government

Lincoln is #5 in the state for early voting

December 12, 2016

In 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.”

Correction

December 12, 2016

The December 8 article headlined “Dwyer hopes to modernize town government’s outreach methods” incorrectly stated that Jonathan Dwyer met his wife Carolyn at the First Baptist Church in Newton. They actually met when both were students at Hamilton College. The article also gave the wrong year for when he started serving on the Parks and Recreation Committee. Dwyer joined in 2010 and is currently in the first year of his third three-year term.

Dwyer hopes to modernize town government’s outreach methods

December 8, 2016

Jonathan Dwyer at home.

Jonathan Dwyer’s forte at work and as a volunteer is making incremental improvements, and he hopes to apply the same skill set to the job of selectman if he is elected in March to replace outgoing Selectman Peter Braun.

Dwyer, 48, currently works for a large insurance company doing internal consulting to improve software speed and quality after doing something similar for Fidelity for many years. The Mahopac, N.Y. native moved to Lincoln with his wife, Lincoln native Carolyn Caswell Dwyer, around 1999. He started his Lincoln public service as chair of the Celebrations Committee, succeeding Nancy Pimental in heading up planning for the town’s Fourth of July events as well as other holiday commemorations. In 2010, he joined the Parks and Recreation Committee, which he now chairs.

“I feel strongly that you give back,” Dwyer said. “Being engaged in the town’s civil and government life opens up a whole bunch of relationships with people who work for the town and the citizens, people who are enthusiastic about making a difference in other people’s lives. Understanding how the town works and being a part of that is personally satisfying to me.”

Dwyer already has a busy life as the father of three girls, the youngest of whom attends the Lincoln School. He knows that if he becomes a selectman, he’ll have to step back from some of his outside activities, including one that has taken much of his time for the past several years: being moderator of the First Baptist Church in Newton.

As Dwyer described it, a church moderator is sort of a president or CEO—”a person who organizes its governance, makes sure the minister has what e or she needs to be effective, making sure the budget is being actively managed so the church is financially sound and the congregation is engaged.” His contributions have included making the service more approachable for people who did not grow up in the Christian tradition and modernizing the church’s governance.

Modernizing things by degrees—whether with software, a church or town government— is Dwyer’s sweet spot. “A lot of these institutions were designed 150 yrs ago. There are ways of collaborating and relating to each other that are different from back then, and we have to keep on adjusting,” he said. For example, in many situations involving software development, “people have grown into silos of not working together over time. My job is to bring people together, make decisions earlier and turn out improvements more incrementally.”

Getting residents involved in big decisions

The town is at various stages of pursuing some major capital projects including a renovated or rebuilt Lincoln School, a community center, expanded recreational facilities and more affordable housing. Given the costs involved, “we’re going to be living with these decisions for a long time, and it would be good if more of the town was engaged. I’m not so sure our dialogue today includes everybody, and I’m wondering if can do better in getting folks to understand what decisions are coming up and why their opinion is important,” he said.

Asked about how he sees these projects falling into place, Dwyer said, “I’m coming in with an open mind. I’m in favor of all these building projects, but I don’t know about the priority yet. I hope we can do all of them, but I don’t know if we can. The town should have the opportunity to prioritize and decide.”

As part of that process, Dwyer (if he is elected) hopes to begin by making Town Meeting—the town’s primary decision-making apparatus—easier to follow and attend. Among his ideas, which he has shared with Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden, are making the informational slides shown in the auditorium larger and more legible, or perhaps videotaping presentations by town boards and committees and making them available online beforehand. Other possibilities: having a time limit and a timer that speakers and audience members could see to control the amount of time at the microphone, and allowing instant feedback or even voting via a smartphone app or another digital device.

Although streamlining processes and helping people work together more effectively is central for Dwyer, so is the independent and questioning spirit that is part of the “Lincoln way.” He was raised as a Catholic but later found a home at the First Baptist in Newton (which is American Baptist, a denomination from which Southern Baptists split off just before the Civil War). He liked the fact that congregants felt free to think about and interpret the Bible and sermons in their own way.

