Tom Shiple for Planning Board

I’m running for the Planning Board because I want to promote a vibrant town while making sure that the Town’s fiscal needs are met. I bring the skills and experience to make a difference in making this goal happen.

I have been volunteering in Lexington for the past 16 years in roles that run the gamut from leading a non-profit to bring lights to Lincoln Fields, contributing to town policy as it relates to zoning rules and cycling infrastructure, as well as being a frequent contributor to Town Meeting debates and Planning Board hearings. What I have brought to each of these diverse activities is an attention to detail, an openness to hearing different perspectives, and a willingness to do the work of finding out which solutions can realistically be put into action.

We are currently facing a challenge with a large number of multifamily housing developments in the pipeline. I am concerned that we put ourselves in the position of not being able to provide the level of municipal services we expect if development continues at the current rate. I’m in favor of significantly scaling back the zoning for multifamily housing so we can grow at a pace that we know the town can handle.

The numbers show that we are an aging town, which has broad implications, economically, socially, and culturally. If we keep Lexington out of reach for young professionals and families, this aging trend and its calcifying side effects will continue. For this reason, I believe we need to make sure we don’t entirely shut the door on the possibility of future housing that is moderately priced.

At the same time we need to expand our commercial tax base to attract high value businesses in order to lessen the tax burden on residential taxpayers and help fund the Town’s capital projects coming down the line. To this end I favor removing the multifamily housing overlay from our prime commercial districts to enable more commercial growth.

Please learn more about me at ShipleForLexington.com.

Sincerely, Tom Shiple

Join the Conversation

1 Comment

  1. Mr. Shiple, as a Town Meeting Member, voted in favor of MBTA zoning that was 5x greater than the State required, putting Lexington’s financial future in jeopardy. Now he wants to roll it back. His “vote first, analyze later” attitude has no place on the Planning Board. Other candidates are better suited for what Lexington needs right now.

Leave a comment
All commenters must be registered and logged in with a verified email address. To register for an account visit the registration page for our site. If you already have an account, you can login here or by clicking "My Account" on the upper right hand corner of any page on the site, right above the search icon.

Commenters must use their real first and last name and a real email address.
We do not allow profanity, racism, or misinformation.
We expect civility and good-faith engagement.

We cannot always fact check every comment, verify every name, or debate the finer points of what constitutes civility. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem inappropriate, and we ask for your patience and understanding if something slips through that may violate our terms.

We are open to a wide range of opinions and perspectives. Criticism and debate are fundamental to community – but so is respect and honesty. Thank you.