To the residents of Medfield,
I am running for re-election as Selectman. The election is on March 26, and I am asking for your vote.
Over the next several weeks until the election, I will be writing about the various contributions and efforts that I have made as a Selectman and my goals. I hope that you will have a better understanding of who I am, what I have done and what I would like to continue to do for our town.
● Creating Access to Town Government and Information. It has not always been easy for Medfield residents to get information about emerging and ongoing town issues and concerns, and it has not always been easy for residents to access town government and town information. As a result, one of my main goals has been to promote the dissemination and sharing of Medfield town information and to promote town government transparency. To that end, I have worked hard and succeeded in getting the Board of Selectman to commit to a regular and predictable meeting schedule (first and third Tuesdays of the month). I also have worked hard to get the Board of Selectman to agree to make Board meeting agendas available on-line in advance of Board meetings, as well as to make meeting minutes available on-line shortly after meetings conclude. I also pushed for the posting on-line of on-demand recordings of Board meetings. These may seem like simple and obvious efforts – timely, electronic meeting agendas and minutes – but they were not a regular part of town government in Medfield.
● Sharing Town Information With Residents. Realizing that access to town information is not always easy and recognizing that I am in a unique position to access that information and to share and deliver that information to interested residents, I have made the commitment to write about and share with residents the information that I learn in my role as Selectman. This information had been posted and can be found:
○ At my blog (https://medfield02052.wordpress.com/),
○ Via Twitter (@Medfield), and
○ Via my Facebook page.
● Keeping Up To Date on Town Issues and Municipal and Other Laws. The job of Selectman necessarily requires knowledge of municipal law and regulations as well as municipal finance and labor relations. Public health and safety matters and questions arise, as well as environmental and land use concerns. The job of Selectman demands continuing attention to the issues as well as to education. To that end, I have always actively informed myself about the issues facing the town. I have read available information and have attended other board, commission and committee meetings. I have independently educated myself about issues and the law, and I regularly have attended continuing education programs from the Massachusetts Municipal Association and others. I stay in touch with our state legislators when and as issues require, and I seek the advice and input from the resources available to the town, including the many residents of our town who, on a volunteer basis, bring valuable skill sets to our town government and, in doing so, make our town and town government so much better. I always appreciative for their assistance as they help me do my job better.
● Exercising Independent Judgment. I strongly believe that independent thinking makes the Town of Medfield government better government for the residents and that discussion and even disagreement can lead to more informed and wiser decision making. To that end, I have tried always to stay open to new thoughts and ideas and receptive to more or new information that may bring value to the discussion of issues and wisdom to the decision making process. I have remained committed to my goal of independent thinking and judgment, even when that goals means more work and effort to make an informed, but educated and independent judgment. As a Selectman, I have found that I often have been asked to offer an opinion on a matter that affects all our citizens. I always have taken this responsibility of offering an opinion seriously, as I believe that this sometimes is one of the most important ways that a public official affects a political process. While I know that my opinions are just that, “opinions,” I have always attempted to make those opinions informed, thoughtful, honest, and independent, as I know that some may rely upon them.
● Exploring New Ideas. Innovation can be exciting, and one of the aspects of the job of Selectman that is more creative and rewarding is bringing a new idea to the table for discussion and, hopefully, implementation. Over the years, I have brought what I have thought of as some good, new ideas to the table. Some of these ideas have been implemented. Other ideas have not been supported by the Board, but are ideas that I think can and should be re-visited, such as: 1) a Town House e-newsletter published on a volunteer basis; 2) discussion and exploration of whether it makes sense to upgrade the ambulance services from EMT to paramedic services; and 3) creative planning for the town’s affordable housing with exploration of the possible expansion of Tilden Village on the adjoining land, conversion of existing housing stock to affordable housing, and building on town owned land.
● Asking the Difficult Questions. I have found that sometimes the job of Selectman has meant that I have had to ask some difficult questions. Sometimes the questions were difficult because the issues were complex, sometimes because of the interests affected. One example of asking the difficult question was the DPW Garage. The proposed DPW plan called for a new, approximately $10 million dollar building. Lots of dollars had been spent to develop plans for this particular DPW building design. Lots of volunteer hours had been put into review of the DPW plans. Lots of tax dollars for lots of years would be spent to construct this building. Lots of tax dollars for lots of years would go to the maintenance of the building once constructed. At the time the plan was proposed, I publicly questioned at Town Meeting and in a letter to the newspaper whether the proper case had been made for a new DPW garage as proposed. Making the decision to question the DPW plan was not simple. I recognized the time and effort spent by many volunteers to develop this plan. I understood that the existing town garage was riddled with problems and deficiencies. Nonetheless, the long term, financial consequences to the residents of Medfield of the proposed, new DPW garage suggested that someone needed to ask the questions about the DPW plan. This was not an easy thing for me to do personally, but it seemed to me to be the right decision as a Selectman.
● Advocate for the Town and its Citizens. Sometimes the job of Selectman requires addressing issues that have regional or state implications, and a Selectman needs to engage as both diplomat and well versed advocate on behalf of the town. I have found that the skills I have honed over the years as a lawyer – advocate, negotiator, mediator – have been of invaluable assistance in such advocacy and diplomacy, as the Medfield State Hospital example demonstrates. Since its closing in about 2002, the hospital has continued to raise environmental and land reuse concerns for our town, and since that time, I have been actively involved with those concerns, studying the issues and investigating possible solutions. This activity necessarily caused me to develop working relationships with commissioners of state agencies and with State Representatives and Senators. I have approached these relationships as an advocate and a diplomat on behalf of the town, working to protect the town’s interests. I have supported and continue to support the work of town volunteers appointed to monitor the environmental clean up at the hospital site, and I have worked to advocate for the town’s interests in removal of contamination at the hospital site. The role of advocate can sometimes cross with the role of diplomat, and I have worked to bring the best of both roles to my job as Selectman.
These are some of the efforts I have made on behalf of our town. I hope that this letter and my forthcoming letters gives you the information you need to cast your vote for my continued leadership as your selectman. The Medfield municipal election is at The Center on Monday, March 26. Let the work begun continue!
Sincerely,
Selectman, Osler L. Peterson
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