My Turn

To the editor:

As I grew up in Lincoln, I witnessed the town’s innovative and thoughtful decision-making as it navigated change while maintaining its unique rural character. I left Lincoln for school and work in 1975 and returned in 2000, happy to see that the town had continued its tradition of carefully managing growth and change.

I served on the Planning Board from 2003 to 2008 as we shepherded several significant projects towards successful completion: the redevelopment of the Mall at Lincoln Station, the creation of the South Lincoln overlay district, The Commons in Lincoln senior living community, and Minuteman Commons. To advance the town’s work on housing diversity, we required that The Commons senior living community and Minuteman Commons include a substantial number of affordable units. This was not done just to meet the state’s 40B requirements for affordable housing but because it was the right thing to do.

Other volunteer positions that I have held include School Committee (in Garrison, N.Y.) and the board of Codman Farm. 

Today, we are again in a period where we must creatively manage change so that the hard work of those who came before us and the values that we all cherish are not lost. We must do so in a way that is responsive to the changes we see around us and strengthens our own community.

I live on our family farm on Lexington Road. With extended family, we grow hay, sweet corn, and pumpkins, and in the spring we make maple syrup. Professionally, I work at Draper Lab. I am a physicist by training and a farmer at heart.

Again, I would like to offer my service to the town at this exciting and challenging time and would appreciate your support.

Sincerely,

Ephraim Flint
Lexington Rd.

“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 Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.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 Paul Shorb

On behalf of the Green Energy Committee, I encourage Lincoln voters to attend Town Meeting on March 26 and support the motion that will be offered under warrant article 31. The full text is here.

The warrant article and motion would authorize (but not require) Lincoln to restrict the use of fossil fuels in new buildings and major modifications. If approved at Town Meeting, the next step would be submitting a “home rule petition” to the state legislature, as is currently required for a town to exercise such authority. If approved by the state legislature, Lincoln could adopt a new bylaw at a subsequent Town Meeting. That would happen only after an appropriate town-wide deliberative process to determine the most appropriate details for such a bylaw.

The idea is to begin the process of shifting our building stock from burning fossil fuels to operating entirely on electricity while we also move to increasingly generate our electricity from clean renewable energy. These are two of the important changes needed to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Fossil fuels used for buildings cause about one-third of Lincoln’s emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The good news is that with current technology, all-electric heating, cooling, and cooking is economical, comfortable, reliable, and safe. In fact, when building new, going all-electric can save money on both up-front installation costs and operating costs compared to relying on gas or other fossil fuels. Related good news is that Lincoln residents can already get “100% green” electricity, which increases the amount of renewable energy on our electric grid (sign up here.)

Eventually, existing buildings will also need to convert to all-electric, for the same reasons.  This motion would not generally require retrofitting existing buildings — that’s a problem we need to address separately. One exception is that the new bylaw could be applied to “major modifications,” which some other towns have defined to mean “gut” renovations that redo at least 75% of the building floor area.

As noted above, the details of the new bylaw would remain to be developed though additional public processes in Lincoln. For example, Lincoln could choose to still allow installing an emergency generator powered by fossil fuels such as propane or natural gas, and could authorize other exceptions from the general prohibition on new fossil fuel hookups.

More information on the above is available at the links collected here.

The Green Energy Committee took the lead on drafting the motion, with input from the Select Board, town staff, and town counsel. We are grateful for the endorsements received to date from the Planning Board, the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust board, Lincoln Mothers Out Front, St. Anne’s in-the-Field Climate Justice Ministry, and FPL Green at First Parish in Lincoln. Please join us in supporting Article 31 at Town Meeting to start moving us towards a safer climate future.

Shorb is chair of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee.

“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.

We are writing to urge you to join us and vote for for Jim Hutchinson for the Select Board.

As former Selects, we have experienced the joys and challenges of serving. The challenge was to honor the vision statement of the town, as we worked to build consensus within the town and at Town Meeting. While we were the CEOs of the day-to-day operations, we also were charged to be leaders while following the will of the town as expressed in Town Meeting votes.

We believe Jim has the deep experience to address the challenges the town will face in the years ahead. His work on the Finance Committee, liaison to the Capital Planning Committee, the Green Energy Committee, and the Water Commission has him in a unique position to have a more holistic understanding of the impacts of proposed projects that the town is currently discussing.

But most important, Jim has demonstrated a temperament that is thoughtful and respectful and inclusive, and these are critical qualities to bring to the role of Select Board.

For these reasons, we urge you to join us in voting for Jim Hutchinson for the Select Board.

Respectfully,

Penny Billings
Noah Eckhouse
Sara Mattes
Beth Ries
Peter Sugar

“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.

To the editor:

In my 14 years as a resident of Lincoln, I have come to deeply appreciate Lincoln’s long tradition of being proactive in anticipating and adapting to change. We as a town have often taken advantage of new opportunities long before other towns seem to even be aware such opportunities exist. In my mind, this (and the often drawn out and tedious but necessary consensus-building that goes with it) is part of the often extolled, sometimes derided, but never concretely defined “Lincoln Way.”

