Candidate Statement: (David) Gordon Cliff Is Running for Board of Selectmen

The candidate statement below was submitted by Wayland Board of Selectmen candidate (David) Gordon Cliff. His website is www.keepwaylandstrong.com and his Facebook page is at Facebook.com/VoteCliff4WaylandSelectman

I am running for a position on the Board of Selectmen because I want to make sure Wayland retains the attractive elements most of us hold dear: premier schools, a strong commitment to public safety and health, open spaces, conservation, recreation, senior services, and affordable housing. We want to be proud of our town, and confident that it will continue to attract the steady flow of new, community-minded people we need to protect and grow our property values. I want us to Keep Wayland Strong – to continue to be a community that values its constituents, its lands, and its distinctive character borne through years of hard work, dedication, and careful decision-making.

I believe I have the intellect, skills, dedication, passion and concern to serve Wayland well. In the past year I have worked as a member of our new Audit Committee and have fresh insights into town affairs. In my professional career I have spent over 25 years working with businesses as a management consultant and corporate executive, providing counsel and making tough decisions. Currently I am the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at a leading management consulting firm, where, among other things, I am responsible for scrutinizing our financials and recommending new approaches as appropriate.

To me this election will be decided on our collective perspective of where Wayland is today, and where we want it to be in the next three years and beyond. When we decided to move to this area six years ago, my wife and I looked at a number of towns. We chose Wayland because of the outstanding public schools, attractive open spaces, diversity, and because we found a house that was significantly more affordable than an equivalent house in other communities in the area we were considering.

Our whole family – my wife Beth, and daughters Lorraine (“Lori,” a 9th grader at WHS) and Helen (in 7th at WMS) – have been thrilled with our decision. We think Wayland is a wonderful community that continues to work off of strong foundations, which will enable us to take our town to even better places in the future. We’ve made major improvements – a new high school, a new community pool, and a promising Town Center, just to name a few. We’ve been fortunate to bring in a respected and experienced new Superintendent, Dr. Stein. Wayland is one of the few towns in Massachusetts whose bonds are rated Aaa by Moody’s, citing “prudent budget management” as one of the reasons for assigning us their highest possible rating.

The volunteerism, generosity, and engaging spirit of our townspeople are inspiring. Furthermore, we have conscientious, capable employees and a solid group of officials – elected, appointed, and many volunteers -- who do a good job managing the town and doing everything they can to keep it healthy and vibrant. They’ve heard residents’ concerns about transparency and are implementing changes to make our processes and information more open and accessible to all.

I’m all for doing things more efficiently. Finding ways to reduce cost is a big part of my current job, and I plan to leverage that in my role as a Selectman. And we need our leaders to be tough negotiators on our behalf when called for. However, unlike some in the town, I believe we can’t cut taxes significantly without jeopardizing the things that make Wayland so special.

Please take the time to consider the issues, get to the polls on April 2, and vote for me, David Gordon Cliff. Let’s Keep Wayland Strong.

Check out coverage of Wayland's 2013 Town Election, including all the Letters to the Editor, on our topic page, Wayland Town Election 2013.