elections

Olson loses seat as two newcomers voted onto Planning Board

March 31, 2025

Longtime Planning Board member Margaret Olson came in third and thus lost her bid for reelection in Lincoln’s town election on March 31 as challengers Susan Hall Mygatt and Rob Ahlert won the two open seats.

The vote was quite close among the three candidates. Mygatt came in first with 558 votes (33%), but Ahlert edged out Olson, 446 to 416 (26% to 24%).

Though incumbents usually have an advantage, there was one element that probably determined the outcome: both Mygatt and Ahlert opposed the Housing Choice Act rezoning measure that Olson shepherded through last year as Planning Board chair. And in a “My Turn” piece in the Lincoln Squirrel on March 23, Flint (an incumbent who chose not to run for reeelction) endorsed the two challengers. He cited Mygatt’s experience on the Conservation Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals, as well as the fact that Ahlert of 185 Lincoln Road lives close to the South Lincoln area that was rezoned.

“With all the changes that are slated for this area, I believe it’s critical that the neighborhood has a voice on the Planning Board,” Flint wrote.

The tightness of the race echoed the contentious March 2024 Town Meeting vote on the rezoning measure, which passed by a slim 52%-to-48% margin. Not coincidentally, that was the first year that zoning bylaw changes could be approved by towns with a simple majority vote rather than the previous two-thirds.

In the other contested race, John Ryan Jr. and Charles Morton IV were the top two vote-getters for the two openings on the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee, beating out Eric Poch (all from Sudbury). In that town, which also held its election on March 31, Ryan won 1,528 votes, Morton received 1,436, and Poch got 836. Click here for the full Sudbury results.

In Lincoln, 850 voters cast ballots, or 17% of the town’s 5,020 registered voters.

	Precinct 1	Precinct 2	Total
Select Board
James M. Hutchinson	462	202	664
Write-in/blank	148	38	186
Total	610	240	850

Board of Assessors
Bruce D. Campbell	448	193	641
Write-in/blank	162	47	209
Total	610	240	850

Board of Health
Steven R. Kanner	448	194	642
Write-in/blank
Total	610	240	850

Cemetery Commissioner
Conrad H. Todd	470	199	669
Write-in/blank	140	41	181
Total	610	240	850

Commissioner of Trust Funds
Douglas B. Harding	455	193	648
Write-in/blank	155	47	202
Total	610	240	850

L-S Regional School District Committee (vote for two)*
Charles I. Morton IV	367	146	513
Eric D. Poch	60	40	100
John J. Ryan, Jr.	395	174	569
Write-in/blank	398	120	518
Total	1,220	480	1,700

Parks and Recreation Committee
Thornton D. Ring, Jr.	443	178	621
Write-in/Blank	167	62	229
Total	610	240	850

Planning Board (vote for two)
Setha Margaret Olson	305	111	416
Robert D. Ahlert	315	131	446
Susan Hall Mygatt	389	169	558
Write-in/blank	211	69	280
Total	1,220	480	1,700

School Committee – three years
Kenneth R. Lepage	437	178	615
Write-in/blank	171	62	235
Total	610	240	850

School Committee – two years
Abbey B. Salon	439	184	623
Write-in/blank	171	56	227
Total	610	240	850

Town Clerk
Valerie Fox	519	215	734
Write-in/blank	91	25	116
Total	610	240	850

Trustees of Bemis Fund
Sara A. Mattes	447	184	631
Write-in/blank	163	56	219
Total	610	240	850

Trustees of Lincoln Library
Ray A. Shepard	479	197	676
Write-in/blank	131	43	174
Total	610	240	850

Water Commissioner
Stephen R. Gladstone	464	197	661
Write-in/blank	146	43	189
Total	610	240	850

* Totals do not include Sudbury votes; click here for those results.

My Turn: Residents support Ryan and Morton for L-S School Committee

March 27, 2025

We write in full support of Charles Morton and Jack Ryan, both candidates in a contested race for two vacant at-large seats on the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee (LSSC). Please make an effort to get to know them both and meet Jack and Charles before Lincoln Town Meeting on Saturday, March 29, and to vote for both of them at the polls on Monday, March 31 in the Reed Gym.

