This year’s Annual Town Election, set for May 19, features two contested races: Select Board and Board of Assessors.

The Independent spoke with the candidates for these seats to get an idea of why they are running and what issues are most important to them. The interview summaries are presented in alphabetical order.

Select Board

Two open seats are available on the Select Board, with three candidates. Incumbent Shahidul Mannan looks to maintain his position while Jeff Doyle and Matt Kizner look to earn their way to a spot. Vice chair Mary Jo LaFreniere is not running for reelection.

Jeff Doyle

Jeff Doyle and wife, Kia, pose for a photo with their daughter.

Seeing frustration from other residents last year about the direction the town was heading, Doyle felt he could offer residents a voice on the Select Board.

“I want to make sure the town feels heard,” said Doyle. 

Doyle’s run for Select Board will be his first engagement with town government. However, he said he had exposure to how the town operates throughout his youth.

“I’ve been having conversations with people since I was a younger kid about what goes on in town government,” said Doyle. He also noted time spent shadowing town committees as part of his coursework at Hopkinton High School.

Doyle is the latest generation of his family to call Hopkinton home. His great-grandfather moved here in the 1930s. His father, Aubrey, is active with the Historical Commission and has served on the Sustainable Green Committee. Doyle moved back to town two years ago with his wife, Kia, to raise their child.

As to why he has decided to jump into town government with a run for Select Board, Doyle said he is hoping to “get into it early and do it for the long run.” 

Like his fellow Select Board candidates, Doyle’s top priority is the town’s water system issues. Worried that the cost of a viable solution “could get really expensive to address,” he is looking to make it an area of focus.

According to Doyle, the goal is to “make sure we’re in a position where everyone has safe drinking water for the foreseeable future.”

Other priorities for Doyle include keeping the school system competitive and maintaining the town’s financial wellness. He called out the increasing tax burden on residents, the need for greater economic development, and budgeting following the addition of debt from school projects as areas of concern.

Doyle hopes to help steer the town’s long-term financial vision to make sure “we’re not making any shortsighted decisions” so that the town can “thrive for many years to come.”

Doyle currently serves as the director of sales for a cybersecurity startup. He has been in the position for two years and said he runs a sales team of about six people. That experience has shaped his views on leadership.

“The most important thing about leadership is trying to figure out how to … sift through the amount of noise to get the right information that’s going to get the task that we need done,” said Doyle.

Bringing this leadership experience to the Select Board, Doyle looks to continue his family’s legacy of service and improve the town in which he grew up. “I want to make sure it’s a place that everybody’s happy with,” he said.

Matt Kizner

Matt Kizner and wife, Emma, pose for a photo with their children and their dog, Korben.

Kizner is hoping to bring his love for the community and leadership experience as chair of the Capital Improvement Committee to bear in the role on the Select Board.

“I have obvious passion,” said Kizner, along with a “pretty good track record of collaboration across departments and party lines.”

Kizner has built that foundation through years of service to the town. He and his wife, Emma, moved to Hopkinton in 2017, and he has been involved in town government ever since. He has served on both the Zoning Advisory Committee and the CIC while becoming a father of two in a community that means a lot to him.

“I’m wildly passionate about what this little community develops into and what it looks like as our family grows here,” he said.

Kizner has been head of the CIC for the last three years. He said the committee has worked under his leadership to navigate the town’s long-term needs and standardize the process for evaluating capital requests. Noting that each request that comes before the CIC has value, Kizner said the goal is to “be more measured and purposeful” in the committee’s work.

Other initiatives Kizner has supported during his time with the CIC include work around modular classrooms at Marathon Elementary School, electrifying the police cruiser fleet and installing solar panels at municipal facilities. 

While he has some idea about what he wants to focus on if he wins a seat on the Select Board, he noted, “It’s ultimately the community that decides the issues that are important.”

One issue that is a priority for Kizner is the town’s ongoing challenges with its water system. “I see our water issue and water infrastructure challenges as one of the biggest conversation pieces,” he said.

Kizner cares about cost of living and combating what he sees as a cost of living crisis driven by increasing property taxes as well.

“We have to find new ways to bring in business to expand the caliber of services and commercial items available in town and to offset the burden of maintaining town services from the taxpayer,” Kizner stated.

He also sees organizational changes as worthy of addressing. Kizner said he would like to have more conversations with the town about Hopkinton’s mission and vision. As well, he hopes the Select Board could set goals “so there’s some objective measure to show the town” the board is making progress on key initiatives.

