The Town of Natick depends on the active participation of its citizens in governance of the Town. Natick voters on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 will cast their ballots for candidates running for Select Board, a contested race.

There are three candidates running for two open 3-year seats on the Select Board, which serves as the chief executive board of the Town and, as such, is vested with all the municipal authority not specifically retained by the Town’s legislative body, Town Meeting.

The Select Board candidates in ballot order are Kathryn Coughlin, Bruce Evans, and Cody Jacobs.

Natick Report invited the candidates to answer a few questions about their qualifications and priorities for the Town of Natick. Below is Cody Jacobs’ Q&A.

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Natick Report: Please introduce yourself to Natick Report‘s readers.

Cody Jacobs: My name is Cody Jacobs and my pronouns are he/him. I live in West Natick with my wife Kristen and our two kids–Evann and Ailey. Evann is a first grader at Brown Elementary School, and Ailey is four years old. I’m a lecturer at BU Law School, where I teach Lawyering Skills to first-year law students.

I’m a progressive activist who gets things done. Prior to entering academia, I worked as an attorney for the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence (now part of Giffords), where I helped state and local governments pass strong gun safety laws. That work involved engaging with stakeholders both inside and outside of government to reach agreement on these difficult policy questions. My career as an attorney also included representing immigrants in detention and low-income veterans facing eviction.

Here in Natick, I’m a Town Meeting Member, a member of the Transportation Advisory Committee, and a member of the Brown School Council. In those roles, I’ve advocated for things like raising the minimum wage for town employees, lower speed limits, and equitable education. I’m running for Select Board because I want Natick to be a progressive leader on the most important issues of our time.

NR: If elected, what do you hope to accomplish in your 3-year tenure as a Select Board member?

Cody Jacobs: My three priorities are affordability, equity, and climate action.

Starting with affordability, I support shifting the tax burden from working families to commercial landlords with a split tax rate. Natick is an outlier among similar communities in that it still charges the same tax rate for residential and commercial landowners. This regressive system means that working families must pay the same tax rate as McDonalds, Home Depot, and the Natick Mall.

Most other similar communities have long ago recognized this is inequitable and have switched to a split tax rate that charges a higher rate for commercial property and a lower rate for residential property (the municipality still brings in the same total amount of money). This will provide critical tax relief at a time when Natick is on the verge of putting an operational override on the ballot. Supporters of the current system say that a split tax rate will hurt business growth, but the data does not support that assumption, and you can read more about it here.

Other affordability measures I support:

• Adopting a means-tested property tax exemption for seniors.
• Increasing low-income and mixed-income housing stock, including through the adoption of the Community Preservation Act in Natick.
• Increasing housing supply through denser development and mixed-use development in areas near transit to encourage walkability and stimulate business growth.

On equity, I support continuing to implement the recommendations of Natick’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force, including creating a permanent DEI committee and hiring a chief diversity officer. I will also advocate for:

• Adopting a sanctuary policy for Natick to codify existing Natick Police Department practices that protect our immigrant communities.
• Filing a home rule petition to extend voting rights in local elections to non-citizen residents.
• Removing racist symbolism from our government.

Finally, on climate, I support increasing the percentage of renewable energy in our residential municipal energy aggregation as quickly as possible to reach 100% renewable as the default option for all residents. I also support moving towards 100% renewable energy for the town’s own electrical contract.

NR: Natick through the Town Governance Study Committee is taking a look at how the town is governed. What changes in town government do you think would benefit Natick?

Cody Jacobs:  I strongly support the Select Board’s decision to create this study committee–we are long overdue for a fresh look at our government structure. As a member of the Select Board, I would hear the results of the committee’s work with an open mind. That said, here is my current perspective on it:

I think we must center equity in the conversation around government reform. Our current government structure strongly favors those who have the privilege to volunteer hours and hours of their time for positions like Town Meeting. Although it is an elected position on paper, Town Meeting is functionally a volunteer position because so few people run and the elections are rarely contested. With this system of government, it is very difficult for a typical voter to use their vote to hold the government accountable and express their policy preferences.

