Question and Answer with Board of Selectmen Candidate Daniel Grattan

The April 9 Burlington town elections are fast approaching. Burlington Patch asked each candidate for the open seat on the Board of Selectmen six questions to help voters better understand their positions. Remember to vote on April 9, polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the , 123 Cambridge St.

We will be running these pieces over the next three weekdays. We are starting, in no particular order, with candidate Daniel Grattan.

Why did you decide to run for the Board of Selectmen?

I ran for selectman because I bring unique experience and skills to the board.  I want to use that experience and skills to fight for our seniors, preserve open space, and bring more efficiencies to our government to keep our taxes low.

What is your professional background and how do you think it will help you on the board?

I have worked in high technology for nearly 30 years in the defense, telecommunications, and software industries.  I have been a software engineer, engineering manager, and project manager.  Currently I am a technical account manager doing customer support and project management.

Whether it’s writing software or leading a team, everyday I’ve had to create solutions for customers.  Just as in municipal government, corporations have limited resources to work with so I’ve always had to make tough choices to get the job done.  Good communication skills, especially listening skills, are essential.  Over the years I have learned to listen to the needs of customers, managers and employees and how to get to the root of their concerns.  I would be doing the same as a selectman to ensure the needs of the town are being met.

What is your educational background and how do you think it will help you on the board?

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Electrcal Engineering from Clarkson Univeristy and a Master’s  degree in System’s engineering from Boston University.  In addition I have received corporate training in human resources and financial management, negotiating, communications, and project management.  Life long learning is important too.  Over time, I have had to learn new skills as well as keep my technical education up to date with self-learing.

Contrary to popular belief engineering isn’t just about math and science.  Although topics of study are focused in those areas it really is about learning a discipline of understanding a problem and developing a solution for it.  An engineer doesn’t work all by herself or himself in a lab somewhere with no human interaction.  Nobody is an island.  We work with people from many different disciplines to create solutions.  Solutions always have financial and time constraints.  It’s this emphasis on inter-disciplinary problem solving that I will bring to the board.

 For example, we have a space problem at the Senior Center.  As selectman I will work with all of the departments in the Human Services building, (Council on Aging, Recreation Department, BOH, Veteran’s) to find ways make the Senior Center more accommodating.

What do you think is the biggest (or two) issues facing the town of Burlington at present and what would you like to see the board do to address them?

Growth of the town budget and it’s accompanying tax growth.  I have stood at many people’s doorways and sat in their kitchens so have developed a much greater appreciation for the burdens we place on our citizens while we simultaneously trying to serve them.   This is especially true for our seniors and all others on fixed incomes.  We need to find cost effective ways for the administration to meet the residents’ needs for municipal services and still make it possible for people to afford to live and retire here.

What would be your main goal for the first year if elected?

Well the obvious answer is to get a deeper understanding of all department in the administration.  A specific goal though is to develop a long term plan for the Council on Aging.  We need to be looking ahead to determine how we can provide services to our seniors as our population ages.

A number of seniors have indicated that, though they are retired, they still want to be active and put something back into the community.  I want to find a way them to participate more broadly in town activities and government.  They should not need to be restricted to the Senior Center.

Name something voters may not know about you but should:

I grew up the 6th of seven children where my parents’ ran their own accounting business, primarily working for neighbors, small business, and a couple of local unions. This literally was a “mom and pop” operation.  From them I learned the importance of hard work, education, and making ends meet.  I want to bring these values and the lessons I learned from them to the board of selectman.

Would you like to add anything else?

I would like the residents to know that I am independent of any special interests, and since I am not a town employee, I will be able to participate in all votes, discussions and negotiations free of any conflict of interest.  Lest there be any doubt I am also not one of the “Good old boys” that we frequently hear about.  In fact, of the three candidates for selectman, I am the least connected in town, which has made my campaign especially challenging.  My wife and I have built up many relationship over a large cross section of the community so I feel I can represent  all residents effectively.