Journal
Saturday, July 1st
I officially begin my term today on the Maynard Select Board - first meeting on Wednesday, July 5th. I am looking forward to joining Chris, David, Jeff and Justine to work on all matters Maynard.
In the last few weeks, I have attended many of the different committee meetings, and now have a greatly enhanced appreciation for the sheer number of talented and dedicated people who give so much of their time and effort to further the interests of the town. There is a great amount of learning on my part yet to take place, and I thank all those who educate me well.
Sadly, I believe this holiday weekend is somewhat marred by decisions from the highest federal court that seek to reverse recent social progress with regard to equal protections. While matters of the Select Board in Maynard are generally more likely to focus on economic development, adequate water, zoning and education, we cannot pretend that equal protection for all citizens is of little relevance for us all. If a decision by a web designer in Colorado can reach the Supreme Court with significant consequence, similar matters can (and probably do) easily arise in Maynard.
On that note, I wish everybody - equally - a very pleasant holiday weekend.
Tuesday, May 2nd
Election Day in Maynard. It did feel quite strange to look at the ballot and see my name in print. I took the selfish approach and checked my name, being sure to double check that I had indeed checked the right box. While not one to be generally scathing of politicians (except for the ones I really don't like), it is certainly easy to be dismissive at times of what they do. Now, having run a short campaign for public office, I have a better appreciation for the importance of what is accomplished (or attempted) even at the most local level of a small town.
A lot of people in town have offered support or made themselves available for conversations in the weeks leading up to this day. I cannot deny the pleasure I get from simply meeting and talking with people across many areas - from working with seniors, through the practicalities of municipal governance, waste management and zoning decisions. Issues of importance get geeky very quickly, and one learns that the simplicity of a passion for being for or against something is muddied by the details that do not conform to the polar ideals of human beliefs. Every conversation adds to the layers of awareness on any given topic. The decisions to be made may sometimes be wrenching, but thankfully I think I have just enough geekiness in me to enjoy getting into the weeds of government.
Tuesday, April 25th
This afternoon, the two contesting candidates presented statements and responses to questions at the WAVM studio in an event that lasted about 30 minutes. Despite my years of working in classrooms and other presentations, it was surprisingly nerve wracking at first. Hopefully I responded to most of the questions with sufficient clarity - though I find it very hard to encapsulate responses down to 90 seconds when given the questions blind.
We were given a handful of rapid fire questions with essentially YES/NO answers. That is intimidating of course, because real time solutions to problems are usually a lot more nuanced. Having said that, most issues before the Select Board do indeed resolve down to a polar vote. I haven't seen a recoding yet - no doubt I will curse at myself for a handful of missed opportunities or mis-statements.
It was a shame not to be in a room with more of the public participating. A studio audience could have livened up the atmosphere.
Wednesday, April 19th
It was a real pleasure to attend the Maynard Senior Center Open House this evening, and to meet some of those who attend - including one lady who has lived in Maynard for 90 years. Apparently there have been a few changes here during her lifetime. Aside from meeting some very pleasant Maynard residents, the most obvious lesson for me was the difficulty of access to the Senior Center at the Maynard Golf Club. There is a relatively steep slope to climb (assuming you have found a parking spot), a deck to walk along which must surely be perilous in winter, and then a pleasant but very small space for seniors to enjoy their activities. Count me among the team of supporters for working towards a facility worthy of the needs of our seniors.
Not so pleasant was reading in the news today about how the Florida Board of Education has forbidden the teaching of gender identity and sexuality throughout all grades in K-12 public schools, extending a nearly year-old legislative ban on such lessons from kindergarten through third grade. The teacher, parent and human being in me is horrified that this form of hatred is allowed to get this far. When added to other attempts to restrict education about black history and current affairs, the trend is highly disturbing. I would hope that here in Maynard and Massachusetts, we can continue to model that the interests of children and young adults is best served by openess, honesty and the quest for awareness and understanding rather than trying to pretend that the world is a better place if we simply don't talk about race and gender.
