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.
Professionally I am an urban planner and have been with Sasaki, a planning and design firm since 1983. I am now a Principal Emeritus, working on a few projects such as the master plan for the US Capitol Complex in Washington, DC and for a few other public, private, and institutional clients.
My spouse, Wendy Krum and I have lived in Lexington since 1989, and raised our daughter Corey who is a Lexington Public School graduate and now lives in Winchester with her husband Matt Brockman and their son Hays.
Wendy and I travel as much as we can with recent trips to Spain, Provence, Scotland, and skiing in Park City. Upcoming trips include Sicily and the Turks and Caicos.
We spend a lot of time taking care of our grandson Hays and going to as many new restaurants as possible and are still mourning the loss of Via Lago in the Center.
Why are you running for Town Meeting?
I am interested in how the town has evolved since we came to Lexington in 1989. I am interested in how the MBTA Communities Act will expand multi-family residential development opportunities for current and future residents. I am also interested in how town center can be further developed to include multi-family housing and more robust retail and food and beverage businesses.
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?
I was a member of the Lexington Planning Board from 1994–2002 which included two years as Planning Board Chair. I was also a Town Meeting member during that time. With the recent MBTA Communities Act requirements, we now have the opportunity to increase the supply of multi-family housing and to address the housing affordability challenge facing now only Lexington but the Greater Boston metro.
Currently I am a member of the Permanent Building Committee (PBC) which was responsible for the recently completed Police Station and is now collaborating with School Building Committee (SBC) on the design and construction of the new Lexington High School.
As a Planning Board member, I was frequently involved in controversial land use and development projects that required listening and addressing multiple conflicting viewpoints, interests, and opinions as part of the land development and approval process in Lexington. As Planning Board chair, it was my responsibility to ensure that all viewpoints were considered in the planning process and make decisions that were in compliance with zoning bylaws and in the best interests of the project applicant, neighborhood and the town.
What is the most important issue in this election to you personally, and what ideas do you have about how to address this issue?
I would like to see new multi-family housing development as required by the MBTA Communities Act contribute to a more pluralistic town character and provide current and future residents with opportunities to live in and be part of the town.
Lexington Center is underutilized as a town center and should be a more robust and vibrant center with better retail, services, entertainment and residential opportunities.