Weston Town Crier, April 1, 2021
The following was submitted by Neil Diver

You may have seen Focus on Weston articles in the Town Crier describing some of the financial and leadership challenges facing our town. And if you are on one of the Weston Facebook pages, you may also have read related comments, some of them constructive, others sarcastic and/or ill-informed.

In early May, just a few weeks from now, we will elect town leaders who have the authority and responsibility to manage important aspects of our local government. And the following week, at our Annual Town Meeting, we will vote on the town and school budget, and other issues that will determine our property taxes for the next year. None of this is a black box – or at least it should not be. These are decisions for all of us to make. So, perhaps this is a good time to review some of the non-financial opportunities and challenges we face as a town.

Leadership, Vision and Planning
The town election in May is critical, as those who hold office guide our future. Elected officials have important work to do. They must develop plans supported by well-researched and effective strategies. Then they must execute, measure their work, reassess, and adjust when necessary. This level of public service is time-consuming, sometimes frustrating, but valuable and rewarding. This is necessary work because if it’s worth doing, it’s worth measuring.

As Frank Caine noted a few weeks ago, “Hope is not a strategy.” Successful organizations create plans that outline goals, actions, and accountability. He focused on the Weston Public Schools, which need to develop a comprehensive plan to ensure long-term success. He called for a plan that focuses on outcomes and lays the groundwork for creating reasonable budgets, measured success, and a competitive advantage over other towns. The same can be said for Weston as a whole, and this is the responsibility of the leaders we will be electing.

Involvement and Civil Discourse
Unlike in many past Weston elections, this year a number of Weston citizens are running for town office, in effect offering to take on responsibility for the town’s most important volunteer work. Two highly contested elections are for School Committee and Select Board. Three people are running for two seats on the School Committee, and two individuals are running for one seat on the Select Board.

It is expected that people will disagree on issues, or the best ways to address issues, but let’s remember that we are on the same team, meaning we all want the best for our town. We must be committed to civil discourse in everything we do, especially when we disagree. And just as there is disagreement in the most successful organizations, we should expect to disagree. We need to encourage and reward thoughtful new approaches and ideas, but also submit them to careful scrutiny.

This also means taking on the status quo. Public service is a call to duty, and is made more difficult and thankless when conversations turn unnecessarily ugly or when a comment results in adult bullying.

At a minimum, each of us is called to vote, to express our opinions on the leadership we want, the services and amenities we prefer, and the taxes we are willing to pay. And when we become more involved in the discussion, we are called to treat each other with respect, even – indeed especially – when we disagree.

Fact-Based Discussion and Accountability
At the same time, it is not enough to say we need to be more respectful and appreciative of everyone who volunteers their time. In the past, it was suggested that we should not criticize our town volunteers (or employees) regardless of how uninformed they are, how superficial their analysis might be, how ill-conceived their ideas are, how little time and energy they actually put into their responsibilities, or how bad the outcomes end up being. The concern was that if we criticize town volunteer work, people won’t volunteer.

Of course, the person should be respected, but the ideas, analysis and logic need to be fair game. One could argue that Weston’s financial challenges are not the result of exogenous factors, but because no one has been calling the out the bad analysis, faulty logic, and unsuccessful results. Addressing our challenges will require facts, and better analysis, insight, and logic.

We must also be able to disagree and debate without people taking it personally. We all need to take responsibility for our facts, analysis and ideas. It’s not who’s right, but what’s right.

Clear Communication
Weston is facing issues that are of great consequence to the town and its residents. Some are financial. Some will affect the value of our homes. Some will affect the quality of life in our town. Over the next month we all need to understand the platform of each candidate. What do they stand for? What problems have they identified? Specifically, what are their goals while in office? This is not a popularity contest – there is real work to be done.

Please show up on May 8th and cast your vote for the future of our town, or submit a mail-in ballot, which is available from the Town Clerk online. Then, attend the Town Meeting on Saturday, May 15, and vote for – or against – the property tax increases that are being proposed. This is not a time to rest on the comfort of the status quo – we support and need people who will successfully guide Weston over the coming years, and a spending plan and tax level that is sustainable.