 Hello everyone. I'm James Milan. Welcome to this select board debate as part of our election coverage for 2023 We have three familiar faces here before we get going though I just want to say that we at ACMI here Have worked hard to put this together and we're really really honored to do so We have just two missions at ACMI to educate people around all things videographic and To provide value to the town. We think that's what we're doing here And we appreciate our candidates being here. I am looking at from left to right From the order on the ballot Len Diggins and John Leone and Diane Mahon All familiar faces as I said We will here's the format for the debate. We will start with two minute opening statements from each of the candidates Then I will ask one question to all three same question and they will have each have two minutes to respond Then I have three questions right here that I will pull out randomly and asked to each alternatively The person I asked the question of will have two Minutes to respond and then each of the other two one minute of rebuttal time and we will finish with a round of questions Where the candidates themselves ask a question of the other two? The way that that will go is that the person asking the question is 30 seconds to do so then the two respondents have two minutes each and Finally the person to ask the question can rebut with one minute response. We will finish with closing statements and we will be done So let's get going We randomly just before going on air. We randomly chose the order of the opening statements We will hear from Len first and then John it turns out right in the order in which they're seated Len then John and then Diane So without further ado Len your opening statement two minutes. Thanks. Thanks to ACM 9 everyone involved with putting on this debate I welcome the opportunity to convey my enthusiasm for continue to work with my colleagues on the select board the new town manager Who we are in the process of electing town staff and of course you my fellow residents First and foremost, I am a resident of Arlington and I always try to see issues from the residents point of view When you have a problem or a question that I can't solve an answer on my own I am happy to point you in the right direction When you have an idea I try to work with you to pursue it in a way that is pragmatic and productive My goal is to support you, but I also try to be honest and realistic about the likelihood of success That said I like embracing bold ideas and aiming for lofty goals For example, can we transform Broadway in East Arlington into an innovative corridor that is not only an economic engine But a magnet for new housing developments and their company new growth in the process Can we create housing so that more of those who work for the town will also have the opportunity to live here? Can we also strive to create neighborhoods that make walking and cycling safer facilitate the use of public transit? Make possible the use of shared vehicles and utilize more sustainable forms of energy such as solar and geothermal to a greater degree The answer to all these questions is a resounding guess, but I alone can't make them happen What I can do is encourage those of you who want a future that resembles this vision and work with you and my select board The town manager and staff in town meeting to create the policies and incentives that will lead to such a future I am excited about the possibility of having its second term on a select board and another three years to build on the great Momentum that exists in our town. Thank you John Good evening. My name is John Leone. I made the decision to run after many supportive decisions discussions with my wife and family My interest in running is based on 29 years of actively serving Arlington town government and Observing the large and small decisions that have delivered us to this point That experience has given me an excellent window into the operating dynamics of our town over several generations of committees boards town managers and select boards The select board is responsible for setting short and long-term town policies Arlington has done very well over the past 25 years as evidenced by our triple a bond rating This was accomplished with short-term management long-term planning and prudent financial oversight However, our continued success is not a foregone conclusion My concerns of policy decisions facing the board in our town It is time to reassess and set our priorities and decisions making for where we want to be in five to ten years As we emerge from the pandemic turmoil I believe that the focus on long-term planning is imperative and critical for maintaining a sustainable community For both new and old residents alike I will ensure that long-term thinking planning and policy decisions remain squarely on the table of the select board I will bring an energy and a direction of purpose to the board that is sorely needing at this time I have been and will continue to be with your vote a listener a friend and a voice for all residents of Arlington's as We work together to make Arlington the best it can be we can do better. Thank you. I'm John Leone Thank You James. Hi. My name is Diane Mahon and I'm a candidate for re-election for Arlington's select board on Saturday, April 1st And I respectfully request one of your two votes I have had the privilege of working for you the residents of the town of Arlington as a select board member and also as a town meeting member I've been proud of