Please provide a brief biographical background on yourself. What should voters know about you?
After graduating from UMass-Amherst , my wife Peggy and I bought our first house in Northborough 38 years ago and have been blessed to have raised eight children in this great town. We are also the proud grandparents of six. During the years, I have been an active community member; coaching and volunteering in a number of our youth athletic programs and I currently serve as the Treasurer of the Northborough Youth Hockey Program. My family is very active at St. Bernadette Parish where I have been a lector and a volunteer for many years. Professionally, I have spent my career as an insurance broker specializing in property insurance for both residential and commercial property and am proud of the number of fellow Northborough residents that I have been able to service over the years.
Why are you running?
As a long time resident and local insurance broker, I have observed a marked change in the way in which our Planning Board conducts its business and believe that is detrimental to the long term growth and health of our town. I believe that the Planning Board should be an instrument of promoting the economic growth of the town – both residential and commercial – and finding ways to accommodate property owners while maintaining the unique characteristics of Northborough. Today we have a Planning Board that has five lawsuits pending against it and a litany of “you can’t do this anymore” bylaws under consideration. It is time for clear thinking and a reasonable business approach to this very important part of town government. I believe that a new voice that encourages process and cooperation with all stakeholders is needed; I can be that voice.
What specific skills/experience/expertise would you bring to your role?
I have been in the insurance business my entire career. I am currently the senior vice president of a national brokerage insurance firm. I specialize in property insurance and have extensive experience in both residential and commercial property issues. This professional experience will help me provide the Planning Board with key insights and perspective on various permitting and building accommodations that may be requested by property owners from time to time. The role also requires problem solving and conflict resolution – as a father of 8, I am especially good at that!
What do you see as three issues facing Northborough?
The three critical issues for Northborough are: first, new growth and commercial valuations; second, government overreach of regulation; and third, transparency of government
How do you plan to address the issues identified facing Northborough?
Ultimately, the three issues are closely interrelated. The town budget is dependent on new growth and we know that the financial model is already assuming that new growth will decline over the next few years as there are fewer and fewer parcels to develop. But not only is new growth important, it is also important from a tax base perspective that commercial valuations do not decline and put more burden on the residential property base. This issue should be addressed by ensuring that developers have a clear understanding of the process to permit building and that we have a board that is accommodating yet reasonable. Overbearing regulations do not foster growth and have the potential to stymie commercial valuations. We cannot allow that to become the standard. And clearly, communication via social medial and other platforms needs to improve so that citizens are more clearly aware of the issues.
What are your thoughts on the topic of truck traffic in Northborough?
Our largest taxpayers in town are our industrial and commercial property owners – truck traffic is inevitable – the key is how to work well with property owners to manage it. Truck traffic can be routed via various routes off of 495 and 290 without impacting residential roads. We know that truck traffic at Route 20 and Bartlett Street has been minimized by working with those companies in that section of town; and frankly, truckers want the simplest and most direct routes – and local residential streets are not their preferred route
In light of the fact Northborough is approaching build-out, how should Northborough prioritize its approach to its remaining parcels?
The parcels that remain undeveloped are on the outskirts of town and generally away from specific neighborhoods. The town should be working to find commercial development that is environmentally clean; clean energy, biomedical, pharmaceutical and technology companies should be actively solicited. The Master Plan provides a clear framework for land use decisions; it balances the community’s development and the preservation of land, resources and town character.
