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To the editor:

I’m writing to offer my full and total support for Bob Domnitz’s reelection to the Planning Board. I hope that all Lincolnites will rally behind someone who cares about Lincoln’s neighborhoods and who has the track record to prove it.

Those of us who remember a Planning Board that was routinely dragged into court to defend itself against cell tower companies, nonprofits and aggrieved property owners—and then frequently lost—acknowledge that Bob’s attention to detail and his unique legal and engineering background are two of the main reasons this board has been lawsuit-free in recent years.

Bob is both an engineer and a lawyer. Bob’s technical background and knowledge of the inner workings of the cell tower industry and how it goes about siting its towers have kept cell towers from popping up all over town. Cell tower developers have been stymied by Bob’s unique approach (he should patent it) to flummoxing their requests. In addition, his warrant article advocating for an extension of the zoning setbacks to 75 feet for nonresidential uses in residential neighborhoods is protecting every Lincoln neighborhood.

Bob serves as the Planning Board’s representative to the Rt. 2 Oversight Committee. Believe me when I tell you that he’s the only independent voice really working to protect the town’s interests on that hideous construction project. The contractor would like to use cheaper materials and MassDOT would like to cut costs on the project, but Bob continues to be a thorn in their sides, holding them to the terms of the contract. Without his continued work, the Lincoln section of that highway could end up looking a lot uglier. Now is not the time to change horses midstream, while this project is still going strong.

In fact, Bob is the voice of skepticism whenever Massport, Minute Man National Park, or any other state agencies, private developers or nonprofit organizations try to sell the town a bill of development goods. Bob can see through the smoke and mirrors and can be counted on to come down on the neighborhood’s side.

But perhaps most important to me, unlike most other (by that I mean all) town officials, Bob has a sense of humor. His large-minded perspective, his camaraderie with other board members and his sense of irony have lightened the mood at many a Planning Board meeting, and given a choice, I’ll always vote for the candidate with a good sense of humor.

Reelect Bob Domnitz so the he may continue to protect Lincoln.

Neil Feinberg
Concord Road

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Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.

To the editor:

When it comes to the Lincoln schools, I have many beliefs.

I had three very different learners go through the schools all within the past decade, which provided me with the opportunity for a broad perspective. However, I regret that I had been let down in several key areas, and this bothered me immensely. Consequently, one of the reasons that I voted against the [Lincoln School] building “preferred option” was that I believed that the school system hadn’t earned my support.

However, dwelling on the past is seldom fruitful, and changed circumstances can often bring changed beliefs. For instance:

I believe that Becky McFall, our current superintendent is an educator, and a credible one at that. I believe that she is focused on “raising the bar” for every aspect of the school system, and to me, this is an issue of paramount importance to Lincoln. In my opinion, the school system is heading in the right direction, and doing so under a thoughtful and community-centric leader.  She holds open office hours regularly to encourage parental input, and I encourage you to stop by and share your thoughts accordingly.

I also believe that the entire process for the building project has improved. The School Building Advisory Committee made sincere efforts to engage the community in meaningful ways, they tried their best to give a range of options with credible pricing scenarios, and they acknowledged that a school building was secondary to a school system—even though certain building features can have a positive impact on the educational experience. They completed their assignment under budget as well.

I also believe that our school buildings have needs that should not be ignored. They also have shortcomings and lack certain features common in many other schools.

Lastly, I believe that this issue is very important to our community and that the upcoming vote will be key in setting a strategic direction to follow. As such, I urge you to plan on attending Town Meeting. Please take some time to review the latest report available online. Similarly, the warrant articles and ballot questions should be read in advance.

Please attend Town Meeting on March 28. Simply put, your participation is crucial.

Sincerely,

Vincent Cannistraro
15 Deer Run Road

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Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.

By Abby Payne, Evan Lee and Jack Hutchinson

The Lincoln Gearticks robotics team, a group of 12 middle and high schoolers from Lincoln and surrounding towns, claimed the Inspire Award at the Massachusetts FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) State Championship on February 28. This award is the highest award a team can earn and is presented to the team that did exceptionally across all aspects of the robotics challenge.

