I am excited to announce my 2025 candidacy for the Planning Board. 

Lexington is my hometown and I care deeply about its future. I believe it’s important that residents’ voices are heard on zoning changes that will impact our daily lives, our finances, and the livability and sustainability of our community. Lexington is facing its most significant redevelopment period in 75 years and I believe I am best suited to represent you on the Planning Board during this transformative time.

Greater Boston has a housing shortage and Lexington has an important role to play — along with 176 other communities — in helping to reduce the shortage. I support the Commonwealth’s MBTA Communities Zoning Act as one of the solutions. 

However, from the outset I had found the Town’s 2023 MBTA zoning proposal “Article 34” untenable:  It committed 253 acres — five times the acreage required by the state —to “By-Right” development with reduced setbacks, increased heights, and no limit on density.

Thirteen Town Meeting Members including myself co-authored an amendment to scale down the proposal. 

When the amendment failed, I was among the 37% of Town Meeting Members who voted “No” on Article 34 and urged the Planning Board to return with a balanced, sustainable, and economically viable proposal in the 1½ years remaining before the state’s compliance deadline. 

21 months after Article 34 passed, the Planning Board’s projection of “400-800 multi-family units in 4-10 years” has already been exceeded: 1,099 units are in the pipeline on just 22 acres. 

I support pausing the MBTA zoning to give the Town time to plan for spending on operations, roads, municipal, emergency services, and schools.

I have the foresight to anticipate the impact and consequences of rash zoning changes, and recognize better ways to add truly affordable housing, so I’ve stood up for the best interest of our town and current and future residents. 

If elected, I will advocate for more transparency in the planning process, and work with the Board and staff to better serve Lexington’s goals on more affordable housing and a vibrant business environment. 

Visit www.tinamcbridelex.org for information on my community contributions over the last 20 years, as well as my vision for a thriving, sustainable, equitable and welcoming community that we are all proud to call home. 

Please vote for me Monday, March 3.

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.