Support Kouchakdjian For Select Board: Letter

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

I am supporting Lisa Kouchakdjian for Select Board, and I hope you will too. Lisa has consistently demonstrated sound judgement on the most consequential matters in Sudbury. That’s a distinction that matters more than some might realize in this election.

How is Lisa different from the other candidate seeking a first term on the Select Board? Just look at how she has voted on projects that are really important to Sudbury. Candidate track records tell you far more than campaign talking points. Lisa voted for the Fairbank Community Center. Eric Poch voted against it. Lisa voted for the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. Eric Poch voted against it. Lisa voted for keeping the huge 40B housing project out of Town Center and to move it up to the Melone property. Eric Poch voted against it.

In each case, Lisa and the voters are on the same page. Not so for Poch who voted against these important projects.

During her decade of public service to Sudbury, Lisa has proven that she has the experience and judgement required to serve successfully on the Select Board. She has kept our SPS schools academically strong during times of stress. She has experience in municipal finance and budgeting and has shown she can balance the competing interests successfully.

She will be a valuable addition to the Select Board. That is why I am pleased to support her candidacy for the Select Board. I have been there. I know she can do the job.

DEDICATED TO EDUCATION

Lisa served two terms on the Sudbury Public Schools School Committee, 2-½ as chair. Lisa ran for the School Committee because she believes that providing Sudbury’s children with a top-notch education is the foundation for a lifetime of success and happiness. There is no substitute, and there are no shortcuts.

Lisa recognizes that each student is unique, and her approach has been to recognize different strengths and provide a pathway to exceptional learning for each child, regardless of differences in how they learn.

RATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

As an attorney, Lisa has been trained to see both sides of an issue and weigh competing interests. She has learned to fashion compromise and reach agreement where others see only black and white. You can observe her unbiased approach in every committee and commission on which she has served for Sudbury.

FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

Lisa does not see the financial issues in terms of winners and losers. She knows financial planning and preserving the town’s capital assets go hand in hand. This means careful planning and making sure every dollar is prudently spent for the benefit of all residents. Just as there are no shortcuts in education, there are no shortcuts in maintaining our infrastructure. It must be done.

BUDGET TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Lisa is a fierce advocate for budget transparency and accountability, both of which are in very short supply now. Lisa Kouchakdjian pledges to work diligently for both. Those principles are the bedrock of good government.

SUMMARY

I know what it takes to serve on the Sudbury Select Board, and I know Lisa has those qualities. Experience and qualifications are critical. But they’re nothing without sound judgement. Lisa has all three, and the track record to prove it. She will work tirelessly and with the utmost integrity for all of Sudbury.This is why you should vote for Lisa Kouchakdjian.

—Len Simon, Sudbury