Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I am proud and grateful to be running for re-election to the Sudbury Select Board, and ask for your vote for the election of Monday, March 30.
It has been my honor and privilege to serve on the Sudbury Select Board since September 2020, including roles as Chair and Vice-Chair. My time on the board has been marked by a balanced approach that has advanced infrastructure development, fiscal responsibility, and community engagement. I look forward to continuing the great progress that’s been made in town in recent years.
Key Initiatives and Accomplishments
1. Infrastructure and Capital Projects
- Rail Trails: During my first term on the Select Board, the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail progressed from the 25% design phase to active construction. Building off that, I drafted the mission statement for the Rail Trail Advisory Committee and expanded that from a temporary committee focused exclusively on the BFRT, to a permanent committee covering the BFRT, the Mass Central Rail Trail, and other rail trail related issues in Town.
- Fairbank Community Center: I added my voice to this long-delayed project to help it win approval at the ballot box, leading to its groundbreaking and development. Since then, I’ve supported further improvements to the Atkinson Pool and programming efforts.
- Fire Station 2: This station expansion delivered faster emergency response times and modern living/working conditions for firefighters. The expansion was funded primarily through fsaved money, avoiding any tax increase.
2. Fiscal Management and Policy Development
- Town Manager Recruitment: As Chair, I led a transparent and fast hiring process for a new Town Manager, incorporating extensive public input and ensuring a smooth transition.
- Financial Policies: I contributed to the approval of new financial policies aimed at enhancing the town’s fiscal health and accountability. In just a short time, we have seen the benefits of these policies, which continue to evolve.
- Common sense fee updates: I’ve long championed the idea of an overall “fee schedule” for the Town. In the past year, this overall list was created, and then updated to current standards; some fees hadn’t been updated since 1999. This is a small, but important aspect of financial responsibility, as taxpayers townwide subsidize specific services when the fees for those services are too low.
3. Community Engagement and Governance
- School Committee Appointment: In early 2025, I successfully advocated for the filling of a vacant School Committee seat ahead of the Town Meeting to ensure robust representation and avoid potential deadlocks.
- Responsible Housing Development Oversight: I drafted a letter expressing the Select Board’s unanimous opposition to a proposed Maynard housing development that could impact Sudbury’s water resources and flood zones, emphasizing environmental and public safety concerns.
- Firearm Business Zoning Restrictions: Even though this effort ultimately fell short of a 2/3 majority at Town Meeting by just 4 votes, I am proud of championing Sudbury’s first common sense zoning regulations for firearm businesses, which would have instituted the most stringent firearm regulations in Massachusetts without overstepping state or Constitutional protections.
- MBTA Communities Act Passage: While controversial in other communities, the MBTA Communities Act was easily approved at Town Meeting. As the Select Board member assigned this as a goal, I was pleased by its broad support.
4. Community Values
Other notable actions taken during my tenure that reflect the community values:
- The creation of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission.
- PRIDE month celebrated for the first time while I was Chair.
- The IHRA working definition of anti-Semitism was adopted while I was Chair.
- A first-ever Sustainability Coordinator position created.
- Funding to provide storage for the TOPSoccer program was allocated.
5. Looking Ahead
Recent initiatives that I have championed include:
- Solar panel installations: at the Police Station, Curtis Middle School, and Haskell Field Parking Lot. While not all these locations received immediate support from other boards and committees, I continue to advocate for additional solar panel installations to provide environmental and financial benefits to the Town.
- Sidewalk funding: I have proposed the creation of a Sidewalk Stabilization account, which would build up funds to create, renovate, and repair sidewalks across Town. By funding this only in years when the Capital Stabilization account is full, it would avoid creating a new demand on the overall General Fund while still building up resources to expand sidewalks for the first time in 20 years.
6. Leadership and Collaboration
Throughout my tenure, I have emphasized the importance of consensus-building, reasonable compromise, and effective governance. I’ve consistently taken an independent and objective view of issues that consider the needs of the entire community. And I have worked to move beyond past conflicts within the Select Board, focusing on compromise and collaborative decision-making to deliver tangible improvements to the quality of life of the community.
Please remember to vote on Monday, March 30, 2026. Election details and voter registration deadlines are available on the Town Clerk’s website, here: https://sudbury.ma.us/clerk/2026/01/06/2026-annual-town-election/.
March, 2023:
In the wake of Sudbury’s 2023 Annual Town Election: THANK YOU!
Thank you to all candidates who stepped up to serve the community and run for office – win or lose. Thank you to staff and poll workers for organizing another successful election. Most of all, thank you to residents for returning me to the Select Board.
Personally, I couldn’t have made it through to Election Day without the support and encouragement of many volunteers and residents who generously gave of their time and energy. Thank you to the sign holders, letter writers, and the quiet words of encouragement I received from many people over the past few months.
The vote count is an endorsement of the hard work put in by all Select Board members and staff over the past three years – our team has accomplished much, but much work remains.
I am inspired every day by the incredible residents of Sudbury and grateful I will continue to have the opportunity to contribute as a Select Board member.
The work to make Sudbury an even more wonderful, sustainable, and welcoming place to live continues. Go Team Sudbury.
Results are available here:
A Look Back
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve since Sept. 2020 (a start delayed by four months due to COVID) as a member, then Vice-Chair, and Chair of the Sudbury Select Board, before cycling back as a member. I look forward to continuing the great progress that’s been made in town the past couple years. Notable projects and priorities that have advanced since I joined the Select Board:
– A new Town Manager was hired following a transparent, efficient process that included extensive public input
– Bruce Freeman Rail Trail advanced from 25% design to a groundbreaking
– Fire Station 2 approved and construction underway, funded without needing a tax override
– Fairbank Community Center renovation/replacement, discussed since 2012, approved and construction underway
– ARPA funds allocated in a transparent way that incorporated extensive public input
– Camp Sewataro 5-year license renewal approved by the Select Board
– Capital projects moving forward in a high-inflation environment without coming back to voters for additional tax increases, as many other communities have done
Other notable actions taken that reflect the community values:
– The creation of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission was one of my first votes, and while I was Chair we made it permanent
– PRIDE month was celebrated for the first time while I was Chair
– The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism was adopted by the Select Board
– A first-ever Sustainability Coordinator position was created
Prior to serving on the Select Board I served six years on the Conservation Commission and served one year on the first iteration of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Advisory Committee, which helped advise on and advance the BFRT to 25% design.
Why I Ran for Re-Election
I ran for re-election because this work is challenging, interesting, and rewarding. It is rewarding to see the work the Select Board does and the decisions we make have a positive effect on the community. Sudbury is a wonderful place to live, work, and play. All my decisions are guided by the desire to work today to hand off an even better community to future residents.
I’m proud of the progress that’s been made since I’ve joined the Select Board. Long-stalled projects, such as the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, the Fairbank Community Center, and an expansion of Fire Station 2, are moving forward. New projects, such as the Town Manager search process and ARPA funding decisions, have moved forward in a transparent and efficient process. I hope to build off the lessons I’ve learned in my first term on the Select Board to continue serving the Town. The Select Board has been operating together as a strong team, and while much has been accomplished, much work remains. I’m excited to continue contributing.
Why I Love Sudbury
My wife and I chose Sudbury ten years ago as the place to sink our roots and raise our family for its open spaces, historic character, and excellent schools. I enjoy its robust spirit of civic debate and engagement (my wife, less so). I want to preserve and expand the work of those who have served before, while working to improve the delivery of services, condition of facilities, and quality of life across Sudbury and planning for the future of this great community.