My vision of Lexington is a lively, forward-thinking community that fosters innovation, sustainability and collaboration while honoring its rich history. A place where residents of all ages and abilities thrive, enjoying a high quality of life, excellent public services, and a deep sense of connection. By embracing smart growth, fiscal prudence, educational excellence, and environmental stewardship, I envision Lexington as a dynamic town where history and progress come together to create a welcoming and sustainable future for all.
NEXT OFFICE HOUR Tuesday, January 21 - 9:00 to 11:00 AM At Galaray House (1720 Massachusetts Ave.) Click here to see all upcoming events
MY PRIORITIES
  • Continued Excellence in Education – Leadership in education is a defining characteristic of our town, a valuable investment resulting not only in great education and a bright future for our children but also the high property valuations home owners enjoy. The current state of our high school building must be addressed with a sense of urgency. My goal is to help achieve broad consensus on our building plan for a new high school that meets our children’s educational requirements and maintains Lexington’s standard of academic excellence, and then move forward decisively to get the job done, with the most reasonable price tag, least disruption and the least possible impact on taxpayers.
  • Support housing diversity and affordability - Work on accelerating the creation of more diverse and affordable housing, which will help achieve the vision of an inclusive, vibrant Lexington. Diverse housing options ensure that people of all income levels, backgrounds, and life stages have access to affordable and suitable living spaces. Passage of the MBTA zoning article in ATM 2023 has resulted in an unexpected pace of project requests, leading to concerns about potential impact on town operations and finances and our ability to adequately service the anticipated growth. I support the plan to study, and as much as feasible, quantify, the anticipated impacts of the new zoning policy to understand if the current rate of development is cause for concern, and then to proceed better informed and prepared, without compromising our goal to build up housing stock and affordable housing.
  • Reduction of the residential tax burden - Our tax base continues to be residential heavy, leading to taxpayers’ concerns about the impact of upcoming projects on their taxes and I’m grateful for the life it’s given my family and me. We need to explore increasing residential development- especially diverse, multi-family housing to spread the residential tax burden- as well as broadening our commercial tax base by advancing existing plans for commercial development. I have the skills to help re-evaluate our commercial revenue generation strategy and help develop a firm plan, refocusing efforts on commercial development and making Lexington a destination of choice for businesses, small and large.
  • Building a healthy and sustainable Lexington - When development and conservation strategies go hand in hand, they not only help protect our natural environment, they strengthen our communities through better health, economic opportunities and overall resilience. I will advance our work towards a Lexington that is smart and sustainable in its practices, by balancing development needs with conservation strategies, and creating opportunities for a healthy lifestyle for our residents. This will include investing in public transportation, safe biking and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure to reduce emissions; continuing to transition to renewable energy sources; promoting energy efficiency in homes and businesses; and protecting our green space.
  • Infuse Diversity and Inclusion in all we do - Inclusion is at the heart of democracy. Genuine representation requires everyone to have a seat at the table, and we must fully embrace the values of diversity and inclusion in all our decisions to avoid intended as well as implied exclusion in all our practices. I’ll focus on promoting inclusion and equity and a true sense of “I belong” for all demographics in our town.

Testimonial Excerpts

To read full testimonals click here
Vineeta not only weighs options strategically, she works to get the job done, rolling up her sleeves to ensure that whatever project she is working on results in a successful outcome. Michelle Ciccolo, MA State Representative
Vineeta’s professional expertise will be invaluable to the Lexington Select Board as it faces difficult short and long-termdecisions. She reaches out to others for input and cooperation, and she has made friends and allies among volunteers, townstaff and residents. Wendy Manz, Town Meeting Member Precinct 4
Vineeta is practical in her approach and works objectively to find solutions. These skills are critical in light of the decisionswe face as a town. Sophia Ho, Lexington Resident since 1965
I wholeheartedly support Vineeta for a Select Board seat. Vineeta embodies the spirit of diversity and inclusion and hergenuine willingness to listen to diverse perspectives shines through her extensive involvement in town. Dinesh Patel MD,Town Meeting Member Precinct 6
MY VALUES AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES

We live in a town that is an example of excellence in many ways, but also faces some serious challenges. As we embark on the next phase of our journey, with large capital projects in queue, competing priorities, urgency of execution and financial constraints, it’s our value systems that will guide us towards balanced growth and a resilient future. As a Select Board member I will factor these guiding principles in my decision making process.
EVERY VOICE MATTERS
Listening to and lifting every voice is critically important in a diverse community like ours. I plan to work closely with all stakeholders to tap into the richness of our diversity, so that everyone feels recognized and their input is considered in all decisions. I did this through my work on Article 8 (Dismantling Systemic Racism) and my leadership in iGIG (Indian Americans Getting Involved Group)- both aimed to ensure that community decision making was by and for all residents. This approach is especially important as we plan our capital projects and define new policies.
TRANSPARENCY GENERATES TRUST
Our residents are reassured when local government actions are transparent, and there are opportunities for them to engage at all stages of the process. This was one of the values I used in my evaluation of our current Town Manager and I look forward to supporting him in improving our engagement with and responsiveness to Lexingtonians through live and virtual channels. I will continue to highlight opportunities for engagement through boards, committees, and planned events.
FISCAL PRUDENCE IS VITAL
It’s vital that we prioritize and plan our capital projects within the context of our revenue, debt, and operating costs to achieve the most sustainable financial impact on the community. I plan to apply my financial knowledge and consulting experience to help us toward balanced decisions and explore opportunities for efficiency and operating cost reduction. Equally importantly, I will always keep financial inclusion in mind while evaluating important decisions and explore opportunities for additional fiscal relief measures for all residents.
COLLABORATIVE APPROACH
A collaborative approach ensures that we develop solutions that benefit the entire community. Whether as members of the Select Board itself, or in discussions with other groups/boards/committees and our key stakeholders- the taxpayers, we will not always agree. What’s important is that I listen to all ideas, publicly discuss options and solutions, and commit to making our decisions successful.
WHY I AM RUNNING
We chose Lexington as our home fifteen years ago and I’m grateful for the life it’s given my family and me, opportunities to serve in various roles, including as Town Meeting Member for three terms from two different Precincts. I am running for a Select Board seat because I care deeply about our town and our legacy as Lexingtonians and would like to participate actively in creating it. We are at an inflection point, with a growing multicultural population and large transformative initiatives that are important for our progress as a town. There are significant decisions to be made, related to capital projects and zoning in particular, that have social, operational and financial implications. How we prioritize, fund, and execute these initiatives will shape the future of Lexington and reflect our values as a community. There is no better time than now to get involved and help through these complexities, decisions and plans. My experience in town government and voluntary roles gives me knowledge about our operations, opportunities and most importantly the challenges that my fellow residents face. The experience I bring through my professional work lends me the ability to contribute across multiple disciplines of finance, operations, strategy and project management, and to bring them together as we evaluate, plan and execute for a thriving, resilient Lexington.
Committee to Elect Vineeta Kumar for Lexington Select Board | Marc Rubenstein, Treasurer | Lexington, MA 02421