“I was looking for an open-minded place that didn’t tell you what to think,” Dwyer said.

Braun reflects on his two terms on Board of Selectman

December 8, 2016

Peter Braun (2014 photo)

Looking back on his six years as one of Lincoln’s selectmen, Peter Braun is proud of his accomplishments but is looking forward to a future oriented more around grandchildren than town government.

“I feel strongly that it’s important to encourage new people to come into the office and for selectmen to step aside and play some other role, if they are so inclined,” Braun said when asked why he decided not to run for a third two-year term. “It’s not about me, it’s about the long-term stability and governance of the institution we call the town of Lincoln.”

A second consideration for Braun is the pending arrival of a grandson, the child of his son and daughter-in-law in Jamaica Plain. “This is going to a big deal for us,” said Braun, adding that he and his wife “are very baby-oriented.” His daughter-in-law and her family are Chilean, so he also plans to learn Spanish. Meanwhile, his career as lawyer working for community hospitals is winding down, largely because many of his clients have been swallowed up by larger hospitals.

“I’m getting to a point where my life circumstances are changing,” said Braun, who is 67. “You reach a certain point in life where you real you need to think about the horizon.”

As Braun ran for his second term in 2014, the town was grappling with the fallout of the failed school funding vote in 2012. Challenger Vincent Cannistraro—who had been a critic of the projects’ cost estimates—ran a vigorous campaign against Braun but lost to the incumbent by a margin of 487-372.

Parks and Recreation Committee Chair Jonathan Dwyer, who has declared his candidacy for the vacant seat, “has my strong endorsement,” Braun said. Dwyer’s father-in-law John Caswell, himself a former selectman in the 1980s, was one of those who urged Braun to try for a seat on the board. “He was one of my inspirations to run for selectman,” said Braun, adding that Caswell unfortunately passed away shortly before his mentee was sworn in.

As a selectman, Braun played a major role in expanding the membership and overall role of the Capital Planning Committee. The panel, which at one time consisted of a single at-large member and four members from other boards and committees, added four at-large members.

The planning for Minuteman High School’s new building and the construction of the Route 2 flyover at Crosby’s Corner were two “challenging issues” that also reached major milestones during Braun’s tenure, though Braun noted that the Route 2 project had been in the works long before he became a selectman. “I was just a steward for the implementation phase” of the Route 2 project, though “it happened to be a pretty active tail end,” Braun said, referring to the controversy over tree-cutting when work commenced in 2013.

As for Minuteman, “I know not everyone was happy with the result, but I think in the long term it will serve us well,” Braun said. Lincoln residents voted to withdraw from the Minuteman district in late 2015 after failing to win concessions from other towns for being the host community for the new school.

Still unresolved is the fate of the Lincoln School. After the 2012 defeat, the town reapplied several times for state funding and expects to hear by January about its 2016 application. Braun initially raised questions about the project but eventually became an “avid proponent,” he said. Now the town may be faced with paying for a major renovation of school replacement entirely with its own money.

“This is a truly essential part of our future. Whether we fix what there is in place or do some more expensive and transformative, it’s essential that we step up and do the right thing for our schools,” Braun said.

Braun was also instrumental in launching the Selectman’s Newsletter and serving as an active liaison to Lincoln’s state and U.S. legislative delegations, as well as with Hanscom Air Force Base and the Hanscom Area Towns Committee. Going forward, he hopes to stay involved with those efforts in an informal or ad hoc way, “but that would be up to the future Board of Selectmen,” he said.

Town and state sign Community Compact

December 6, 2016

Lt. Gov. Karen Polito, State Rep Thomas Stanley, Selectman Peter Braun and Town Administrator Tim Higgins at the signing of the Community Compact.