[Read more…] about Lincoln Gearticks stand out at state championship

To the editor:

I am writing to announce my candidacy for reelection to the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee and hope to earn your vote on Monday, March 30.

Our accomplishments over the past three years are noteworthy. We have recruited and retained an exceptional educator and savvy administrator to lead the district as Superintendent-Principal, and the high school’s administrative leadership team has been revitalized with stellar additions in Finance, Student Services, Curriculum and Athletics. Thanks to the support of the citizens of Lincoln and Sudbury, we have substantially upgraded our IT infrastructure. We have undertaken innovative projects that have significantly reduced our energy costs and positioned the high school as a leader in the green energy movement. We have implemented a number of innovative programs designed to benefit students with language-based learning disabilities and other learning challenges, obtaining grant funding to launch these programs wherever possible.

We have made shrewd decisions with respect to health insurance that resulted in reductions in the district’s healthcare costs in each of the last two years and yielded a substantial reduction in the district’s OPEB liability. Finally, we negotiated a fiscally conservative teacher contract that has enabled us to begin restoring staff at a time when our enrollment has substantially increased. Meanwhile, our students continue to thrive in the classroom, on the field, on the stage and in the studio, as well as in college, the military and the workplace after they graduate. We all should be proud, and grateful, for the exceptional work being performed at Lincoln-Sudbury.

While we have accomplished a great deal, a number of significant challenges remain. The high school’s enrollment remains at record highs, and Sudbury must adopt a regular practice of funding our schools in a manner commensurate with shifting enrollment in order to serve our students appropriately. We need to support efforts to establish programs that will prepare our students to thrive (indeed, to be leaders) in a rapidly changing, technologically focused, and increasingly global environment. We need to nurture programs to support students who need additional help, and to make every effort to keep students whose needs can be served at Lincoln-Sudbury in the district. Finally, we need to support our exceptional educators who are singularly focused on delivering a rigorous and purposeful education for our students.  I look forward to addressing these challenges, and diligently serving both of our partner communities, if reelected.

Thank you for your support.

Gerald E. Quirk
20 Scotts Wood Drive, Sudbury

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Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.

To the editor:

In 2009, I campaigned for the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee with the phrase “March 30 Matters.” Six years later, it still does.

I have been honored to serve the families in Lincoln, Sudbury and Boston and appreciate the support and feedback constituents have given to me.  Lincoln-Sudbury remains a strong asset to our towns; the opportunities afforded our students are broad and challenging. I, along with my LSSC colleagues, hope and strive to encourage our towns to know our high school and to support our students, the quality of their education, and the necessary and appropriate services to ensure student success.

The work of educating the whole child never ends. Educators at L-S and the School Committee can always do more. We continue to educate ourselves, seek information, implement change, and educate those who support our institution as to how and why we choose certain paths. Given the finite resources we are provided by Lincoln, Sudbury and the state to fund education at L-S, we need to continue to explain the choices we make in each year’s educational program.

As a committee, we draw on different areas of expertise and broad personal and political backgrounds. The composition of our committee ensures we have healthy conversations and that we hear and understand each other before voting. We can agree to disagree, with respect for each other’s contributions to our discussions.

We have strengthened our relationships with both towns, increased budget transparency, and worked with both towns to plan for capital needs with our now 10-year old building. We have a strong administration in place and a new teacher evaluation process underway, the result of a collaborative conversation with our faculty and administration. We completed a lengthy collective bargaining process two years ago with our Teachers’ Association that contributed critically to our wherewithal to avoid substantial layoffs in a time of significant increases in enrollment. With Mother Nature’s cooperation, we are moving forward in our construction of a solar parking canopy that holds promise as a model for other educational institutions, increasing our clean energy reliance while reducing our overall utility expense.

Teaching, learning and our students’ wherewithal to grow and become strong self-advocates, scholars, leaders, athletes, and positive contributors to a bigger world are still the core of why I am committed to continuing for another term on the School Committee.

I would be grateful for your vote on Monday, March 30.

Nancy Marshall
Beaver Pond Road, Lincoln

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Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.