my record and service and I'm just as excited as I was the first time I was a candidate Arlington is a great community due to the involvement of its citizens and our commitment to continue to grow and adapt with the issues Before us we are facing many challenges and I hope to continue to work towards solutions as a member of the select board I have learned one of my best qualities as a select board member is to really take the time to listen to all of our residents and Always keep an open mind to finding solutions and reexamining if there is something we can do better together I grew up here in Arlington attending Arlington public schools the Hardy junior high East now the Gibbs and AHS and was fortunate enough along with my husband to raise out three children here who also attended Arlington public schools I am seeking re-election to the select board as it has been a long-standing passion of mine to help all the residents in the town My number one job has been and will continue to be constituent services in the wide umbrella that that encompasses I've always tried to make Arlington's local government understandable and accessible to everyone There is no issue too small or too complicated that I will not devote all of my energy to help resolve I want to continue to work on the important issues facing Arlington such as climate change climate resiliency The preservation of the Mugar wetland restoration of the clean alloy Brook housing and affordability Transportation and public safety and diversity and equity and I'm committed on working to find the right solution for everyone I love Arlington. I love this job and I hope along with my candidates John and Len We're able to give you a taste of what we would do as a member of the select board and again I respectfully request one of your two votes on Saturday April 1st. Thank you all three of you and Proceeding the reminder. This is one question going to all three of you and you have two minutes to respond each And coincidentally we're going by the order of the ballot for this so it will be just the same We'll start with you Len and I also just want to apologize for the length of the question This is the longest one that you'll have to listen to There are a whole lot a whole host of compelling issues for the next select board to tackle Including a town manager search with which at the moment is ongoing a potential override our designation as an MBTA community and the impact on and its impact on housing and much more Which of the many concerns strikes you personally? As the most urgent and what would you have the select board do to address it? What well the most urgent The most urgent is clearly the the town manager search And and and so we we are in the final stages of that Me it was become really apparent to me It's just the how much the town manager sets the tone me for the dynamic not only within the town but also between the select board mean and and the the the town manager would also be the the rest of the staff because Me to a certain extent we well not to a certain extent actually absolutely me the town manager um is the person that controls the staff Me and and and the select board we really go through the town manager When the select board remember the select board wants to work with the staff mean and and Me generally me the relationship between the select board and the town manager is a friendly one, you know and so You will talk with the town manager and and if there's an issue that you want to work with with the staff We get the permission to do so and and usually we have a good Relationship or a good outcome to whatever you want to do with the the staff And so it's important that you've built that relationship with the town manager I mean in the case of adam chaplain we we met Once a week on average mean for 30 minutes mean it was a regular meeting in every monday morning at 8 30 I've continued that with sandy puller me my attention is to continue that with the next town manager And what you happens when you do that is that you build a relationship with the town manager So that you understand that person they understand you so that when something comes up you're not trying to develop the relationship You already have the relationship So so mean that's what strikes me as the the most urgent the most important mean the most exciting There's a whole another issue in me. We'll get to that later in the debate. Okay. Thank you very much John That's quite the laundry list But I think that right now the most urgent issue facing the select board is the town manager And the hiring of a competent capable town manager. We've had Various hosts of town managers over the past several decades Some good one or two were duds. We would hope not to repeat that again But the town manager is directly responsible to only one group of people. That is the select board So the select board has to be very careful in who they choose make sure the qualities of the upcoming town manager are strong in personal relationships in personal working through the human services Personnel department being able to hire good staff throughout the town But the manager is has to be able to report to the select board On not just the financial aspects of the town And the day-to-day operations, but what's going on with the department heads? We have had various troubles with various departments That treasurer's department was a disaster over the last few years. We've lost all of our employees except for one And some of them are long-term employees the