At the same time, I also think our current structure puts Natick at a disadvantage in trying to be competitive with other municipalities in attracting business development to our town. When a business coming here is contingent on an adjustment to a by-law that may or may not get through Town Meeting (which may not be happening for months), Natick is at risk of losing out to other communities with more nimble systems.

The upshot of all this could be that Natick should move to a mayor/council system of government, but there is a continuum of less drastic changes we could adopt that would still be helpful including reducing the size of Town Meeting or moving to a Town Manager system. As I said, I’ll be open to hearing what that committee recommends, but I definitely don’t think the status quo is working.

NR: Is there anything else you’d like to say that the above questions did not cover?

Cody Jacobs: I  have knocked on over 900 doors since I launched this campaign. I’ve learned a lot from those conversations, but most of all that this is a wonderful caring community. I’ve had conversations with seniors who have no kids in our system but still want to make sure we support our schools; with families living in large beautiful homes whose first concern is that we don’t have enough low-income housing; and with business owners who understand that paying their fair share in taxes helps everyone prosper.

I want our government to reflect these values and, if I’m elected, I’ll fight to make sure it does.

NR: How should voters reach you if they want more information?

Cody Jacobs: Check out my website codyfornatick.com. Also, feel free to email me directly at codyfornatick@gmail.com

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Candidate interviews that have run on Natick Report.

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The Town of Natick depends on the active participation of its citizens in governance of the Town. Natick voters on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 will cast their ballots for candidates running for Select Board, a contested race.

There are three candidates running for two open 3-year seats on the Select Board, which serves as the chief executive board of the Town and, as such, is vested with all the municipal authority not specifically retained by the Town’s legislative body, Town Meeting.

The Select Board candidates in ballot order are Kathryn Coughlin, Bruce Evans, and Cody Jacobs.

Natick Report invited the candidates to answer a few questions about their qualifications and priorities for the Town of Natick. Below is Bruce Evans’ Q&A.

NR: Please introduce yourself to Natick Report‘s readers.

Bruce Evans: Natick is a remarkable town with challenges that call for proven leadership. That’s why I’m running for a seat on the Select Board: to make Natick the best community it can be.

I was raised by parents who were community volunteers, and I’ve followed that path since moving to Natick with my wife Terri in 1995. In over a decade on the Natick Finance Committee (FinCom), I’ve reviewed Town budgets and all matters brought to Town Meeting. As Education Subcommittee Chair, I bridged the gap between school and town budgets. As Fincom Secretary, I’ve co-produced the Town Meeting Recommendation Book and have been a Town Meeting member for 11 years. I’m a long-time youth baseball and basketball coach, and a regular volunteer at TCAN, the Morse Institute Library, and the PanMass Challenge. In 2015, Terri and I were honored to receive the Natick Education Foundation’s Harriet F. Siegel Shining Light Award for “sustained volunteer contributions that have increased the quality of life in Natick.”

Between FinCom and Town Meeting, I’ve acquired a depth of knowledge about Natick’s structure, resources, constraints, and capabilities. Now I’m ready to utilize this expertise by serving the town on the Select Board.

NR: If elected, what do you hope to accomplish in your 3-year tenure as a Select Board member?

Bruce Evans: My priority areas are fiscal sustainability; affordability; smart economic development; transparency in town government; environmental sustainability; diversity, equity and inclusion; and the delivery of excellent town services. If we are to make progress on the issues facing Natick going forward, we must start by addressing the budget deficit. If elected, I’ll work collaboratively to tackle a projected FY24 funding shortfall and a likely override in order to make informed decisions that balance short- and long-term needs. We must also plan for major capital costs such as a possible replacement Memorial School. Financial stability ties directly to other priorities, including improving the quality of town services and town roads.