In a December 1 ceremony in Lincoln, Lt. Gov. Karen Polito and town officials signed a Community Compact by which Lincoln will pursue best practices in three areas: water resource management, housing and economic development, and business continuity. In return, the town can get technical assistance as well as extra points on grants and grant opportunities from the state.

Under terms of the two-year agreement, Lincoln will work to implement stormwater management measures and land use regulations that help promote infiltration, control flooding and reduce pollution. Lincoln is now eligible to join nine other area towns in applying for a $99,000 Efficiency and Regionalization Grant, a regional grant that would provide technical assistance for communities to comply with permitting requirements for municipal separate storm sewer systems.

In the area of business continuity, the town hopes to digitize paper records and implement a permit tracking software program as well as creating a more robust GIS/GPS program that integrates with the software. These measures should result in improved operational efficiencies, both interdepartmentally and with the public. The town is also eligible to apply next year for a Community Compact IT Grant of up to $200,000.

Lincoln will look into aligning land use regulations, capital investments and other municipal actions with housing and economic development, the master plan or other plans for future growth. The town will also promote development and reuse of previously developed sites and create opportunities for various stakeholders in economic development efforts, such as by helping identify priority development projects, improve local permitting processes, and proactively address obstacles to housing and job creation with a focus on the South Lincoln area.

“We really want to make it a vibrant village center,” Director of Planning and Land Use Jennifer Burney said at the ceremony.

Polito praised Burney, Town Administrator Tim Higgins, Selectman Peter Bran and town Lincoln officials for their efforts. “You are our public workforce across our state that really binds us together,” she said. “The state is not a place where we should be making decisions; it’s really at the local level, and you are the people closest to the grassroots. If we strengthen local government, we will truly knit together a stronger Massachusetts.”

Letter to the editor: Dwyer announces candidacy for Selectman

December 1, 2016

To the editor:

I am excited to announce my candidacy for Lincoln’s Board of Selectman (BoS) and respectfully ask for your support as I follow my passions for serving our town, connecting its citizens and facilitating its future. So you may know me better, I’ll sketch my background, experience and perspective.

My connections to the town go back to 1986 when I met my spouse, Lincolnite Carolyn Caswell Dwyer. We were married here in 1994 and moved in five years later. As a fourth-grade teacher in the Lincoln Public Schools, Carolyn helps me understand the perspective of a town employee. Her parents have lived in town for 50+ years, and her mother, Carol Caswell, helps me understand what local senior citizens are experiencing and what this town was like years ago. Her father, John Caswell, served the town for decades (including Selectman in the 1980s) and is remembered for being principled, forthright, collaborative and congenial. My three daughters are in college, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, and the Lincoln Public Schools.

I currently serve as chairman of Parks & Recreation Committee (seven years of service) and was chair of the town’s Celebrations & Events Subcommittee from 2006-2015. As a volunteer, I emphasize connecting people and building relationships, not just getting the job done. With Celebrations & Events, we recruited/mentored Lincoln’s high school students to coordinate the July 4^th parade and experience public service, creating a multigeneration activity in the process.

Events coordination also provided context for creating good working relationships with staff at the Town Office Building, Public Works, Fire Department, Police Department and of course Parks & Rec. I trust them, and they know I value their expertise. I think Lincoln has been fortunate to have good relationships among the town’s governance, employees and citizens, especially in contrast to other cities and towns, and I will work to sustain this positive trend.

Regional cooperation is important for meeting community needs. With Parks & Rec, we offered a ski program jointly with Sudbury Parks & Rec, and we support Lincoln-Sudbury Little League. To increase awareness of Lincoln celebrations and recreation programs among those living at Hanscom Air Force Base, I initiated contacts with base leaders to understand their points of view and combine marketing efforts. Base residents live in our town. It would be great if we shared a common identity as Lincolnites, especially as our town’s future is highly influenced by the base.

