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.
I have lived in Lexington since 1976 and in the same home since 1987. I have two adult children that went through Lexington Public Schools and now live in Arlington and Atlanta. My two grandchildren live in Arlington and being with them is an extraordinary light in my life. Before retiring, I was a graphic designer who worked on environmental publications. This led me to my volunteer work in Lexington on climate change since 2006 as a part of the Lexington Climate Action Network (LexCAN, formerly GWAC). Being Chair of LexCAN continues to be my passion work and we address all sustainability issues surrounding the climate crisis. I love being with family and I appreciate having so much of my family living in or near Lexington. I enjoy Lexington’s bounty of conservation land and hike and cross-country ski through it when possible. I am also passionate about vegetable and native plant gardening at home and at my community plot.
Lexington is a town that allows me to enjoy all my interests right here at home.
Why are you running for Town Meeting?
The first time I ran for Town Meeting was in 2013. There was an article on the warrant that proposed a resolution that the Town consider climate change in all relevant decisions. Having supported this Article as a resident and volunteer in the climate action space, I decided I wanted to support the Article as a Town Meeting member. Over the past 12 years of being elected three times as a Town Meeting Member for Precinct 2, I have found that working on and thinking about all of the policies that guide our Town’s path is “good trouble” and worthy of my time and energies. Town Meeting is a place where one’s vote can have an impact on decisions that will affect Lexington for years to come. I like being a part of this vital work including all the research, listening and participating in meetings. I hope to be able to continue my work and voice as a Town Meeting member.
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?
Having an MS in Leadership in Education and my social work license, I have always been a people person. I have been a member of and chaired school committees at Bridge, Clarke and LHS. At LHS, I was also co-chair of the LHS graduation requirements committee that consisted of staff and parents and prepared and presented our findings to all of the LHS community. I have been chairing LexCAN for at least 10 years. I also co-created and chaired the Clean Heat Alliance that authored successful Town Meeting Articles that makes Lexington a leader in the State. By creating a fossil-fuel-free clean, healthy and resilient future for ALL of our community members, we are also taking the necessary steps to mitigate and adapt to climate changes. In my career in the environmental field, I know how important it is to protect our natural resources from harm. I have worked with and led LexCAN’s efforts to educate, advocate and collaborate on climate actions. In this role I have met many community members from Lexington and surrounding towns and cities. Through these connections I have learned about and promoted projects that have helped our community and town staff. We are working together.
I hope that residents consider their Town Meeting members as a helpful conduit to the town. In speaking with constituents and other members of the community, I hear that people do not know how to access the information needed to be part of the process so they can participate by forming and voicing their opinion. I like to connect people to where they can get the information they are seeking. I expect there will be varying opinions on issues and will take all opinions into consideration. And I will attend the relevant meetings necessary to inform my votes. I feel a town meeting member is elected to be informed on all sides of an issue and to make a decision based on the best evidence and data available at the time.
In terms of collaboration and negotiation, in 2018 LexCAN wrote a Citizen’s Article requesting that the town hire a Sustainability Director. The Article asked for funding for the position and demonstrated that this position can pay for itself in grants and funding opportunities. We met with the Select Board and the Town Manager and negotiated a deal that rather than bring the Article to Town Meeting, the Select Board would publicly support the policy and the Town Manager created the job. This proved to be a successful outcome and we are very lucky to have Maggie Peard as our Sustainability and Resilience Officer.
What is the most important issue in this election to you personally, and what ideas do you have about how to address this issue?
While my key issue is always climate, it is an issue that touches most every topic that comes to Town Meeting. From land use and development to economic development. I believe these are all intertwined and should be approached as a whole, rather than in silos.
This year I think the most important issue is how Lexington approaches both our necessary compliance with the MBTA Communities and the state-wide need for housing. Lexington needs to do its part to provide housing to a diverse population both economically and culturally. We are an enhanced and healthier community when we are inclusive. Whether it is Article 2 in STM-1 or the Planning Board (PB) pledges to re-evaluate Article 34 (from ATM-2023) as a priority is still to be determined. I believe we need to assess the effects of the rapid growth of current projects and the growth potential of pipeline projects. This research is being done now and I would prefer that we see that research before we make a final decision on a best path. I want to see that the PB is going to address the effects of rapid growth, the districts and most importantly, their regulations. Since Article 2 is still being revised and the Planning Board has not said it will address this in a very clear way, I feel the Town needs to figure out the best way to take a pause and evaluate the effects of Article 34. I will be listening to the Select Board, the February 26 Planning Board meeting and will be making a decision when I have seen the final motion for Article 2.
Lexington can grow and is growing. People need a place to live and if we can provide that housing, I think we should. In fact, dense housing is a climate solution. Density can be managed to achieve a variety of unit sizes as we accommodate needs for smaller units to diversify our population.
While sitting in on SB and PB meetings can take a lot of time, if I want to have a voice, I have to show up. I show up to support good ideas and bring new ones.
Since I moved to Lexington in 1976, I have tried to be involved in the community. I was on site councils and other committees at Bridge, Clarke and LHS. I have also enjoyed and valued being a 12-year member of Town Meeting. I get to be a part of how democracy works. When I moved to Lexington, Town Meeting was a new concept to me. It is such an interesting and creative way to empower residents to have a voice in the policies of our community. This is why I make attending Town Meeting meetings a priority. I am also willing to stand up and ask questions, state my opinions and talk about issues that require a voice. Through my work with other communities, I have learned from other municipalities who have good ideas and policies to share and brought these ideas back to Lexington. Through my years in Town I have met many Lexington residents who work extremely hard to create a town we can all be proud of, and the Town is better for all of these hard working volunteers.
If re-elected, I will continue my work to encourage policy that supports all of our citizens. Through LexCAN, we have gotten funding from CEL and the State to create programs that are available for all residents and for our municipality. I pledge to work on goals to preserve and create a Lexington that is inclusive with a clean, healthy and resilient future.