Calls candidate an ethical person who ‘brings old-fashioned, non-political integrity to every vote’
Dear Fellow Residents,
The Select Board is where the broadest range of important decisions that affect Tewksbury are made. Some votes will change our town forever. Some are more tactical. But in all cases we need someone who thinks about issues clearly, does the homework to understand ramifications, and is able to articulate their rationale for decisions they make. That’s why I strongly support James F. Mackey III to be re-elected to serve another, even more productive, term on the Select Board.
James is an independent, thoughtful, hardworking, and experienced voice. As the town loses one longtime member, it’s important to retain experience where we can.
James is an outstanding representative for all of us. He is independent and agnostic in how he approaches every issue. As a fourth-generation Tewksbury resident, James understands the town’s history and character, while having a strong vision for what we can achieve together in the future. He is an unenrolled voter, who thinks and acts independently — and always in the best interests of all residents, not a select few.
Besides his well-known cybersecurity expertise, James has worked tirelessly to improve the town’s sewer and water infrastructure, as well as the operation of the DPW. He understands the gravity of the water system issues we face, a problem that will only become more expensive to fix if we wait versus spending the money necessary to make the long-term repairs that are required.
James has a keen focus on bringing in new revenue to fund ongoing improvements while not increasing your taxes any more than is absolutely necessary. For example, he proposed and has supported efforts to bring Tewksbury Hospital into Tewksbury’s water system, allowing the town to charge the Hospital for the service, bringing in new revenue while taking advantage of excess capacity and saving the Hospital the cost of operating its own water system. It is tough to create true win/win situations, but this is a win for both sides.
James drove the redesign of the new, badly needed, DPW facility. In doing so, he saved taxpayers millions of dollars. Instead of demolishing the old building and replacing it with an entirely new structure, James pushed to reuse the existing building for vehicle storage and a wash bay. This lowered construction costs by millions while still bringing the old facility up to current safety standards for the people who work there. Now, we can protect and maintain the expensive equipment the DPW needs to do its important work.
Character is always a major consideration when selecting our leaders. In a time when smears and innuendo are delivered by anonymous emails, snail mail, or social media to influence people’s perceptions, it is refreshing to have a trustworthy candidate who says what he means, and means what he says.
As a U.S. Army veteran, James always acts with the highest ethical standards.
It is impossible to make every stakeholder happy all the time. A Select Board member must take into account the needs of the entire town when making decisions. You can trust that James brings old-fashioned, non-political integrity to every vote. He does the homework we all want our representatives to do to make informed decisions.
From my perspective, I want every Select Board member to think and vote independently. We have the responsibility as voters to select the best available people to represent us. If we don’t like a particular decision made by the Select Board, we need to ask ourselves if they made it for the right reasons. That is all we can ask of the representatives we have chosen to speak for us.
I ask you to think carefully about your choices for Select Board this year. We have two seats to fill and four candidates. It takes only three votes for a major decision to be made. Don’t we want five individuals who make their own independent choices with the Town’s best interests at heart? I think we do! I urge you to look into all the candidates and decide who will best represent your interests in the years to come.
I’m voting for James F. Mackey III. I urge you to join me to keep his experienced, thoughtful, hardworking, independent voice where it deserves to remain: on the Tewksbury Select Board.
Regards,
Bruce Shick
29-Year Resident
Vice-Chair Tewksbury Open Space and Recreation Committee
Facilities Chair 100 People Who Care Tewksbury
Former Chair, Trahan and North School Reuse Committee
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