Position being sought: Planning Board (candidate for re-election)

Party affiliation: Unenrolled

Occupation: Retired after 35 years in law enforcement

Education: Master’s degree in criminal law enforcement

Years lived in Hopkinton: 43

Governmental experience: Continuous from 1977 to present

Additional volunteer/service experience: (H)PTA, Girl Scouts, 4-H, Boy Scouts, Police Explorers (all in leadership positions)

General statement: I am proud to announce my candidacy for the Hopkinton Planning Board as an unenrolled candidate.

I moved to Hopkinton in the 1970s when the population was around 8,000, and it wasn’t long before I was volunteering in leadership roles in my children’s activities: (H)PTA, Girl Scouts, 4-H, Boy Scouts to name a few. It was easy to realize even then that Hopkinton was and continues to be a high-quality community because of the outstanding quality of its volunteers. Now we are close to 18,000 residents and still growing.

Around 2014 I became an active participating citizen in the Legacy Farm re-zoning effort and quickly learned the various processes and procedures of the Planning Board, ZAC and other related committees and boards. From all these earlier experiences I learned the value of early, strategic planning that shapes the future growth of our town.

My goal is to encourage continued collaborative and communicative conversation and to support a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere where both the residents and builders can share their ideas, values and requests for the Planning Board’s consideration.

I’ve learned over the years that the Planning Board is where some of the town’s important decisions start, and we can’t be too careful in these early stages of planning. We must have the creativity and ability to think outside the box, do the research, be inclusive, engaging and respectful to all parties, and most of all have a willingness to listen.

I respectfully ask you to vote for me in our coming election.