The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

elections

Lincoln is #5 in the state for early voting

ballotIn the inaugural year of early voting in Massachusetts, Lincoln wound up with 40.7 percent of its residents casting ballots early—the fifth-highest percentage in the Commonwealth.

The highest percentage belonged to Eastham with 47.4 percent, followed by Carlisle, Mashpee and Concord. Overall turnout (the proportion of eligible voters who cast ballots) in Massachusetts was 68 percent in Massachusetts and about 58 percent nationally. The official number for Lincoln wasn’t in as of late last week, but Town Clerk Susan Brooks estimated it would be close to or slightly above the 2012 turnout of 78 percent.

Thirty-four states permitted early voting in some form for the election last month. “There are a lot of variations on the theme” in terms of when, where and by what method early voting may take place, Brooks said. As it was this year in-person early voting (in addition to absentee ballots) will be an option in even-numbered years in Massachusetts from now on.

“Lincoln is highly educated and highly opinionated,” Brooks said when asked why she thought Lincoln had such a large early turnout. Also, it’s possible that “people voted early to be done with paying attention” to the bitterly fought race, she added. “They just wanted to be able to check out.”

 

 

Lincoln voters say yes to Hillary and three ballot questions

Early election results in Lincoln show that Hillary Clinton won by an overwhelming margin of 83% to 17%. Lincolnites also said “yes” to more charter schools, banning confinement for farm animals, and legalizing recreational marijuana while voting against an additional slot parlor in the state. Lincoln was one of only 15 towns to vote yes on the charter schools question.

Incumbent State Rep. Thomas Stanley (D) handily beat independent challenger Stacey Gallagher Tully by a margin of 65% to 35% among Lincoln residents.

Here are unofficial and incomplete results for how Lincoln voted in the 2016 presidential election as of 10:30 p.m. on Election Night from Town Clerk Susan Brooks. Click on a ballot question to see the Boston Globe’s statewide results.

PRESIDENT# VotesBallot Q: YesBallot Q: No
Hillary Clinton2,906——
Donald Trump613——
Gary Johnsonunknown——
Jill Stein unknown——
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Katherine Clarkunknown——
COUNCILLOR
Marilyn Devaneyunknown——
STATE SENATOR
Michael Barrettunknown——
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Thomas Stanley2,215——
Stacey Gallagher Tully1,176——
SHERIFF
Peter Koutoujianunknown——
BALLOT QUESTIONS (yes/no)
QUESTION 1: Additional slot parlor license?—726 (20%)2,960 (80%)
QUESTION 2: Allow up to 12 new charter schools per year?—1,988 (53%)1,768 (47%)
QUESTION 3: Prohibit confinement of farm animals?—3,021 (80%)747 (20%)
QUESTION 4: Legalize recreational marijuana?—2,018 (53%)1,765 (47%)

Olson, Gladstone win Planning Board seats

In the two contested offices in the March 28 town election, Planning Board seats were won by incumbent Margaret Olson and Stephen Gladstone, while former Selectman Sara Mattes beat Stanley Solomon by a margin of nearly 2-1 in the race for Bemis Trustee.

Overall, the Planning Board votes were closely divided among the three candidates, with Gladstone taking the most at 37 percent, followed by Olson with 33 percent and Jennifer Morris Gundy with 29 percent. However, each of the town’s two precincts had different results. In a very close race in Precinct 1 (the southwest side of town), Olson, Gundy and Gladstone finished first, second and third respectively. In Precinct 2, Gladstone won by a wide margin, followed by Olson and Gundy.

