Precinct: 6
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.
My name is Deepika Sawhney. I am married with two adult children, both recent graduates from Lexington Public Schools. We have lived in Lexington for over thirty years and have formed lifelong friendships in town. We have celebrated many milestones here, including becoming naturalized citizens, parents, and pet owners!
My work outside of Lexington is focused on creating awareness about our participatory democratic processes, and creating opportunities for children in underserved districts.
Running, and hiking remain my favorite activities, (I ran the New York Marathon in 2019 and trekked to the Everest Base camp in 2017). Now due to time constraints I enjoy a walk in Willard Woods just as much. My summertime goals are to create a hummingbird friendly habitat in my backyard.
I enjoy watching ‘Young Sheldon’, and my taste in music includes Sufi music from the Indian subcontinent, Queen, Stewart Copeland, Angelique Kidjo, Habib Koité and other world music artists. I am currently reading two books ‘Educated’ By Tara Westover and ‘The Worlds I See’ by Fei Fei Li.
To learn more about me, please visit sawhneyforlexington.com
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 am running for my third term as Town Meeting member for precinct 6. The past 12 town meetings have been training grounds for me, as we have grappled with zoning, budget and policy issues. The questions posed are not straightforward. They require balancing public good with private interests. Every decision needs to be based within legal frameworks as well as Lexington’s affinity for empathy. I have a mental rubric, wherein I prioritize the most vulnerable first, then consider public good vs. private benefit/loss, and then ultimately the cost to the town budget (thence to all taxpayers). This rubric ensures that my decisions are in keeping with Lexington’s progressive values while being fiscally responsible. (And I would heave a sigh of relief when my vote was the same as Dan Fenn’s or Hank Manz’s)!
Besides these experiences I have three masters (MBA, MIS, Ed.M) and work experience in finance and technology. My volunteer experiences in Lexington Public Schools include room parent, PTO Chair, Site Council member, STEM clubs mentor and now School Committee.
What is the most important issue in this election to you personally, and what ideas do you have about how to address this issue?
Having a free, fair, participatory democracy is a gift that we often take for granted. In many other places a local election can be marred by corruption, division and even violence. As an immigrant, the very act of spirited discussion without rancor or having to police one’s words is liberatory. I am very happy that it is a contested election in all the town wide positions. It emphasizes our citizens’ willingness to make sacrifices of their time and efforts for the public good.
Ultimately no problem in Lexington is unsolvable. Covid has proven that. We are emphasizing student voice and agency in our public schools, as we aim to educate the whole child. The academic content is matched with social emotional learning experiences. Lexington exports its values when the LHS students graduate. When they leave us, hopefully they will never settle for less. Therefore having them witness a substantive, integrity rich, issue focussed election process is the biggest win this election.
I often do not agree with my colleagues in the School Committee or the Superintendent. This may be because some additional research has shown me alternative points of view, or I have gleaned some different knowledge from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website, or my lived experiences provide a nuance which may be missing. It may also be that I am mistaken in my understanding!
However, these occasions are usually opportunities for rich debate and many emails from me to the Superintendent. (Open Meeting Law limits our ability to engage with colleagues). I have the doubtful felicity of being the most prolific emailer to the Superintendent from amongst the School Committee. What allows us to work successfully together is our shared purpose to serve the students. We care about them, therefore collaboration (painful or easy) is a must.
I organize an annual essay writing competition for Lexington based students with the prompt: “My Truth is…”. These stories tell us how the children are faring and what is important to them. While the details may vary, they still tell the same stories about simple accomplishments, trials and occasions of joy or sadness. They reinforce what an honor and a privilege it is to serve the students and the town of Lexington.
As an Indian American I bring a different set of skills, talents and experiences to the role. I hope I can continue to serve as a School Committee and Town meeting member in our town for the next term. Thank you.