How Lincoln turns out to vote on March 31 will critically impact the final outcome for our shared high school. In past elections, Lincoln has been the deciding block of votes in the election for LSSC members.

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School is one of three things for most Lincolnites: it’s a full-on enigma to families with children younger than eighth grade; it’s the most frequently taken seven-to-25-minute daily driving route for families with high school-aged children; or it’s a wistful glimpse in the rear-view mirror for those who have LSRHS graduates who are “grown and flown.” Much of this has to do with LSRHS not being right here in Lincoln, where daily life is focused on much that is more local. It also has to do with most teens being given more freedom to grow, flourish, and learn a great deal from personal success and occasional failure.

When election time rolls around, reminders are needed of (1) the critical and special value LSRHS has in preparing our high schoolers for life after graduation, and (2) the impact of our vote for School Committee members who will serve the LSRHS students and broader communities’ best interests.

We support Charles Morton (CharlesMorton.com) because:

He comes with a strong academic background and is an academic by profession, and he has a deep understanding of the wide array of learners and continued need for a wide array of programs at LSRHS to educate and support those learners.
He understands that LSRHS is not a cookie-cutter high school; it is incredibly innovative in its curriculum and encourages teachers to be their best selves in crafting and implementing curriculum.
Charles is in it for the long haul, with four children who will attend LSRHS between 2026 and 2036. He chose to live in Sudbury because of LSRHS.
He grasps the value and perspective of all communities who are part of LSRHS, Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston.

We support Jack Ryan (RyanforLS.com) because:

Jack’s institutional memory of LSRHS from his prior tenure on the L-S School Committee will serve all of us well, particularly since all the remaining members on the LSSC have served for two years or less. He has remained connected and has two grandchildren preparing to attend LSRHS.
Jack has a 360-degree lens on so much of Sudbury, our vital partner at LSRHS. A retired lawyer, he has an ongoing list of almost four decades of volunteer service in Sudbury, serving on the Sudbury Finance Committee, on the LSSC for four terms, and as chair of the L-S Building Committee for the now 20-year-old LSRHS, as well as myriad other civic organizations.
Jack knows and respects Lincoln’s partnership in our shared high school. He will work collaboratively with both towns to solve problems, craft policy, and report out to constituents.
Jack is also committed to serving Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston in his work on the LSSC.

Both Jack and Charles are committed to putting in the time and hard work of being a School Committee member. Their skill sets and perspectives are distinct from each other but complementary. Particularly in these days of uncertainty around funding for public education, these candidates both want to hold steady what is valued and critical for our high school children, in line with LSRHS’s four core values:

Fostering caring and cooperative relationships
Respecting human differences
Pursuing academic excellence
Cultivating community

Please remember to vote for Charles and Jack next Monday and reach out to friends and neighbors and encourage them to do the same. Thank you!

This letter reflects the personal views of those named below. Any below-named person who also holds elected or appointed office in Lincoln is expressing their personal view, not the view of the committee(s)/board(s) on which they participate.

Abigail Adams
Murat Arslan
Alex Benik
Becky Bermont
Hans Bitter
Rebecca Blanchfield
John Bordiuk
Brian Burns
Ted Chan
Nancy Donaldson
Michelle Doyle
Joe Doyle
Carolyn Dwyer
Jonathan Dwyer
Kristen Ferris
John Ferris
Nancy Finke
Jim Fleming
Nancy Fleming
Trintje Gnazzo
Andy Gnazzo
Laura Cuozzo Guarnotta

Brian Jalet
Kim Jalet
Joan Kimball
John Kimball
Jonathan Light
Sara Lupkas
Feyza Marouf
Nancy Marshall
Peyton Marshall
Sally Maulsby
Libby Maynard
Nick Maynard
John Mendelson
DJ Mitchell
Kenny Mitchell
Matt Mitchell
Tara Mitchell
Staci Montori
Brooks Mostue
Tris Oakley
Patty Mostue
Joe O’Connor

Tony O’Connor
Kara Prince
Ginger Reiner
Kurt Reiner
Cathy Rogers
Aldis Russell
Barbara Slayter
Vicky Slingerland
Anne Sobol
Jonathan Soo
Kara Soo
Rob Stringer
Chris Taylor
Gary Taylor
Laura Taylor
Susan Taylor
Peter Van Winkle
Prudy Van Winkle
Krystal Wood
Jen Zeis
Louis Zipes
Tanya Zipes

“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.