We have long shown ourselves to be a town determined to address problems before they become crises. We spend a great deal of time and effort discussing and wrestling with the challenges presented by the changing world around us. We are often recognized (and emulated) for providing direction and leadership in the face of change. I see all of these qualities active in the recent WIDE and IDEA initiatives to encourage diversity and inclusion; in SLPAC’s work to revitalize the Lincoln Station area; and in our decades-long efforts to balance and strengthen our often competing goals of historic preservation, the conservation of our open space, and the preservation and promotion of affordable housing.

I am often amazed (but no longer surprised) at the deep bench of professional skill and experience that many or most past and present members of our town’s boards, commissions and committees bring to the table in this work. I am also impressed with how humble most of these folks are: their focus is on serving the best interests of the town as best they can — not self-promotion.

In my opinion, Margaret Olson and Steve Gladstone exemplify all of this. They have proven to be creative, and hardworking guardians of our town’s best interests and “the Lincoln way” through their presence on the Planning Board: working hard to find a viable path forward in the face of ever changing and often competing economic, environmental, political, cultural, and legislative agendas. They are both good listeners, hard and reliable workers, and their professional backgrounds provide valuable points of view and skills in support of this work.

Both were important contributors in the successful development, vetting, and town meeting approval of Oriole Landing; in the development and ongoing work of SLPAC; in simplifying our planning and permitting processes; in making our zoning laws fairer and easier to understand and implement; and in promoting affordable and safe housing for all of Lincoln’s residents. Neither of them are “flashy” or eager to grab the spotlight, but the results of their work benefit us every day.

Steve and Margaret are respected and valued members of the Planning Board and are important allies in the complex challenge of promoting and supporting increased diversity, inclusion, and equity within Lincoln. Please join me on March 28 in voting to allow them to continue doing so.

Sincerely,

Allen Vander Meulen
30 Beaver Pond Rd.

“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.

To the Town of Lincoln:

After six engaging years on the Planning Board, I would like to continue with the productive work of this group. My goal is to insist upon and to help to craft consensus-driven solutions by eliciting and utilizing the views of as many people and groups as possible and melding them into the best possible outcome.

Since arriving in Lincoln 15 years ago, Susan and I have found great pleasure and satisfaction in our involvement with townsfolk, governance, and of course the character and landscape of this remarkable community.

Professionally, two graduate degrees in scientific fields supported my responsibilities as Director of Research Operations at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. I served on the management team responsible for a complex, interdependent research enterprise with a $325 million budget. As a director in the Office of Science and Technology, I was intimately involved with budgeting, strategic planning, space/resource allocation, and implementation of diverse critical functions. My later career included a similar function at MGH, the management team at a pharmaceutical startup, and consultant in the biomedical research arena.

My official experience on town governance began 12 years ago with the Facilities Coordinating Committee. Identifying usage patterns, availability, capabilities and limitations of our critical meeting spaces led to deeper engagement in the town’s management and social processes. I was selected as one of the three at-large members of the Community Center Study Committee, and was the Planning Board representative on the Community Center Planning & Preliminary Design Committee. I intend to continue to advocate for the community center that our town deserves and needs.

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 understood, respected and refined to “keep Lincoln Lincoln.” Yet we must and will evolve as times change. One key role of the Planning Board is to look ahead, anticipating what threats and opportunities the future may present and how Lincoln might most effectively engage them. The mindful management of land, services and community by committed and attentive citizens is central to my thoughts. The town’s future successes and character depend in great part on how effectively we embrace and respond to emerging ideas and approaches as they support this guiding principle.

With the help of other volunteers and staff, the Planning Board has streamlined the permitting aspect of its activities, making them more efficient and less burdensome for applicants while continuing to protect the interests of all affected parties.

Volunteers have ever been the backbone of Lincoln’s community spirit. I am enthusiastic to continue my involvement on the Planning Board. It is my hope that this note gives the voters of Lincoln greater familiarity with me, both personally and professionally. Please call or email with your thoughts, questions, or concerns. And please do vote, do volunteer and do get involved in the thoughtful evolution this exceptional town! 

Sincerely, 

Steve Gladstone 
67 Winter St.. Lincoln
617-784-9731 
steve.gladstone@gmail.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.

We write to endorse Kim Rajdev for election to the Lincoln School Committee.

Since moving to Lincoln five years ago with her husband and two young girls (now entering third grade and kindergarten), Kim has taken an active role in supporting the Lincoln schools. She has volunteered as a room parent in K-4 and served as a legal advisor to Lincoln Nursery School as part of the parent cooperative. Consequently, she is familiar with the challenges and issues of the Lincoln school system.

We believe that it is valuable to have Kim, an engaged parent who has the interest, experience, and professional background to contribute to the governance of Lincoln’s schools. As an engineer and lawyer, she will bring both analytical and consensus-building skills to complement those of other members of the committee.

Kim’s open, respectful style invites dialogue on important issues such as the implementation of LPS Anti-Racism, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity (AIDE) policy. She is clearly focused on enabling a school environment that encourages curiosity and high academic engagement along with a welcoming and inclusive approach to student life. As part of the Lincoln School Committee, she will be attentive to these opportunities and challenges.

Town elections are Monday, March 28. Please join us in voting for Kim Rajdev for a position on the Lincoln School Committee.

Sincerely,

“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.