Westborough – The town of Westborough will be holding its Annual Town Election Tuesday, March 3 at the Westborough High School, 90 West Main St. There are no contested races this year.
Here, in their own words, are statements from three candidates. Next week’s issue of the Community Advocate will have statements from other candidates.
George Barrette – Candidate for Westborough Board of Selectmen
First, I would like to thank the Community Advocate for the opportunity to share a bit about myself. The Advocate has become the weekly paper of record in Westborough, and I appreciate their commitment to our community.
I am looking forward to my fourth term as a selectman. I have also served or am serving on the Capital Expenditures Committee, Finance Committee, Council on Aging, 275th Anniversary Committee, to name a few. My wife Diane (who will be sainted soon) and I live on West Main Street. We have three adult children, the youngest a junior at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. The oldest lives in Tampa, which makes him the smartest.
As an incumbent selectman, I have mixed emotions about running unopposed- it certainly makes life easier, especially this winter, but it is disappointing that no one else is running; campaigns foster healthy debate and improve the process.
In this next term, I look forward to continuing to work hard on many projects I have been involved with, as well as new challenges in the next three years; the job changes daily.
I will continue to work on the Municipal Building Committee as we finish the town hall renovation, and face the challenge of balancing our need to renovate the Forbes Municipal Building and provide a recreation center with the school department’s need to renovate the Gibbons Middle School. I will also continue to serve on the Charter Review committee to improve our town government for the future.
We anticipate the retirement in the next three years of our Fire and Police Chiefs, as well as our DPW Director. Filling these three key positions will require careful consideration and hard work by the Board of Selectmen to ensure smooth transitions, and no interruption in the high level of service Westborough residents enjoy today. I look forward to being involved in every phase of this process.
Finally, thank you to the voters of Westborough for your support. Please remember to vote (at the High School) on Tuesday, March 3rd.
William Spencer, candidate for Westborough Planning Board
By way of introduction my name is William Spencer and I’m asking for your support for election to the Westborough Planning Board. Our family relocated to Westborough in the summer of 2013 and has found our town a place we cherish and are proud to make home. I currently hold the position of Senior Director of Operations for PALL Life Sciences that has recently built a facility in town. My intent is to utilize the 25 years of work experience as a development scientist and business leader in conjunction with my views as a Westborough resident to bring a continued balanced perspective to the planning board.
Professionally I have held industrial and academic positions with growth oriented institutes and subsequently have been required to work with various city commissions regarding appropriation of proposed development with required understanding of zoning and local ordinances. Throughout my working career I have been responsible for oversight of project management and development initiatives and have diligently worked and championed projects with building departments, planning boards, board of health commissions, local utility entities, fire departments, and numerous other branches of specific governance infrastructure. My hope is that our board and community can benefit from my experiences participating in these processes. Additionally, my personal citizen perspective will contribute to logical conclusions that benefit both our town’s commercial development and Westborough resident valued resources and long term interests.
In closing, I’d like to thank the individuals that have taken the time to read this. I’m a firm believer that when the community is engaged with their elected officials, oversight and appropriate discourse becomes apparent and enhances the due process. Again, I appreciate your consideration for this office and, if elected, I will diligently work on behalf of all shared interests.
Nicole Duca Sullivan – Candidate for Westborough School Committee
A Massachusetts native, Nicole graduated from Boston University’s School of Communications in 1994 and received a bachelor of science in Communications and from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in 1997 with a law degree. After graduating from Law School, Nicole worked with Judge Martha Grace in the Juvenile Court in Worcester. She then took a job in the private sector representing the disabled and injured. In 2000, Nicole became managing partner of the law firm and continues to run it today representing both adults and children with disabilities and injuries.
Nicole has enjoyed living in Westborough for the past nine years with her husband, Todd, and their four children, twin sons Cameron and Luke (12); their daughter, Regan, (8) and their son, Shane (5). She has been a Girl Scout leader for the past three years to her daughter’s now Brownie troop as well as serving on the Westborough School Committee.
Nicole is looking forward to continuing to represent the people of Westborough on the School Committee for the next term. With four children in the Westborough Schools she feels an obligation to step up and serve the community. Over the past three years she participated on hiring committees for the now Mill Pond principal as well as the new tech director for the Westborough schools. She also participated in the School Committee’s search for the new Superintendent Amber Boch.
Nicole was also appointed to the negotiation team for the teachers’ contract which was signed at the end of last school year. This round of negotiations was a huge success for both the teachers and the town as they came to the table willing to work together for the best interests of both sides.
Her previous experience on the School Committee is particularly important right now as the town looks to renovate Gibbons Middle School and analyze the needs of our growing student population and our buildings’ needs. That experience has made her knowledgeable regarding the different facets of Westborough’s six schools and diverse student population, the intricacies of the budgeting process and the way the state and municipal governments work. She has developed positive working relationships with government officials and with our school and town employees. She is deeply committed to continuing the excellence of the Westborough School system and providing a good working environment for ITS employees balanced with the financial constraints that we face as taxpayers and as a town.
Denzil Drewry – Candidate for Westborough Board of Selectmen
As I run for re-election, I must tell you that I have enjoyed my time as a selectman.
I believe my private sector, public service, and military experience will be valuable as we face major challenges to maintain our current excellent level of services and control the increases in our property taxes.
It was not that long ago that over 60 percent of our tax base came from the business community. That trend has reversed. Now most comes from our property taxes. This trend started before the recent economic recession. We need to assist our current businesses and promote new economic development. Not just for tax purposes, but to increase employment opportunities (especially for our children). Many of our citizens (especially our seniors) have sold their homes and moved into apartments or moved to other towns. It should be noted, that several years ago the Town Meeting created an Economic Development Committee that has been working to enhance development with several success stories.
Another important factor is to promote increasing state aid. Currently we are in the single digits while many surrounding towns are in the double digits (victims of our success). We need to become more involved with our local and state officials.
We have been fortunate to have many excellent employees and boards and committees. We have and should continue working closely with them to accomplish our goals. Also, listen to our citizens. They also have good ideas and are the people that make Westborough a great community to live in and raise a family.
It will be an honor to serve you again as your selectman. I appreciate your vote on Tuesday, March 3.