My Turn: Kanner touts experience on Board of Health

March 27, 2025

By Dr. Steven Kanner

Although I run unopposed for the Lincoln Board of Health this year, some policy and personal information may still be of interest to voters.

I have been privileged to serve on our Board of Health since 2013. My work, along with that of my colleagues Dr. Fred Mansfield and Trish Miller, is to keep Lincoln residents safe as possible from infectious diseases, environmental dangers, and other health hazards, as well as to provide informed, science-based counsel around any health issues of community relevance.

Originally, I was asked to join the board after engaging in public discussion about the public health importance and safety of using low levels of water fluoridation in the runup to the resounding vote of support at Town Meeting for community water fluoridation that year.

During the early Covid-19 pandemic, just five years ago this month, we faced a rapidly spreading severe disease for which we had no tests, no treatment, and no prevention, while the initial Massachusetts death rates from Covid were an astonishing 5%. This was a scary and very fraught time.

More recently:

I worked with other board members to simplify septic approvals, saving time and money for homeowners.
I took the lead to arrange for radon meters to be available free for home testing (with the major aid of another Lincoln resident) and wrote educational materials about our significant radon risk in Lincoln.
I wrote science-based informational materials on disease and vaccination relative risks for the Board of Health website (“Influenza and Covid-19 Vaccine Risk and Benefit in 2024 – On Health and Health Care” in left-hand column).

Going forward, I plan to work with my other board members to widen our public health information initiatives to include home sanitation topics such as kitchen cleanliness and proper maintenance of septic systems, while maintaining our primary focus on community infectious diseases and environmental risks.

My qualifications for this public health role include education at Harvard College (A.B.) and Harvard Medical School (M.D.), an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, several years work in the U.S. Public Health Service and in Massachusetts state government improving mental health medical systems, and 50 years of primary care medical practice. I have happily lived in Lincoln with my wife, Linda, since 1996, where we developed the Kanner Family Orchard to grow apples and peaches. We provide these to the Lincoln food pantry and Codman farm among other nearby nonprofit food organizations.

Planning Board, LSSC candidates take questions at PTO forum

March 25, 2025

(Editor’s note: After this story was published, a video of the forum was uploaded to the Lincoln TV website and can be viewed here.)

Five candidates for local office took questions at a March 24 PTO forum about the issues likely to confront the Planning Board and Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee (LSSC).

The forum featured candidates from the two contested races on the ballot for Lincoln’s March 31 election. Incumbent Chair Margaret Olson, Rob Ahlert, and Susan Hall Mygatt are vying for two open seats on the Planning Board. Jack Ryan and Charles Morton of Sudbury are in a race for two openings on the LSSC along with fellow Subury resident Eric Poch, who did not appear at the forum.

Neither Mygatt nor Ahlert were in favor of the Housing Choice Act (HCA) rezoning measure that was approved at Town Meeting in March 2024. It was the most controversial and hard-fought issue in Lincoln since the extended debate on the school project.

“Town leaders with best intentions rushed the HCA through and caused some damage that was unfortunate,” Mygatt said. “We should have had more time… there were people who didn’t feel listened to.” However, she added, “I personally would not lead a charge to make any changes” at this point.

“I was wanting us to take a little more time and be a little more careful about the choice of parcels [included in the rezoning] but I always wanted us to be compliant,” Ahlert said. “Now I want to focus on if and when these developers start making proposals, I have a seat at the table.”

“Last year was a painful year shepherding that through our town process. There was a great deal of disagreement, but I think we wound up in a good place” with a measure that’s “in the spirit of the [state] law and as narrow as we can make it,” Olson said.