We've had a problems with the building department with ethics commissions. These are things the town manager should have been Like top of and reporting to the select board of these personnel problems. So when we hire a new person We've got to make sure that person is capable strong And able to do the job Arlington has a very strong town manager act And our town manager is the top dog in the town so to speak. He's basically the powers of a mayor But he or she will report to the select board and the select board has to keep a tight reign on that in the future Thank you Diane um Thanks to lennon john for covering the town manager Uh, we're at the end of the process. This is my fourth town manager search process And since that will be uh the final interview on march 27th Then I think my colleagues to my right have covered that enough for me the most important issue Facing the town of allington is sort of twofold financial and environmental and and that sort of branches off financial because money really fuels What the town of allington is and what the community allington has said this is what's important to us This is what we need This is what we'd like and this is what we'd want We have an impending override. I've attended long-range planning Committee meetings with my colleague, uh, mr. DeCorsi who's the chair and mr. Diggins is also now the representative there and all the town think tanks financial have gotten together To really stretch out every time i've been a co-chair on a rebuild campaign an override successful campaign And it it seems that's facing us and when I say environment I mean environment in terms of uh climate control climate resiliency, but also in terms of Our diversity equity and inclusion, you know, what does it mean to grow up in allington to live in allington to work in allington? I want to make sure that environment is inclusive and welcoming That when we need to band together for an issue whether it's a financial issue Whether it's an issue of what we recently had with the anti-semitic language at one of our schools and To come together and say when things are wrong and support each other You know we're there for the good times but we're also there for the bad because I've heard that a lot in terms of people That the town could do a better job like any city or town across the state or the nation In terms of really sitting back and listening. That's an easy l word, but it's hard to do But then implementing and and and just see if you can make it more welcoming. Thank you Thank you So we'll proceed to the next round of questions again three questions first one will be directed to you John and you will have two minutes to respond and then each of the other two one minute of rebuttal So pulling it out it is Do you agree or disagree with the statement Arlington needs to work much harder to attract businesses If you agree list what initiatives you would propose and champion in this area and if you disagree Please explain your reasoning I hundred percent agree with that statement Arlington has a very small business district Been compared to the size of the residential It's about 95. I think it's about 95 percent residential five percent district basically around our two main corridors We have a problem with empty storefronts and The problem with there is Nothing nothing the town can really do about that because they're privately landlords but the planning department economic development person who has recently been replaced I believe Can do much more To bring more businesses into town assist those businesses In getting financial need that they want working with the local banks for sba loans, etc And just generally working with the chamber of commerce To promote our businesses we mean prior to the pandemic we had a flourishing restaurant scene post pandemic It's basically dead. We have to do something as a town to re-establish that And I believe what we could do is work through the chamber and get that more effectively Financed if we can devote some money towards it that would be wonderful. There's Um It without a thriving business community we become a bedroom community And there's no real reason for anyone to stay in town They will leave town to go shopping elsewhere They'll leave town to go to restaurants elsewhere and we have to have a livable walkable town And to do that we need businesses where people can live and walk too So I think we need to do whatever we can And explore all the different options through the planning department and Whatever the select board can do to help that along. It's really not within our purview, but we can encourage other departments Thank you Diane thanks jane for the question. Um, I would say that the town can do better The town can do different and we are I'm really so proud of our planning department That really have gone out. We have claire ricker. Who's our new planning director? Who came from lull who's very well versed not just in housing but in businesses One of the things I've advocated since I first got on the board was how do we increase business? How do we take advantage of our industrial zone? How do we go to flag companies and say to them we have this site? We can work with you with cdbg funding with grants from the state and Attract you here to ollington and when I first got on the board the planning department just purely from a staff Standpoint just didn't have the people power to do that, but they do now We had a restaurant that suffered a fire ty moon She came before the board on monday night. She's