Civic Engagement – My Truant Pen

Can I do a tour without mentioning wolf attacks or naked sailors?

Come find out!

I’ve signed up to lead a historical tour of the nearly-open Tri-Community Greenway in Stoneham this on April 6th. Tragically the route does not take us past the location of the barbarous murder, wolf attack or naked sailor appearances. So I’ll have to work extra hard to sneak them in. But you can learn about the steam engine lazy-susan, our attempt to be the world’s center for automaking and why the old school is definitely haunted.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/health-wellness-expo-greenway-walk-historic-tour-tickets-59078408109

Stoneham Elections Fall 2018

I’ve had a few people ask me for my ballot recommendations this fall, likely because I usually post them for local elections. National elections are great in terms of information available – all the candidates have websites, you get a copy of your ballot in advance and there’s usually plenty of information available. So there’s much less need for information to help people make a decision. That said, there are a few races and ballot questions I’m particularly passionate about. This election means a tremendous amount in the eyes of the world, the nation and our local community. We are asking and answering big questions: are we pulling in on ourselves and shriveling our welcome and our courage to declare that only a small number of humans actually count as people? Or are we courageously and generously setting an example of the world we’d want our kids & grandkids to inherit – even if those beloved children aren’t white/straight/Christian/born in the USA? Because many beloved children are not those things, even today.

So with no further big-picturing, here’s how I cast my ballot (which I already did – yay early voting!)

State Representative – Mike Day
This is a surprisingly strongly contested election here. I have been watching Mike Day’s work for some time, and I’m extremely impressed with his accomplishments and activities. He’s worked with Stoneham leaders to expand bus service, fought to protect victims of human trafficking and done a ton of unglamorous but extremely necessary work around affordable housing. I really like what he’s doing for the state, and for our communities. When I cast my vote for him, it was very much a vote FOR him and not one against his opponent.

That said, I would strongly urge voting against Caroline Colarusso. I’m very disappointed with what I’ve seen from her as a member of the Stoneham Board of Selectpersons. As a few examples, despite proclaiming fiscal responsibility, she championed and got passed a bill that temporarily cut water fees. This led to a deficit which decimated our reserves, and caused a last minute emergency major rate hike when we were about to be unable to pay our next bill. That’s hardly fiscal conservatism – it’s more like fiscal malfeasance. She then led an initiative to repeat the same exact path with our trash fee. If it had passed it would have lowered Stoneham’s bond rating, making repairing/replacing our high school (urgently needed!) far more difficult, if not impossible. If she’d been successful, not only would water be coming through the roof the high school, we wouldn’t have been able to maintain the pipes to drain it away.

There is another thing that really bothered me. This spring, Caroline asked for a meeting with me, her constituent. In that meeting I asked for her clarification on an issue that’s been very ambiguous. I asked if she would vote for or against a bill rescinding gay marriage. She point blank refused to answer me. I couldn’t believe it. So I asked her again. By the time the meeting was over – to neither of our satisfactions I’m sure – she’d refused to answer my yes or no question twenty times. I would far more respect a principled stand I disagreed with, than this determined refusal to tell me her position.

So: YES to Mike Day. NO to Caroline Colarusso.

YES on 3
This ballot petition removes gender identity as a protected class. It’s only a teeny tiny bit about letting people use the correct bathroom. It’s mostly about being able to use gender identity as a reason to deny people access to places and services. And there would be no recourse. You wouldn’t be able to sue, or appeal if you were kicked out a library for not looking womanly enough. If someone thinks you don’t look enough like a woman and they think you should, they can discriminate against you as much as they want – freely and without constraint. Short-haired women of the world, beware!

In all seriousness, hospitals are included in this bill. This makes it legal for a hospital to refuse to treat someone because they don’t think they look enough like their supposed gender. That is life-threatening to transgender and non-binary people. Even if you’re not super comfortable with people who are trans, are you willing to strike down a law that requires hospitals to treat people, regardless of gender identity? I am most definitely not.

If you really want to tackle sexual assault there are a bunch of better ways. Let’s focus on processing rape kits, prosecuting sexual assault aggressively and making sure rapists are caught and convicted. This is not a bathroom bill – this is a right to make life difficult for people you don’t like bill. (You can read the full text here.)

Jason Lewis for State Senate
As I said in the primary, Jason has a great platform and accomplishments to back him up. I particularly appreciate his work in strengthening oversight. I was happy to cast a vote for him, and look forward to seeing what he can accomplish with another term.

