Vision for Winchester

Winchester faces a challenging financial reality and we will need both carefully considered efficiencies and new revenue to sustainably fund the Town and Winchester Public Schools. Any plan will require careful craftsmanship to align on a package that works for all and that balances four aims: 

• Investing in town services, both municipal and schools 

• Tackling our substantial unmet capital needs

• Pursuing a revenue and cost savings package that minimizes to the extent possible the burden on taxpayers 

• Preserving our town’s fiscal strength, including our stellar credit ratings

• In 2023, the Capital Planning Committee called the outlook for the Town’s infrastructure “disturbing,” noting: “For years, this committee has been warning Town Meeting and assorted Boards and Committees of the mountain of unfunded capital projects that were being deferred or that were fast approaching. This year, it is no longer possible to look past that reality.”

• While Winchester has started to address its backlog of capital projects, most notably within WPS and with its recent adoption of the Community Preservation Act, the capital funding situation remains dire across Town. Recent analysis suggests we should be investing $21m annually to maintain our assets in good condition, compared to $7m that we are actually investing. 

• Winchester has started to make progress on developing housing, which is critical to managing the affordability crisis that grips Winchester and most of Greater Boston. Thoughtfully increasing our housing stock and the diversity of our housing options will help meet the needs of all of our residents.
  
  
• Recent developments have moved our affordable housing share (SHI) from ~2% to ~5%, which has brought us closer to the 10% target set by the state. I support projects like the proposal on Cross Street that fit well into the character of their neighborhoods, and will work to help craft holistic solutions to projects such as Washington & Swanton.

• Winchester is a wonderful place to live and a big part of that is our small businesses, grouped mostly in the Town Center. We have seen renewed growth and interest in 2024, with the opening of several new restaurants within a short timeframe.

• At the same time, Winchester has a comparatively small amount of commercial real estate which leads to a greater burden on homeowners; as such, I would focus on initiatives to grow and expand our small businesses. 

• As a former Massachusetts Sierra Club board member, I strongly support Winchester’s wide range of sustainability initiatives. 
  
  
• I support the Town’s Climate Action Plan, including initiatives to both reduce emissions and adopt measures aimed at resiliency, and I believe the addition of a full-time sustainability director has been a terrific step forward for the Town.