Tuesday, April 18th:
Tax day. Pause for thought. Mark Twain asked "what is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector? The taxidermist takes only your skin." The debate about taxes in Maynard is, reasonably enough, very high, if not on top of the list of concerns in town. We are told that we have one of the highest property tax rates in the area, but this of course masks a great deal of nuance. Weston may have a rate about 7% less than Maynard, but their average is about $22,000 per year - it is blatantly not a fair comparison. Maynard's taxes are in the same ballpark as other similar towns. Comparisons are difficult given variations in population, access to commercial revenue and location. We all face the same challenges of rising costs and a housing market that laughs in the face of affordability.
A more important view is whether or not we perceive that our taxes provide us with good value for money. Is the revenue used wisely and efficiently? How much are we prepared to pay for our 'micro-city' services and small town benefits? To what extent does our current tax policy prevent people from living here - especially the people we need to be valuable contributers to our community? What are we doing to project current financial planning more than just a couple of years down the road?
For my part, I lean towards the notion that those of us in a position to pay more have a responsibility to do so. The value of our town and community is highly dependent on providing affordable living for those on the lower end of the income - our service workers, nurses, safety workers etc. Equally, we have to find the right balance between residential and business taxes - enough to maintain and attract the commerce we are striving for.
Saturday, April 15th:
This is the first day that this website has gone more widely public. In a perfect world, I would have all of my views and position statements neatly lined up, showing a decisive ability to impart wisdom and efficiency. Alas, this is not the case. The more I learn, the more I understand how much I don't know. What currently shows up here barely scratches the surface of what there is to know about town government, and the skills needed to ensure that government and administration works. But it's fun gathering this information. The people I meet are friendly, hard working and committed. I look forward to this ongoing process.
Saturday, April 1st:
Welcome to the first day of April. First of all, no fooling, thank you to all who have posted lawn signs. I ran out of the first batch which illustrates the challenge of minimizing potential waste, attempted fiscal responsibility and actual demand. I have more on order which should be available by the middle of next week.
A month of engaging with far more people than I usually do in Maynard has been hugely interesting, informative and rewarding. If I was generally aware of many issues about town before, I am now much further along the path to a more comprehensive understanding and appreciation for what so many people are trying to accomplish for Maynard.
There is no escaping the widely held belief that we are a town trying to build and maintain more than our current revenue can reasonably afford in the long term. One might even be forgiven for concluding that this is a part of our collective identity.
We feel forced to choose between conflicting interests, all of which are valid, such as the needs of school children, senior citizens, housing affordability, long term maintenance of infrastructure and investment in the potential for future economic growth. In one sense, the choice of HVAC for the new school design is an easier one because it is largely technical, albeit with different interpretations of impact and actual cost over the long term. It is so much harder to rationalize choices that affect different groups within the community in profoundly significant ways.
After all of these conversations (and I look forwards to more), I am curious about the extent to which we are truly aligned with common purpose. Good intent and hard work go a long way. The historical successes of the town can largely be attributed to strong community efforts to match what I believe is a very broad and substantial level of expertise in the town.
Any long term solutions reside in the collective expertise of people already involved and others who are yet to join in. Maybe there are ways in which improved communication and joint problem solving between different groups can help. The tri-board meetings are a step in the right direction. It is ironic to me that in our age of multiple ways to communicate, so many of us miss a common source of local news and information that we can read comfortably.
Reasonably enough, voters want to know where I stand on certain issues. Ideologically, I am in favor of supporting high quality education. I am in favor of long term planning and decision making that is environmentally responsible. I am in favor of supporting services for the seniors. I am in favor of policies that boost the availability of affordable housing. I am in favor of building our capability for long term economic planning and development with prudent fiscal responsibility.
In other words, like many others about town, I would love to have it all. But we can’t, unless we are successful in our long term ambitions of generating revenue and utility from the Mill, the downtown area, the Summer St. building and other opportunities that are being explored around town.
What I hope to bring to the Select Board is an open mind, active listening to all, careful consideration of issues, and the ability to facilitate others to successfully collaborate around a common purpose. I continue to reach out to different communities about town. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me as I am always willing to meet with any individual or group to share ideas constructively.
And finally, thank you to the Town Library for opening up their wonderful new roof top cafe today (Saturday). If I don’t see people there, I look forward to a repeat event this time next year!