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 moved to Lexington in elementary school and have lived here for most of my adult life. I graduated from LHS in 1963 when the school was considered new! I graduated from Bowdoin College, joined the Navy as a line officer during Vietnam, and returned to Lexington in 1971. I remained in the Naval Reserve until 1994, retiring as a Captain. I am single, and I like to boat and sail. I love to invest in the stock market and manage investments. My brother and his family also live in Lexington. My civilian career as a human resources executive working for two publicly-held high tech companies was both challenging and exciting. Since retiring, I have spent 21 years serving my community as a Town Meeting member. I also serve as a trustee at Potter Pond Condominiums, and as a former director and current member of the South Lexington Civic Association.
Why are you running for Town Meeting?
I am running for Town Meeting because I like being part of town government. Lexington is a well-run town, but we have a lot of challenges ahead of us. Serving in Town Meeting enables many people to debate issues and make sound decisions. I have learned in the last 21 years in Town Meeting that many warrant articles we approve sometimes bring unexpected, unwanted results. We need to think through, discuss, and debate each warrant article carefully.
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?
My experiences as a naval officer at sea on both an aircraft carrier and an ammunition ship during Vietnam, as a human resources executive in the fast-moving high tech world, and as a Trustee and Treasurer of Potter Pond have prepared me to work effectively with others to solve problems. My 21 years in Town Meeting have shown me that people bring forth many different viewpoints. Legislating is the art of compromise.
On the MBTA multi-family housing issue before Town Meeting I was opposed to rezoning 227 acres. I felt that rezoning that many acres would bring too much development. Too much development could result in a significant increase in the population changing the character of Lexington in a way I could not support. I voted “NO.” My position was not shared by most Town Meeting members. It turned out that the Town Meeting members, even after all the debate had ended, did not fully understand the ramifications of approving the 227 acres. We did not understand that our vote enabled developers to “freeze the newly-approved zoning” to their own advantage, and we did not realize how little authority our Planning Board was left with once developers came to them with their proposals. In short, we debated the pros and cons of the warrant article, made the wrong decision, but in making the wrong decision, we still did not understand the details behind the legislation.
What is the most important issue in this election to you personally, and what ideas do you have about how to address this issue?
My key issue is to make decisions to keep Lexington the wonderful town that it is with a rich history and top-notch schools. Keeping Lexington affordable is going to be challenge. I believe the $650 million dollar high school is the most important factor affecting Lexington’s future. We have approved this key project, so while there is no immediate warrant article facing us this year, the high school construction will influence every major financial decision we will face for many years. We need to be especially judicious in planning our capital expenditures and in managing our operating budget. We can do a lot of things; we just cannot do everything.