Candidate Profile: Mark Dockser, Reading Select Board

READING, MA — Mark Dockser is the only Select Board member up for re-election in the 2022 Town Election on April 5. Voters will be asked to vote for two candidates for Select Board, as current member Anne Landry is not seeking re-election.

Nancy Tawadros and Jackie McCarthy are also running this year. Reading Patch asked Select Board candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

Dockser has served on the Select Board since 2019. He previously served on the Finance Committee and has been a Town Meeting member for 24 years.

Are you running for office in Reading? Contact Alex Newman at alex.newman@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Reading Patch.

Age (as of Election Day)

63

Position sought (including ward or district number if applicable)

Select Board

Family

Linda Snow Dockser (spouse).
Children: Josh, Aaron, Jennie (all 3 RMHS grads and great individuals that we are very proud of!)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Tufts University, BA Economics. Stanford University Graduate School of Business, MBA.

Occupation

Professor, Advisor, Consultant, Mentor

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Reading Select Board (2019-Current), Reading Finance Committee (2010-2019), Town Meeting Member-- past 24 years

Campaign website

electmarkdockser.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I love Reading! I believe that I have made a positive difference for the Town of Reading ever since moving here 25 years ago. My service through coaching sports, volunteering with band and drama, serving on Town Meeting, the Finance Committee, and most recently the Select Board, has been and continues to be an important part of my life--I enjoy giving back to the community.

In my 3 years of service on the Select Board, I have found the experience to be enjoyable, challenging and fulfilling. And now that I better understand how to work successfully as a board member, I want to continue to bring this knowledge together with my experience, leadership and management skills for the good of the town.

I bring a Pro-Reading approach that emphasizes working together as neighbors and as a community to accomplish our goals. Though the political climate nationally and locally is contentious, I work hard to bring people together and come to the best solutions that best meet the committee's needs and goals. I am driven by needs, results and pragmatism--not politics.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The most pressing issue facing the Town is accomplishing our priorities while being respectful of taxpayer funds and listening to and respecting differing opinions. I want Reading to be an even more welcoming place for residents, visitors and businesses and a "go to" destination to live, work and shop. Working together with our new town manager, I see us able to make substantial progress, and continue to get better and better.

We have the opportunity to focus on our priorities by working together as neighbors, bringing the community the services it wants, needs and deserves with parks, fields, and services and facilities that best serve our children, seniors and all those in between. We need to make these priorities happen by focusing our time, effort and funds on them.

I am passionate about better serving the needs of our 60+ year old community members through better services and facilities...perhaps as a new and improved senior center and perhaps in the form of a multi-generational center that could meet the needs of most residents of the town! I want to share ideas with the community on how to do this, get their feedback and then their support to make this happen. Stay tuned as surveys and opportunities for input are coming soon!

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I bring 24 years of town service as a Town Meeting Member, 9 years as a member of the Finance Committee and now 3 years as a member of the Select Board. I make the time to prioritize service to the community and I offer my heart and soul in doing it!

I am a proven, solid, leader, listener and doer who make things happen. Covid was certainly a test, and I believe that I did a very good job keeping things on course. I work closely with our tremendous town volunteers, staff and this great community. We need leaders with experience and ability to bring us together rather than further splitting us apart. I am a leader who has proven to be able to do that...and I want to do it again!

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I have 3 core priorities in serving the community:
1. Act as a COMPASS for what we do as a town and how we do it, with balance, civility, kindness and pragmatism.
2. Advance Reading's ECONOMIC STABILITY in a manner that respects our residents and supports our businesses.
3. Be an advocate for a new SENIOR/MULTI-GENERATIONAL CENTER to ensure that it on equal footing with other major projects in town--school, community space, keeping our infrastructure up to date and safe.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

o As a current member of the Select Board, I have brought my PRO-READING viewpoint to the table using my analytical, community building and pragmatic skills to lead, provide stability and drive progress. I do my homework and share my viewpoints and concerns while still being able to listen to others and work together with them to move ahead. We may not always agree, but I pride myself on being able to listen and discuss rationally, calmly and hopefully productively.

o I served as Chair of the Board through the bulk of the pandemic, helping to keep the town safe, financially stable, and focused on working together as neighbors.

o I have over 20 years of town service and a constant desire to do better while living within our constraints. We hired a great town manger and working with him, we will move Reading ahead.

o As an entrepreneur, I have worked hard for what I believe in and making things happen. I bring this passion to my work for the town.

o Recent accomplishments on the Select Board:
- Renewed agreement with RMLD for continuation of annual payment to Reading
- Hired new town manager
-Purchased land adjacent to Town Forest for resident access
-Worked with staff to form ReCalc to understand priorities of the age 60+ community and develop plan for facilities to meet those needs.
-Supported success of local businesses with programs, Covid fee waivers
-Supported neighborhood residents to secure new water tower plan
- Supported local residents to achieve best outcome for Middlesex Ave care facility

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Be true to yourself and do the right thing

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I believe in people and what we can accomplish when we work together on what unites us rather than what divides us. I believe in discussion, which means that we listen as well as speak. This community cares about its residents young and old. It wants to be welcoming to all and a great place to live, work and shop. I want to continue to lead us forward to make this happen!

I ask for your vote on April 5th to re-elect me to the Select Board.

Please VOTE on APRIL 5th and ask your friends and neighbors to VOTE as well.