opening back up in ollington Everyone's been waiting for her and her family She heard her family live in ollington and the town worked with her and got her some grant money So she could go to a new location and be able to reopen that establishment that everyone loves so much Thank you And this is my hot just picked up on what I was going to say because it's not only attracting new businesses Was keeping them mean and and the work that was done by the department to keep her I bought was audible because they got her made a loan or something They helped her out some way economically in order to see yeah to keep her and so it's things like that It all depends on the kind of businesses that we want. I mean if we want more retail businesses made then then we need more people meaning to Be able to shop in those businesses and make them economically viable that means more people You know and so do we create environment mean in which more people can live in ollington Do we want to do biotech? Um fintech mean then we may need to allow me bigger structures mean so that we we can have those Businesses as well as means the uh more housing, you know, it really depends on on what we want And so I really see us being it's having an opportunity to have that conversation when we talk about a the override when we talk about me the in the community communities because We then determine me what funds we have. Sorry to cut you off But we are going to move on to the next question and it is for you diane two minutes to respond And the question is up Sorry, it's another formulation of the same sort. Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Seniors are valued in ollington. If you agree, please explain how ollington serves the segment of the population And if you disagree, please outline the changes you would champion and please be specific if possible Seniors are are definitely valued here at ollington. They're definitely valued for me my core family That was sort of the structure Grandma grandpa Were the ones that really had the wisdom and could help guide you through and had the life experience And I think ollington recognizes that We have many many programs for seniors, but I also recognize there are different kinds of seniors We have seniors who are in senior housing. We have seniors who are who are renters And living on very limited means and then we have seniors who own their home And while some, you know, may be comfortable in terms of financial planning in the future Some may be as they say house rich and cash poor and I think the town is doing a great job in terms of taking Everybody's different living circumstances status and life To see how ollington can continue to be the community for them You know, how can we continue so that if you're a homeowner? But you're really living on a limited income Do you know about the services through the council on aging down at the community center the former senior center? But now it's a community center community is a theme here. You haven't picked it up yet james, but I know you have That uh, we get out the programs. I would encourage anyone senior Disabled any circumstance to please contact christine von journal who's our health and human services director She's a great place to start There's so many programs and this will probably carry over into some of the other questions when I talk to seniors and I would say seven times out of ten that say, you know, here's here's what i'm facing You know, it would be really nice if the town if and I would say But we are doing that or we're doing a facet of that and you're right. We haven't thought about that Um, and and that is something that the town staff and myself as a member of the select board really Strive to every day to make sure that we're reaching everyone, but especially our seniors Thank you. Lynn. Yes, of course they are and I would love to hear from anyone Who feels that they aren't valued me senior otherwise, but especially senior since that's the the point of question That's a serious, you know request. So anyone watching this mean mean if you feel That the town isn't valuing you mean then reach out to me because I really would like to know What's behind that question? You know and or that that sentiment? You know Uh Along with being christian by journal mean there's also christian shah Me at the council of aging who does tremendous work there Me especially with some seniors who are having issues with dementia Me and um, and and and so I had an issue with a Wonderful town meeting member and and she told me things to mean that they are doing the helping gave me some advice And I'll also close by saying we have an age Um and dementia friendly Plan that was developed by the council of aging It has a lot of good information and advice in it. So I encourage anyone you know to check that out online Thank you. John Seniors are an integral part of our community. They're necessary and there's no way that we can't And what acting in any way but to value them seniors make up a lot of Our volunteers for boards for commissions committees. They're also a good part of town meeting They have a diverse and varied economic and social background as well as educational and their input is Necessary for the town to continue to operate the way it did and the way it will and in the future to try and Phase out a portion of our population would just be plain wrong We must keep them and we value them as we do new residents and younger people And the children we have to value all of our residents