2018 Democratic Primary – Stoneham edition

Tuesday September 4th is primary day in Massachusetts, and there are some tough choices to be made. Stonehamites, you can find your ballots here. Primaries are hard, because they’re generally between people who you generally agree with, so you often have to figure out who you agree with more (and/or who you think will be most likely to get a chance to do those things you agree with).

I’m open to input if you have relevant information, but here’s my plan for my democrat ballot:

1) Gov – Jay Gonzalez. I’d rather have someone able to make incremental progress that someone who demands and doesn’t get massive change. This was a useful article.

2) Lt. Gov – Super close call here. I’m not sure I have a strong opinion. But if I’m picking a pragmatist for gubernatorial candidate, I might then lean idealist for Lt. Gov and go for Jimmy Tingle. I think both candidates sound like fine choices.

3) Secretary of State – my Facebook has been non-stop Josh Zakim ads for about two months now. I have to admit, I tend to be ornery about ads. I really dislike the tendency of our current form of government to assume that votes must be purchased with ads instead of earned with actions and statements. My vote is earned, not bought. Voting access is a passion of mine (and access to information to allow for those votes to be earned, not bought). Both men support it. Galvin has done real work to accomplish it, but I think the accusations of complacency and king-making ring true. On the other hand, I don’t love negative campaigns like Zakim’s been waging. Ugh. Talk about what you’ll do, don’t trash your opponent. This one may come down to a voting-box decision for me, but I think I’m leaning slightly towards Zakim, if only to keep Galvin on his toes. (And if Zakim wins, I trust he’d do the job he’s promising to do.) Here’s one article on background.

4) State Senator – Jason Lewis. I have been very supportive of the flowering of new candidates in the field, and so I was excited to see Samantha Hammar throw her hat in the ring for state senator. But I’ve really liked Jason Lewis’ work in the district and been impressed by his attitude and accomplishments. Reading through her statements, I didn’t see any specifics about how the people of the Commonwealth would actually be better off with her in the role instead of him. It also matters to me that several people I know and whose opinions I trust have been working hard to campaign for Jason. I sometimes think that the quality of person whose loyalty you win says a lot about a candidate. So while I’m excited and happy that Samantha’s running, I’m voting for Jason this time. Hopefully Samantha runs again against someone I like less. Here’s a useful series on the two.

5) District Attorney – Donna Patalano. I’ve been hearing a lot lately about how cash bail destroys the lives of innocent poor folks without any societal benefit. In fact, society is the loser when innocent people are jailed and can’t work or support their families. I’ve wondered what I could do about it (other than sending money to the Bronx Freedom Fund or others like it). Turns out this race is one way, since one candidate (Patalano) supports getting rid of it, and the other candidate’s office is getting quotes like this: “They said they left largely because they felt pressured to run nearly all matters by their supervisors, who often told them to seek higher bails and tougher sentences than they felt were justified.”

I’d love to hear who you’re voting for and why! Drop a comment and let me know. If you think I got it wrong, I probably won’t vote until after work tomorrow, so you have time to make your case!

Stoneham Election 2018 – unofficial results!

Edit: The official results are in and can be seen here

The results have come in! These numbers are not final – I’ll post the official ones when they get certified (I’ve updated with the final numbers now). Stoneham had a fantastic turnout, with 3751 voters coming to the polls to fulfill their civic right and responsibility.

Your selectwomen are:
Raymie Parker (2041)
Caroline Colarusso (1759)

John DePinto came in third with 1507
Thomas Boussy got 1190 votes

School Board
Jaime Wallace led the voting with 2106
Thomas Dalton will also be serving with 1763 votes

George Georgountzos got 1201 votes
Cory Mashburn came in with 1111 – I really hope he runs again next time!

Thanks to all the candidates who worked so hard to earn the right to serve our town. It’s a huge effort, and a labor of love. I look forward to seeing what steps our newly elected officials take to make Stoneham a successful, solvent, well-run town that we can all be proud to call home!

My Ballot – Stoneham Town Election: Tuesday April 3, 2018

Stoneham Town Election: Tuesday, April 3 2018
The Annual Town Election will be held on Tuesday, April 3, 2018. The polls will be open from 7AM-8PM at the Town Hall, 35 Central Street.

Ballot here
Board of Selectman Candidate Statements here

This election sort of snuck up on me. It’s in April. April is spring. It is snowing and cold. Therefore, the election is not soon. That was the subconscious process. But this year has been a year when lawn signs have been buried under snow mounds, and the election is only 10 days away. I have done less preparation for my vote this year than I did last year. I did not make time to interview the candidates myself, so much of my decision making comes from watching how these folks have acted in the past and interacted at town events.

