On the Campaign Trail

Democratic Town Committee - Highlights:   I was asked two questions:  

How did I vote for the override at the Select Board meeting, and why?
I voted not to support placing the override on the ballot or bringing it to Town Meeting. Why? Because we were not ready. At the previous Tri-Board meeting, an idea was presented to explore a debt exclusion by refinancing existing debt for various capital projects and then presenting that option at Town Meeting and on the ballot.

In addition, we are currently in negotiations with all of the Town’s bargaining units and have not yet settled any contracts. As a result, we cannot be certain that $2 million is the correct amount—we may ultimately need less.

What are you most proud of?
There are many accomplishments I am proud of, which makes it difficult to choose just one. One of my first priorities was changing Town and Labor Counsel. The Board unanimously agreed to issue a Request for Proposals for legal services. Together, we reviewed, ranked, and interviewed five respondents. After careful discussion, the Board unanimously selected Harrington & Heep as Town Counsel and Clifford & Kenny as Labor Counsel.

I am also proud that I was able to have all warrants (the schedule of vendor invoices to be paid) posted on the Town Accountant’s webpage. Now, anyone can review the warrants and see which vendors are being paid.

Republican Town Committee – Highlights
I was asked to provide an update on the accomplishments from my previous campaign platform. During my first campaign, I held numerous listening sessions and focused my platform on what I identified as key issues in the community. These included: the escalating budget, budget oversight, budget transparency, legal representation, policies, the Police Chief position, traffic and communications, zoning, and affordable housing.

These topics are discussed in greater detail under the “Maureen’s Action Plan” section.