I am writing to endorse Brian Herr for Select Board. I have worked with Brian for decades as a result of our overlapping roles serving our community. My roles on the School Committee, the Appropriations Committee, and as the chair of the 300th Anniversary Celebration Committee have provided me with a long-term and multifaceted view of Brian. We have not always agreed, but I have always found that Brian seeks input, listens to and respects other viewpoints, and works collaboratively to move the town forward. I have never doubted his fidelity to his mantra of “One Town, One Solution,” even when I held a different view of what that solution should be.

Hopkinton is at a critical juncture. We continue to wrestle with the unprecedented and unrelenting population growth, which has required increased operating budgets and necessitated numerous capital projects. We are facing significant challenges and course-altering decisions as a community in the near term with our water quality and supply, the MWRA connection, the MBTA Communities Act, Center School, significant transition of town senior staff and employees and more. The decision that will have the greatest impact on the outcomes of all of these issues is the selection of our next town manager.

I was on the School Committee when Norman Khumalo was hired by the town, and I witnessed first-hand the time and intention Brian put into managing a transparent and community-informed hiring process. Following the selection of the town manager, Brian took the lead in facilitating the orientation and onboarding critical to providing our new town leader with the resources and context necessary to successfully manage this unique, complex and beautiful town. For me, Brian’s understanding of the town’s history and operations, appreciation of the gravity and consequences of the matters before us, and relationships with our state legislators are both unique and essential to preparing our next town manager for success.

I appreciate Brian’s willingness to return to the Select Board, after having already served the town for so many years, and in multiple roles. He offers the perspective and vision necessary to select and support our next town manager, as well as the leadership skills and experience essential to meeting the legal and fiduciary responsibilities that members of the Select Board have to the town.

Please join me in voting for Brian Herr on Monday, May 20.

— Jean Bertschmann, Hopkinton

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