Westborough – Three candidates are vying for two seats on the Westborough Board of Selectmen in the Tuesday, March 5 election. Leigh Emery and Bruce Tretter are incumbents while Allen Edinberg is a political newcomer. Here, in their own words, are their bios and thoughts on why they are running for this position.
Allen Edinberg
I am an entrepreneur, community advocate, husband, father, and concerned taxpayer. Working in tech since moving to the area in 1987, I’ve run my own businesses since 1993. Currently, my Westborough-based company helps small businesses take advantage of cloud computing. We have also helped over 700 school districts bring new technologies into the classroom. Living in town since 2002, my community involvement includes service as founding president of the Boroughs JCC, helping launch the Westborough Education Technology Fund, and serving on the recent Charter Review Committee. My children attend Westborough Public Schools; my wife, Lisa, is active in our schools and currently serves on the School Committee.
I believe that local government is about “P’s and Q’s”. Public safety and health, public education, public works, and quality of life. Everything we do should contribute to the betterment of these services and our town. Westborough faces some near-term and long term challenges. Since 2010, commercial tax revenues have dropped from 40 percent to 32 percent of our tax levy, putting pressure on residents. The management and timing of our debt creates years with large, debt-driven tax increase. Looking forward, Westborough will run out of new buildable land as a means to expand our tax base. As a selectman, I hope to apply my mix of business and community experience to help address these short term and long term issues, and others, in ways that preserve Westborough’s character, honor our commitment of service to our community, and respect the taxpayer.
Affordability. While not a committee or a specific project, I want to help ensure Westborough is affordable for all of its residents. This issue encompasses many issues and opportunities, including: rethinking how the town manages spending and debt; increasing our commercial tax base; and capturing more federal and state funds. This effort means working with committees and organizations, from our town departments and our Advisor Finance Committee to the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission and regional alliances. To keep Westborough affordable, we need to offset costs and increase the percentage of our tax levy from commercial properties. We need forward thinking, fresh ideas, and a focus on the outcomes we want.
Leigh Emery
I grew up on our family farm and still manage it with my husband, two sons, and their families.
I graduated from WHS; attended nursing school in Boston; and joined the Peace Corp, serving two years in Iran. That experience taught me much about compassion and the richness which diversity of cultures provides. Returning to the U.S., I earned an MS in nursing from Boston College. Hired by UMass Medical School, for over 30 years I had a varied career in health care administration, pediatric clinical practice, and national and international research managing large budgets, staffing, and building projects.
We will be making the last two of four critical appointments, Town Manager and Director of DPW. They will become part of a longstanding leadership team (fire, police, DPW, finance director, and town manager) out lasting BOS members and perhaps our form of town government. We must hire the two most capable, innovative, approachable, and knowledgeable candidates.
During 10 years’ experience on the Advisory Finance Committee and 14 on the BOS I have garnered a critical understanding of the attributes needed for these leaders to effectively manage Westborough as we continue exceptional growth in infrastructure, services, residents, schools, and businesses.
This year we achieved Green Community Status, through exceptional volunteer work, and with it a $152,000 designation grant to benefit the senior center, fire department, DPW and the schools with potential for subsequent grants of up to $250K. That in place, I will focus on the Community Preservation Act, a smart growth tool that helps communities preserve open space and historic sites, create affordable housing, and develop outdoor recreational facilities. One hundred and seventy-five cities and towns have been awarded over $626 million in grants since its inception, our town deserves to benefit from this non-tax payer source of revenue.
Bruce Tretter
As a 22-year resident, former 12-year School Committee member, current Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee chair, and first term selectman, it’s been a thrill working with fellow selectmen, residents, and our first-rate, compassionate town officials to:
- Create the town’s first-ever strategic plan
- Develop clearly identified annual selectmen and town manager goals
- Establish a Diversity and Inclusion Committee to ensure we provide town services equitably to all our residents
I’m running for re-election to:
- Make Westborough, most importantly, affordable to all by working within the limitations of our 300-year-old town meeting form of local government
- Follow through on our newly created, sound strategic plan goals
- Promote Westborough’s strength through united diversity
- Improve efficiency for all modes of transportation through town
I love Westborough for the town it is and where it’s going. I love working with competent, terrifically talented professionals to identify and solve problems. I’d love to continue as a selectman and ask for your support, first, through your vote Tuesday, March 5 at Westborough High School, and, secondly, by attending Town Meeting, where all our town spending and legislative decisions are made, Saturday, March 16th, 1 PM, again at Westborough High School.
Photos/submitted