Here are the complete unofficial results:

Town of Lincoln annual town election – March 28, 2016
Prec. 1 Prec. 2 Total
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
James E. Craig 215 94 309
Blanks 43 36 79
Write-in 2 0 2
BOARD OF ASSESSORS
John G. Robinson 214 93 307
Blanks 46 37 83
Write-in 0 0 0
BOARD OF HEALTH
Steven R. Kanner 206 88 294
Blanks 53 42 95
Write-in 1 0 1
CEMETERY COMMISSION
Conrad H. Todd 218 97 315
Blanks 40 33 73
Write-in 2 0 2
COMMISSIONER OF TRUST FUNDS
Douglas B. Harding 223 95 318
Blanks 37 35 72
Write-in 0 0 0
DeCORDOVA TRUSTEE
Dune D. Thorne 209 87 296
Blanks 49 43 92
Write-in 2 0 2
HOUSING COMMISSION
Sharon K. Antia 207 88 295
Blanks 51 41 92
Write-in 2 1 3
TOWN CLERK
Susan F. Brooks 228 110 338
Blanks 30 20 50
Write-in 2 0 2
LSRHS SCHOOL COMMITTEE (vote for 2)
Radha Raman Gargeya 199 79 278
Kevin J. Matthews 183 70 253
Blanks 138 111 249
Write-in 0 0 0
PARKS AND RECREATION
Patricia M. Donahue 212 95 307
Blanks 48 35 83
Write-in 0 0 0
PLANNING BOARD (vote for 2)
Setha Margaret Olson 146 59 205
Stephen R. Gladstone 135 94 229
Jennifer Morris Gundy 139 42 181
Blanks 99 65 164
Write-in 1 0 1
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Timothy H.T. Christenfeld 207 34 241
Blanks 49 0 49
Write-in 4 0 4
BEMIS TRUSTEE (vote for 1)
Sara A. Mattes 151 84 235
Stanley J. Solomon 101 37 138
Blanks 8 0 8
Write-in 0 0 0
WATER COMMISSIONER
Patrick J. Lawler 213 39 252
Blanks 47 0 47
Write-in 0 0 0
LINCOLN LIBRARY TRUSTEE
Jennifer A. James 212 36 248
Blanks 46 0 46
Write-in 2 0 2
Question 1. To assess an additional $320,000 in taxes for DPW equipment
YES 206 22 228
NO 31 18 49
Blank 23 0 23
Question 2. Minuteman High School debt
YES 128 44 172
NO 67 40 107
Blank 65 0 65

 

Planning Board candidate #3: Jennifer Morris Gundy

ballotEditor’s note: This is the third of three articles on candidates for the Lincoln Planning Board, which has three candidates running for two seats. We featured Steve Gladstone on Thursday and Margaret Olson on Friday. Olson’s piece initially omitted her address and cell phone number, which have since been added.

Jennifer Morris Gundy

To the editor:

My husband, Walter Gundy, and I came to town 24 years ago, just before our third son was born. We loved living in Cambridge, but were outgrowing our condo. We knew Drumlin Farm, Walden and the trails of Lincoln and were delighted to find a home we could afford here. All our boys attended Lincoln Schools. Two went on to L-S and the other to an alternative school in Brookline.

When we arrived, we owned an entertainment lighting business in Somerville with three partners. I was involved in planning and delivering installations for many large theaters and hotels, and became familiar with construction permitting processes and documentation. Later, I left the company to pursue an opportunity in media design and marketing that made fewer travel demands. In 2005 I enrolled at Simmons School of Management to earn an MBA, concentrating on sustainability and entrepreneurship. After graduating, I continued to work as an independent consultant, which gave me more time to volunteer for school, Scouts and church activities, and to become involved with town affairs.

I joined the Lincoln Green Energy Committee in 2009, and was instrumental in developing public forums and achieving Green Communities designation for Lincoln. In 2011, I helped launch a SolarizeMass initiative, in collaboration with Wayland and Sudbury, and served as solar coach. I’m proud that we have been able to apply over $400,000 of grant funding to make Lincoln more energy efficient, and to help add over 300kW of solar power to our energy portfolio. We achieved a great deal, and I believe I can use the knowledge and experience I acquired to help the Planning Board become more effective as well.

Lincoln will be facing several significant decisions within the next three years. We already have plans in place including a Comprehensive Long-Term Plan, a Campus Master Plan, and a Lincoln Station Planning Study to help guide those. However, changing circumstances may force us to take a close look at priorities and see that specific actions are taken to fulfill those plans. In particular, the loss of commercial tenants such as Cambridge Trust Company is going to put pressure on our ability to achieve the vision for Lincoln Station. I believe we need to accelerate processes and motivate compatible developers to work with us in creating a unique and vibrant commercial center that can serve to maintain the diversity in our community and help us feel better connected.