Once again, I’m excited by the vibrant political life of our little town. I’m amazed at people’s willingness to work hard and put themselves out there for what is essentially a volunteer job. I’m grateful for all the candidates for offering to undertake the hard and often thankless work of making our town the best place it can be.

With no further ado, here are my selections. As always, I’m open to new information or to having my thinking changed. You can reach out to me at brenda.j.flynn@gmail.com with resources, polite comments or questions. I do moderate comments on the post, and consider rudeness or incivility of supporters a black mark against a candidate.

Selectman: (Pick Two)
Raymie Parker (strong recommendation)
John DePinto

School Committee: (Pick Two)
Thomas Dalton
Jaime Wallace

Constable: (Pick Three)
David Luciano
Robert Nardone
Brian Johnston

Selectmen
I’m looking at this election as an amazing opportunity to change the tone in our government, and return to civility and reasoned decision making. The two candidates up for re-election have deeply disappointed me with how they treat other elected officials, town employees, and people with whom they disagree. We are very fortunate that we have some excellent, collaborative choices instead!

Raymie Parker
Website
Facebook
Raymie is a consistent presence in the civic life of Stoneham. She is there at every Town Meeting, prepared to talk intelligently about the issues at hand. She spends generously of her time and energy on volunteer work, with a focus on our youth sports programs. I have found her thoughtful and independent, with a deep commitment to the well-being of our town and all its residents. I’m hopeful that on the board, she’ll turn her care for youth into making sure that we have a solvent, sensible budget plan and a focus on building a new high school. This post in particular speaks to that intention. I’m very excited to vote for Raymie!

John DePinto
Facebook
No website
I am voting for John, with some reservations. On the plus side, he has long experience on the Board of Selectmen from prior terms, and understands what needs to be done in the job. There have been times in his past service that he has not shown the level of respect and civility I expect from public servants. I’m hoping that given another chance, that’s something he’d work to rectify.

Thomas Boussy
Facebook
No website
Tom is a man with a lot of energy and passion, and when it’s directed towards bringing people together, that’s been a great asset to the town. But in the last few years, I’ve been saddened to see that Tom has sometimes directed that passion unkindly. His interactions with town employees has been that of a bully. The employees of the town of Stoneham are a huge part of the success (or not) of the town. If we have disengaged, fearful folks working on our behalf, we will never be able to do big things. I would not hire a bully to work on a team I led. And I won’t hire a bully to lead the town I live in, with my vote.

Caroline Colarusso
Facebook
When Caroline was running for State Rep, she sent out a mailing in which the face of her opponent had been photoshopped with zits. One of the groups supporting her sent out a mailing persecuting transgender people, which she is on tape supporting. She is unwilling to even be in the same room as people she disagrees with. I watched with my own eyes as one of her friends attended a charity event she had said she’d be at (although she did not actually pay for a ticket to that event) to watch and see when Mike Day left, so she wouldn’t have to be in the same room as him. She came just long enough to take pictures to post on social media, then left. It was childish behavior. More seriously, she has bankrupted our water and sewer system to the point where all our rainy day funds are gone, and you will see a 29% increase in your next bill. That’s an average of $75 a quarter this coming year PLUS we have no money in the rainy day fund now. Caroline led the charge, sending out flyers for the Water and Sewer policy that ran through the savings we’d put aside. She wants to bankrupt our trash system in the same way. (Mark your calendars for the Town Hall Meeting Monday, May 7, where we need to show up and fight this fiscally irresponsible plan.) (See more details in my subsequent post.) Speaking of responsible, I’ve never once seen her take responsibility for the consequences of her actions. For example, she and Tom opposed* the simple act of accepting almost half a million dollars from state to improve our sidewalks (Complete Streets). (Winchester got the grant, and is now getting over $800k). But instead of owning the consequences to the town about that decisions, she creates fear, uncertainty and doubt. Moreover, her ardent supporters have been known to create fake personas (especially on Facebook) She’s been a disastrous leader for Stoneham, and I cannot support her candidacy for any role.

*Selectman Wilson stated that his motion to accept the $50,000 grant from Mass DOT that will lead to the $400,000 Complete Streets funding still stands. Selectman Seibold seconded the motion.
Selectman Boussy moved to table this until the new TA is in place. Selectwoman Colarusso seconded the motion.
Voting in favor:
Chairwoman O’Neill
Vice Chairwoman Colarusso
Selectman Boussy
Voting against:
Secretary Wilson
Selectman Seibold”

School Committee
We’re spoiled for good choices with School Committee. We’re lucky to have dedicated, hard-working people willing to spend their free time ensuring our children are getting a great education. I had a tough time picking from the top three. That said, here are my choices.