My professional life offers relevant experience for a BoS candidate. Large, traditional financial services organizations hire me to modernize how they manage and deliver technology products. Discerning intended outcomes and defining incremental solutions to achieve them are useful tactics that towns like ours can use when confronted with changing demographics, increasing traffic volume, changes at Hanscom, prospective building projects and other challenges. In practice, Parks & Rec staff and committee have been using this experimental approach to significantly improve the summer camp’s programming, participation, and satisfaction. We also use it when prioritizing capital projects, setting policies for pricing, and making financial aid decisions.

I thank Peter Braun, whose tenure on the board is ending, for his dedication, diligence and patience. His work will endure for a long time—the Route 2 project, Minuteman Tech representation, coordination with Hanscom area towns and the base. If it was not always easy, I hope it is was always rewarding.

Engaging different perspectives, respecting the past while looking forward, and facilitating a future Lincoln that would make today’s residents proud are among my ambitions. I hope this announcement provides sufficient insight into my outlook, experience, personality and the connection I feel to our town, and will win your support. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Dwyer
14 Beaver Pond Rd.

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.

Letter to the editor: Braun won’t run again

November 28, 2016

To the editor:

It’s been my privilege to serve two terms as Selectmen and give back to the community where I’ve lived for nearly six decades. However, I believe it is time to step aside in favor of the next generation of town leadership. Therefore, I will not run for re-election in March 2017.

I’ve been honored to help carry out the Board of Selectmen’s assigned responsibilities, as well as to facilitate the dedicated efforts of numerous other committees and volunteers. Although the Selectmen function as a team, each of us focuses his or her skills and energy on particular projects. I’m pleased to have played a primary role in the following matters that enhanced the Town’s internal and external resources or resolved major challenges:

Developing and implementing the Selectmen’s Newsletter, which shines new public light on Selectmen concerns and activities.
Expanding the mission and at-large composition of the Capital Planning Committee, which enabled enhanced citizen review of capital projects and provides a new “niche” opportunity for volunteers.
Revitalizing the Town’s relationship with Hanscom Air Force Base (HAFB) and our multi-town alliance known as Hanscom Area Towns Committee (HATS), including developing HATS’ web site and HATS’ strong relationship with HAFB leadership and the state’s Military Assets Task Force.
Developing productive relationships with State Representative Tom Stanley and U.S. Representative Katherine Clark, which have paid off tangibly in our communications with the State, the Base, and the Federal Government.
Working with MassDOT on the construction phase of the Rt. 2 project (including successfully negotiating for over $600,000 of landscape fencing and planted enhancements), thus guiding us through the final realization of this major safety improvement and the culmination of 20 years of design and advocacy by prior town leaders.
Finding a suitable resolution of the governance and financial dilemmas presented by Minuteman High School and its building proposal.

A major pleasure for me as a Selectmen has been the opportunity to work closely with Town Administrator Tim Higgins. Lincoln has been blessed with Tim’s dedication and skill for 22 years, and hopefully that will continue for the remainder of his career. He is a master at the technical requirements of his profession, and he fully understands our values and culture. Tim is always a steadying force of calm and forward-thinking practicality on every issue. Equally important, Tim deeply values collegiality, communication, and compassion, which are reflected in the culture of all staff and committees he supervises or oversees.

I’ve been enlightened and energized by the many residents and staff with whom I have worked on the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, Capital Planning Committee, and Community Preservation Committee, as well as by my frequent collaborations with the Schools’ leadership, and I look forward to continuing the numerous new relationships I have gained.

Last, but not least, I’m grateful for the feedback I’ve received from my fellow residents, especially those who have simply said “thank-you” for serving. I hope all residents will continue to support the volunteer culture on which we so heavily rely by reaching out in a positive way to all those who serve.

Sincerely,

Peter Braun
16 Trapelo Road

McLean Hospital sues Lincoln over Bypass Road decision

November 22, 2016

McLean Hospital has filed suit against the town asking the court to find that its proposed residential facility on Bypass Road constitutes an allowable educational use according to state law and Lincoln’s zoning bylaw.

