Letter to the Editor: Sherborn Selectmen George Pucci Not Seeking Reelection

My experience on the board has been overwhelmingly positive.  We are making a great deal of progress.

In the three years I have served on the board, we hired a new police chief, Rick Thompson, who has led us to having the most professional and capable police force in any town in the Commonwealth.  We also hired a new CM&D director, Ed Wagner, who has done a great job leading his department, and implemented innovative ideas, such as the prison work release program which has done wonders cleaning up our heavily travelled public ways where road side trash has been a long standing problem.

We are also working toward a positive and sustainable future for our very capable fire department, whose efforts and commitment to all of our safety is very much appreciated.

We protected the Town's right to have municipal representation from Sherborn on the school contract negotiating team and achieved a very favorable contract, on much more sustainable economic terms, including the teachers' agreement to move to the rate saver's health insurance plan.

We also formed an energy committee which, along with Town Planner Gino Carlucci, achieved Green Community status for Sherborn, along with a sizable 6 figure state grant, with many more opportunities to come.

Working closely with the Sherborn Advisory Committee, we are also on the path to another non-override operating budget, an achievement for which we can all be proud.  We are also now vigorously pursuing governmental "best practices" as recommended by the Collins Institute and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, including implementation of a strong town administrator position and streamlined internal financial operations, and the board has also worked hard to achieve a collegial and productive working relationship at our public meetings, which will serve us well as a customary practice going forward.  We have also resolved longstanding costly litigation, and have been leading a public discussion as to whether we could benefit from more pragmatic and productive land use policies and permitting decisions and the hopeful achievement of smart growth development and/or public private partnerships to try to ease the residential real estate tax burden.

It has been an honor and a privilege serving the Town of Sherborn as a selectman.  Let's keep moving onward and upward.  We are all very lucky to live in such a wonderful community.

Thanks,

George Pucci