Community Activities:

• I joined Winchester Town Meeting as a Member in the fall of 2022 (elected via caucus).

• I’m having a ball in my second season of coaching 4–6-year-old basketball through the Recreation Department.

• I’ve been a Winchester Cooperative Nursery School parent since 2020, where I was co-chair of Facilities Committee for two years. I’m also an active Lincoln School parent.

What Winchester issues do you find most important?

• Fiscal responsibility

• Maintaining aging infrastructure

• Schools/Education

Which one do you feel most passionate about, and what is your position?

Fiscal responsibility will allow Winchester to tackle our other issues from a position of strength. As a mother of three children ages 5 and under, schools and education are a priority for me. However, many of Winchester’s issues are interrelated. Several of our beautiful, historic school buildings are prime examples of aging infrastructure with high maintenance costs. A strong financial position makes it easier to deal with the ongoing needs of the town, as well as unforeseen issues like the recent pipe burst at Lincoln School.

What does Winchester do well and what might be improved?

Winchester provides high quality services including Public Safety, Public Works, and our excellent schools. Winchester makes good use of the volunteer efforts of its well-educated population for the benefit of the town’s committees and boards.

The financial outlook of the town compared to our anticipated capital needs is very poor. There is room for improvement in this area. I encourage everyone to read the Capital Planning Committee report that was presented to Fall 2022 Town Meeting. To quote the report, the “gap between needs and funding will result in the aggressive degradation of town assets including DPW and Fire vehicles, schools, roads, and municipal buildings.”

The Town Meeting Communications Study Committee has recommended that a written communications plan be prepared and a town communications manager be appointed by FY2025. Do you support both recommendations, even if they would involve adding a new full-time position?

I agree with both recommendations. Our town meets many needs using volunteer committees and by expanding the roles of town employees. The Study Committee found this approach insufficient. The best course of action is to hire a professional communications manager. A communications overhaul will make town information more accessible to all. The streamlining and standardization of a professionally developed communications plan will be beneficial to the operations of the Town and deliver value to residents. It will also formalize the way that Town Meeting members communicate with residents which is vital to the functioning of our form of government.