Letter: Marsie West for Selectman

Dear Editor,

I am running for election to the Reading Board of Selectmen. As a resident for two decades, I have served in Town government for the past 10 years. As Selectman, I will leverage my experience on FinCom, RMLD’s Board of Commissioners and Town Meeting to seize the opportunities and tackle the challenges that lie before our community.

I will bring to the Board of Selectmen:

• A keen understanding of the Town’s budget
• Strategic planning skills and experience
• Operational process expertise
• Knowledge of the community and a desire to balance the needs of all residents
• A willingness to listen to different viewpoints to arrive at unbiased decisions benefiting the entire community

I have consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to open, efficient government in community service by: 

• Implementing FinCom Brainstorming sessions to generate revenue and expense ideas
• Championing RMLD’s sustainable energy policy and the sale of renewable energy certificates resulting in almost $1 million being returned to ratepayers
• Supporting the elimination of 4 RMLD subcommittees that caused duplicate staff effort
• Streamlining the RMLD budget process with improved materials and budget meetings combined with the Citizens Advisory Board for increased efficiency

As Reading transitions to the new Town Manager, Bob LeLacheur, it is an ideal time to reassess our community and establish a strategic plan to support our priorities.  We need to look closely at town policies and government structures to ensure they help us achieve our goals. There are also real challenges ahead with an increasing school population that utilizes a large portion of our budget while state and federal revenues dwindle. We must work to create a more friendly business environment to encourage commercial development.

My professional skills and volunteer experience make me uniquely qualified for the Board of Selectmen at this point in time and I will work hard to help make our community the best it can be. 

I ask that you vote for me for Selectman on April 2nd. 

Marsie West, Precinct 4