Letters Urge Support Of 2022 Wayland Candidates

The following letters to the editor do not reflect the views of Wayland Patch

The recent surprise resignation of Wayland’s long-time Town Planner begs the question: what’s rotten in the state of Denmark? For that matter, does current Wayland leadership even care? Wayland town employees have been running for the exits at an alarming rate. The fish rots from the head, but the mass exodus never seems to make the Select Board’s agenda.

Consider the following turnover – over just the last few years: Town Administrator, Town Clerk, Town Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, HR Manager, Asst. Town Administrator, Director of Assessing, Assistant Assessor, Town Engineer, Town Planner, Fire Chief, Police Chief IT Manager. Management Analyst … and a partridge in a pear tree.

Wayland needs a “buck stops here” candidate to take the bull by the horns and restore excellence in town management, and employee resignations are not Wayland’s only problem. Money management – or lack thereof – has resulted in skyrocketing property taxes.

Take, for example, a recent finding in Wayland’s Annual Audit Report. Three generations of Town Administrators and Treasurers have failed to reconcile cash on a timely (monthly) basis – even after employee theft within the Treasurer’s office.

The Select Board’s failure to proactively address what has been deemed a “material weakness” in Wayland’s most recent audit report is inexcusable. The same issue was identified in The Abrahams Group report a full ten years ago. What’s worse? Wayland taxpayers are also on the hook for the consultants that had to be hired to fix the mess.

A look at Wayland’s website reveals long tenure for many of our elected officials. Cliff Lewis — a 40+ year resident of Wayland — knows the town well but hasn’t sat around on boards or committees simply talking about issues in perpetuity.

Cliff has served on multiple town boards and he quickly got to the bottom of the major challenges. His work on Wayland’s OPEB Committee resulted in a sustainable fix to our long-term retirement obligations and his efforts on the Board of Public Works made PFAS remediation a one year versus multiple year issue.

Wayland’s polls open on May 10 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Please join me in voting for Clifford Lewis, a candidate for Wayland Select Board who is known for his ability to communicate, collaborate, lead and — most importantly — achieve results!

—Donna Bouchard, Wayland

We are excited to cast our ballots on May 10th for Craig Gruber to be our next School Committee member.

Craig Gruber is uniquely qualified to serve on the School Committee, and we are confident that Mr. Gruber's professional and personal background will make him an asset in support of our schools and our students. In addition to being a parent of three students - one child each in elementary, middle, and high school - Mr. Gruber brings to the table first-hand experience as a classroom teacher and a school administrator, and he is licensed as a superintendent. This impressive combination of all levels of relevant perspectives will allow him to provide valuable insight on issues that are frequently nuanced and complex. As a research associate professor who studies leadership and decision-making, Mr. Gruber is knowledgeable and skilled in understanding how to approach problem-solving in the best interest of all parties. Furthermore, Mr. Gruber is well-versed in responsible budgeting and can help ensure our taxpayer funds are sensibly allocated while allowing our schools to continue to deliver the high level of education we have come to expect in Wayland.

We know Mr. Gruber to be patient and thoughtful, an open-minded listener who will strive to balance the needs of all concerned. We believe he will be a constructive addition to the School Committee, helping to foster collaborative discussions and relationships.

We offer this personal statement as your neighbors and private citizens, but also disclose that Ken is currently a teacher at Wayland High School, and Irene has also taught at WHS in the past.

We hope you'll join us in electing Craig Gruber to the School Committee.

—Ken and Irene Rideout, Wayland

If you are not completely happy with the way this town is run, please consider voting for Cliff Lewis for Select Board.

Cliff Lewis is a 40+ year resident who knows the town well and isn’t new to Wayland’s brand of politics. He understands how to work with people to achieve consensus based on real facts - not just preliminary, pie-in-the-sky pipe dreams - and while serving on multiple town boards, he has accomplished solid results for us.

His work on the OPEB committee and the Board of Public Works PFAS remediation stand out as crowning achievements in his many years of dedicated service.

There is much about Wayland that is wonderful, but like any town, we have our problems. Many of these are self-inflicted, as we continue to elect the same candidates into the same offices, while hoping for better results next time.

Newcomers to Wayland may not be aware of the ceaseless efforts from many of our elected officials to “pave paradise and put up a parking lot.” The semi-rural character that Wayland has always enjoyed and touted (and may even be the reason you chose to move here), is gradually eroding as some try to recreate Route 9 on Route 20.

The zealots of the Town Center Project (at least 2 of whom currently sit on our Select Board) made many promises that have yet to be fulfilled 17 years later. The project was pitched with the slogan “Fits Our Town; Funds Our Future.” While the quaint little shops that its proponents pasted on flashy pitch boards at Town Meeting would have been nice, reality set in soon after the Town Meeting vote.

With a ho-hum Stop & Shop as its anchor — and a slew of national chain stores that have come and gone – the development has been a bust. In their push to promote a new vision for Wayland, our same old same old politicians masterfully blundered and ended up driving out Wayland’s Whole Foods location (yes, Whole Foods used to be in Wayland) to set up shop in neighboring Sudbury.

Sudbury’s Route 20 commuters can now drive right though Wayland – everything they need is on their doorstep once they cross the border into their own town. Much of this was obvious to those who raised concerns, but some of our politicians and their proponents proceeded with unbridled enthusiasm and simply scoffed at those in our community who had the apparent audacity to point out the drawbacks.

It’s too early to tell how successful the new apartments tucked in between Rt. 20 and the Town Dump will be and whether the tax revenue promised will ever come to fruition, but somehow, I have my doubts.

We don’t need more yes-men and women. We need a Selectman with the ability to oversee the operation of the government who sees value in robust, meaningful exchanges of ideas, who isn’t afraid to push back, and who will not just vote inline with the others to provide the obligatory unanimous rubber stamp.

Clifford Lewis believes in communication, collaboration, leadership and achieving results.

I hope you’ll join me in supporting Cliff Lewis for Select Board on May 10. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

—John Flaherty, Wayland

I am writing to support the election of Cliff Lewis to Wayland’s Select Board on May 10.

As a long time Wayland resident, Cliff has stepped forward to engage with the community in a number of critical roles, currently serving as Chair of the Board of Public Works. As Chair, Cliff has been active on the Wayland Community Forum keeping concerned residents updated on PFAS developments at the Happy Hollow wells – exemplifying his commitment to communication and transparency.

Prior to this elected position, Cliff had been involved with the Town in capacities where he gained diverse experience in broad aspects of municipal governance. He has volunteered for, and been appointed to, the OPEB (Retiree Health Care Funding), School Hiring Search and Community Preservation Committees by the Select Board. Cliff chaired the OPEB Committee toward a solution on the contentious issue of how to fund benefit obligations for retired Town employees. As a member of the School Hiring Search Committee, he was required to submit an application for consideration against other candidates before receiving his appointment. These appointments by the Select Board and School Committee show that members of those bodies, some of whom may be colleagues if he is elected, trust in his knowledge and leadership.

Cliff Lewis has:

• A lengthy history serving the Town in both appointed and elected capacities
• A demonstrated long-term investment in Wayland
• The ability to deliver results to improve our community

Let’s continue to benefit from his experience by electing Clifford Lewis to the Wayland Select Board on May 10.

—Thomas Klem, Wayland