A major future issue, of course, is what the town will do when a developer inevitably submits a plan for a major project involving the mall and additional housing. Although the revised zoning bylaw includes mandatory design guidelines, “there’s a lot of loose language” there, Ahlert said. “What can we do if a majority of people don’t like [the appearance of a proposed development]? I think the answer is going to be ‘not a lot’.”

It’s probable that those design guidelines will be amended after the Planning Board deals with the first project to which they apply. When writing them, “we did our best in the absence of specific examples and knowledge,” Olson said.

Another issue on the more distant horizon is more zoning mandates from the state to alleviate the housing crisis. Last month, the state Commission on Unlocking Housing Production issued a report with dozens of recommendations including a proposal to abolish rules allowing only single-family housing in certain neighborhoods and allow two-family homes by right on all residential lots in Massachusetts. The City of Cambridge recently abolished its single-family residential zoning requirement, as have several states.

Olson estimated that actual mandates for cities and towns are probably five to 10 years off, “but it does indicate a direction… as a town we need to start thinking and start forming opinions.”

“It’s the HCA on steroids,” Ahlert said, but “I think we should wait and see what happens and not try to solve the problem ahead of time, but we should start talking about it.”

“I have a much more proactive attitude on this,” Mygatt said. Ending single-family zoning would have a huge impact on traffic, schools, town budgets and more. Although the state legislature moves slowly, “once the HCA came down, it came down without regulations and we weren’t ready.”

Asked how rules could be improved to protect trees and natural habitat, Olson answered, “development of any kind is not where the problem is. The problem is climate change and how do we adjust to that.” Compared to towns like Concord and Wellesley, Lincoln’s regulations are “much less protective of trees,” said Mygatt, who chairs the Tree Preservation Study Group. However, concrete proposals are probably several years away, she added.

To better inform the public about upcoming zoning issues, Mygatt and Ahlert recommended coffees or educational forums to offer background on topics such as accessory dwelling units or nonconforming lots. But rather than have more forums and meetings, Olson urged residents to “come to the ones we have.” A consistent problem for the Planning Board and other groups is that “the town wakes up to the fact there’s an issue two to three months before Town Meeting [so] there’s a limited amount we can do” if the issue is especially complicated except postpone a vote until the following year, but that’s not always possible.

Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee

Ryan brings experience, having served on the LSSC from 1998–2010, as chair of the L-S Building Committee, and as a member of Sudbury’s Finance Committee member. “My drive to return is because of my concern about what is going on in Washington and what impact that may have on education here — not just in the Commonwealth but at L-S and in Lincoln and Sudbury,” he said.

Morton, a professor of chemistry at Brown University, has four children in the Sudbury schools. Lincoln-Sudbury “has aspects of a college that we want to preserve; it’s not a cookie cutter place,” he said. “It’s a magic place where I can make sure the committee is enabling the superintendent and principal and teachers to keep delivering a product we’re all very proud of.”

Both candidates agreed that the specter of budget cuts due to federal measures as well as declining local enrollment is the biggest challenge facing the high school. Some parents have pushed for more AP classes; “that could be done, but at the expense of electives that don’t exist at other schools,” Morton said. The L-S staff and administration are already preparing for reductions that may threaten electives, services and activities

“I don’t know what’s going to happen… but we have to make sure we account for every single student and make sure not a single student is left behind,” Ryan said.

My Turn: Why I’m supporting Susan Hall Mygatt and Rob Ahlert for Planning Board

March 23, 2025

By Ephraim Flint

After much reflection, I have decided not to run for another term on the Planning Board and would like to take this opportunity to thank Lincoln residents for allowing me to serve on the Board for the past three years. For a great many generations, going back to the early 18th century, Lincoln’s volunteer government and town meeting have served the town well, guiding Lincoln through many changes and challenges, and making the town the special place that it is today. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that this tradition continues.

We will be electing two Planning Board members at the upcoming election on Monday, March 31. I am delighted to support Susan Hall Mygatt and Rob Ahlert for these positions. Susan has been active in town government for many years. She is currently co-chair of the Conservation Commission and she previously served on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Through her many contributions to the town, she has demonstrated thoughtful consideration of issues and respect for Lincoln’s traditions and unique character.

