On Tuesday, March 27, Natick residents made their voices heard at the polls. Even though only 14% of eligible voters participated, voters ushered in some new and exciting faces. 

The major contested races in this election were two seats each on the Select Board and the School Committee. In the Select Board race, Kristen Pope and incumbent Richard Sidney were elected with 43.92% and 30.51% of the vote, respectively. For the School Committee, Matt Brand and Kate Flathers won with 29.65% and 29.05% of the vote, respectively. In addition, the ballot measure to appoint rather than elect the Town Clerk was passed. 

Now that the election is over, what will our new officials bring to Natick’s government? This guide details the platforms of these four officials, allowing Natick residents to hold our officials accountable to their promises, and to get excited about what the future may hold. 

Select Board 

The Select Board is Natick’s chief executive board. It has all the authority that isn’t specifically given to the Town Meeting, Natick’s legislative body. For instance, it creates policies, hires and sets goals for the Town Administrator, oversees the police department, and determines the tax rate. 

This year, Kristen Pope and incumbent Rich Sidney were elected to serve three-year terms on the Select Board. They defeated Kat Monahan and Roger Scott. 

Kristen Pope

https://kristenfornatick.org 

Unity: Pope will prioritize collaborating with other members of the Select Board and building bridges between Natick residents. Natick residents already agree upon wanting Natick to be a great place for current and future residents to live, and unifying our community will help make that goal a reality. 

Representation: Pope’s mere presence on the Select Board is a crucial step towards increased representation, as she is the first Black woman to serve on Natick’s Select Board. But Pope doesn’t plan to stop there. She will ensure that Natick’s policies represent every kind of person in Natick. Furthermore, she will work collaboratively to create ways for all Natick residents, including vulnerable populations, to engage with the government. For instance, she will recommend a strategic plan to outreach to Natick’s vulnerable populations in order to work towards this goal. 

Accessibility: Pope is committed to working for Natick’s most vulnerable populations, which include children, seniors, veterans, single parents, and others who are struggling economically. To do this, Pope will ensure that the budget and the 2030+ plan are sustainable for the future.  

Efficient town government: Pope’s background on the Natick Personnel Board has taught her about the structure of Natick’s government, and the impacts of that structure on Natick’s ability to attract new workers and collaborate with current employees to make processes as efficient as possible. Pope will review Natick’s policies and procedures, getting rid of outdated practices and inefficiencies so that the government is more supportive of employees, volunteers, and Natick residents.  

Affordable housing: Pope is committed to making it easier to buy and maintain a house in Natick. She will identify and prioritize the best locations for affordable housing, keeping families and seniors especially in mind.  

Smart economic growth: Pope will think creatively about the types of businesses that Natick can attract and how to keep them. Her background in entrepreneurship and the private sector will help her identify businesses that will generate economic growth. Pope supports a single tax rate, as this will help Natick attract and retain businesses. 

Community: Pope is dedicated to furthering Natick’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. When she was on the Natick Personnel Board, she helped approve and revise the role of diversity officer. She will collaborate with the rest of the Select Board to continue Natick’s DEI efforts, including by hiring a diversity officer. 

Balanced budget: Natick currently has a budget deficit. Pope has experience with running a business, so she is dedicated to helping local businesses: she will work to generate revenue and maximize the budget. For instance, she will work to bring more businesses to Natick, increase our housing stock, and plan for future improvements.  

Rich Sidney

https://www.richfornatick.org

Fiscal sustainability: Natick needs an economically responsible plan to make their finances more stable. Sidney will focus on helping Natick’s economy recover from the pandemic. This is still an issue because sources of revenue such hotel/motel and restaurant taxes have still not returned to pre-pandemic levels, and expenses for the town, such as gas and utility costs, have increased. Sidney will also hold the Town Administrator accountable to make sure they are spending money in a smart way. He will have conversations with town services like the Department of Public Works to ensure that Natick’s services are being delivered as efficiently as possible. Finally, Sidney will encourage economic development that provides higher tax revenues without placing strain on necessary services like schools. 

Affordability: One of Sidney’s goals is to help people afford to buy and maintain a house in Natick, which has been becoming increasingly difficult over the years. In the past, Sidney has supported the creation of affordable housing and of tax relief programs that help veterans, elderly people, and disabled people keep their homes. In his new term on the Select Board, Sidney will work to ensure that Natick offers different types of affordable housing, not just single-family homes. He will also collaborate with the Planning Board and Affordable Housing Trust on affordability issues.

Smart economic development: Sidney will work to diversify and expand the sources of town revenue. In other words, he wants to have a greater number of revenue sources and more types of revenue sources. In the past, Sidney has lessened requirements for a liquor license so that current restaurants could offer more and new businesses would be attracted to Natick. In a similar vein, Sidney supports maintaining the single tax rate; he wants to avoid straining local businesses, especially as they try to recover from the pandemic. 

