Sudbury 2023 Candidate Profile: Planning Board Candidates

SUDBURY, MA — Sudbury's spring town election will happen Monday, and Sudbury Patch has reached out to candidates running in contested races to answer questions about why they're running.

This year, the races for select board, planning board and Goodnow Library board are the only contested races — although there are plenty of other candidates on the ballot running in uncontested races.

In the planning board race, Sudbury Patch sent candidates Julie Perlman and John Riordan a set of questions asking for their age, occupation and relevant experience. We also asked them to answer the following specific questions:

• Why are you running for a seat on the planning board?
• What role do you think the planning board plays in reshaping Route 20?
• What are your thoughts on affordable housing? It's in short supply in Sudbury and across the state, so what should be done about that?
• If you could change any zoning regulations in Sudbury, what would you change and why?

Riordan did not respond to emails. Perlman did not answer the questions, and instead sent the following statement, which she described as "a free-form approach" to the questionnaire:

"Having grown up in Acton, Sudbury is a community I know well and have been proud to call home for the last 6 years. In my career, I work in the design, construction, and real estate space both professionally and academically. Something I enjoy doing every day is responding to and representing the needs of the end users.

"The Planning Board allows me to translate this expertise into representing our community’s needs as changes are introduced and implemented. Over the past year, I’ve served as an Associate Member of the Planning Board. In this role, I have enjoyed ensuring projects coming before the Board are aligned with the community’s best interests. The impact of my contributions really hit home for me when neighbors stop me on the street to thank me for my comments during a prior Planning Board meeting.

"I know I’m one of many who find Sudbury a beautiful place to live and know there are a lot of volunteer hours that go into it. I appreciate the opportunity to take an objective and well-informed approach in continuing to serve on the Planning Board and shape our built environment."

Previous Sudbury 2023 candidate profiles:

• Sudbury 2023 Candidate Profile: Timothy Anderson, Goodnow Board
• Sudbury 2023 Candidate Profile: Radha Gargeya, Select Board
• Sudbury 2023 Candidate Profile: Elizabeth Iwasaki, Goodnow Board
• Sudbury 2023 Candidate Profile: Ingrid Mayyasi For Goodnow Board
• Sudbury 2023 Candidate Profile: Charlie Russo, Select Board