We have a new Planning Director, Jennifer Burney, in place, which should enable the board to focus on policies and policy implementation that produce results for the community as a whole. I’ll be guided by a line from Bob Lemire, a past Conservation Commission chair, who wrote in his book Creative Land Development: Bridge to the Future: “In Lincoln, we build what needs to be built, and save what needs to be saved.”

Sincerely,

Jennifer Morris Gundy
8 Bowles Terrace
781-572-4423 (mobile)
www.jenniemorris.com

Planning Board candidate #2: Margaret Olson

ballotEditor’s note: This is the second of three articles on candidates for the Lincoln Planning Board, which has three candidates running for two seats. Yesterday, we featured Steve Gladstone, and on Saturday we will feature Jennifer Morris Gundy. Next week we will have an article about Board of Selectman candidate James Craig, who is running unopposed for the seat of Noah Eckhouse, who is stepping down. The town election is Monday, March 28.

Margaret Olson

To the editor:

I am writing to ask for your support in the upcoming election for Planning Board. I have lived in town since 1998, served on both the ZBA and for the past three years on the Planning Board. The work of the planning board is very important to the long-term health of the town in terms of both preserving and continuing the land stewardship values that make Lincoln so special and the health of our small commercial area at Lincoln Station.

Here is a brief overview of the major issues that the Planning Board will be facing over the next few years:

  • Regulation: Site plan review (SPR) has been the primary tool by which the town has sought to preserve the characteristics of our neighborhoods and road scape. As more and more houses have come under site plan review, we have been learning what its strengths and weaknesses are. As currently implemented, SPR takes up inordinate amounts of staff time and of course imposes a burden on homeowners seeking to make modifications to their properties. The board has worked over the past two years to streamline this process—to make it faster and more efficient while preserving the goals embodied in the regulation. We have more work to do here.
  • Commuter train: The commuter rail is an important amenity for residents working in Cambridge and Boston. As the commute by car into Boston and Cambridge continues to become longer and more difficult, the commuter rail will become even more essential. Currently, Lincoln is listed on the Metropolitan Area Planning Council site as an example of an “undeveloped station” (see page 31-32). As the MBTA pushes to reduce costs and compress schedules, Lincoln is vulnerable to reduced schedules. This will not only impact residents, but has already had a negative impact on the ability of the businesses in the Lincoln Station area to attract and retain employees. We need to find a way to keep or increase ridership in a manner that has a positive impact on the town and provides sufficient MBTA parking.
  • South Lincoln/Lincoln Station: For many residents, Donelan’s and the other Lincoln Station businesses are critical to the community; they are convenient and local. The economic changes of the last 20 years have not been kind to small local business areas. With a mix of attention to the train station and some creative planning we can keep Lincoln Station healthy and vibrant, but it will require considerable planning.
  • Complete streets: “Complete streets” is a term used to describe a street that is friendly to pedestrians, bicyclists and cars. On too many Lincoln roads, walking is not safe, and it’s particularly not safe at rush hour. We’ve gone to great lengths to preserve the rural feel of our roadsides, but too often we are enjoying that only from a car window. “Complete Streets” is a state initiative from which the Planning Board may be able to secure funding to help the town apply multiple strategies (not necessarily sidewalks or roadside paths).

Please continue make Lincoln a great and special place to live. I ask for your support and vote on March 28th.

Sincerely,

Margaret Olson
17 Boyce Farm Rd.
781-392-4403
margaret@margaretolson.com (mobile)

Planning Board candidate #1: Steve Gladstone

ballotEditor’s note: This is the first of three articles on candidates for the Lincoln Planning Board, which has three candidates running for two seats. Tomorrow will feature incumbent Margaret Olson and Saturday will feature Jennifer Morris Gundy. Next week we will have an article about Board of Selectman candidate James Craig, who is running unopposed for the seat of Noah Eckhouse, who is stepping down. The town election is Monday, March 28.

