Category Archives: On being a selectman

Office hours – last Friday

I was at The Center last Friday from 9-10 AM for my monthly office hours.  Senator Timilty’s aide, Patrick Shield stopped by to check in – they may stop by in the future as well.  Several residents also stopped by to discuss various town issues.

Representative Winslow has asked permission to share the office hours, but was not there – he is reportedly busy deciding whether to run for the Senate, now that Scott Brown is out of the race.

Telephone call this morning

Telephone call this morning from Mike Sullivan about things we need to be doing to get ready for town meeting, and an hour long far reaching discussion.  Also, an email from and to an Energy Committee member about how to proceed on some timely issues.

I hold monthly office hours from 9-10 AM the first Friday of every month at The Center.   Stop by to discuss any town matters, and to have coffee.  Representative Daniel Winslow asked permission to share my office hours at times, and so may be there as well.

I reviewed the schedule for the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s annual meeting, and planned out my program.  I am especially looking forward to hearing from NPR’s Mara Liasson.

Long telephone conversations this afternoon with Mike Sullivan about things related to the Board of Selectmen meeting this evening and with Bill Kingsbury about Medfield Fire Department issues.  I had called Mike because I thought that there was an issue that would derail discussions this evening, but he was already aware of it.  We got to catch up on and discuss a raft of issues the town will be facing in coming months.

Mike agreed to follow up with his town manager’s group about my interest in the recent Sudbury action to cap real estate tax bills for their seniors at 10% of income.  I think it behooves the town to spend monies to keep seniors in town, since when they move we will pay more to educate the children who will move in.  Likewise we want the Council on Aging to be as vibrant as possible for the same reason.  Years ago I had discussions with Roberta Lynch about trying to make the continuing education offerings more robust, as I had seen that as the carrot at Lasell Village that made seniors want to live there.  Similarly, to increase our tax base, build more Olde Medfield Square type housing –  2 school children in 27 single family homes.

Last Wednesday I went to Tilden Village for a flag raising, and then met for dinner with school personnel  and four visiting Chinese dignitaries at the Zullo Gallery, all arranged by Superintendent Maguire.  The dinner was an enjoyable time, despite the language barriers, even though there two individuals who were able to translate.  Bob had picked them up at the airport the night before, and dropped them off at their hotel, only to be kept out until 3 AM.  Bob mentioned that 500 Medfield students will be studying Mandarin next year.

Left dinner around 8 PM to attend the second half of the Energy Committee meeting.  Then at 8 AM Thursday the Energy Committee met to do a site visit to the town owned lands behind the Wheelock School as possible sites for a town owned solar photovoltaic array. There does appear to be lots of possible sites on the far side of the railroad tracks, up against the high tension wires.

Thursday evening I attended the Water & Sewer Board’s meeting where they considered their master plan.  $18 m. of water improvements needed over the next 20 years.  Left W&S to catch the last half of the Medfield Foundation meeting, where I learned that plans are well under way for the Angel Run.

Friday evening I attended the Girl Scouts Bridging Ceremony at the MHS auditorium.  Where there were so many happy girls, I know they are doing lots of things right.  There are something like 450 girl scouts in town, and the official from Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts announced that the numbers in Medfield are noticeably higher for those getting gold and other awards, and those participating.  I real tribute to the adult leadership.  The Bridging Ceremony ran like clock work.

We attended the Marimba concert at Blue Moon yesterday morning, and I felt so proud that our town has so much great music being performed.  Those kids were having a blast at making music.  Now I want to add some steel drums, which I have loved ever since seeing Black Orpheus in college.

Tonight its the Lyme disease study committee and the continued 40B hearing before the Zoning Board of Appeals, and tomorrow the Board of Selectmen meet.

1 – I have learned as a selectman that I acquire lots of specialized knowledge on how town governments budget and operate in Massachusetts.  As a result, I got to thinking that it might make sense for the Town of Medfield to tap into that specialized knowledge that is shared by its former selectmen, all of whom have gone thorough a similar process of being educated about how to run a town in Massachusetts.  So, I began to ask our former selectmen, when I came across them, if they would be willing to serve the town as part of an ad hoc advisory committee, and they have indicated that they would.

I could imagine such an advisory body opining on such current topics as

• the future of the Medfield State Hospital (to purchase or not to purchase),
• how the town should deal with the affordable housing issues,
• land acquisitions, and
• how to deal with the financial budgetary pinch that is unique to Medfield.

I will bring the issue up to my colleagues on the Board of Selectmen this evening.

2 – I attended the installation of the new officers at the Legion on Friday evening.  An impressive event, run by an impressive group of individuals.