To the editor:
I am pleased to announce my candidacy for Lincoln’s Board of Selectmen to fill Renel Fredriksen’s seat, and respectfully ask for your support.
My wife Stephanie Smart and I have been residents of Lincoln since our marriage in 2008. Stephanie is a chiropractor and runs her practice out of our home. Our son AJ was born in 2009 and is now in first grade at a nearby private school.
I was appointed to Lincoln’s Housing Commission (HC) in 2014 and am now co-chair. The HC is responsible for setting policy and direction with respect to affordable housing here in Lincoln, as well as managing the affordable housing units owned by the town. I am also the HC’s liaison to Lincoln’s Housing Trust, which helps fund the further development of affordable housing.
I am the minister for a small community church, although I will be resigning in early 2017. Previously I was a student minister in Sudbury and a volunteer chaplain at a homeless shelter in Waltham. As a minister, I lead worship services and also engage in pastoral care; help generate consensus on numerous issues; interface with the town, state and other churches; help plan for the future; and support numerous community outreaches. My passion is reaching out to those who have no voice, challenging injustice in its many forms, and working to help everyone have a “seat at the table” when faced with challenges or issues that affect their lives. It is important to me that everyone’s voice is heard, respected and consequential.
For 25 years I was an information technology leader, supporting organizations in health care, telecommunications and the federal government as well as nonprofits including the Red Cross, Greenpeace and several Christian charities. I also owned a small IT services company for several years, so I understand all too well the challenges of running a small business.
My B.A. in history shows my respect for and interest in the past. I believe it is important to preserve and support the traditions and historical legacies that have been handed down to us. As I see it, history grounds our sense of who we are (and aren’t), and provides valuable lessons and guidance for our future. I also write for several blogs and am on the Board of Alumni for Andover Newton Theological School, where I received my MDiv in 2013.
If elected to the Board of Selectmen, I will actively work to recruit new people into our town’s various commissions, committees and boards, especially from groups or with interests that, in the past, have not been as well represented as we would wish. I will work with my fellow selectmen and the town administration to ensure that the people of Lincoln have better access to—and knowledge of—what is going on within the town government. I will also work to build or strengthen our working relationships with neighboring towns, and with representatives of our state and federal governments.
A particular focus of mine will be the new South Lincoln Planning and Implementation Committee (SLPIC), intended to help make the Lincoln Station area (and Lincoln in general) a more inviting place for residents and visitors. I will be a firm supporter of the redevelopment of our K-8 school campus, the development of a new community center, and improving bike and pedestrian accessibility and safety throughout our community.
I hope this letter gives you some insight into who I am and the ways I hope to serve our town as we move into the future.
Sincerely,
Allen Vander Meulen
30 Beaver Pond Rd.
PastorAllenV@gmail.com
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.