Rob Ahlert has been an active participant at many board and committee meetings over the last 5 years. He’s young (compared to me!), energetic, and eager to help move the town forward in a thoughtful way that preserves our town’s heritage. Much of the Planning Board’s work over the last 5 years has focused on the Lincoln Station area. Rob will be an important contributor to this ongoing effort because, in addition to his technical skills, he lives in the Lincoln Station area. With all the changes that are slated for this area, I believe it’s critical that the neighborhood has a voice on the Planning Board.

My Turn: Residents write in support of Olson for reelection

March 22, 2025

We, the undersigned, strongly support Margaret Olson for Planning Board. For the past ten years, Margaret has been both a dedicated leader and member of the board. highly hones management skills and her creative mind, Margaret has helped make decisions that serve to protect Lincoln’s character — open space and our landscapes — while promoting necessary policies for our present and future needs.

Effective participation as a member of the planning board requires a person who understands the complexities of zoning and is at home with site plans, as well as understanding Lincoln’s values, its past decisions, and its uniqueness. Members of the planning board must have the ability to create solutions to accommodate both our present and future needs. Members need to be committed to and comfortable with the public process.

Margaret has all those characteristics. She has worked on the Planning Board to:

Institute Lincoln’s first Dark Sky lighting regulations
Streamline the Site plan review process. This has resulted in benefits for both residents and the planning board, saving time for all
Increase multi-generational housing by incrementally loosening the Accessory Apartment zoning requirements
Engage cooperatively with a variety of boards and stakeholders to pass the Housing Choice Act that allows the town to qualify for specific grants—resulting in Lincoln already receiving $430,000 for water main replacement
Improve safety for all forms of transportation by serving on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the Roadside and Traffic Committee and the Transportation Coalition.

Margaret believes in an open and collaborative approach to solving problems. She knows from observation that over-regulation costs the town money and increases a homeowner’s individual costs to get through permitting with no benefit to either the town or their neighborhood. Planning Board reviews should focus on the critical issues in a manner that is thorough, fair, consistent and predictable.

Margaret’s ten years on the Planning Board coupled with her tenure on Lincoln’s Board of Appeals, her years on planning boards in other towns as well as her professional background have and will serve Lincoln well.

In addition, Margaret has honed skills central to the management of public processes that have benefited the planning board. She developed these skills when she co-founded two startups, Constant Contact (IPO) and Plum (purchased by Nokia), where she was responsible for all personally identifiable information for a worldwide service, and she has served as chief technology officer at several companies. Margaret’s public process management skills — important for Planning Board public processes — were developed as chair of several technology standards committees.

We believe that Lincoln needs Margaret on the Planning Board for her technical skill, her management style, her deep understanding of Lincoln and its unique qualities and her commitment to consistent, fair, and predictable public process. We hope that you will join us and vote for Margaret Olson for Planning Board. The election is March 31 with early voting beginning on March 22.

Gail Alden
Fran Aschheim
Dea Angiolillo
Michelle Barnes
Ken Bassett
Diana Beaudoin
Cindy Bencal
Alex Benik
Becky Bermont
Sarah Bishop
Paul Blanchfield
Rebecca Blanchfield
John Bordiuk
Janet Boynton
P. Kim Buell
Brian Burns
Karen Carlson
Thomas F. Casey
Ted Chan
Alex Chatfield
Paula Cobb
Buzz Constable
Trisha Deck
John Drew
Leah Drew
Rachel Drew
Nataly Dvash
Jeff Eaton
Andy Falender
Jon Ferris
Kristen Ferris
Jim Fleming
Nancy Fleming
Amy Funkenstein
Gina Halsted
Emily Haslett
Chris Hamilton

Tom Haslett
Jean Hardcastle
Alan Hein
Nancy S.Henderson
Ruth Ann Hendrickson
Lis Herbert
Shira Horowitz
Brian Jalet
Kim Jalet
Joan Kimball
John Kimball
Chris Klem
Sue Klem
Jackie Lenth
Mary Helen Lorenz
Gwyn Loud
Rebecca Lupkas
Sara B. Lupkas
Donna Macdonald
Lucy Makall
Joan Mansfield
Rachel Mason
Lucy Maulsby
Chris McCarthy
John Mendelson
Christopher Mollica
Nicholas Mollica
Christopher Mollica
Staci Montori
Buffer Morgan
Terri Morgan
Brooks Mostue
Chris Murphy
Patricia O’Hagan
Jane K. O’Rourke
David O’Neil
David Onigman

