Precinct: 1
Tell us a little about yourself. You can include your personal background, family, outside interests that are important to who you are as a person and a candidate.
My husband and I have called Lexington home for 20 years. Here, we raised two children who went through the Lexington school system K-12. Along the way, we availed ourselves of the many sports, arts, learning, and community activities the system offered. I’m an avid runner (with 19 marathons under my belt), and the roads, trails, and protected lands of Lexington are my training grounds. I love to knit and enjoy a strong cup of tea, all the better shared with good friends and great fellowship. I am passionate about politics and leaving the world a better place, and I’ve never shied from a tough conversation. Lexington is a unique, vibrant town whose exemplary amenities and schools are what initially attracted us here, but its kind and caring neighbors are what made us stay. I want to give back to this great community and further improve the town for all residents.
How has your past experience — whether in your professional life, elected office, or as a community leader — prepared you for a role in Town Meeting?
Through my professional experience and expertise as an attorney and certified mediator, leadership on numerous Town committees and organizations, and experience serving as an elected member of Town Meeting, I have gained unique insights into our community and the challenges and opportunities that face us. My specific experience includes:
Lexington Human Rights Committee (Chair and former Vice Chair)
Dismantling Racism in our Town (Facilitator)
Training Active Bystanders (Facilitator
300th Celebration of Lexington (Committee Member)
Subcommittee on Asian Communities (Member)
Munroe Center for the Arts (Clerk and former Board Member)
Special Town Meeting 2020-2, Article 8: Systemic Racism Resolution (Team Member)
Attorney, certified mediator, and certified divorce mediator
Town Meeting Executive Committee (Member)
Strategic Equity Advisory Team (SEAT), Member (Committee created by the Town’s first Chief Equity Officer)
Ours is a complex community powered by broad interests and lived experiences. Through my many involvements, I believe I have experienced and understand this diversity firsthand.
What is the most important issue in this election to you personally, and what ideas do you have about how to address this issue?
A key issue this election is balancing infrastructure and capital projects with our budget, the environment and quality of life. Indeed, the town’s robust infrastructure offerings are part of what makes the town unique. From the schools to the open space, senior resident amenities to Cary Library, and much more, our town has much to offer for many. However, times change, and there are numerous additional capital and building projects we must consider to keep pace with the demands placed on our town. The necessary capital projects include but are not limited to, responsible growth of housing for a continuous range of incomes, new education, and sporting facilities, reassessing local government facilities, and proper maintenance of what we have in the face of climate change and other exogenous factors. We must meet the current needs of our community, within our community, while anticipating future growth and opportunity.
I am committed to conducting independent research, engaging with and fostering relationships with leaders in our community (including cultural organizations, Town Meeting Executive Committee, Expenditure Committee, the Planning Board, fellow Town Meeting members, Select Board members, Lexington Interfaith Clergy Association, Town Chief Equity Officer, DPW, & the Police) to facilitate open dialogue and discuss interests and perspectives while keeping the health and prosperity of our community at the forefront.
Please reach out to me. I want to hear what’s important to you.
Building foundational relationships is the springboard to effective collaboration, particularly when faced with difficult or polarizing conversations. Through my practice as a mediator and leader of dialogue training, I have often encountered individuals with opposing views but believe in approaching controversial issues with an open mind. I listen, making sure to ask open-ended questions and elicit more nuanced perspectives and insights from all engaged in conversation, myself included. I avoid investing in deficit thinking and the politics of polarized thinking, especially social media and other platforms that often reward salacious, emotionally reactive content. In the end, I strive for common ground, or at the very least, understanding the true nature of disagreement, and to create a safe space where complex viewpoints can be shared. I used this approach on numerous occasions as Chair of the Lexington Human Rights Committee and collaborating with the Lexington Interfaith Clergy Association when we often faced issues of discrimination and harm-causing behavior in our town.