Your vote matters on March 5th

I am Allen Falcon Edinberg and I am a candidate for a seat on the Board of Selectmen.

As a member of the Board of Selectmen, I hope to use my business and community service experience to help the town address the many issues and challenges we face. I am a serial entrepreneur and a technologist. My Westborough-based Cloud Computing company helps businesses and local governments across the US improve how they communicate and collaborate. I have helped launch and run two local non-profits, and am actively involved in several of our local community organizations.

By nature, I am a problem solver. In business, and personally, I focus on bringing people with differing priorities and views to the discussion, understanding their positions, and helping them reach consensus. I hope these skills will serve me well as a Selectman for the benefit of the town.

I have spent the last year plus attending meetings -- watching our Town boards and committees operate. I see a remarkable commitment to service. As I have been meeting with department heads and staff, I continue to learn about services essential to our quality of life, many of which are not always visible to the community.

I do, however, see areas in which we can do better. Today, I will focus on Affordability and Engagement.

Affordability. Ensuring Westborough is affordable for all of our residents is more than just dollars and cents. We need -- and want -- to maintain the scope and quality of the services we enjoy as residents.

We cannot address our residential property tax issues by only focusing on spending. We also need to increase non tax revenues and expand our commercial tax base.

I see missed and underutilized opportunities to secure funds for projects from regional, state, and federal sources. We are leaving money on the table.

During my campaign, I have raised questions about our policies and practices for managing free cash, reserves, and both short term and long term debt. Sharing these ideas has already spurred conversations and generated further ideas.

We have opportunities to expand our commercial tax base. With well planned and targeted zoning changes, we can encourage new development and redevelopment of existing sites, adding businesses that contribute to both the real property and personal property commercial taxes. With community involvement we can make it easier for businesses to move in and grow while respecting residential neighborhoods, minimizing congestion, and protecting our quality of life.

Citizen Engagement. Westborough benefits when residents are engaged and involved in Town affairs. I will work:

• Improve the quality and timeliness of communications and information
• Do a better job recruiting residents with subject matter expertise to participate on boards and committees
• Expand inclusion efforts to involve the growing diversity in our community, and to do so in more meaningful ways

I live and work in Westborough. I am a residential and commercial tax payer. I feel the impact of our current residential and commercial tax levy. I see the impact -- particularly for those on fixed incomes -- the current imbalance creates. By increasing citizen engagement, by considering new ideas and approaches, by taking full advantage of the resources available to us, we can do better.

I appreciate your support, and your vote on March 5th. I look forward to serving the Town and all of its residents.