A Different Approach

Working Together

We all have different needs and perspectives, but we share a common interest in Needham. I know how to bring our community together solve problems.

I also understand that one of the primary responsibilities of the Selectmen is to create a vision for the future of our community and to develop achievable plans to realize that vision.

I can build the community consensus we need to transform our vision and plans into reality. My experience and accomplishments in professional and town service illustrate a practiced ability to lead effectively, and to bring extraordinary solutions to seemingly impossible problems.

When I earn your vote for the Board of Selectmen, I will bring more people into the process of setting Town priorities and use my skills and experience to build more winning choices for Needham.

Contents

Fiscal Responsibility: Discipline ~ Sustainability ~ Smart Choices

Serving Our Senior Citizens

Keeping Our Schools Strong

Having a Plan: Downtown Revitalization and the Business Center

Green Responsibility

Civic Engagement

Fiscal Responsibility: Discipline ~ Sustainability ~ Smart Choices

I will work to continue our strong record of fiscal discipline and sustainable budgets, which has been achieved through the successful collaboration among the Board of Selectmen, the Town Manager, the School Committee, the Finance Committee, and other town officials.

• Financial stewardship is more than number-crunching and saying "No". It also means being open to finding new sources of revenue and developing creative ways to solve problems and to meet real needs.
• I am proud that Needham is one of only 11 towns in Massachusetts to own a AAA bond rating. This demonstrates our willingness to maintain our infrastructure and the effectiveness of our management team. Our AAA rating helps lower the cost of borrowing, which is a key element of our cost management planning.
• When we spend our scarce resources, we should be buying real solutions, not quick fixes. Short-term expediency often leads to long-term problems. What appears to be a "good bargain" today may end up costing more later.
• I will continue fighting for our fair share of State funding for local services as a key means of holding down residential property taxes.

Serving Our Senior Citizens

Our senior citizens have invested in Needham, and it is time that we returned the favor. The best way to show our appreciation for the service and contributions of Needham's long-time citizens is to make sure we fulfill the overdue promises that we made to them.

• Build a new Senior Center that is adequate to meet the program and service needs of our senior population.
• Provide the Council on Aging with the resources to support our seniors and their families with the services they need.
• Ensure property tax relief for seniors in need to keep them in their homes, and look for ways to provide more alternatives to existing programs.
• Recognize that our senior citizens are a valuable resource to our town. Recruit more of them to fill meaningful roles in our community and in our local government.

Keeping Our Schools Strong

The Needham Public School System is one of the best in Massachusetts. Our High School was designated as a Compass School by the MA Department of Education. Our students' academic achievement is among the highest in the state, and we set the example in such areas as Community Service, Social and Emotional Learning, and Global Competence. As the father of three graduates of the Needham School system, I know that our excellent schools are the backbone of our community identity.

• We must ensure that class sizes are consistent with the recognized standards for a quality education.
• We will continue to offer a broad curriculum that meets the needs of all students, the academically gifted as well as those who are at risk.
• To provide a safe and healthy environment that is conducive to learning, we must be vigilant to address facility issues before they become "emergency situations."
• See my letter about the Newman School.

Having a Plan: Downtown Revitalization and the Business Center

A Planner by profession, I know that excellent communities like Needham do not happen by accident but by long-term planning and design. As part of the Board of the Selectmen, I will help to set the priorities and provide the leadership that sustains Needham's community strengths today, while we look forward to an even better future.

• As a member of the Planning Board (13 years) and the Downtown Study Committee, I have been a leader in developing Needham's business centers and in building a commercial base. This is a key mechanism to holding down residential taxes, because taxes paid by businesses help to support services provided to all the residents of Needham.
• A strong business community contributes to our financial strength, helping us provide the excellent services for which we are known. Our businesses also contribute to the fabric of our community with a thriving and uniquely "Needham" shopping and dining district.
• I have worked hard to provide for more amenities in the downtown to attract businesses and shoppers with new design guidelines that promote pedestrian friendly designs and streetscape.
• I believe that we can develop a sustainable plan for Needham's growth that can also respect and preserve our Town's unique character. The development of the Historical Society's new headquarters and the preservation of the Town Hall are just two examples.

Green Responsibility

Our town government should lead by example in green practices, from the construction and use of our buildings to everyday recycling. This is responsible stewardship of our environment, as well as a sound and prudent means of reducing municipal costs over the long term.

• Needham should take the lead in energy efficiency and the use of alternative energy sources, by building on the work already begun by both Town government and private citizen's groups like the League of Women Voters and the Green Needham Collaborative.
• We should use energy management strategies, alternative energy technologies, and sustainable building practices in our existing and new town buildings.
• We should use "smart growth" principles in the development of the Downtown and the Business Center.
• Commercial and residential zoning can be used to encourage environmentally responsible building, and to develop incentives for businesses and homes to be more environmentally sound. We must develop appropriate zoning for alternative energy sources such as wind power.
• Select the most fuel-efficient options when acquiring new town vehicles.
• Support citizen and community-group green initiatives like Green Kids, the Green Needham Collaborative, and the Needham Community Farm which teaches sustainability, while educating our students, providing healthy nutrition to families in need, and giving everyone an opportunity to take part in the art and science of farming.
• Protect our open space.

Civic Engagement

Needham is characterized by an incredible volunteer spirit, evidenced by the active and successful service clubs and the many committees, commissions and boards which support the Town. I have been actively engaged for many years in the civic and municipal life of Needham.

• I am a past President of the Needham Exchange Club, a past President and Board member of the Needham Historical Society. I have been active and had leadership positions in the Needham Heights Neighborhood Association and have recently joined the board of Needham Cares.
• I have served on many of our Town committees, commissions, and boards, with leadership roles in more than a few - including the Design Partnership for Downtown Needham, the Schools Future Search Committee, the Economic Advisory Council and its predecessors.