I plan to make progress on governance and diversity, equity, and inclusion in town government. That means understanding barriers to participation and increasing engagement at Town Meeting, on boards and committees, and as individual participants. I want to solidify our commitment to smart economic development, recognizing that a thriving commercial sector is vital to a financially healthy community. I will take forward the goals set out in the NetZero 2050 (carbon-neutral) plan, not only for municipal buildings and services, but in partnership with residents and businesses.

NR: Natick through the Town Governance Study Committee is taking a look at how the town is governed. What changes in town government do you think would benefit Natick?

Bruce Evans: Natick’s Charter and Bylaws were developed in the 1970s. Though they have been altered since, they don’t reflect the accelerated pace of life today and the pressures of competing priorities.

It’s time to reexamine how we conduct Town Meeting, including how we use a “hybrid” in-person and online model. Today, we struggle to have a full complement of 180 members. When Town Meeting met virtually during COVID, we saw increased participation by members under 50, especially those with young families. We may also want to consider reducing the number of Town Meeting members to reflect typical turnout. The Town Meeting model can make it difficult for Natick to respond nimbly to business opportunities, as we’ve seen on more than one occasion.

I expect the Town Governance Committee to provide a range of options, drawing from the experiences of other communities. Should it recommend the creation of a Charter Commission, I would support doing so.

We’re making some changes now. Last year I helped broker an agreement on the floor of Town Meeting to shift the Town budget due date from January 1 to February 1, giving the Town Administrator more time to get key information needed to prepare a solid budget.

NR: Is there anything else you’d like to say that the above questions did not cover?

Bruce Evans: I’d like to talk about affordability. I’ll work to keep taxes from driving residents away and seek strategies to increase diversity in housing options. Even when the tax rate went down this year, rising property values meant higher tax bills, making it difficult for seniors and others on limited incomes to remain in Natick. For seniors, there are tax deferral and tax work-off programs, but we need to improve communication about them and offer assistance in applying for them. The Town should also investigate the feasibility of a means-tested property tax exemption.

Finally, I support the Community Preservation Act (CPA), which has been adopted by more than half of Massachusetts cities and towns, including most of our neighbors. Natick property owners today already pay into the state CPA Trust Fund through a statewide surcharge on all real estate transactions at the Registry of Deeds but receive no benefit.

The current proposal coming up at Town Meeting would add a 1% surcharge to tax bills, an annual average of $70 per household. Voting to adopt the CPA can generate funds to support a number of our shared priorities, including securing open space, preserving historic buildings, and creating affordable housing.

NR: How should voters reach you if they want more information?

Bruce Evans: For more information on my background and priorities, I’d like to invite voters to visit www.brucefornatick.org . I can be reached at brucefornatick@gmail.com or 978-996-4023.

I ask for your vote on March 29. Thank you.

The Town of Natick depends on the active participation of its citizens in governance of the Town. Natick voters on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 will cast their ballots for candidates running for Select Board, a contested race.

There are three candidates running for two open 3-year seats on the Select Board, which serves as the chief executive board of the Town and, as such, is vested with all the municipal authority not specifically retained by the Town’s legislative body, Town Meeting.

The Select Board candidates in ballot order are Kathryn Coughlin, Bruce Evans, and Cody Jacobs.

Natick Report invited the candidates to answer a few questions about their qualifications and priorities for the Town of Natick. Below is Kathryn Coughlin’s Q&A.

Kathryn Coughlin, Select Board candidate

Natick Report: Please introduce yourself to Natick Report‘s readers.

Kathryn Coughlin: My husband and I moved to Natick from Washington, D.C., where I was working on a doctoral degree in Islamic History at Georgetown University, specializing in comparative law and gender. I hold a BA in History from Berea College and a MA in History from Georgetown University. My mother-in-law, Dr. Shipra De, joined us and our two dogs, Muddy and Truman, from Kolkata in 2019. I worked in academic administration at Harvard for ten years and then in 2017, I purchased Sherborn Wine & Spirits, which I owned until last May. I have served Natick as an appointed member of the Natick Zoning Board of Appeals and an elected Town Meeting Member. I think that my demonstrated experience in town governance, my small business experience, and my years of research will serve me well on the Select Board. I love Natick, and I hope to earn your vote so I can begin work on behalf of you and our neighbors in town. I humbly ask for your vote on March 29, 2022.