in the town And we do provide a lot of services for them and for the seniors as everyone else and should continue to do it as much as we can Okay, thank you very much Excuse me Last question will go to you then Please provide two or three examples of zoning changes you would support or oppose Please be as specific as possible when explaining your reasoning Oh, wow I mean, I I try my best to be to try to stay away from that because we zoning really isn't We'd have the select boards on purview me But but we we do get a chance to Need support policies that come out of zoning. So we of course mbt communities You know in order to become an mbt community We need to allow three family by right I am fully supportive of that mean and and and me and the nice thing is that we are an mbt adjacent community So that gives us a lot more flexibility mean as to where we can Change me change the zoning to allow for three family by right I like to see us go beyond that and allow perhaps different structures in different parts of town Me and so in parts of town that maybe can't have apartment buildings mean I would like to see Me be allowed so that especially if they are mixed use me so that we can have economic diversity mean Throughout town, you know, clearly me the east has the ability to support More density, you know I think partly because of the the nature of the land there but also because of the population there I mean, but I think we should also with me try to spread out You know some of the larger structures being across town. So I'd like to see zoning changes That would allow that, you know, so that's true. Let's see if I can come up with the third one, you know No, no need. Okay. All right. I'm sorry. I meant to keep that at two and please for the other two of you That that will be sufficient. Okay. All right. I apologize. Sure. All right Thanks for that and I hope I didn't cut you off. Well, it's fine It's always fine. I apologize. No, no, no job I would like to see some refinement made to the mixed use zoning bill Which we now have along mass avon Broadway the mixed use which we have come up with so far are the amount of commercial space Is at a bare minimum So that they can they can maximize the third fourth and fifth floors for residential. I'm all for the increasing the density of residential zoning along the main roads and in the town itself we have to come up with additional housing because it's just the right thing to do But when we make the mixed use we're eliminating a commercial space We're going back to the business that we have to continue to maintain but all the A few of those buildings they have put in almost all of them Have little offices that are useless Or they have Well, we're going to put a restaurant in here, but it's not big enough for a viable restaurant So I think we have to change the mixed use zoning in order to Codify what is acceptable for commercial space. Thank you. Diane To zoning say we go. I'm going to sort of take a little bit from what john and len have said mbta communities Um, it's the law of the land. It's something we have to do It's chapter 40 section 3a but All we have to do which is what is allington allington is doing right now is to identify Designate an area where we Have zoning so that three family plus units can go in Sorry, sorry to hand waving at me Um, so three three family a more courtyard to get more of a housing stock But we don't have to build a single unit. We just have to identify that to take that first step And in terms of the mixed use that's another thing that i've always been advocating for especially with remote learning workbar job share um Mixed use business on the bottom, perhaps second floor and then third and fourth floor if we can get the zoning Um to have a residential to hopefully make more housing stock available Please more affordable Okay. Thank you. And again, thanks for your patience and understanding Um, so we are going to now move to that round of questions where you guys are asking them of each other I will remind you that you have 30 seconds to ask the question and then both Respondents have two minutes and the person who asked the question has a one minute rebuttal So we will start with you john. Oh, I get to ask first All right. My question concerns the mbta We have lost the 79 bus route and the 77 service has been reduced or is about to be reduced the Week after the green line extension opened the mbta reduced headways To on the route 80 bus which connects from arlington sent it to the new glx terminal in tufts medford Instead of improving connections from arlington to the glx the mbta Is making the connections more difficult you have to ask your question john. I'm sorry Sat you have to ask the question. I'm a bulk to james. I had to line it up Um, and less reliable. What has the select board done to reverse these failings? And what has been done to improve arlington service? Okay, dianne. Thank you for that question I think I almost gave it to you What i've done on the board individually and have done with my colleagues is Um, the mbta assessment is so unfair to arlington. We pay over three million dollars Quincy and brain tree We pay as much as I believe quincy and more than brain tree or vice versa and they have the red line They have bus routes As john mentioned The 79 and the 84 were limited were eliminated as well as other bus lines Were decreased on and so to me it's it's a two-fold approach. First is the assessment Under the law you can only address the assessment every july the