John Nolan
Katherine Hall Page
Laura Protzman
Ginger Reiner
Kurt Reiner
John Rizzo
Travis Roland
Rick Rosenbaum
Rick Rundell
Aldis Russell
Barbara Sampson
Ellen Meyer Shorb
Paul Shorb
Kathleen Shepard
Christine Size
Barbara Slayter
Victoria Slingerland
Joanna Schmergel
Greg Schmergel
Jonathan Soo
Kara Soo
Nancy Soulette
Bill Stason
Sue Stason
Dilla Tingley
Mary Jo Veling
Christina Van Vleck
Katy Walker
Tom Walker
Ben Wells
Bob Wolf
Bryce Wolf
Krystal Wood
Stephen Yankum
Jen Zeis
Louis Zipes
Tanya Zipes

My Turn: Vote Morton and Ryan for L-S School Committee

March 19, 2025

By Nancy Marshall

Please elect Charles Morton and Jack Ryan to the L-S School Committee I write to enthusiastically endorse Charles Morton and Jack Ryan in their campaign for the L-S School Committee. Charles and Jack are in a three-way race for two vacated seats on the committee. I encourage you to meet Jack and Charles, in the process learn more about LSRHS and its wide and incredible array of opportunities for our children, and to vote Monday, March 31 at the polls in Lincoln for Charles Morton and Jack Ryan.

Charles Morton (CharlesMorton.com) is the father of four elementary and middle school children, all of whom will attend LSRHS over the next ten years. He is active in the Sudbury community as a youth soccer and volleyball coach. In his professional life, he is an academic, teaching chemistry at Brown. Before that, Charles worked with a wide array of learners as a tutor in the metro Boston area, which helped inform him and his wife where they wanted to live, raise and educate their children. From these experiences, he has an astute sense of what it takes to educate the whole child, the need for ongoing, thoughtful educational program evaluation and responsive change, and a full and enthusiastic respect for the teaching and learning that occurs at Lincoln-Sudbury. In my encounters with Charles, I find a calm, reflective, well-prepared candidate ready to roll up his sleeves, impart his perspective, but most of all to listen, learn and contribute fully to the roles and responsibilities of the L-S School Committee.

I have known Jack Ryan (RyanforLS.com) for 20 years. A retired lawyer, Jack and I overlapped as colleagues on the L-S School Committee, early in my tenure and at the conclusion of his first four terms of service. Jack chaired the LSRHS building committee, completed in 2004, bringing the project in on time and below budget. Jack has a wide lens on Sudbury, Lincoln, and our shared high school. He has served in many other capacities in Sudbury (Finance Committee for seven years, Sudbury Council on Aging Board, and other organizations). His pull to run again is multifaceted — policy, governance, funding, and also family, as he has grandchildren who will be attending LSRHS in the near future. Jack is sharp, knowledgeable, candid, and committed. He shares with me a depth of perspective and appreciation for LSRHS that also fuels his call to serve again.

Charles and Jack, both Sudbury residents, will be thoughtful and inclusive in their service to LSRHS, to Lincoln, and to Sudbury.

In addition to their websites, the Sudbury League of Women Voters has a recorded candidates’ forum featuring all the candidates for the L-S School Committee which can be found here. Sudbury Weekly, Sudbury’s online news source, also has “Thoughts in Return,” a Q&A with all candidates.

There will be an opportunity to meet the candidates and ask questions at the candidates’ forum in the Learning Commons at the Lincoln School on Monday, March 24 at 7:00pm. Please remember to vote on Monday, March 31 at the Lincoln School and ink in the circles for Charles Morton and Jack Ryan.

Note: I am an appointed member of the Lincoln Finance Committee. I am writing this letter in my personal capacity as a private citizen. My views are my own.