Candidate Statements

Thomas Dalton
Facebook
Thomas is a relatively recent graduate of Stoneham Public Schools, and has been running an energetic and enthusiastic campaign to advocate for his alma mater. Despite being young, he’s no novice to Stoneham politics. He is serving capably and admirably on the Finance Committee now. I have had several conversations with him in other circumstances, and I really enjoy his energy, optimism and enthusiasm. If I’m thinking about who I want fighting for my kids’ education, I think Thomas is a great choice.

Jaime Wallace
Facebook
I don’t have any first person experience with Jaime, but she has an excellent reputation in town. She’s been the PTO president for Robin Hood Elementary School for several years, which I think points to a willingness to do hard (and thankless) work to benefit kids. It also speaks well to her organizational and coalition building skills. She seems like someone I’d be happy to vote for.

Cory Mashburn Updated
Facebook
Website
I have very little information on Cory. He might be a great choice, but it’s a crowded field. I feel like Thomas and Jaime both bring a balance of skills and experience which will be great, but can’t really spot from his public information what Cory would uniquely bring to the table. I’ve done some more research on Cory, directed there by many of his ardent and excellent supporters. He seems like a dedicated, intelligent and capable person who I think would do a fine job in the role. I sincerely hope he’ll choose to run again if he doesn’t make it this time, when I can give him my full support. He makes a focused case on social-emotional intelligence in the school curriculum. I personally am more concerned with a new high school, which wasn’t one of the things he focused most on. I think the current curriculum (as seen by my middle schooler) seems pretty darn good! I’m sure it could be better, though. I wish I could vote for three candidates!

George Georgountzos
Facebook
George has run for several local offices in the past, including State Rep (R). He might be fine in the School Committee (although his platform seems to be unarticulated and he doesn’t highlight what he would be able to contribute that others wouldn’t). But I have trouble getting past his support for Caroline. (Peak irony in this quote from his letter supporting her: She spearheaded efforts to reduce the trash fee for every resident.) That makes me wonder if he’d be fiscally responsible with our kids’ education.

Constable
This is another tough one. I have no data on most of the candidates. I would decline to vote for Robert Sweeney, based on how he comported himself in opposition to the Greenway. But I have no information on the other candidates.

All opinions expressed are soley those of Brenda, and do not reflect the official opinion of any group, including my employer.

Notorious B.J.F.

One of the neat things my office does is notarization. In an office of just over a thousand people, we have a handful of notaries. There’s a mailing list set up so we can ask if there’s a notary free to help us with our notary stuff, which is super convenient and means we don’t have to leave the office to get stuff notarized. (It’s amazing how many perks a company can offer for free, or nearly free, if they try!) The other day someone sent out an email saying that we were running short of notaries, and did anyone want to become one? They laid out the process (which is way simpler than I would have expected) and invited people to participate.

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking for as many ways as possible to make this world a better place, and help my community. For a small fee and a little paperwork, I could offer a small service to the people around me. Also, the job comes with some really cool toys* – two stamps and a special very official and sparkly book. SIGN ME UP!

The trickiest part of the process was getting a lawyer to vouch for my good character. (As the lawyer I asked jokingly responded, “But I KNOW you Brenda!”) I had to update my resume. And I haven’t thought this much about my signature since 7th grade. Finally, I had to get the application notarized, which was pleasingly recursive.

After my application was approved, I went into Boston to take the oath of office. This was no hardship for me, since it was a beautiful day and a moderate walk from my office in Kendall to the big state business building in downtown Boston. The swearing in itself was a little… weird. I think we should decide whether we take oaths seriously or not, because the halfway bit is ridiculous. There was this big, old practically parchment paper with the oath written out on it. (With no fewer than three “so help me God”s.) But it was in this dingy, fluorescent-lit office. The guy administering the oath didn’t even look at me as I made my vow to his back. It didn’t seem very emotionally binding, even though it is legally so. I wished I’d brought a friend with me to bear witness. On the plus side, the office was VERY efficient and competent!

So now I’ve been approved, I’ve been sworn in, and I’ve gotten my shipment of fancy book & stamps. I’m 100% ready to begin my life as a notary. Now I just need people who need stuff notarized. That’s where you come in! I did this entirely out a desire to be useful to my community. So asking me to notarize stuff isn’t a favor that you’re pulling from a friend – it’s my intention. Please feel more than free to reach out to me to ask me for notary help, for yourself or a friend of yours. I’ll add that even though I’ve known you forever, I’ll still need to see an ID – so please bring one as well as all parties who need to sign whatever I’m notarizing. I’m thinking about taking an hour or two periodically on a Saturday to sit in Kushala Sip & offer notary services to whoever needs them. Does that seem useful? Do you have any good ideas about how I can offer notary services to folks who need it?

