04/05/2026
Great questions — happy to answer both!
1. Did you vote Yes or No on the 2024 Override, and why?
I voted No. My position wasn’t anti-schools or anti-town services — it was about fiscal responsibility and due diligence. I believed there were funds available within the operational budget, and that proved to be correct when a reserve fund was identified at the last minute. That’s exactly the kind of scrutiny we need before asking taxpayers to dig deeper.
That said, I’m not against every override — I’ve supported debt exclusions for the Senior Center, Town Hall, and the High School project. I actually prefer debt exclusions because they don’t compound onto the town levy year over year, which keeps millions of dollars from being added to our annual tax base permanently. There needs to be a true, substantial need before we go to voters — and for the last decade, we haven’t reached that bar.
2. Why should voters feel confident in your ability to objectively oversee contracts, budgets, and policy?
I’ve been here before. As a previous Select Board member, I didn’t just show up — I immersed myself in municipal finance and budgeting, and I took an active role in negotiating town union contracts alongside the previous Town Manager. That hands-on experience is hard to replicate.
On the professional side, I’ve carried multi-million dollar P&L responsibility in my career and have had to make tough, data-driven decisions under pressure. I know how to read a budget and ask the right questions.
As for policy — I led the effort through Town Meeting to create the DPW Department, consolidating the Water Department and Highway Department. That reorganization has already paid dividends: non-traditional accounting practices were uncovered that are expected to return millions of dollars to the town. That’s the kind of structural thinking and follow-through I’ll bring back to the Board.
