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.
Hema Bhatt is current Town Meeting Member from Precinct 9 and a candidate for re-election. She and her family have been residents of Lexington for over 26 years, during which time Hema has volunteered in the elementary, middle and high school as well as at many other cultural and sports events in and around town.
Previously, Hema served as a member of the Lexington Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee. Currently, she is a member of the Design Advisory Committee. Hema volunteers with a non-profit organization to help organize charity events. She believes in selfless action, working towards solving problems and serving the community that has given us all so much. She is actively involved in professional organizations and helps to coordinate many seminars and sessions for professional development. She holds a degree in civil engineering and has good experience in the private and public sectors. She believes her personal perspective as a working parent and technical professional will greatly benefit town governance.
Why are you running for Town Meeting?
I am running for reelection because I like to serve. I feel that Town Meeting is now part of my life. I have learned in my childhood that nothing is greater then serving for a good cause—helping people should come naturally to any living being. My past decade in Town Meeting has taught me many facts and I would like to build on it for the greater good of our community. My intent is to help solve the problems we are facing for the betterment of our community’s interests.
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?
After joining Town Meeting, I served on the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee. I work with other members to put together the vision of what we hope our will town become. We presented our work, “Lexington Next,” to the Planning Board. It was adopted in 2022. Apart from this, my professional experience as a civil engineer also helps me to understand the capital projects in our town. I manage major capital projects from design to construction—this knowledge helps me give balanced views for development around the town.
Currently, I am on the Design Advisory Committee; we see plans for new developments in Lexington and give our review comments to the Planning Board, which then go to the developer. With this, we get a better product for the new developments in our town. When I see the design, I make sure that it is context sensitive. It should blend in with the surrounding. It’s very important to preserve the character of our town. My arguments are always appreciated by fellow members.
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 believe the most important issues are the high school construction and new developments due to MBTA community act. I like to help so that it all happens responsibly.