NR: If elected, what do you hope to accomplish in your 3-year tenure as a Select Board member?

Kathryn Coughlin: If elected, I want to contribute to the town governance committee and continue the work of the Select Board in developing a fiscally sustainable budget. The town faces a number of post-pandemic challenges both on the revenue and expense side and, it will take dedicated collaboration with a focus on creative solutions to ensure that we emerge strong and financially sound. I look forward to working with the new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer in bringing new voices to town governance, reaching out to traditionally marginalized communities here in town. Should the Community Preservation Act be approved by the voters, I would like to aggressively seek to expand our affordable housing options for all sizes of families, so that our police officers and DPW workers can live in the town that they serve. I’d like to work on expanding our commercial tax base, especially in the downtown mixed-use zone. When our businesses, especially restaurants and hotels succeed, tax revenue rises and reduces the tax burden on our residents. And I would like to work with EcoNatick, the town’s Sustainability Coordinator and other interested stakeholders to move Natick to 100% renewable energy by 2030 in the home and municipal energy aggregation programs.

NR: Natick through the Town Governance Study Committee is taking a look at how the town is governed. What changes in town government do you think would benefit Natick?

Kathryn Coughlin: I think that the representative town meeting as a form of governance should be reviewed. We rarely have contested races or full slates of candidates running for town meeting; and some members are chronic absentees. The most oft-heard complaint is that town meeting takes too long; many other peer towns are able to complete business in two nights. Natick’s annual town meeting can run several weeks and is usually three hours long each night. We need to look for efficiencies and possible town meeting rules and practices reform to ensure that we have an engaged electorate. I would not want to prejudge the outcome of the town governance committee’s findings in asserting a charter change review.

NR: Is there anything else you’d like to say that the above questions did not cover?

Kathryn Coughlin: The single most important issue facing Natick is the town’s fiscal sustainability. Without ensuring that, we cannot make progress on the other serious issues facing us: sustainability and the environment; capital planning; economic and commercial development; helping our town’s elderly to age in place; expanding our affordable housing stock; addressing social and economic inequities. Before committing to an operational tax override, I will examine all of the available data, ask the hard questions and work with our town administrator and school superintendent to ensure that they have the resources they need. Supporting our commercial businesses is key: when they are successful, tax revenue like local option taxes increases. To that end, I support a single tax rate for both residents and businesses. While some other communities have split tax rates, with higher commercial rates than residential rates, they often have to lure big businesses, like MathWorks and Cognex, with Tax Incentive Financing (TIFs) and other tax reductions. This is precisely how Natick “lost” BJs to another town which promised little to no taxes for the first ten years. BJs’ corporate headquarters is moving again, lured by another TIF agreement. This means that these unpaid corporate taxes fall on the backs of the residents. I understand the economic pressures that Natick residents are facing now with rampant inflation and higher fuel prices, which is why I propose a means-tested tax exemption for the first $100,000 of assessed value for owner-occupied residences.

NR: How should voters reach you if they want more information?

Kathryn Coughlin: To get in touch, voters can visit www.kathrynfornatick.org and send me a message or send me an email at kathryn.coughlin@gmail.com

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The Town of Natick depends on the active participation of its citizens in governance of the Town. Natick voters on Tuesday, March 29 will cast their ballots for candidates running for School Committee, a contested race.

The Natick School Committee is an elected town-wide board. Among other things, it approves Natick’s school budget, appoints the Superintendent, and establishes educational goals and policies for Natick’s schools as a whole.

There are five candidates running for three open 3-year seats on the School Committee—in ballot order they are Cathi Collins, Henry Haugland, Julie McDonough, Kathleen Flathers, and Elise Gorseth.

Natick Report invited the candidates to answer a few questions about their qualifications and priorities for the Town of Natick. Below is the Q&A for Kate Elise Gorseth. This will conclude the School Committee interviews. Select Board candidate interviews will run starting tomorrow.