*Toys purchased separately. I really wanted one of those fancy leather-bound-type books, but that seemed a little excessive based on my expected utilization of “hardly ever”

Last night I had the strangest dream

It’s been a troubling time lately. I believe that all people are created with equal worth. And the data shows that statistical differences in capabilities between the distinctions we use to break apart “homo sapiens” into subgroups are… small. I’ve been thinking a lot about how we define who a real person is. You know – a person or group of persons who is worth as much and as important as “my people” are. I’ve decided that for me that circle is our species. If you’re human, you are a person of full worth and value.

Given that we have no remaining near-human brethren left, I do not have to decide whether or not they count.

Anyway, given that value statement of mine, there’s a lot that’s upsetting right now. Much of it has been for some time. The incarceration of minorities at disproportionate rates. The deaths at police hands. Those have been on our minds for some time. Last week, a man at a tech company argued that diversity initiatives targeting women and minorities should be discontinued, since women’s lack of representation in leadership might be due to biology or desire instead of lack of opportunity. Then this weekend, actual torch-wielding neo-Nazis killed a woman of faith in a violent protest in an American city. These things may look unrelated to you, but they all feel related to me. They are a spectrum of deciding that some humans are lesser people and that their lives and contributions are less valuable.

One of the great consolations, and terrors, of studying history is that you know that things like this have happened before. We just got back from an in depth historical study of the Albigensian Crusade, which kicked off with a massacre of 20,000 people in Béziers, because the Bishop leading the crusade decided it was too hard to figure who the actual heretics were. So you know, when people say this is the worst time ever. Well. They don’t know history. But it’s not consoling to understand just how cruel, how deadly, and how random this violence can be for average people caught up in it. As someone once wisely pointed out, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition. And there’s no way to prepare for it. You can just hope and pray it passes you by.

The last time we went through a period like the one we’re in now, I think, was the 60s. In many ways, we are still a movement in the symphony which was begun then. This is still the civil rights movement. So lately, I’ve been taking great consolation in the music of that era, which wrestled with these same issues. I wish I could find more music today written with such great hope, honesty, and consolation.

So with no further ado, here are some of the lesser known folk songs that have been a consolation to me lately. May they bring you comfort that we are not alone in the arc of history, but struggle along side our grandparents. May our grandchildren not need to continue the fight, but may they do so if they are needed.

Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream – Simon & Garfunkel
The Chad Mitchell Trio and Kingston Trio also have versions of this song. It makes me cry, every time. In the 60s, they still believed it was possible for the world to be a fundamentally more just and peaceful place, and this song represents that hope.

Deportee – Arlo Guthrie
I actually have the Kingston Trio version of this song (which I prefer). It’s 50 years old, but other than the plane crash it references it could’ve been written this week.

Phoenix Bird – Chad Mitchell Trio
I wrote about this before, but to me this song is a lost gem of hope and inspiration. It’s a call across generations to continue to work of justice.

If I Had a Hammer – Peter, Paul & Mary
This is definitely an oldie but goodie. Generations of children have sung this around camp fires, although I don’t think it showed up at my kids’ summer camp this year. But it’s very empowering to sing along “It’s the hammer of justice, it’s the bell of freedom, it’s the song about love between the brothers and the sisters all over this land”. Highly recommended for belting at top volume.

No Gringo – Vienna Teng
In an exception to my statement that there’s less current music wrestling with this, Vienna Teng does a beautiful “what if” on “what if the border wall was reversed” with this song. She’s got a glorious voice and turns it with a keen eye to the issues of the day.

Friendly, Liberal, Neighborhood .K~K.K. – Chad Mitchell Trio
This is one of the songs that got the Chad Mitchell Trio banned from the radio. It’s totally inappropriate, totally irreverent and pretty hilarious in an uncomfortable way.

What are you listening to right now, for comfort, for inspiration? What music am I missing that does the same thing these songs have done for me?

Stoneham Town Election Results: April 4, 2017

I think this election cycle in Stoneham was remarkably awesome. We had many contested elections for important town roles. The candidates were all phenomenal. They debated issues, priorities and skills, but I didn’t see any meanness or personal attacks on display. Voters in town were engaged in thinking through the race and what it meant for the town (although I’d love to see higher turnout numbers next time!)

I’d like to offer my gratitude to all those who ran, who offered their perspective and who were willing to spend their time and energy making this town a better place. Thank you!

