Natick Report

More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

Letter to the editor: in support of Rich Sidney for Select Board

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To the editor:

We write as former, and soon to be former members of the Natick Select Board to urge voters to re-elect Rich Sidney on March 28, 2023. We also bring the perspective of combined decades of experience on the Board; we have worked with Rich as community volunteers and leaders, and we have all come to know him as a person. With all of his experience, Rich has clearly earned re-election to a full three-year term.

It is very heartening to see increased interest and energy in serving in town government. We need more people to step up and apply their skills and energy in public service. Change on the Board is good, and it’s important to have new voices and perspectives. But at a time when we have seen a departure of members with significant institutional knowledge, Rich’s experience is even more valuable, and his insights are important to retain.

Rich is a very dedicated volunteer. In addition to serving on the Board since September 2022, Rich has served in Town Meeting, on the Finance Committee and its various subcommittees, and on committees dealing with Town Meeting, our charter and bylaws, voting precincts, and more.

Rich’s breadth of knowledge of local government; his curiosity, insight, candor and sense of justice; and his understanding of how town government works (and why it sometimes doesn’t work as well as it should) are not only assets for Rich as a candidate.  These assets combined with his extensive experience are valuable on the Board, and benefit our entire community. For all of these reasons and more, we all support re-election of Rich Sidney to the Natick Select Board.

Thank you for considering this recommendation and thank you for voting on or before March 28.

Editor’s note: the signatories are all Natick residents, with the exception of Erica Ball and Jay Ball, who are former Natick residents.

Carol Gloff
Mike Hickey
Jonathan Freedman
Amy Mistrot
Erica Ball
Charlie Hughes
Jay Ball
Joshua Ostroff
Rick Jennett

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Letter to the editor: A candidate who “can be trusted to make good, sound decisions

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To the editor:

I’m pleased to support Matt Brand for Natick School Committee. Matt’s thoughtful and experienced. He’s easy-going, with a good sense of humor. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, but he takes his work as a Town leader seriously. I know because I’ve worked with Matt in his elected and appointed roles. He does his homework, comes prepared, listens to all viewpoints, and asks good questions before making a decision. Matt collaborates, pulls his weight, and adds value to any team. He cares for the Town of Natick, and understands the importance of a strong public school system. The School Committee will have some big decisions to make in the next few years. I’m voting for Matt because he can be trusted to make good, sound decisions. I hope my Natick friends will join me in supporting Matt Brand on March 28th.

Michael Hickey
Natick resident

Letter to the editor: in support of Matt Brand for School Committee

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To the editor:

On March 28th we have another important town election in Natick. I am writing to encourage you to vote for Matt Brand for one of the two open School Committee seats. Our town and our schools have some pretty big challenges ahead and I believe it’s important to elect someone with the skills and temperament necessary to navigate these challenges but who also has experience doing it before. Matt has the skills and the experience.

I met Matt in 2014 when we were trying to get the Natick Dog Park built. He was a strong advocate and reasonable voice in a long journey that involved lots of meetings at Town Hall, helping us at FIDO of Natick figure out a social media and communications strategy, the naming of the park, and finally when we were able to open Eddie’s Park, one of Natick’s best community resources.

He has been involved in Town Government ever since (I think it is sort of my fault). If you’ve ever had a conversation with him you know that he’s a genuine person who cares deeply about this community. He and his wife are raising their teenage daughters in Natick and while it’s clear his family is his priority in his personal life, when it comes to his town government experience his focus is on the big picture. While he has strong opinions and ideas for how to improve the efficiency of our government, he never holds on to them so tightly that it impedes progress.

Through all those years and meetings, I’ve gotten to know Matt pretty well. He’s a reasonable person who is great to work with. Matt listens to ideas from other people, works hard to make sure people feel included, and communicates well (and directly). He’d probably be upset if I didn’t mention that he recently recorded an episode of my podcast with Kim Condon, “it is RUFF out there,” and that episode has been our most popular so far.

I don’t have any kids in the Natick Public Schools, but as a resident of this town I do think it’s important to elect people who are fiscally aware of the impact that the NPS budget has on the whole town. I see great value in our schools and want that to continue. The NPS is the largest part of our budget but it’s still just a part of the whole. Matt has always shown an interest in making sure people understand that the schools don’t exist in a financial bubble that is separate from the town. The NPS budget has an effect on the rest of the town budgets so being aware of those impacts is really important to me.

In this election, we each get 2 votes for School Committee. I’m proud to be giving one of mine to Matt Brand and I am hoping you will too.

Sincerely

Kelly McPherson
Natick resident

Friday is letters-to-the-editor day in Natick

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Natick Report accepts letters to the editor. Letters must be of general local community interest and must be signed. Community shout-outs are also accepted and encouraged. For example, a non-profit may thank an organization for a donation received. In addition, political candidates may announce that they are running for office; voters may write about their support for a candidate or issues facing the town; and other election-related letters are encouraged.

The next deadline to submit a letter to the editor is Wednesday, Feb. 22, noon.

Please review detailed guidelines for letters to the editor here.