Advance building of the High School, Cost Effectively

Leadership in education is a defining characteristic of our town, a valuable investment resulting not only in great education for our children but also the high real-estate appreciation we 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 move forward decisively to get the job done, with least disruption and the least possible impact on taxpayers.
That said, I do not take the cost of Bloom lightly. I hear my fellow residents' concern about rising taxes. I will be a strong advocate for finding ways to keep the cost low and try and every opportunity we have for value engineering. We must keep what is absolutely required to meet the education plan and to build a 21st century learning environment for our children and question everything else. 

Address Tax Concerns of our Residents and Small Businesses

Our tax base continues to be residential heavy, leading to taxpayers’ concerns about the impact of upcoming projects on their taxes. We need to broaden our commercial tax base by advancing existing plans for commercial development. I will 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. Increasing our commercial tax base will alleviate the burden on our residents. There are other ways to work on tax reduction and I plan to explore all of them as part of my focus on affordability and fiscal responsibility.

Adjust MBTA Zoning to a manageable level of Growth

I believe creating diverse and affordable housing is vital towards achieving economic activity and spreading the tax burden. However, passage of the MBTA zoning article in ATM 2023 has resulted in an unexpected pace of project requests, raising concerns about potential impact on town operations and finances and our ability to adequately service the anticipated growth. It necessitates responding to this challenge in a responsible way. 
We must figure out a legally compliant solution that brings the rate of development to a manageable level, ideally with an inclusionary approach. STM Article 2 is evolving with expert and community input and I am hopeful that we will collectively shape it for broad acceptability. I am listening carefully to residents, many of whom spoke at the PB meeting on Feb 12 and shared their views for and against Article 2. I encourage all residents to attend the next meeting on Feb 26th and express their opinion. It will help us craft the best solution for curtailing rate of development. 

Build 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 smart and sustainable Lexington, creating opportunities for a healthy lifestyle for our residents. This will include investing in public transportation, safe biking and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, protecting our green space and to reduce emissions; continuing to transition to renewable energy sources.