That said, here are the winners of the contested races!

Selectman: Shelly MacNeill
School Committee: David Maurer & Nicole Finocchi Nial
Planning Board: Augustus Niewenhous
Moderator: Jeanne Craigie

You can see the full vote tallies, including # of voters and margin of victory at this link.

Congrats, Stoneham, for being such an awesome place to live with so many amazing people willing to serve you!

My ballot – Stoneham Town Election: Tuesday April 4, 2017

Stoneham Town Election: Tuesday, April 4 2017

Ballot here
You can see the Candidate Statements here.

EDIT April 1, 2017 (but actual edit – not a joke)
One of the amazing things about being in a small town is that posts like this can create a dialogue. This election has been a remarkably productive and positive one.

There’s been some confusion, so let me reassure the audience that everyone I’ve talked to and have taken notes on has been aware that the purpose of the meeting was for me to get information on their candidacy, and I told them I’d be publishing the results.

Here’s some additional information I’ve gotten:

Planning Board –
Devon Manchester reached out to me to by phone to offer me some information on his candidacy, which I appreciated. We talked by phone for half an hour. You can read the transcript here. I liked some of his insights, but felt like he undervalued the work that the committee had already done on things like the sign law. This is a very difficult race to decide on the best candidate. I thought carefully about our conversation, but although a great dialogue, I don’t think our chat has changed my vote.

Moderator –
Larry Means – In response to questions that I and others have raised, Larry Means has posted an explanation on why he had the DPW worker removed. His explanation includes video of the event, so you can watch for yourself. I think it outlines the technical stance he took in the meeting. But especially in a role like Moderator, I would like to see a person who has the respect and admiration of the town employees, which is not demonstrated in the interaction he references.

I’d like to commend Jeanne for being very civil about me not endorsing her, although not all the conversations on Facebook have been quite as polite. She’s really taken the higher road in responding to me, which is actually quite reassuring.

This race is ALSO very difficult to call. I feel like the candidates have different qualifications that rather evenly offset each other.

It was my intention to make the hard voice to tell you who I was endorsing for all these races. I know as a newcomer to town, trying to stare down a ballot with positions you didn’t know existed and names you’ve never heard, it’s really demoralizing to realize that you can’t cast a meaningful vote because there is no public information for you to base a vote on – even if you look. I want to at least let people know what I’m doing and why, so they can agree or disagree with my thinking. But in this race, I suspect my decision will be made with a Sharpie hovering over an oval and a gut-check of what my heart says. Sorry theoretical newcomer to town.

Stoneham goes to the polls for a town election on Tuesday, April 4! I started preparing my selections back in January. I didn’t get to interview all the candidates I would’ve liked to (not their fault!) but still need to cast a ballot, so used publicly available information for the other candidates.

I’m pretty thrilled by the vibrancy of our small town democracy. We have legitimate, contested elections with qualified candidates in many of the critical town roles, including Selectman, School Committee, Moderator and Planning Board. This is a great thing for our town and our community. The really hard part about this election is that in general I think all the candidates are pretty qualified. I don’t think there’s anyone on the ballot I’ll be horrified to see in office.

I’ll be updating with new information right up to election day, so if you have more information or would like to talk with me, drop me a line at brenda.j.flynn@gmail.com!

With all that said, here are my picks. My reasoning is below.

SELECTMAN
Shelly MacNeill

SCHOOL COMMITTEE (pick two)
David Maurer
Nicole Fenocchi Nial

PLANNING BOARD
August S. Niewenhous (see update above)

MODERATOR
Tossup (see update above) – was previously Lawrence Means.

SELECTMAN
I had the opportunity to speak with both selectman candidates. I am no journalist, but I tried to ask them the same set of questions and give them similar opportunities to explain their positions. All the candidates I talked to discussed “healing of divisions” within our community. I find the divisiveness of Stoneham politics to be very odd indeed. It’s not Democrat/Republican (as far as I can tell). The division doesn’t seem to have a philosophical underpinning. It’s hard to reckon who’s on either side. (I’m pretty sure that not knowing which side I’m on means I’m not on a side? Right?) But this coming together is something I’m optimistic that whoever we elect will work hard to do. I will certainly be holding them accountable for doing so.

Shelly MacNeil
Webpage
Facebook
My Conversation with her

Shelly was the first of the candidates to reach out to me to ask to talk. I’d never met her before, and had no idea who I was going to vote for in this election. I was impressed with her. She seemed committed to running for all the best reasons, which she articulated well and passionately. She had clearly thought deeply about her reasons for running, and what she hoped to accomplish.