Steve Gladstone

To the editor:

I would like to announce my candidacy for one of the vacant seats on Lincoln’s Planning Board.

Having joined the Lincoln community nine years ago, my wife Susan and I are still relative newcomers to a town whose founding families still enrich our community.  It has been a real pleasure to become ever more closely involved with townsfolk, governance, and of course the landscape.

Soon after our arrival, I was in a position to serve on the Facilities Coordinating Committee. Identifying usage patterns, availability, capabilities and limitations of our core meeting spaces led to deeper engagement in the town’s management and social processes. Most recently I was selected as one of the three at-large members of the Community Center Study Committee.

Professionally, I have applied two science master’s degrees as Director of Research Operations at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) for 22 years, where I was part of the management team responsible for an interdisciplinary academic/clinical research enterprise with a $325 million budget. As a director in BIDMC’s Office of Science and Technology, I was intimately involved in budgeting, strategic planning, space allocation, and implementation of diverse critical functions. I am now part of the management team at a pharmaceutical startup in Cambridge.

Lincoln enjoys a distinct rural character unique among towns so near Boston. It is a fundamental aspect of our special town spirit, one that deserves to be maintained, to “Keep Lincoln, Lincoln.” We must and will change as times change.  This mindfully managed evolution is one of my core values. The Planning Board and Town should and must be open to new ideas and concepts as they blend with this guiding principle.

Volunteers are the backbone of Lincoln’s community spirit. It is exciting to continue my involvement in Town affairs by offering my candidacy for the Planning Board.  It is my hope that this note gives the voters of Lincoln some familiarity with me personally, and with my professional background.  Please call or email me with your thoughts, questions, or concerns—or join me for coffee at the Whistle Stop.  And please DO vote, DO volunteer and DO get involved in this exceptional town!

Sincerely,

Steve Gladstone
67 Winter St.
steve.gladstone@gmail.com

Lincoln goes for Kasich, Clinton in presidential primary

Here are the unofficial returns from the March 1 presidential primary in Lincoln.

Republican primary
Precinct 1 Precinct 2 Total votes Total %
Kasich 158 84 242 36%
Rubio 114 66 180 27%
Trump 93 81 174 26%
Cruz 20 19 39 6%
Carson 6 10 16 2%
Bush 7 1 8 1%
Christie 1 0 1 —
Fiorina 1 0 1 —
Gilmore 1 0 1 —
Santorum 1 0 1 —
No preference,
blank, write-in		 4 3 7 1%
Totals: 406 264 670
Democratic primary
Precinct 1 Precinct 2 Total votes Total %
Clinton 748 388 1,136 60%
Sanders 470 287 757 40%
O’Malley 2 1 3 —
No preference,
blank, write-in		 1 1 2 —
Totals: 1,221 677 1,898
Ballots cast by party:
Democrat 1,898 74%
Republican 670 26%
Lincoln's voting precincts (click to enlarge)

Lincoln’s voting precincts (click to enlarge)

Town election is on Monday

Screen Shot 2015-03-26 at 12.46.23 PMOn Monday, March 30, polls will be open in the Smith gym from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the town election, which includes numerous town office races and two ballot questions (see sample ballot at right; click to enlarge).

Two of the races (Planning Board and Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee) are contested. Below are links to letters to the editor in the Lincoln Squirrel about these races, listed in chronological order.

Planning Board
Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee

(Editor’s note: residents may vote for two of three names on the ballot. The Lincoln Squirrel has not received any letters to the editor from candidate Robert G. Stein of Sudbury, although he is mentioned in Eric Harris’s letter on March 23).

Sample ballot for November 4 election

Here is what the ballot will look like at tomorrow’s election. Scroll down to see both pages and click on either one to see a larger version (then click on your “back” button to return to the Squirrel). Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Smith gym.

For background information on the ballot questions, see this Ballotpedia.org page. [Read more…] about Sample ballot for November 4 election