, and I am working to strengthen this link. I encourage committees to provide in-person updates on their goals and progress, and support reassessment of their official charges when appropriate. 

The Town is due for an updated Comprehensive Community Plan; the last one was adopted in 2012. This is a priority that I will bring to the board’s goal setting process. Acton recently updated its Housing Production Plan, Open Space and Recreation, Open Space and Recreation Plan, and we created an Economic Strategic Development Plan. Currently, a Community Health Needs Assessment and Equity Audit are underway, and a South Acton Revitilization and Cultural Arts Strategic Plan effort is launching. These planning documents are critical for guiding the Town’s staff, boards and committees as they go about their work. The documents outline shared values, visions, and set forth action items to see that vision come to fruition.

I am currently working with another board member to advance the long-term goal of improving recruitment, reappointment and onboarding for the many volunteers who serve on boards and committees, including improved familiarity of these important planning documents. It is crucial that decisions accurately reflect the values and goals of the Town. 

Other key relationships are those between the Town of Acton, the Acton Water District, the Acton Boxborough Regional School District, and the Acton Housing Authority, all separate legal entities. I work diligently to maintain communication by regularly attending public meetings of these entities, and sharing information with officials to ensure that good decision making is happening.