Her work on the Substance Abuse Coalition was top of mind for her, and I believe that if she is elected, she would take a well-planned, methodical approach to this crisis for our community. I also have high hopes that her intention to coordinate planning better across the town will result in better communication and outcomes for our community.

Shelly has my vote because I think she has the skills to be deeply effective, the willingness to do hard, unglamorous work, and a cooperative and pleasant personality which will allow her to work with people across Stoneham.

Christine Warren Linn
Webpage
Facebook
My Conversation with her

I was pretty excited when I heard Christine was running. My only experiences with her have been on Facebook where she’s organized a Couch to 5K, but she has been a high energy presence in the town. It took a long time for us to both find to get together, since we work opposite schedules.

Christine doesn’t think experience is necessary to run for selectman. She may be right. But I do want my selectman to think hard about the issues facing the town, and come with mature and well thought out positions. One of the first things Christine asked was for me to hold off posting this until after the candidates debate. When I asked why, she said it was because she didn’t want her opponent to know “where she was coming from”. I asked if she meant that she hadn’t been forthcoming about her platform to this point, she changed her mind and said I could publish whenever I liked. She changed her mind on the request twice more in our conversations.

I’m happy to listen and accommodate a reasonable request, but this tiny example showed me that Christine hadn’t really thought through her position on timing. I’m sure she’d be more thoughtful on things that really mattered, but it struck me that I prefer a selectman who thinks through their requests/positions BEFORE they make them.

Our conversation ended up being much less substantive than my conversation with Shelly. Christine had fewer specific plans and ideas and less insight into our current position and challenges.

Overall, I think Christine might do a great job as a selectman, but what I saw was not a compelling example. Given that Shelly was extremely well qualified, my decision for this race feels very clear.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE

I didn’t meet with any of the school committee candidates. (Honestly, when I started posting my ballots a few years ago, I didn’t realize it would end with me spending hours talking to candidates!) I have good information on two of them and no information on the third. This is obviously unfair to that third candidate (Elaine Trant Brown), so if you have good information you should a) share it with me b) choose to vote for her instead!

First choice – Dave Maurer
Dave and I have worked together on some technology initiatives, and had extensive conversations about the role of technology in education. He does this work because he’s passionate about the kids in this town and has tremendous technical experience to back it up. He has worked long and diligently, not really coveting the spotlight or attention. He’s got energy, background and a good track record with the Middle School and I’d like him to be continue on to the High School. I highly recommend his work.

Second choice – Nicole Fenocchi Nial
I’ve been lucky enough to have Nicole as one of the leads of the PTO in South School during both my sons’ tenure there. I’ve gotten to see her passion, diligence & organization in full swing. She does a great job of keeping things rolling and making things fun in what has to be one of the least glamorous jobs a town has to offer. I can attest that she will be a strong and capable presence on the School Board.

PLANNING BOARD

I have very little insight into this. Both candidates are known to me by reputation only. I think planning board is critical to our success as a town (can I suggest a moratorium on nail/hair salons?). I’m open to feedback on this one, but don’t have a strong or well formed opinion. In this case, I opted for the continuity of Mr. Niewenhous.

MODERATOR

So I saved the hardest race for last. In full disclosure, Jeanne reached out to me and we had a very productive hour long conversation. I reached out to Larry late, and haven’t been able to set up time as much for my schedule as anything. So there’s an information imbalance here.

In my opinion, the moderator role is one that would be best served by someone who’s primary skill was building relationship bridges and earning respect from everyone for their impartiality and calmness. The actual role of the moderator is to run the town meeting once a year (which has been contentious at times!) and also to make appointments to boards – an under appreciated responsibility. Both of these rely on reputation and relationship.

Over the few years I’ve been watching Stoneham town politics from the sidelines, I’ve seen passion and a willingness to invest time and energy from both candidates. But neither has struck me as a consensus builder.

My conversation with Jeanne (here) helped me understand her much better as a person. Her passion really came through. But I’ve seen a darker side of that passion on some of her interactions on town Facebook pages where her feelings were understandably hurt and she responded by removing people from the group. I get the hurt feelings, but that response doesn’t lead to that more civil society she spoke to. (FYI – in my humble opinion the amount of political decisions in this town which are made on Facebook is rather astonishing.)

I’m honestly really on the fence about this. Larry’s comparative lack of participation with social media does not necessarily mean he’s been more of a bridge builder – especially not if that’s where the engagement in our town is. There have been some times where it’s been hard to understand some of his moderation choices, such as when he had a DPW worker escorted out of a town meeting I attended. He’s generally run the meetings well, but there have been a few times when I wondered if the decisions were fully equitable, such as when the balcony wasn’t counted.