My Turn: Dozens endorse Susan Hall Mygatt for Planning Board

March 17, 2025

It is with great enthusiasm that we, the undersigned, endorse Susan Hall Mygatt to be elected to a seat on the Lincoln Planning Board. We believe her combination of relevant town experience, commitment to balancing town character and growth, and genuine excitement for the role make her uniquely qualified to be an informed, engaged, and effective Planning Board member.

You’ve probably seen Susan around town. She has been an active volunteer in Lincoln for many years, serving in roles including seats on Lincoln’s Zoning Board of Appeal (eight years) and on Lincoln’s Conservation Commission (six years), of which she is currently co-chair. She regularly attends Planning Board meetings and is very familiar with Lincoln’s zoning bylaws, the Planning Board’s regulations, and the issues and requests that the board addresses. She will be a ready-to-go board asset on day one.

As a retired real estate attorney and board member of several nonprofit organizations, Susan brings both attention to detail and great respect for the role of collaboration for the common good. She is comfortable asking difficult questions — always with respect — and is committed to community engagement, timely and open sharing of information, and a clear, transparent public process. This will create a welcoming environment for productive exchanges among and with the Planning Board.

Susan sees an opportunity to value Lincoln’s rural character while respecting the state-wide need for more housing. She believes that the town can find a balance that protects the aspects of Lincoln which we value and at the same time carefully plan for inevitable change. She is a keen listener and believes that open collaboration is a key element to finding and implementing solutions that unite, not divide.

At a time of great change, when we are making decisions about processes and solutions that impact the future of our town, Susan Hall Mygatt is the ideal choice for a seat on the Lincoln Planning Board. Please join us in voting for Susan Hall Mygatt for one of the two seats on the Lincoln Planning Board.

Ramelle Adams
Phil Ayoub
Suzanne Ayoub
Ken Bassett
Diana Beaudoin
Nancy E. Bergen
Penny Billings
Corinne Blickman-Sadoski
Nancy Boulton-LeGates
Sandra Bradlee
Libby Bradshaw
Peter Braun
Irene Briedes
Katherine Brobeck
Mary Brody
Susan F. Brooks
Gus Brown
Bruce Campbell
Irene Chu
Frank Clark
Nancy Constable
Buzz Constable
Jud Crawford
Sandy Creighton
Elizabeth Creighton
David Cuetos
Priscilla Damon
Betsy Danziger
Penny Denormandie
Tom Denormandie
Vicky Diaduk
Carol DiGianni
Robert Domnitz
Jona Donaldson
Moira Donnell
Jeff Eaton
Lisa Elder
Andy Falender
Margaret Flint
Ephriam Flint
Karla Gravis
Laurie Gray
Sandra Grindlay

Josh Grindlay
Tina Grotzer
Thomas Harding
Anna Hardman
Eric A. Harris
Lee Harrison
Sherry Haydock
Bob Hicks
Sally Hicks
Kerry Hoffman
Paul Hoffman
Susan Holland
Deborah Howe
Yanni Ioannides
Susan Abigail Janes
Sonja Johansson
Kim Johnson
Bayhas Kana
Priscilla Kern
Ed Kern
Susan Ketteringham
Ari Kurtz
Ed Lang
Isabel Lee
John LeGates
Barbara Leggat
Virginia Lemire
Mark Levinson
Sarah Liepert
Mary Helen Lorenz
Gwyn Loud
Jeffrey Lukowsky
Mark Masterson
Sara Mattes
June Matthews
Ron McAdow
Linda McMillan
Jim Meadors
Joseph Miller
Carolyn Montie
Paul Montie
Tom Moran
Anne Mostue

Brooks Mostue
Patricia Mostue
Connie Ohlsten
Richard Ohlsten
Timothy Oldfield
Elizabeth Orgel
Rob Orgel
John Ottenberg
Nat Park
Ann Park
Suzanne Parker
Andrea Patton
Ashton Peery
Barbara Peskin
Carol Peskin
Tia Picco
Sarah Postlethwait
Lisa Putukian
Barbara Rhines
Michael Rhines
David Ries
Jean Risley
Charles Rolando
Mary Rosenfeld
Tom Saidnawey
Denna Saidnawey
Susan Sewall
Steven Sewall
Ben Shiller
Collete Sizer
Elizabeth Slater
Jonathan Small
Diana Smith
Lynne Smith
Tucker Smith
Adam Sodowick
Nancy Soulette
Susanna Szeto
Joanne Wise
Katherine Wolf
Edward Young
Anne Young