board I've sort of been championing this um along with mr. Diggins We have contacted a state legislative delegation to say could you write the language what they have to say It's sort of perfunctory nobody really goes that it's just on the books the law is every if you want to reevaluation Reassessment it has to happen in january We we started that and we're doing that and then the the second approach that we're doing is um Our chair mr. Diggins is our representative to the mbta advisory board. So He and I are in the process of scheduling a meeting with that chair because we have again a unique opportunity That's the only way the board really doesn't have any control over this But that doesn't stop me in the past before find another way We have a unique opportunity that we have some other Towns coming online in our t system Like don't completely quote me on this like actin conquered and and perhaps carlyle So that again gives us the opportunity which really hasn't been done before but it's there and we're going to take it To go in and say okay We want to get reassessed because there's more people come more towns coming in more money to the pot kind of like the Solution to say can we get our assessment down to the services? We're getting and then have that meeting with the chair to say can we get back to You want mbta communities. We want our service restored. Okay. Thank you and led. Yes. Thank you So picking up on what mrs. Mahan said you know I have been touched with some representatives of garbally mean and and i've also been in touch with the the represent I'm sorry the assistant to mayor coke of quincy who is the Chair of the mbta advisory board and we are looking into The process that does lead to the reassessments because There is an Inbalance mean and assessments that arlington is charged versus similar sized communities mean and so essentially We are looking for when that formula is when the process is going to be reopened to Change that formula. So so that's in the works me. You know, we're supposed to get back together me In early april. So it's a process me And and so with respect to the mbta service They have done a bus network redesign and that has been based on Pseudo anonymize a cell phone data where they are looking at the patterns of Movement mean and they are trying to design a system That fits that pattern of movement better And so so they have done an iteration mean it has affected arlington in the In some opinion in a negative way the the proof though is in the pudding mean when we see me what the results of The usage is, you know, with respect to the 79 He you have to do you have to You have to make do with the resources that you have, you know, man They definitely they definitely have a shortage of bus drivers You know the 79 to a certain extent duplicated mean most of its route was duplicated mean sure it branched off and went to The ill wife mean but but if you deploy that service either to the 77 or the other parts Of the system that needed better. We make the whole system better and that's the overall goal Thank you John As diane said, we have an annual assessment of 3,200,000 plus dollars Our commuters rely on the mbta to get to work We as a town rely on the mbta to move our students from sixth grade through high school to and from school every day We as a town want to reduce our carbon footprint and to do that We have to get people out of their cars and into the buses The mbta won't provide us with the buses to have the service we need we can't achieve those goals We're paying for the service. We should be getting it And if the mbta and the state want us to be an mbta community They have to provide us with the service That backs up those commuters and those new residents In the affordable housing we're going to build so that they can use the service that we're paying for We have to provide for that service. We have to somehow get this mbta and the state legislature to provide it whether that's the select board going in and Demanding it or some other thing of some sort. We have to go forward with it. Okay. Thank you Diane your turn to ask a question I was hoping you'd say that James As I mentioned before climate change and climate resiliency is not unique to allington It's it's and it's not unique to one area in allington But sort of a long suffering part of allington has been east allington and my question to my colleagues would be Considering the al-wife broke cso issue What is your position on that and what efforts are you willing to support or not support? Okay, we'll start with you left. Sure. So Look me the the kind combined sewer overflow of me is a big problem You know and and the mwre has done a lot of work already Me to to mitigate a lot of the problems there, you know, the remaining problem is going to be particularly expensive to fix, you know and and be My understanding meaning from some conversations after You know a recent select board meeting is that there are some federal funds Out there, you know, and so we need to figure out how to get those funds I mean, and so as I tell people who come before the select board with resolutions mean and various things that they want the select board to do to Signal support It's one thing to write a letter. It's another it's something to make a resolution It's a much more challenging but more more effective Thing to find out where the levers of power are and to get them mean to make the change that you want Me so we need to find out me who On the legislature me really wants to see the