Both have been dedicated public servants in various roles. Both have experience and aptitude. I think either would do well in the role, but in this case I’m opting for the candidate with more experience in this particular role.

I’m finding my part to play in town to be a challenging one. I want to be engaged and well informed, but it’s remarkably difficult to gauge the effectiveness of a candidate even when you talk 1:1 with them. I had a particularly busy few months (as you can tell by the dropoff in blogging!) which made it difficult for me to be completely thorough.

So… share your ballot in the comments, along with your reasons for picking the candidates you’re passionate about! I’d love to learn more from your perspectives!

This is what democracy looks like

Like 175,000 other people, I spent much of my Saturday in the middle of Boston, cheek to jowl with other people, wearing a pink hat and holding a sign.

It was an incredible experience for me. I’ve never marched in a protest before. I dislike crowds, and I don’t seek danger. I think that everyone who read through the advice before the march had to think seriously about whether this was safe. It was full of things like Don’t wear makeup, since it traps tear gas and Write your lawyer’s name on your arm in sharpie. I took the precaution of marching with a lawyer, and went anyway.

I never made it in to the Common - we hung out at the starting line — I never made it in to the Common – we hung out at the starting line

My first experience with marching included a lot of standing and not-quite-hearing what the speakers were saying. I guess that somehow they didn’t expect 175k people to turn out, and didn’t have the sound system extending that far. Fair enough. But it also included being surrounded by a panoply of different people. Latinxs, grandmas, veterans, construction workers, middle-aged mamas, kiddos, teen boys climbing trees. It seemed like every walk of life was there, every age, every color. And it seemed like all of them were cheerful, determined and patient. And wearing ridiculous pink hats. (Even the construction workers!) The unions were in force, as the volunteers who helped people figure out where to go and how to move. People moved slowly be necessity, and took in the signs, t-shirts, posters and aprons of their fellow-marchers.

I kept trying to take VR photos to show the magnitude of the crowd

As we walked (at a snail’s pace!) along the march route, the bystanders would often kick us off into a call. We’d walk in and out of the chant. One of the persistent ones was a call-and-response:

Call: Show me what democracy looks like!
Reponse: This is what democracy looks like.

It was an emotional and powerful affirmation to realize that yes. This is what a democracy looks like. I savored it. (And for the record, the Boston Police agree that it was an astonishingly peaceful event.

I ran into two folks I knew in the course of the march (which – I probably knew 80 people there in total, based on my friends checking in on Facebook!). Both of them were people I’d met in the church. One was Pastor Rob Mark from a fellow Presbyterian Church. Two were folks I’d gone to church with for years – whose daughter had been in my confirmation class. We caught up and chatted as we walked. My signs – my reason for marching – were very much rooted in my faith. One of the scriptures I find most meaningful is Matthew 25:31-46 – a quick summary of which is here:

Matthew 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I realized as I walked though that very few of the signs I saw had a scripture on them. The church on the corner played the great hymns of the civil rights movement (We Shall Overcome!). My friends showed their faith. But the word pussy outnumbered the word Jesus by many multiples. And that showed me where we’re falling down, friends. I don’t mind the pussy-posters at all. But I’m saddened that Christians were not very visible to point out that the call to help the poor and welcome immigrants comes at Jesus’ own command.

Teen Vogue, the new voice of responsible journalism in America (I’m not even kidding!), ran a thoughtful piece on how one of the civic changes we’ve experienced over the last generation is a decrease in participation in non-governmental democratic organizations. People aren’t practicing democracy on the small, local scale like they used to. They aren’t running for office in the Elk’s Club, taking leadership roles in the Masons or signing up with the Kiwanas on the same scale they did in prior generations. When’s the last time you voted on something – a real binding vote – that wasn’t governmental?

Well, the last time I did was today. It was the day of my Presbyterian Church’s annual meeting. We convened with Robert’s Rules of Order as our (generally) guiding principal. We made motions and didn’t argue about them until there was a second. We elected officials to represent not our own will, but the will of God as they see it. We read through our budget line by line, asked detailed questions, and got answers. We practiced our democratic skills.

It was a very democratic weekend, and an inspirational one. There is still so much to be done. There are people who have great fear right now: the dark skinned, the immigrant/stranger, the sick, those in prison, the hungry, the poor. But this Sunday I stand in hope that we will come together and protect and serve God through serving his needy people. So let’s turn the energy of this march into the deep-rooted and faithful work that needs to be done.