Please provide a brief biographical background on yourself. What should voters know about you?
My name is Rajesh Uppalapati – 45 years of age, living in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.
I am a family-oriented person. I have two beautiful daughters (5 and 7), a talented and hardworking wife with whom I spend a lot of time investing in the well-being of our family and society. Inculcating good family values and ensuring we, as a family are positive influences on society is something that I am very passionate about. I am a social person and maintain a close network of friends with whom I spend time discussing business and social problems and potential solutions for them. Philanthropy is an innate part of my nature, hence I dedicate a lot of time to volunteer activities.
I am part of the Beal School Board/PTO and also led fundraising activity for the SHS.
I drove a mask donation campaign to protect the first responders during Covid-19 pandemic,
At a professional level, I am an entrepreneur at heart, part of the technology sector and have worked for large and small-scale organizations, and have held leadership positions.
Why are you running?
Based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, humans focus on fulfilling personal needs first before thinking about the great good of society. I am extremely fortunate to be at a stage in life where I have been able to take care of my family’s requirements to the best possible extent. However, the journey has not been easy getting here. I have seen and faced several hardships and learned through difficult times. My philanthropic nature wants to ensure that I can give back to society and help others in their challenging journey. My vision is to establish a cyclical pattern where members/residents reap the benefits provided by the community and feel grateful and indebted to contribute back to it through multiple socio-economic avenues. I firmly believe that our community plays an integral part in our personal well-being and achievements, however, it is something that is not realized as well today, and hence it is my primary goal to ensure that each and every person feels valued and proud to be a resident of the town of Shrewsbury.
What specific skills/experience/expertise would you bring to your role?
As an IT Professional with 20 years of experience, I am adept at leveraging data and technology to help improve and optimize our town resources, institute the right processes to efficiently execute on the towns strategic plan and measure ourselves through well defined goals and success criteria.
With a Master’s degree in Management from Harvard University and owning my Information Technology business, I have the expertise to manage the town’s budget and plan finances of the town effectively.
With my knowledge and proven problem solving skills, I am confident my skills would help the town in prioritizing the pain points that affect the residents the most and focus on delivering up to the standards to the expectation of residents.
I am here to serve my town that I am proud of and enable a sense of community to unite and create a positive environment for all residents.
What do you see as three issues facing Shrewsbury?
Inflation coupled with increasing property tax – Shrewsbury tax rates have been very stable. However, in the last 2 years, the rates have increased substantially. Based on data for the town of Worcester, once property rates start trending up, they continue trending up. With increased inflation this is causing double whammy effect on people with fixed income.
Clean Water – The quality of water in Shrewsbury receives an average grade (B+) compared to other cities in the state. Providing clean drinking water should not be a privilege, but rather a necessity. Health and longevity are connected to the food and water we consume, and by not fixing this aspect we are hampering our overall quality of life.
Overcrowding of High Schools – Shrewsbury has consistently been a great school district with a general teacher-to-school ratio of 15:1. This aspect has made our children perform well with 72% proficiency in math and English. However, with the overcrowding of schools, the ratio is increasing and quality of learning is starting to depreciate.
How do you plan to address the issues identified facing Shrewsbury?
We need to measure/appraise the town properties accurately appraising and correctly charge our residents for the properties. I want to strive to keep tax rates lower and provide tax relief for seniors. I feel that we also need to make our residents realize the value the town provides by creating more services that they can leverage for well-being.
First, I am going to lobby with the State around the issues by providing factual data on the quality of water in Shrewsbury, and its repercussions. Second, my focus would be on resolving the brown water/bad odor issues that prevents residents from using the water for basic needs, this could involve 3rd party analysis of water at different points of the water pipes.
The growing population of schools could be solved by coming up with innovative solutions, like sharing schools with neighboring towns as an example. Furthermore, investing in professional development of teachers, attracting new talent and having a competitive curriculum is key to ensure our children are prepared for the future.
With multiple residential and commercial projects on the horizon, how would you plan to manage current and future development in Shrewsbury?
I believe it is important to understand all the problems that are faced by the town today – big or small. Once these problems are identified, I would prioritize (by discussing with residents – online forums, surveys etc.) the ones that are affecting residents the most in terms of health, money, and overall life. I will evaluate that the projects on the horizon are tackling the most important pain points for the town first and align them if they are not. Next, I will focus on the execution of these new projects and ensure that they are delivering up to standards and up to the expectation of residents. An open feedback loop for residents at critical junctures of the project is what I will establish. While focusing on the execution – I will look at new projects that we would need to invest in based on the priorities identified and have an open dialogue with residents on how to achieve them. Voting on issues to have clear data points as to what residents want to focus investments on first, will be a key attribute of my management role.
In light of recent increases to average tax bills, what is your perspective on the current tax burden on Shrewsbury residential property owners? What should the town do to support taxpayers?
One of the biggest problems in tax rate increases is due to incorrectly appraising properties in the town. My goal is to ensure that appraisals are done systematically and accurately so tax burden is not increasing due to appraisal values. I want to provide transparency for all residents in terms of how each property is being analyzed and valued and making sure town’s properties are sold at the right value. In addition, I want to strive to keep tax rates lower and provide tax relief for seniors, but also provide better facilities to residents where the value of the tax increase is realized such as instituting a teen center, an ice skating rink, etc.
What are your thoughts about recent efforts to revitalize Shrewsbury’s Town Center?
I think it is a great move. I have seen other successful towns around Massachusetts and one thing that stands out in all those towns is that they have invested heavily in the town center by supporting Parks, retail shops, restaurants, businesses, creating parking, cultural events, ice skating rink, etc. Creating avenues such as these social centers will not only help residents feel a sense of pride but also inculcate a sense of belonging. For example, Businesses that have been hurt by the pandemic will have a route to make up for the losses they incurred by the sheer volume of customers gravitating to the town center. Attracting newer businesses will also help bring down the tax burden on the residents while also helping with the increase in quality of life for the residents.
