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

Braun beats Cannistraro in surprisingly close Selectman’s race

ballotIn unofficial results from the March 31 town election, incumbent Selectman Peter Braun defeated challenger Vincent Cannistraro by a vote of 487-382, or 56 to 46 percent. Braun’s margin of victory was about the same in both precincts. Precinct 1, which includes the southern and western portion of Lincoln, went to Braun by 56 to 44 percent, while Precinct 2 (the northeastern part of town) voted for Braun 55 to 45 percent.

Candidate Precinct 1 Precinct 2 Total votes
Peter Braun 320 167 487
Vincent Cannistraro 242 130 372
Blanks 7 9 16

In the only other contested race, Patricia Mostue of Lincoln and Elena Kleifges of Sudbury retained their seats on the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School District Committee by winning the highest totals tallied from the unofficial results from Lincoln and Sudbury:

Candidate Lincoln votes Sudbury votes Total votes
Patricia Mostue 796 1,415 2,211
Elena Kleifges 236 1,842 2,087
Sofya L. Gruman-Reznik 62 1,121 1,183
Blanks/write-ins 656 1,918 2,574

The two ballot questions in Lincoln were overwhelmingly approved. By a vote of 729 to 83, residents approved granting one-day alcohol licenses to nonprofits for special events, subject to Board of Selectmen approval in each case. By a vote of 731 to 86, voters OK’d a beer and wine license for the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. Although alcohol has been served at the deCordova in the past, the museum had been required to hire licensed outside vendors to do so.

Candidates comment

Vincent Cannistraro

Cannistraro said he was “absolutely thrilled” at the closeness of the vote. “I think a lot of people were really surprised. I don’t think anybody thought I would get more than 30 percent of the vote” with no endorsements from town officials. “I think it spoke a lot about how the town is trying to cope with this concept of change over time.”

“I’m pleased that voters reelected me and that I’ll have the opportunity to continue to serve the town for another three years in a volunteer capacity and give back to my community,” Braun said.

“I valued the many conversations I had with people across all segments of our community,” Braun continued. “I learned a lot, and I’m eager to continue to learn from as many people as I possibly can, including having the opportunity to speak to people who did not vote for me so I can continue to have as comprehensive understanding of residents’ issues as I can.”

Peter Braun

Asked if he was surprised at his relatively narrow margin of victory, Braun said he was. “It appears to have been the case that there was an organized effort by more than just the candidate to convince people to vote for my opponent,” he said.

Shortly before the election, Cannistraro wrote and dictated a “robocall” that was phoned to what he said was somewhere between 500 and 1,000 homes in Lincoln. In his call, which he supplied to the Lincoln Squirrel on Wednesday (read transcript here), he asked residents to vote in the election and outlined his experience in the construction industry. “I wanted people to always see or hear me directly and not take it from my friend or my acquaintance,” he said.

Using call-em-all.com, customers can record their message and have it robocalled to a list of phone numbers they upload for a about nine cents per number. Cannistraro said he aimed his robocall at phone numbers for residents who he guessed had lived in Lincoln for 10 to 20 years and/or were 45 to 60 years old. He did not include every Lincoln  number to keep the cost down, adding that he spent $70 or $80 of his own money. The tactic is comparable to the one by an unknown person who put pro-Braun flyers under the doors of residents at The Commons, he added.

To anyone who might have thought robocalling was not “proper politics,” Cannistraro said, “That really depends on your perspective. I don’t think it’s appropriate for people you appoint to come out and endorse you,” he added, referring to a letter to the editor of the Lincoln Squirrel in which Conservation Commission co-chair Peter Von Mertens (who was appointed by the Board of Selectmen) expressed support for Braun before the election.

“It was a campaign of contrasts, to a certain degree—older vs. younger, insider vs. outsider experienced vs. a new perspective,” Cannistraro said. “That’s what interested me about the campaign. It wasn’t a personal thing about Peter… I think he ran a great campaign and it’s obvious that he loves Lincoln, and I respect him for that completely.” Cannistraro thanked various people including Braun  in a letter posted on Lincoln Blogs the Future, a blog by resident Neil Feinberg, who was until recently a columnist for the Lincoln Journal.