Building Inspector Daniel Walsh initially decided that providing dialectical behavior therapy to adolescent boys and young men with borderline personality disorder was allowed by the Dover amendment, a state law that permits zoning exceptions for educational and religious uses of a property. After a group of residents hired an attorney and appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals, the ZBA overturned that decision in a 4-1 vote earlier this month.

The lawsuit notes that although the ZBA voted on November 3, its decision will not be signed until December 8. The suit was filed on November 15.

“In the meantime, the delay in openings its program has severely prejudiced McLean, both in terms of its financial investment in the program and also given the needs of the prospective residents whose admission is now delayed,” the suit says. A program director and several other senior staff for the facility have already been hired and have relocated from out of state, it says.

McLean applied for a building permit on October 12 to begin interior renovations on the Bypass Road property, but Building Inspector Daniel Walsh (who is also named as a defendant) refused to accept the application or issue a permit, pending the ZBA’s decision, according to the suit. “Although McLean understands that such renovations are undertaken at its risk, McLean, like any property owner, is entitled to make interior changes to a residential property assuming those changes meet the requirements of state and local building codes,” the suit says.

At the ZBA’s recommendation, the Board of Selectmen voted at its November 2 meeting to retain attorney Jason (Jay) Talerman of Blatman, Bobrowski, Mead & Talerman to represent the town and the ZBA. Talerman has appeared before the ZBA several times, “and the ZBA has been impressed with him and thinks he would be a great fit for the town and the ZBA in these matters,” the selectmen said in a statement.

Prior to joining his current firm, Talerman (who is also the town moderator in Norfolk) was a partner at Kopelman & Paige, where he provided town counsel services to nearly a third of Massachusetts cities and towns, according to his firm’s bio page.

“The Board of Selectmen has every confidence that Town Counsel [Joel Bard] could have effectively represented the town and the ZBA in these matters, but agrees with the ZBA that it would be best under the circumstances to retain outside counsel going forward,” selectmen said. In a May 2 email to town officials, Bard said that in his opinion, McLean’s proposed use qualified as an education use under the Dover Amendment.

Generally speaking for lawsuits of this type, the court will schedule a case management conference in about four to six weeks, after which a trial before a judge or a summary judgement hearing may be scheduled, said Diane Tillotson, McLean’s attorney.

Sale closes on Wang property; town will be asked for $850,000+

November 20, 2016

The Wang property is outlined in blue. The lot on which the house sits is in yellow. Click image to enlarge.

The sale of the 16-acre Bedford Road property owned by the late An and Lorraine Wang was completed on November 17 for $2.375 million, and residents will be asked at Town Meeting to approve the purchase of 12 of those acres for use as conservation land and a new town athletic field.

The Rural Land Foundation (RLF) bought the property together with the Birches School, which plans to relocate to the remaining four acres, including the Wangs’ 12,000-square-foot house at 100 Bedford Rd.

The 16 acres of land comprise seven parcels along Bedford Road and Oak Knoll Road with a total assessed value of $2.3 million and a full development value of $3 million to $4 million, RLF Executive Director Geoff McGean said in October when the planned deal was announced.

The RLF and Birches have agreed to carry the cost of the property until the 2017 Town Meeting, when voters will be asked to pay the two organizations $850,000 and to allocate an additional as-yet-unspecified amount to build the athletic field. If residents reject the proposal, the RLF and Birches will seek to develop the property, which has three potentially buildable lots, to recoup their investment.

Officials hope to have the $850,000+ appropriated from funds collected through the Community Preservation Act. Those funds derive from a 3 percent surcharge on property tax bills, supplemented by money from the state, and can be spent on open space, preservation of historic structures, provision of low and moderate income housing, and recreation.

