Peter Braun
Editor’s note: This is being published simultaneously with a profile of candidate Vincent Cannistraro.
By Alice Waugh
When asked about the current state of affairs on various issues facing the town, Selectman Peter Braun is eager to talk, but he says that he acquired much of his knowledge through not talking—by being, as he says, “a good listener to all different viewpoints.”
Braun, 65, is running for reelection to a second three-year term on the Board of Selectmen. His opponent for the seat in the town election on March 31 is Vincent Cannistraro. Braun’s political résumé includes seven years of service on numerous town panels—the Finance Committee, the Community Preservation Committee, the Capital Planning Committee, and the facilities and services subcommittee of the Comprehensive Long Range Plan Committee—but his involvement in town affairs goes back much further.
Braun moved to Lincoln at age 11 and, with his parents, immediately got involved in Town Meetings and other local affairs. Since scaling back his law practice in recent years—he’s an attorney with Ankner and Levy—he’s had more time to devote to Lincoln matters, digging “vigorously and deeply” into issues including the Lincoln School renovation issue, Route 2 construction, and the future of Hanscom Air Force Base. He also oversees production of the Selectmen’s Newsletter because “I felt we needed an avenue to present fact-based information to residents on what we’re doing and why,” he said.
Braun first got involved with the school project several years ago as the Finance Committee representative on the School Building Committee (he later transitioned to the Board of Selectman representative). Early on in the process, he said, “I was raising a lot of questions” about the proposed project and whether there were enough options. But when the McGuire Group report revealed the cost of making repairs with no state funding, “that helped push me over to say we need to do this,” he said. “I couldn’t fathom the idea of turning away a $20 million grant knowing that our shot at getting it again would be pretty low.”
Reflecting on the proposal’s failure to win the necessary two-thirds majority at Town Meeting, Braun said, “It’s become more and more acknowledged by people that the process was not inclusive enough… people felt left out of the process and didn’t understand the need for the project.”
Route 2
Cannistraro, Braun’s opponent, has implied in a letter to the editor that Braun and other town officials were partly to blame for what many viewed as excessive tree-cutting for the Route 2 project, but Braun said there was little that the town can do to control the project, which does not rely on any local permits or oversight. In meetings between the state Department of Transportation (DOT) and town officials including Braun, the DOT explained that the larger trees that should not have been cut down would have been “on little islands” with no other trees round them, leaving them vulnerable to being blown over in a storm,” Braun said.
“I decided our attention would be much better focused on good relations with the DOT rather than pounding the table and yelling about this tree or that tree on the periphery,” Braun said. Instead, he and his Lincoln colleagues have gotten the DOT to agree to “pretty substantial” changes in the project’s landscaping plan with promises of fencing and more new trees. He also helped Benchmark, owner of The Commons, work with the DOT on post-construction landscaping plans for the senior-living property close to the highway.
Hanscom Air Force Base
Another issue for which Braun said he “stuck up my hand” is Hanscom Air Force Base. He is the primary liaison between Lincoln and the base and the town’s representative on HATS (Hanscom Area Town Selectmen), which is advocating with state and federal officials to keep the base open. Hanscom was considered for closure several years ago, and a study showed that absorbing the base’s houses and roads a catastrophic effect on the town’s budget, he noted.
While closure was averted that time, Hanscom may come up again on a future list of potential base closures, Braun noted, adding that he has worked on “building allegiances so that if there was ever a substantial change [proposed], they could say about Lincoln, ‘Oh, they stood up for us’.”
Another piece of property in the new lately is the Winter Street parcel being eyes for a 20-bed hospice facility. Neighbors and many officials including Braun oppose the plan presented by Care Dimensions, which they feel is far too intensive a use for the area. Braun said he would much rather see the property become conservation land or “two or three large houses marketable to the Boston Celtics,” who practice at the Boston Sports Club just over the town line in Waltham.
“My personal opinion? They [Care Dimensions] bought the wrong piece of land,” he said.
Other important issues facing the town include the space needs of the Council on Aging and the future development of South Lincoln. The Board of Selectmen are asking for $30,000 at Town Meeting to study a short-term solution for the COA (expanding Bemis Hall underground) as well as $75,000 for a study of longer-term options such as moving the COA to a renovated Pierce House, the Hartwell pods area or South Lincoln.
“We want to bake four or five cakes” and present them to residents with cost estimates, Braun said.
As for South Lincoln, Braun said he agrees with the state philosophy of mixed-use “smart growth” and would like to see some one- or two-bedroom units built to increase foot traffic for area businesses, but added that he wants Lincoln to be “proactive to make sure the state doesn’t impose something on us” as part of a plan to alleviate the statewide shortage of housing.
All of these issues require hearing and considering opinions from many different constituents, “and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of being a good listener and being respectful, whether I agree or not,” Braun said.
When asked about the current state of affairs on various issues facing the town, Selectman Peter Braun is eager to talk, but he says that he acquired much of his knowledge through not talking—by being, as he says, “a good listener to all different viewpoints.”