“I really was a political nobody, and I think the result made a statement,” said Cannistraro, who has never held public office in Lincoln but said he would be interested in serving on a town board or commission in the future. “I’d feel compelled to serve for the people who supported me if I have the time to do a good job. It’s definitely a possibility,” he said.Asked which area of town government would interest him, he said, “I think my strengths are probably in the finance/CapComm [Capital Planning Committee] area… I’m really tuned into the fact that the town has a lot of potentially big-ticket items out there that they’re grappling with.” He added that he might also be interested in serving on the new School Building Advisory Committee that will be formed to work with consultants on identifying specific school repair/renovation project items and costs, “but maybe they want a fresh face of their own,” said Cannistraro, who served on the first SBAC.

Care Dimensions postpones next ZBA appearance

Architect’s drawing of the proposed hospice building and parking (click to enlarge).

Architect’s drawing of the proposed hospice building and parking (click to enlarge).

Care Dimensions has for a postponement of the next Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on its Winter Street hospice proposal while it amends its submission. The company is now scheduled to appear before the ZBA on May 1.

The ZBA was scheduled to meet on April 3 to to continue the hearing that began on March 6. But in a March 27 letter to the board, Care Dimensions project consultant William Jackson said the architectural and engineering team “is in the process of making comprehensive improvements to the project plans” that will address the concerns of residents and board members. Those concerns centered on the scope of the project, including the size of the building footprint and potential traffic impacts. He asked that the hearing be continued to the ZBA’s May meeting and said revised plans would be sent to town officials before that.

Company representatives indicated at the March meeting that scaling down the project would not be economically viable for the company, but on Tuesday, Care Dimensions senior marketing director Jean Graham said they would definitely be back with something they hoped would be more acceptable to the ZBA and residents.

“We’re evaluating all our options to be responsive to the ZBA’s concerns and looking at how we can possibly modify the size,” Graham said.

Why did the amphibians cross the road?

The rainy early-spring nights last weekend this week brought out the annual migration of spotted salamanders and wood frogs from the uplands across the woods and fields (and roads) to vernal pools to breed. As in past years, the amphibians chose the night after Lincoln’s Annual Town Meeting to make their move, noted Tom Gumbart, Lincoln’s conservation director, who took these photos.

The salamander is about eight inches long and the wood frog is about 3.5 inches. Both species lay eggs in water that hatch into larvae with gills, which eventually grow lungs and legs. (In contrast, the Mexican axolotl, which is the subject of this entertaining song and video, is neotenic, meaning it does  not undergo metamorphosis but keeps its fins and gills through adulthood—and no, drinking salamander goo will not change its developmental fate).

A female tree frog plump with eggs.
A female tree frog plump with eggs.
A potted salamander.
A spotted salamander.

Lincoln event updates

calendar4Jet Aviation meeting on Wednesday

The Conservation Commission expects to vote on the Jet Aviation expansion plans at Hanscom Civil Airport at its meeting on Wednesday, April 2 at 7:45 p.m. in the Donaldson Room at the Lincoln Town Offices. This is a continuation of the hearing and discussion on February 19 and March 12.

Clark, Barrett to participate in candidate forums

The statewide candidate forums have added participants since they were announced (Lincoln Squirrel, March 29). U.S. Congresswoman Katherine Clark will attend and offer opening remarks at the lieutenant governor candidate forum this Saturday, April 5 at 1:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. At the attorney general and state treasurer Forum on May 10, state Sen. Michael Barrett will attend and offer opening remarks.

Birches School benefit event

The  Birches School invites everyone to a party at Pierce House on Friday, April 11 at 6:30 p.m. to  benefit a newly established scholarship fund. The event will feature food, wine, music, entertainment, and both a live and silent auction. You can bid on over 50 items such as children’s summer camps, vacation homes on Cape Cod and in France, a whale watch, dinners out, and beautiful artwork. Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased on the Birches website using PayPal.  The auction catalogue can also be viewed online.

Help wanted by town

The Town of Lincoln Recycling Committee is looking for a Transfer Station Volunteer Coordinator. This individual would be responsible for recruiting volunteers to work at the transfer station, maintain a volunteer schedule, send out weekly reminders and act as the point person for volunteers. The ideal candidate would have strong organizational, spreadsheet and customer service skills. This is a volunteer position. Anyone interested may contact Mary C. Day, assistant town administrator, at 781-259-2603 or daym@lincolntown.org.

The Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department is now hiring Codman Pool gate staff, who must be at least 14 years old by June 1 and graduating from eighth grade, and lifeguards, who must be at least 16 years old by June 1. Gate staff duties include checking patrons in at the door, running the snack/concession stand, and helping out around the pool. This is a paid position. Download an employment application or contact Stacey Mulroy at smulroy@lincnet.org.