funds mean that we will need from the government the federal government Distributed in a way that will allow us to allow the mwr wherever it's going to make the changes Effective solution have have it so I said they can get those funds And so I don't know where there it is now, you know But I'm willing to work with the proponents of the bill To try and find out who that is because you can file a bill me But if you don't talk to the folks On the committee to which that bill goes Then the bill will probably founder and it's not enough for us to write a letter You actually need to have conversations with the people on That that committee mean primarily in the the the staff because they're the ones that can get things done So so I'm willing to put that kind of light work into solving a problem much more so than writing a letter or making a resolution Thank you. John you have two minutes the combined sewer job flows a huge problem Every time we get high rains Sewage from city cambridge flows into L. Y. Brooke, which directly affects the east island to neighborhoods along Lafayette and sunny side avenues people's backyards The efforts so far have been Minimal and part of cambridge If we cannot get them to voluntarily do it I would go as far as to sue them Frankly, it's like the environmental defense fund has to sue the mbta to get them to build a green line extension Sometimes it takes a judge order to make someone do something If we can't get the legislature to act we have to take some strong actions and get those to get the sewage out of L. Y. Brooke And it flows from L. Y. Brooke into the mystic lakes and into the mystic river I'm sorry and then right down through medford You'll probably get the city of medford to go along with it because no one wants pollution in their in the rivers in their lakes and It's just got to be done with it's Yes Work with the legislator see if we can find out who the right person is see if there's any money from the Federal government that can help but in the end if none of that works We may have to resort to the courts Okay, thank you. Thank you. Diane one minute And thank you to Len and john for Recommitting to the L. Y. C. S. O. Issue Um, I agree with Len that just writing a letter isn't enough So first and foremost if you want to get involved in this issue. There's a neighborhood group called Save the al-wife brook st ab Uh christin anderson and and david white who's also Works in the town are co-chairing that I have been attending with our town council Some of my colleagues planning department There's meetings going on right now on zoom and you can go on the town website to find the link to go on to that More allington residents the bigger voice we have Um, where mwra is mandated by law to have these meetings the city of somerville and city of cambridge are there It's the beginning planning process. We could sue but we honestly wouldn't get anywhere It's a class b waterway under the federal government. Um, the city of boston is still Dealing with all their waterways. Ultimately get we need to get the sewage out of the brook and out of people's homes Okay, thank you very much and last question of this round is yours. Thank you So Arlington is part of the boston region mean and according to the mpo the boston metropolitan region Metropolitan plane of organization that is a hundred a hundred and four communities mean arlington has a good reputation mean um In the region, what would you do to increase or at least maintain arlington's position of leadership in the region? Oh, okay Arlington is one of the Larger towns population wise. We have the second densest town and we're at them within the top 10. So we have a position of moral authority Through out and because we are well run town. Now, how would we increase or keep it? We would But How do you do ever do that? You just Continue to do we had adam chaplain as the president If we get another town manager who wants to do that and join the staff He could do that. She could do that But you you maintain that by participating in regional activities regional programs regional policies and not be a I want to say a stick in the mud. You can't be a town or municipality That is always trying to fight everything you have to work with your neighbors. So that's what why arlington could do to increase our Our Good feeling out there I mean it's you already have it. It's a matter of maintaining it as opposed to increasing it Okay, thank you. Diane two minutes and the question was talk about allington as a region and how we can Benefit from that talk about our own his leadership Allington similar to the residents in town similar to our town employees Allington in terms of town hall, especially with the MPO and other various organizations has really been a leader in terms of Not only establishing what the town of allington is and what the community is But when we we're taking those next steps on how do we move? How do we change? How do we keep what works and and incorporated into there? And the biggest thing is because allington is I think allington and brookline are sort of the premier towns in the state In terms of Living working in allington So in terms of being a leader in the region, which we've we've already started to do and sometimes we've done it through opera funding Which is only limited But through the MPO through the MMA lots of acronyms Sound them out, but I'm going to lose some of my time on that is to look for regional opportunities where we can Sometimes we can apply for a grant solely on