elections

Editor’s note: Planning Board member Ephraim Flint is not running for another term on the board. Three candidates — incumbent chair Margaret Olson, Ahlert, and Susan Hall Mygatt — are running for two open seats. Suzanne Parker also filed papers to run but has decided to drop out.

By Rob Ahlert

My name is Rob Ahlert, and I will be hosting a virtual meet and greet to discuss my background, why I think I’m a good candidate for Planning Board and to have a discussion on key planning and development issues with those who join. This first virtual meet and greet will be on Thursday, March 13 at noon (optional registration here; Google Meet link here).

I am a 10+ year resident of Lincoln and live in the Lincoln Station area. My goal is to bring a new energy and perspective to the Planning Board along with my leadership, analysis and engineering skills. I very much appreciate the support already given to me by Eph Flint and his suggestion that I would be a good candidate for this role. I am starting the process of learning what is important to folks in town and will look forward to continuing that journey should I be elected. I believe it is important to move forward with collaboration, compromise, and fact-based decision making, and to leave the “us vs. them” mentality in the past.

Rob Ahlert

Please join this virtual meet and greet to:

• Get to know me as a person
• Understand my background, skills, and ideas for Lincoln
• Ask questions and make comments
• Discuss your concerns for future town planning and development

I’ll do a ~10-minute introduction and then spend the rest of the time in Q&A and discussion I particularly encourage people to attend who may not agree with me on planning and development topics so I can learn about different perspectives before potentially taking on this role for the town. If this format seems to be useful, I’ll set up follow-up sessions.

Please mark your calendars, store this Google Meet link, and join the meeting on March 13. Also, please visit my website at www.lincolnforward.org to learn more about me and my positions ahead of time, or to provide your written thoughts on the challenges facing Lincoln as it relates to planning and development. The Google Meet link is also on my website, and I will forward to LincolnTalk as well. Once you join via the link, I will admit you to the meeting. Please plan to include your full name when you join.

Also, if you see me around at Donelan’s or the transfer station or elsewhere, please say hi.

Rob Ahlert, 185 Lincoln Rd.
www.lincolnforward.org 

“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” 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.

By Margaret Olson

I am Margaret Olson, and I am asking for your vote in the upcoming town elections for Planning Board. I have lived in our beautiful town for 27 years and have served on the Planning Board for over ten years, working to make everything we love about this town even better. During my tenure on the board, we have:

• Instituted Lincoln’s first Dark Sky lighting regulations
• Worked with town staff to streamline and formalize the site plan review process
• Incrementally relaxed the accessory apartment unit zoning
• Passed the Housing Choice Act zoning, securing our state funding and enabling the town to qualify for a $430,000 grant through the MBTA Communities Catalyst Fund to replace the water main on Lincoln Road.

I believe in an open and collaborative approach to solving problems. I also encourage incremental changes. When I joined the board, the zoning requirements for accessory apartments made it difficult and, in some cases, impossible for residents to create an apartment that was usually needed immediately for a family member or caregiver. When an application complied with the zoning, it was never denied. We were overregulating to the detriment of the town. The board relaxed the requirements in 2021. When those changes created no issues, the board further relaxed the requirements in 2023. When the state mandated that towns permit accessory apartments (or accessory dwelling units, to use the state’s term) under 900 square feet this past summer, we were ready. We are currently crafting a bylaw that complies with state law and works for Lincoln.

This is a small town — overregulation costs everyone money. From staff time to individual’s costs to get projects through permitting, I do my best to make good use of those dollars. If we are adding regulations, we need to be clear on what problem we are solving and that we do so efficiently. Planning Board reviews should focus on being thorough, fair, consistent, and predictable.

The state is continuing to create pressure on single-family zoning. Until the housing crisis significantly abates, I expect we will see continuing regulatory pressure from the state. I believe it is the Planning Board’s job to craft zoning that implements the requirements of state legislation while ensuring protections are in place to safeguard our community.

Along with many other Lincolnites, I deeply value Lincoln’s open spaces, our tree-dominated landscapes, and our roadsides. We will need to continue to work together to preserve our landscape while doing our part to ease the housing crisis.

As the Planning Board’s member of Lincoln’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the Roadside and Traffic Committee, and the Transportation Coalition, I continue my commitment to policies that promote sustainability, mobility, and safety. Join me in making Lincoln safe for everyone and all modes of transportation: for our health, for our enjoyment, and for the environment. You can learn more about me at margaretolson.com.

“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.

Dear Lincoln neighbors,

We are writing to ask for your vote to reelect Jennifer Glass to the Select Board. We believe that Jennifer is one of the most effective Selects in the history of our town. She has significant experience on several Boards and Committees, serving as Chair of both the School Committee and the Select Board.

Jennifer will continue to bring to the Select Board:

• Extensive experience as a town leader with a record of effective action
• Broad knowledge of Lincoln, our values, our needs, and how to move forward
• Keen intelligence, ability to research, analyze, and solve complex issues
• Awareness of the value of contributions of residents and town staff
• Understanding of the regional issues that affect Lincoln through her participation with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Massachusetts Municipal Association
• Proven ability to solve problems and find solutions.

Jennifer has constantly shown her dedication, thoroughness, and professionalism in her work as a town official. Beginning with a study on classroom size in 2007, moving on to the School Committee, and then to the Select Board, she has been an outstanding leader. As a member and then chair of the School Committee, she assisted in securing state aid to fund 40% of the 2012 school project. When the town voted not to go forward with that project, Jennifer worked assiduously for five years to bring the town together to agree on a new project. Then, as the the Select Board’s member of the School Committee Building Committee, Jennifer worked tirelessly to keep the project on time and on budget, and led the Property Tax Study Committee to explore new options to mitigate property taxes.

While she was serving as a Select, she also served on the Water Commission; helped found the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism Committee (IDEA), and led the Housing Choice Act Working Group. To facilitate further communication with residents, she instituted a regular “Ask a Select Board member” drop-in sessions held around town. She is editor in chief of the Select Board newsletter. Through her 17 years of leadership and commitment on these boards and committees, she has developed an extraordinary understanding of the town and a proven ability to get things done.

A vote for Jennifer is a vote for:

• Effective leadership
• Wisdom and experience in action
• Commitment to Lincoln’s wellbeing

We support Jennifer Glass for Select. Please join us — vote for Jennifer.

“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.

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.