Dems announce two more candidate forums for statewide offices

donkeyThe Lincoln Democratic Town Committee (DTC) will host a forum with candidates for lieutenant governor on April 5 in Bemis Hall and a forum for attorney general and state treasurer on May 10. All five lieutenant governor candidates have indicated they will attend: Stephen Kerrigan, Mike Lake, Jonathan Edwards, Leland Cheung, and James Arena-DeRosa.

[Read more…] about Dems announce two more candidate forums for statewide offices

Ohio man writes column on memories of Lincoln

tribtodayBruce Thomas hasn’t visited Lincoln in decades, but he always remembered his grandfather’s hometown with affection—and he wrote a column about it for his local newspaper.

Thomas’ column, which appeared in February on the website of the Tribune Chronicle in Warren Ohio, reminisces about summer visits in the 1930s to the Lorreys, his grandparents and aunt who lived on Farrar Road. He recalls playing near Farrar Pond and, much later, watching the moon landing on TV with his grandfather.

Reached by phone in Ohio, Thomas’ wife Sally (who spoke for him because his speech has been affected by a stroke), said Bruce, now 83, grew up in western Massachusetts. He’s retired after a career in software and nonprofits.

Letter to the editor on school building needs

letterTo the editor:

Before us at Town Meeting will be a warrant article to approve funds to study costs associated with fixing our town’s school buildings. The school building’s needs have been professionally studied for 12 years, yet it’s said at meetings that people may not believe that the needs are real. On paper the school building’s needs may seem distant, debatable, and unrelated to learning. As a parent, however, I consistently see how the building’s needs are affecting children and how they’re related to learning, health and safety.

Our daughter’s classroom has been a stagnant 76 to 78 degrees this winter. She’s been telling us that it’s too hot, that it makes her feel sick and dizzy and that she can’t think. Maintenance sounds like an easy fix, but this classroom is stuck in a “difficult to fix” zone of the outdated Univent heating system. The teacher has had to open the windows and door this winter to provide intermittent relief. In December parents were notified that a Univent motor burned out and filled a second grade classroom with smoke, causing the school to be evacuated. While there was no fire, a situation like this speaks to the importance of having a fire suppression system in the schools, yet we have none.

In the spring, fans will again be brought into classrooms to compensate for the building’s decreased ventilation rates and lack of dehumidification. Opening the windows may sound like an easy fix to increase air flow, but what happens to the children with asthma and allergies that are exacerbated by outdoor pollen, and what happens to the attention and learning of the children who are distracted by the noise from ongoing recess? Sometimes it’s not possible to open the windows.

When this is your child’s everyday learning environment, it becomes clear quickly that the building is making the act of learning more difficult than it needs to be. Support of this warrant article will help further identify costs so we can move beyond studying the problems and get to fixing the problems. The town’s school buildings are telling us a story and it’s my hope that we will both listen and respond with urgency, ensuring the health and safety of children and the delivery of education in this town for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Betsey Yeats
35 Round Hill Road

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.

Letter to the editor: Mattes clarifies remarks on Hanscom

letter

To the editor:

In the March 23 Lincoln Squirrel report on the Lincoln candidates’ forum held on March 15 (see video of entire forum here), a quote was attributed to me. Unfortunately, the quote was limited to a statement that implied the opposite of the thrust of the question I was asking.

The quote in the Squirrel was accurate as far as it went: “Mattes, who was a key local official in the 2005 BRAC (base realignment and closure) process, said that as a result of negotiations at that time, Lincoln would be essentially indemnified from any changes that would have impact on us regarding housing.”

That mitigation—an agreement to offset the cost of 730+ new households in Lincoln—was relevant only for the potential outcomes of 2005 and no longer applies.

I went on to express concern that in the recent climate, where there would be no BRAC, there is the potential to physically separate the housing on the base from the office buildings and business operations. The base, as an economic engine for the region, would be saved while the housing and schools could be off-loaded from military responsibility and become the responsibility of Lincoln. Every Democratic gubernatorial candidate, including the attorney general and the state treasurer, affirmed this concern at a recent Lincoln forum. All urged Lincoln to prepare for this potential

After stating the above, I asked, “Have we negotiated and received any such mitigation now, before offering unqualified support?”

The danger of not receiving pledges for mitigation before lending support is that we may have given away all leverage and we may not be insulated from the financial impacts of adding 730+ households to our town.

Sincerely,

Sara Mattes

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.