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Natick Report: Please introduce yourself to Natick Report‘s readers.

Elise Gorseth: I’m a proud resident of Natick, who is Mom to triplet daughters who are in middle school. I grew up in a small town in British Columbia, Canada surrounded by lumber mills and cattle ranches. After graduating from university, a job brought me to the Boston area, and I liked it here so much that I never left. Currently, I lead teams of scientists overseeing patient safety for clinical drug trials, I have a background in biochemistry, epidemiology and public health.

I’m a current Town Meeting Member and until recently was the co-chair of the Natick Special Education Parent Advisory Committee. I began to follow Natick Public school issues when my family moved here in 2014 and enrolled our daughters in the Natick Preschool. I heard concerns from other parents about elementary school crowding, budget constraints, and difficulties with special education services. My very first School Committee meeting public comment was sharing my concerns about projected kindergarten class sizes, and I’ve been a passionate follower of all these issues ever since.

NR: If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your 3-year term on School Committee?

Elise Gorseth: There are four areas I hope to work on if elected to the School Committee. Our top priority has to be addressing academic and social-emotional losses resulting from two years of disrupted learning due to the pandemic. We must ensure our teachers and administrators have the resources and support they need to do a job that is so much harder than it ever has been.

The School Committee has started working on a proposal to update or rebuild the Memorial Elementary School. I would like to see this work expand to be a conversation about what to do with all four of our aging elementary school buildings and what elementary education as a whole might look like in Natick 5, 10, 20 years from now.

I also think that there is an opportunity for the School Committee to do better with respect to both communication within the committee, and with the public at large. One area that could be addressed is rethinking how the school budget is shared with the public. As a direct reflection of our strategic plan, it should be easy to understand and to connect back to our district goals.

And finally, we need to carefully address the use of grants and other one-time funding sources to ensure that the programs we love can be sustainably funded in the years to come.

NR: As we go into our third calendar year of the pandemic, mental health issues are at the forefront of educators’ minds. How best can the school system support students’ mental health?

Elise Gorseth: This is such an important topic. I think that Natick is being very thoughtful in how they are balancing the need to ensure students are able to meet their academic potential while also being mindful of the ongoing stress and trauma caused by the pandemic. I would look to our teachers and administrators to continue to identify individual needs and to meet our students where they are both academically and with respect to their emotional stamina for learning. Our teachers are our front line workers, and we need to enable them with the support and resources that they need to thrive in our “new normal” school environment.

NR: What is the best way to manage budget shortfalls in the system and still keep current service levels?

Elise Gorseth: This is a topic that has been a source of concern for me since my family arrived in Natick and learned about the structural budget deficit. The school budget is lean, yet larger than the amount of tax appropriation available to the schools, and gaps between the two have often been addressed by the use of one-time funding sources. I think it will be necessary to go to the voters to ask for an operational override in order to fully fund both school and municipal services. Going forward, we must ensure that the need for new programs is clearly outlined in the district’s Strategic Plan so that accurate budget forecasting can be done, and we are less likely to be in a position to have to consider cutting beloved programs like theater and music due to budget shortfalls.

NR: Is there anything else you’d like to say that the above questions did not cover?

Elise Gorseth: My volunteer experience serving on Lilja School Council and as co-chair of SEPAC provided me a great deal of insight into how parts of our school system operate. During my tenure on School Council I was at the table during the development of the Profile of a Natick Graduate, and also saw first-hand how budget constraints impacted staffing and resource allocation at the elementary school level. As SEPAC co-chair I have had the privilege of making presentations to the School Committee and providing feedback on special education programs to our administration. I’m excited about the opportunity to work in close collaboration with our excellent school administrators to continue making certain that every Natick student receives the best education possible.

NR: How should voters reach you if they want more information?

Elise Gorseth: elise4natick@gmail.com and www.elise4natick.com

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Candidate interviews that have run on Natick Report.

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