our own status of allington and what we're doing there But thankfully we have a staff in the planning department and elsewhere That because of all these different acronyms and letter groups that we're also a leader and member of that We're able to apply for grants take initiatives and programs. We have begun, you know, with the Town of belmont the town of winchester city of cambridge city of summable on different issues that are important to the town of Allington in terms of planning Um We've come together for the benefit of our communities to have a better chance to be successful Whether it's the actual project that we're trying to build or whether it's the funding that we're trying to get Whether it's the type of department that we can't Justify alone, but we can justify the need for it So we do a lot of those department sharing especially with belmont and winchester and and we'll continue to do that Thanks to our great town staff Thank you One minute Arlington has a lot of goodwill in the region because Arlington realizes that the All rising tide lifts all boats in and and if Arlington is to do well the region has to do well and and Through the select board me which has a big influence being on what happens with the transportation And and also the executive of the select board the chair has a seat on the boston region mpo And Arlington now actually has a seat itself because it's been elected As the intercor and it has actually wanted the The at large towns need we have a big role that we can play on the mpo in order to make sure that There are plans me that will positively affect Arlington, but more importantly Arlington Looks out for the communities me and it's often by Making others priorities a Higher me that you become a leader and and and and sorry you got to cut you off there apologize for that And that actually ends the questions and we are all of a sudden at closing statements already So with a reminder that they are one minute each And that the order will be john and then len and then diane We will start with you john Good evening As I stated my concerns are the short-term and long-term policy decisions facing the board in our town As I stated i'll bring an energy and direction of purpose to the select board that is needed at this time I have ben will continue to be With your vote a listener friend and a voice for all arlington residents As we work together to make arlington the best it can be the first step is to get out and vote on saturday april first I respectfully ask for one of your votes. Thank you. I'm john leone Thank you Thanks again to hcmi for this opportunity It has been a brief time and we've only scratched the surface For those of you who know me you have a good sense that I have a wide breadth of interest As well as an increasing depth of knowledge fueled by my passion for learning That gives me the ability to connect ideas and concepts in creative ways Sure, I have my own ideas, but I work best when presented with your ideas because inherently that means we will be collaborating I thrive on collaboration and I am energized by the prospect of doing more Issues abound There will always be issues some expected some not expected what you can expect from me is someone who will stay calm Who will not jump to conclusions and who will not jump to conclusions? You can also expect someone who is willing to make tough decisions and who's not afraid of trying novel solutions I respectfully ask for one of your two votes for slack board a vote for me is a vote for someone who is engaged Determined and innovative. Thank you for taking your time to participate in our local election this spring Thank you. Diane. Thank you. James. Thank you acmi for doing this I've been a long time advocate supporter and uh, you prove every day every week that that was well deserved I hope you got a glimpse a little bit of what john leone and I hope to bring to the board I hope you you have gotten from me That I love arlington And I hope to continue working on all the issues that we've discussed and a lot more than we we haven't discussed And I really encourage you to go on to acmi and look up the candidate profiles for the select board If you'd like to hear a little bit more about us about school committee candidates and other elected officials that appear on there Um I want you to know I truly feel that The importance of civic engagement in town government to strengthen our town as well as working together with My colleagues our town employees and you the residents of ollington gives us this great community that we all know and love So I hope I've earned one of your two votes on saturday april first or if you start early voting on saturday march 25th Diane and mahan. Thank you so much. Take care and thank you to the three of you very much Wealth of experience and wisdom in this room. I have to say and uh, we'll be lucky That two of you will take seats on the select board That will conclude tonight's debate. Uh, it is of course the debate for the select board and the candidates one more time Lynn diggins And john leone. Thank you and Diane mahan. We thank them very much for their service for running period Thank you so much for that and we appreciate that they've already told you several times It is april first. That is Uh election day and as Diane was mentioning, uh, the saturday before that that begins this coming saturday. So Uh, do exercise your rights, please and uh, we thank the candidates. We thank you for tuning in. I'm james melanne We'll see you another time