Elect Lisa Kouchakdjian for Sudbury Select Board: Letter

The following letter to the editor does not reflect the views of Sudbury Patch

I’m writing to support Lisa Kouchakdjian for Sudbury Select Board.

I grew up in Sudbury. This spectacular town was the foreground and backdrop of my childhood from enrollment in Haynes to graduation from the old building at Lincoln-Sudbury. Our schools afforded me advantages in life that I can never fully repay.

My wife and I started our family in Austin, Texas. Despite a deep and abiding loyalty to the almighty breakfast taco, it became clear that Massachusetts, and more specifically Sudbury, was where we needed to raise our children. It was time to come home.

When we moved back, we found what I always knew… a town filled with history, beauty, and remarkable people. Among them was Lisa Kouchakdjian. She was doing transformative work on the Sudbury School Committee at the time. She brought transparency to the budget, was fighting for students of all abilities, and sending a clear message to our teachers that we have their backs. I know my family has already benefited from her efforts, and we’re grateful.

I could expand on the countless ways that Lisa’s service has prepared her for the Select Board., but I’m not writing to prove she’s qualified for the Select Board. Her qualifications are self evident to anybody who has been paying attention.

I’m writing because Sudbury needs Lisa on our Select Board. I’ve had the opportunity to speak at length with her, and to observe her work on multiple committees and commissions in Sudbury. At every turn, I found that Lisa embodied precisely what L-S taught me: “think for yourself, but think of others.”

Lisa is decidedly independent, and tremendously empathetic. She listens to everyone, because everyone has something to contribute. She celebrates our differences, because what makes us unique makes us stronger.

That sounds like Sudbury to me.

More than anything else, Lisa believes in Sudbury, and all it has to offer. She’s proud of this town, as am I. Her optimism is tailor-made for our Select Board. If there’s something we can improve, Lisa gets to work on it. She’ll work collaboratively with everyone. That’s just how she’s wired.

I’m supporting Lisa Kouchakdjian for Select Board because Sudbury has always been, and should always be, a place that all of us can proudly call home. To keep it that way, I believe in putting our shared community values on the Select Board at every opportunity. If that sounds right to you, I encourage you to vote on March 28th for Lisa Kouchakdjian.

A vote for Lisa is a vote for all of Sudbury… past, present and future.

—Kevin LaHaise, Sudbury