LexObserver sat down with Dawn McKenna, a candidate for Select Board, to learn why she’s running for the position and how she feels about various town issues.
McKenna grew up in Lexington, married her high school sweetheart, and raised her two children in town. She first got involved in town government when her daughter, who is now in her 30s, was six months old. McKenna would attend Select Board meetings, School Committee meetings, and Town Meeting to stay up-to-date on local happenings and learn how Lexington’s government works.
McKenna served as a Select Board member from 1999 to 2005. She was also the chairman of the Tourism Committee, a member of the Town Celebrations Committee, and served on the Historical Commission, among other roles.
Beyond her contributions to the town, McKenna owned a real estate company in Lexington, worked for a pharmaceutical research and development company, and has worked for various nonprofit organizations.
She currently represents Precinct 6 as a Town Meeting member, a role she’s held for thirty years.
McKenna is running for Select Board because she believes her entrepreneurial mindset can help Lexington at a time when it’s facing many challenges. She plans to bring the community together and help residents become better informed about town decisions.
“As a member of the Select Board, we’ll always do better when we represent and go forward with the shared values of the community to make policy decisions,” she argued.
If she earns a seat on the Board, McKenna said one of her top priorities will be engaging with residents and expanding the ways in which the town communicates with them.
“We need to go out to where the people are, where they feel comfortable being, and make sure we are communicating with them in an engaged way — not just talking to them, but rather interacting with them, understanding their visions, their needs, so we can properly represent them,” she said.
In the spirit of boosting interaction with residents, McKenna has knocked on over 500 doors throughout her candidacy to meet constituents and learn what they are most concerned about.
The first topic residents want to hear her opinion on, in those instances, is Lexington’s plan with the MBTA Communities Act. She said she supports the Act and the notion that the town needs to provide more multifamily housing to combat the housing crisis, but believes Lexington committed too much land, which could subsequently bring too much housing.
“I think what the town passed under Article 34 went way too far,” she said.
Just recently, McKenna helped create a citizen petition that calls for Lexington to remove some of the town’s land from section 7.5 of its zoning bylaw — that is, land designated for village and multifamily dwellings — and reduce the capacity for dwelling units in remaining zones. Town Meeting will vote on that motion on March 17.
“This motion is not going to be the last discussion about multifamily housing,” she said.
McKenna worries Lexington’s commitment will put pressure on fire and emergency services, the town’s water supply and sewage capacity, and school enrollment.
“Seeing is believing and what is coming forward…is far more than we should have,” she said.
Mckenna also worries that bringing too much multifamily housing to town too quickly will add pressure on the town’s schools, namely the new Lexington High School building which is estimated to cost over $600 million.
She told LexObserver she supports building a new high school as a single project and within the current timeline the School Building Committee is considering. But, she believes more work should be done on what is proposed so the town can be sure it’s making the best financial decisions.
“I want to be able to look residents in the eyes and say, ‘I know this is expensive but here are all the things we’ve looked at and considered to keep it affordable,’” she said. “I need to be able to feel that we’ve done everything we can to make the cost as reasonable as possible.”
Ensuring Lexington does not become too unaffordable is another one of McKenna’s concerns. She plans to find creative ways to stimulate the local economy without burdening taxpayers.
In former roles, McKenna helped create Lexington’s visitor’s center with state, town, and private funds, which now serves as the town’s economic development center. She also developed the Liberty Ride trolley tour of Lexington and Concord.
As a Select Board member, McKenna plans to continue bringing business to Lexington Center by encouraging the town to host more events and appealing to younger generations. She said events such as the farmer’s market and Lexington Symphony performances bring visitors to the center where they might also walk through local shops or have dinner, both of which benefit the town’s economy.
“What is needed is leadership that thinks more entrepreneurial,” she said. “You can be entrepreneurial in the context of a municipality and when we’ve done that we’ve been very successful.”
At a time where there is a lot of uncertainty regarding the federal government, McKenna believes “local government is the most personal way to receive services and to make an impact on not only our community but…other communities.”
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