“The decision to pursue this opportunity was done in concert with two partners: Birches School and Parks & Recreation,” McGean said. “We had three different organizations, each with its own unique needs, and the Wang property provided a potential path forward for all of us. We are grateful to the Wang family, which made this transaction an affordable possibility.”

“We’ve been searching for land for more than 15 years and we recognize that when an opportunity like this comes along, we need to seize it,” said Parks & Rec Director Dan Pereira. “The town doesn’t have the ability to act on short notice, so we’re fortunate to be able to partner with the RLF and Birches School to make this an option for the town. Lincoln is also able to take advantage of significant cost savings, since Birches School will be building and maintaining the parking lot for the potential field.”

“This is an exciting opportunity to balance these different community needs while also connecting an important property to adjacent land already in conservation,” said Lincoln Conservation Director Thomas Gumbart.

The Birches School, which currently has 45 students in rented space in the First Parish Stone Church, has already begun to renovate the home, working with Lincoln architects Woodie and Loretta Arthur of D.W. Arthur Associates Architects. The school hopes to move into their new facility by Fall 2017.

Officials will schedule future public meetings to discuss site plans and project funding.

‘Coming attractions’ aired at SOTT open forum

November 16, 2016

During the open forum segment of the November 12 State of the Town meeting, residents and officials made comments on past issues and previews of “coming attractions”:

Town athletic fields

Lincoln’s athletic fields are in poor condition because there are too few of them to allow a normal “rest period” for each field, said Parks and Recreation Committee chair Jonathan Dwyer, adding that the group will soon “begin discussions with you on what to do.”

Marijuana sales

“It’s time to discuss marijuana,” said Lynn DeLisi, who is vice chair of the Planning Board. In light of the fact that Massachusetts just voted to legalize sales of recreational marijuana, “South Lincoln could have a marijuana candy store” subject to age restrictions, she said. “I would like to see Lincoln free of marijuana establishments.”

Two years ago, a medical marijuana dispensary in Lincoln was proposed, but the Board of Selectmen declined to send a “no opposition” letter,” Selectman Peter Brain noted. The approved legislation is “full of regulatory holes… this is some we’re going to have to study as soon as we have some new information. We can’t tell yet what will be permitted where and in what circumstances,” he said.

School project

The Massachusetts School Building Authority has said they will notify Lincoln in January as to whether the town will be invited into next year’s funding pipeline for a school project, School Committee chair Jennifer Glass said. “Whatever the answer is, yea or nay, it will be all hands on deck as a town to figure out our next steps and to move forward. We will be asking for everyone’s full participation.” If the state again declines to consider funding a project, the town may have to paying for a project alone.

Town meeting format

A group has formed to discuss the structure of Town Meeting, which some believe impairs full participation by all residents due to its multi-hour in-person Saturday format. “I’d like you to be open. There’s been a lot of talk from the younger generation and we need to listen. I want us to think very, very carefully about it,” said Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden.

Lincoln newcomers

The town recently sponsored an event to introduced new residents to Lincoln, and the Town Clerk’s office has distributed limited copies of printed booklets that they are working to put online for everybody’s use, Selectman Renel Fredriksen said.

Gas leaks

Resident Alex Chatfield highlighted a local environmental problem: leaks from underground gas mains. Though some leaks in town—notably a long-standing odorous leak on Bedford Road near the First Parish Church—eventually get repaired, utilities are not required to do so in a timely fashion, and even when they do, they are allowed to pass on the cost to customers. The Home Energy Efficiency Team website, which has links to maps showing locations of gas leaks in every city and town in Massachusetts, shows that Lincoln had more than 40 unrepaired leaks in 2015.

Natural gas is “80 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide,” Chatfield said. “Embedded in all our bills is the cost of the gas they’re allowing to leak out into the atmosphere.”

The Massachusetts Municipal Association has tried to address this with the state legislature, “but we haven’t been able to make any progress” unless a leak is so severe that it poses an explosion danger, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said.