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I didn't grow up here, or a place anything like here. I was raised in Chelsea, born in a home near an oil storage tank with the word “Gulf” spelled out in a blue and orange font bigger than the house. I’ve lived in Massachusetts all my life. I’ve attended some of the worst public schools and the best private universities. I’ve worked in small local shops, large hospitals, industrial factories, and been employed by the local, state, and federal government. I’ve founded a small business, a large retail business, been a partner in a law firm, and run a large real estate concern. I built houses when I was 25 and shopping centers when I was 35. I’ve dealt with federal, state and local authorities, the court system, customers, and employees. I’ve been an hourly laborer, a janitor, a salaried employee, and the boss of over 150 people. I've been a lawyer, a franchise owner, a real estate developer, and a counsel to a United States Senator.
I've been blessed beyond measure in many ways, and a large part of that good fortune was finding the Town of Winchester over 30 years ago to raise my family. My children grew up here and attended Winchester Public Schools. I've coached a variety of youth sports, and I’ve hosted an ABC student from Cleveland to be a part of our family, attend Winchester High, and saw him graduate from Tufts University.
I grew up just a few miles down the road, but worlds apart from Winchester. I think that’s helped me appreciate all the benefits this place has brought to me and my family, and to remain grateful for the army of volunteers who lend their time and talent to make those blessings happen.
For as long as I can remember, I've held atypical political views. I’ve never been a registered member of either party. I try to listen and observe, and then follow my own judgment and instincts. I try to follow the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius, who said “The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” As a political outlier, I've always understood that most of the people I respect, admire, and love don't necessarily share my opinions. So it's always been easy and natural for me to assume good will in a debate. I've never been one to ascribe bad faith in every disagreement.
I was an active Town Meeting member for over 10 years, and those of you who followed the meetings during that time may have noticed that I was likely to join the debate on contested articles. But what you couldn't see is how much more I valued the listening part. When it came time to vote I was often outnumbered and in the minority; but to be among so many good and talented people, and observe the messy but civil way the collective wisdom of the members reached consensus has been both an education and an affirmation of my faith in my neighbors.
I’ll always be available to listen and learn from my neighbors; any representative should welcome and seek out constituent input. However, I’ll admit that I don’t have any magic bullet to increase interest from the large numbers who are either too busy or uninterested in town affairs. I was an early supporter at Town Meeting of the system to record each member’s vote on each article. The relevant information is readily available to the voters, after that it is up to each of us to learn and decide based on the available facts. As much as we might wish it otherwise, the word “citizen’ will always also be a verb, and will require some active participation to be fully exercised and protected. In our system, responsibility is the price each of us must pay for our freedom, and it cannot be had on any other terms. (Of course, if you’re reading this statement, you’re already among the ranks of the active citizens.)
As to fiscal questions, I give great weight to the many hours of effort and expertise that the Finance Committee brings to financial issues, and absent a compelling reason I usually defer to their recommendations and vote accordingly.
I’ve been in town long enough to see some of the real good that Town Meeting has accomplished for us all, and I'd be honored to once again be among its members.
