My Turn: Re-elect Gary Taylor to the Planning Board

Dear friends and neighbors,

We are asking for your support and your vote on Monday, March 25 for the reelection of Gary Taylor to the Planning Board.

Committed to forward thinking and planning, Gary Taylor brings significant town board experience and professional expertise to the Lincoln Planning Board. His skills in analysis and resolution of complex issues — as well as his positive approach and collaborative style — have helped Lincoln continue to be a place where we enjoy living and raising our children while upholding values that make us good neighbors in our region and in the world around us.

Gary’s public service to Lincoln has been substantial and lasting. He has proved that he can get things done. He has been instrumental in a wide range of positive changes in Lincoln in three terms on the Select Board, nine years on the Finance Committee, six years on the Planning Board, and leadership roles on the Lincoln Housing Commission and Affordable Housing Trust. Among the town’s accomplishments during his service:

• Improved Planning Board approval procedures with capable planning staff, thereby moving the board away from micromanaging individual property plans
• Adoption of the state’s most strict environmental building code
• Creation of more than 100 new affordable homes that not only served our residents but also blocked housing developers from using state law 40B to ignore local zoning
• Conservation of large, key open spaces to connect wildlife corridors and recreation
• Development of The Commons in Lincoln senior living facility, with an affordable component, so older people who need support can remain in Lincoln or move near their children
• Computerized the town’s accounting and integrated budgeting with the schools

Gary is not a one issue candidate. Future projects* need his skills in analysis and resolution of the many associated complex issues:

• Responding to the state Housing Choice Act calling for denser “by right” housing near our commuter rail station and our small commercial center
• The design and funding of a new community center
• Proposed expansion of private jet services at Hanscom Field by MassPort
• Preparing for crowds coming to Minuteman National Historic Park for our nation’s 250th Celebration and for proposed repaving of Rte. 2A
• Planning for climate initiatives such as electric charging stations and solar arrays

Gary’s considerable professional training and experience add to his value on the Planning Board. With degrees in law and in finance and planning management, he has provided expert testimony in high-stakes energy-related litigation and is co-founder of an economic consulting firm that grew from two people to 400 with 14 offices in the U.S., Europe, China and Australia. He currently is a senior advisor to Massachusetts Sen. Mike Barrett on energy issues.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.