LETTER: 'I Believe Yvonne Spicer Is Clearly The Best Choice'

FRAMINGHAM, MA—The following was submitted by Adam Blumer. Get in on the conversation? Send letters to the editor to charlene.arsenault@patch.com.

As a Charter Commissioner, I supported the change to a city form of government, and so far, I’ve been pleased by all the new activity, from league of Women Voters to neighborhood forums where issues are explored. New ideas are coming, and it is it is great to see the variety of people running for mayor and council! The choice of mayor is the most important one we will make, and I believe Yvonne Spicer is clearly the best choice for Framingham for the following reasons:

1. She is a unifier: Framingham just emerged from a Charter vote that strongly divided the community. I believe Yvonne can heal those divisions with her transparent, collaborative approach and her willingness to listen respectfully. That’s what we need to bring us together.

2. She is independent: Yvonne is a new voice and has no debts to special interests. I can see from how she has run her campaign and built support that she is an independent, qualified leader who has Framingham’s best interests in mind.

3. She has the most executive experience of any candidate: She’s the only candidate who has experience managing people and budgets and delivering on business plans. She is a sought after leader on the State level and in the global STEM community.

4. She will carefully balance neighborhood interests with development: She’ll build new relationships and approach initiatives based on what’s best for Framingham. In her platform she outlined a plan to create a centralized division for economic development and planning to foster greater collaboration.

5: She is passionate about education: She has spent much of her life in education and the last decade building partnerships around the world in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). As Mayor she will have a seat on the school committee. With her in that seat we’ll see the best collaboration there has ever been between municipal operations and the school department.

6. She will set important examples for future Mayors to follow: We have given our Mayor a great deal of power, and it is critical that the first Mayor use it well. I’m impressed with Yvonne’s values and her early actions. She committed in writing to banning councilors from also serving on the Planning and Zoning Boards so that power can be spread more widely across the community, and published her campaign finances early for the public to see.

Please join me and vote for Yvonne Spicer on Nov 7.

Adam Blumer

Former Charter Commissioner and School Committee Member