Effective service delivery: Sidney is committed to providing services in the most cost-effective way possible. He will use his connections to collaborate on thoughtful decisions about changes in service delivery, will prioritize hiring and retaining excellent staff that will improve the services Natick provides, and will keeping Natick residents informed about the services that are available to them and how to access them. 

Transparency: Sidney knows the importance of accessible information about the government, so he will work to release as much information about government proceedings as is available, and to do so as quickly as possible. He will also listen to feedback from Natick residents to ensure that communication goes both ways. 

Collaboration: Sidney’s background in Natick’s government has helped him form connections throughout the town and gain experience in collaborating with other areas of the government on various projects. He will continue to prioritize collaboration by listening to everyone, weighing the pros and cons, and working with others to reach a consensus. 

School Committee  

The School Committee is a town-wide elected board that focuses on Natick’s schools. Its powers include appointing the superintendent, approving the budget for the Natick Public Schools, and creating educational goals and policies for the school system. 

This year, Matt Brand and Kate Flathers were elected to serve three-year terms on the School Committee. They defeated incumbent Dr. Donna McKenzie and Leigh Hallisey.

Matt Brand

Note: This information comes from a Q+A with the Natick Report because Matt Brand’s website was down; this is why it doesn’t include as many categories as the other officials’ platforms do.

Decision-making through listening and data: Brand values listening to all perspectives with empathy, weighing all sides of an issue, and integrating data into decision-making. He will use his background in data and his commitment to listening to all sides to work to improve the School Committee’s decision-making process. 

Polishing the superintendent search process: One of the School Committee’s biggest priorities will be finding a new superintendent, as Dr. Anna Nolin recently accepted the position of Newton’s superintendent. Brand was on the School Committee that hired Dr. Nolin, so he has experience learning the qualities necessary for a good superintendent and integrating community opinions into the search process. He will draw on this prior knowledge to make the new search as smooth and informed as possible, which will attract more applicants.

Communication: Brand is committed to strengthening the connection between Natick Public Schools and Natick parents and guardians. For instance, Brand will work to provide more information about current and future plans and initiatives for the district. This will ensure that parents and guardians have all the information, tools, and access necessary to support their children as they go through the Natick Public Schools.

Kate Flathers

www.kate4natick.com

Support students and teachers: Flathers will work to hire and retain great teachers, including by asking them what they need so that the town can support them in feeling energized in their jobs. She will continue to support the most vulnerable students while making sure that “average” students aren’t overlooked. Further, she will ensure that Natick works to identify dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities early and offer appropriate intervention and support. She will also make equity and inclusivity more of a priority so that all students feel safe and seen. Finally, Flathers will provide students with more opportunities for new and/or “non-traditional” paths. 

Build strong schools and keep Natick affordable: Flathers will work to offer reports about fiscal issues consistently and transparently, and improve reporting on initiatives that are funded by grants so that we don’t accidentally create financial problems for the future. Specifically for the schools, she will advocate for a long-term capital plan so that we can foresee future costs, especially for pre-K and elementary schools. She will also work to pay teachers a competitive salary and ensure that expenditures don’t take money away from students and teachers.

Set goals and measure results: It is easier to measure our progress toward goals when we have more concrete metrics. Concrete metrics would be helpful to keep track of Natick’s progress in important areas such as diversifying our hiring, judging whether training has had an impact on the academic outcomes of students with dyslexia, measuring the improvement in outcomes of grant-funded positions, and defining the timelines for suggested audits.

Unite the town and schools to serve our community: Flathers believes that collaboration between the town and the schools will allow for informed decisions that draw from many areas, such as economic development, community health, and sustainability. This will help determine answers to important components of long-term plans for pre-K and elementary schools, such as developing after-school programs to support more students and figuring out how many elementary schools we will retain; developing our vision for the future of downtown Natick,  including how schools will play into this; defining how we can use capital and logistics planning to make Natick more sustainable, including by furthering public transportation and encouraging walking and biking; and defining the role of communities in students’ social-emotional health, and how the school and town can best cooperate with communities to support this. 

Ballot Question

This year, there was one question on the Natick ballot. It asked voters whether the position of Town Clerk should be appointed by the Town Administrator rather than elected by the people (as it currently is). This measure was passed with just over ⅔ of the votes. 

The Town Clerk’s duties include issuing permits and licenses, serving as the chief election official, overseeing polling locations, maintaining the Town By-Laws and Town Charter, and answering questions from the public and other governmental departments. Diane Packer is our current town clerk.