In his professional life, Kizner works for Takeda Pharmaceuticals in quality assurance and research and development. He sees his eye for data in these roles as transferable to his work in town, and he “thrives on digging into the details,” according to his candidate statement.

Kizner’s ultimate vision for Hopkinton is aspirational. He alluded to a transformation occurring in town over the past few years and said such a shift has made moving in a unified direction difficult.

“What does it look like for the community of Hopkinton to continue to grow? What do we want our town to be defined by?” Kizner asked. “That answer is going to drive the Select Board in the next few years.”

Shahidul Mannan

Shahidul Mannan speaks during a Select Board meeting. PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO

Mannan aims to keep his seat on the Select Board after a busy term of service. He said there is “a lot more I can offer and a lot more I want to do.”

In the past three years, Mannan has worked on a number of key issues in town. He has been an advocate for the town’s water system needs, including the establishment of the Water-Sewer Advisory Board and continued efforts to connect Hopkinton to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA).

Economic development also has been a priority for Mannan. He worked with the Select Board to establish a new Economic Development Advisory Board and assisted in the process of hiring Julia Chun, the town’s sustainability, economic development and equity project manager.

All this work is aimed at diversifying the town’s tax base and managing the town’s financial challenges. “It’s a great start, but we need to do more,” said Mannan. 

He highlighted efforts to balance the fiscal year 2026 budget and his advocacy on appropriating more money into reserves like the stabilization fund as examples of his focus on the town’s financial health.

“Fiscal discipline is on the top of my strategy,” Mannan explained. “That’s how we maintain and keep focus on our continued success with our balanced budget.”

Along with these areas of focus, Mannan said he would like to continue evaluating equitable housing and the needs of seniors, should he be reelected. He claimed the available amount of affordable housing is low. He also addressed the rising population of seniors living in town.

“Data shows in the next 3-5 years, we’re going to see almost 40% growth in the senior citizen population,” Mannan said, noting that growth would put “pressure” on current programs and facilities for seniors. 

“More support is needed there,” he added. “We have to do more.”

Mannan has lived in town with his family since 2012 and has spent the last decade in various positions in town. He previously served on the Planning Board, the Community Preservation Committee and the Appropriation Committee. 

He noted that in all his roles, data has guided his decisions. In his professional life, Mannan works for a large health care organization as its chief data, analytics and artificial intelligence officer. This experience informs his data-driven focus.

He also maintains that his goal is to work collaboratively on solving problems affecting the town.

“I have always been a big proponent of working with everyone … working together in solving the problem even when we have different opinions,” Mannan said.

“Collaboration, harmony and ‘One Hopkinton’ are my mantra,” he added.

Board of Assessors

Incumbent Peter Mimmo is running against Frederick “Ted” Mayer for the open Board of Assessors seat.

Frederick Mayer

Mayer is looking to return to the Board of Assessors after a long break and serve the town now that he has retired from his professional work.

“Lately, I have retired and have a lot of spare time,” said Mayer. “I was looking around saying: What would I like to do with that spare time?”

Returning to town government was the answer. A former certified financial planner who most recently worked for Wells Fargo, Mayer served on the Board of Assessors from 1986-92. Mayer also served as a sergeant in the Marine Corps and is a lifelong resident of Hopkinton.

His hopes in returning to the role are to “see that the office runs correctly and that residents are treated fairly.”

Mayer said he enjoyed helping residents through the abatement during his earlier service with the Board of Assessors. The goal, he said, is to make sure residents can come in and talk to somebody if they “feel they’re being misvalued.”

“Nine out of 10 times, people go away happy,” Mayer added.

Peter Mimmo

Mimmo hopes to continue listening to and engaging with residents about their tax concerns. He has served on the Board of Assessors since 2022 and now serves as its secretary.

Mimmo and his family moved to Hopkinton in 2015. He said he was drawn to his current role on the Board of Assessors to learn more about the town and its finances.

“I knew that it was a good way to get into town government or elected positions,” said Mimmo. He also said the move reflects his broader career in public service.

Mimmo has been an attorney for the commonwealth for 23 years. He has held public office in other towns, serving on the Personnel Board in Northbridge for 12 years. 

During his time with the Board of Assessors, Mimmo said, he has been proud to advocate for increased tax exemptions for veterans, as well as enhancing the senior work option in town. 

He expressed wanting to continue serving the town and make residents feel heard. “I want to make sure that the taxpayers who approach the board know they are engaging with a board that is prepared, thoughtful and respectful, and gives them kind and respectful responses to their application,” said Mimmo.