Letter: Bouchard, Boschetto Possess Experience, Depth of Knowledge

Editor's Note: For a full collection of support letters for these candidates, click on their hyperlinked names at the bottom of this letter under "Related Topics."

When you review Tony Boschetto's experience and accomplishments side by side with his opponent's in their run for Board of Selectmen, there is simply no comparison. Similarly, when you compare Donna Bouchard to her opponent for School Committee, they're not even close. This is not intended as a slight against their opponents. All four candidates are very intelligent, highly accomplished, and each has demonstrated a love for Wayland and has given generously of their time as volunteers.
 
However, Tony and Donna have got something critically important that the other candidates lack -- experience and a depth of knowledge and understanding of the issues in Wayland, as well as a desire and a will to fix them. Both Tony and Donna have attended meetings regularly over the past few years, not only of the boards for which they are running, but of several other boards in town, most notably, the Finance Committee. They have developed a solid, comprehensive understanding of municipal finance, and they appreciate that ultimately, "keeping Wayland strong" is akin to rearranging the deck chairs, because as wonderful a town as Wayland is, it is not without its problems. This has been made amply clear by recent reviews and audits of the town and as outlined in the various Abrahams Reports, which can be found here: http://www.waylandtransparency.com/abrahams.php.

Tony Boschetto and Donna Bouchard alone have demonstrated the ability to find surplus tax dollars and put them to work for our benefit, without compromising services whatsoever. They have spent hundreds of hours of their time researching, analyzing, asking questions, attending scores of meetings, and proposing articles for Town Meeting. And the work they've done has positively impacted our town to the tune of millions of dollars. You can thank them for your taxes going down the last two years, and again, without impacting the schools or town services.

There is a segment of the population that seems to want to downplay the town's problems or sweep them under the rug. Some opponents have suggested that Tony and Donna are too focused on finances and that all they want to do is cut taxes by cutting services. Nothing could be further from the truth. On the contrary, because of their good work, we've been able to enhance services while lowering taxes. They're about cleaning up and streamlining what we've already got to make sure we get the biggest bang for the buck, which ultimately improves and increases services. Between them, they have six children in Wayland's schools and they are as concerned about maintaining and improving our great schools as much as any parent. Indeed, Donna's watershed moment was when the schools laid off seven teachers, only to find out that the schools carried forward $1.2 million that year. She wants accountability, not cuts.
 
Tony and Donna see the benefit of tackling the issues head on and they are not content with merely keeping Wayland strong. They are committed to making Wayland stronger. On Tuesday, April 2, I encourage you to vote for Donna Bouchard for School Committee and Tony Boschetto for Selectman and please visit their websites at www.DonnaBouchard.com and www.TonyBoschetto.com.

John Flaherty

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