My Turn: L-S School Committee candidate Morton seeks support

March 11, 2025

By Charles I. Morton, IV

I am a candidate for one of two open seats on the L-S School Committee. I am running to bring my experience as a teacher, coach, tutor, and mentor to an oversight body tasked with fielding questions and concerns from community members and collaborating with administrators and teachers to solve problems arising from budget uncertainty and shifting demands for academic, extracurricular, and support services.

We are fortunate to live where we can be confident that a public high school education provides elite preparation for our children to pursue their future endeavors. In Fall 2026, my wife and I will begin a full decade as L-S parents as our four children progress through the ranks.

I have been on the faculty of the Chemistry Department at Brown University since 2016, teaching general and organic chemistry classes to 150–600 students who are primarily pre-med and/or STEM concentrators. I have observed, particularly since Covid, that instructors have to be far more adaptable than ever before to best serve each cohort of students coming in with different high school experiences: what worked as recently as 2022 still requires significant updating in 2025. While the subject matter I teach barely changes from year to year, the opportunities for innovation and renewal help me thrive — a spirit that I admire in L-S’s community of educators as well.

After nearly two decades as an assistant coach for MIT volleyball, I took on much younger clientele by coaching 15 (and counting) seasons of Sudbury Youth Soccer and co-founding Sudbury Youth Volleyball. After grad school I was a master tutor and tutor coordinator for Signet Education, designing custom curricula for students needing enrichment or alternative programs and offering mentorship far beyond homework help or test prep.

With four kids ages 7–12 plus students and advisees ages 17–22, every day crystallizes the importance of the high school years as a crucial developmental stage. This in-between phase of ever-accelerating academic intensity and social pressure requires expert mentorship. Our faculty at L-S deliver an outstanding product year after year, but there are always new challenges that can be solved with the support of a collaborative and collegial committee when the membership is committed to and invested in the future of L-S for decades to come.

I look forward to doing everything I can to bring our two communities even closer together. I ask for your support on March 31 and invite you to read more about me and check my calendar of events at charlesmorton.com.

My Turn: Susan Hall Mygatt makes her case for Planning Board

March 6, 2025

By Susan Hall Mygatt

I am running for one of the two open positions on Lincoln’s Planning Board. As a resident of Lincoln since 1977, I care deeply about the town and hope you will consider voting for me.

My experience and why I am running

I have been thinking about taking this step for more than a year. For the past 18 months, I have attended a majority of the Planning Board meetings. I am very familiar with Lincoln’s zoning bylaw, the Planning Board’s regulations, and the issues and requests which the board addresses, particularly those which have come before the Board since the Fall of 2023. I served on Lincoln’s Zoning Board of Appeal for eight years, and since 2019 have served on Lincoln’s Conservation Commission, of which I am currently co-chair.

As a retired real estate lawyer, I understand the limits and opportunities inherent in Massachusetts’ zoning statute, which establishes the powers of Lincoln’s Planning Board. This professional experience allows me to interpret state and municipal legal requirements quickly and accurately.

Susan Hall Mygatt

I am a keen seeker of the facts and am comfortable asking uncomfortable questions, always with respect. This approach leads to better decisions. I believe that my presence on the board will have a positive impact on the town.

My values

I value Lincoln’s rural character while recognizing the statewide need for more housing. We need to arrive at a comfortable balance between nature and the built environment, a balance which protects the aspects of Lincoln that the town values and at the same time carefully plans for inevitable change.

I value meaningful community input on important local decisions and will strive to create a welcome atmosphere for the opinions of our engaged residents. I may not always agree with you, but I will always listen to you!

I value a clear and open public process, where decisions are made in full view of the public, and important information is shared with the public on a timely basis. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact me at susanhallmygatt@comcast.net. I would like to know your position on the local issues which concern you.