Westwood's Josh Ames Announces Select Board Run

The following is a candidacy announcement submitted to Westwood Patch by Josh Ames. If you are running for office in Westwood and would like your candidacy announcement published, email samantha.mercado@patch.com.

A longtime resident of Westwood, Josh Ames, formally announced his Select Board candidacy at Chiara Bistro on February 11th. This meet and greet was well attended by a diverse group composed largely of families with school aged children from across Westwood.

Josh has two children that are part of the Westwood school system: Adam, a 4th grader at the Downey School, and Edie, a toddler slated to attend the Sheehan School. He believes that the school system is one of the key value propositions of our community. Having grown up in Chelsea, one of the most densely populated working-class communities in Massachusetts, Josh has a unique appreciation for the suburban character of Westwood.

“Given my vested interest in our town’s continued success and my cross-town insight, I feel a duty to help represent a Westwood that is inclusive and positioned to handle the challenges of the future.” Josh stated.

Josh has a professional background in management and regulatory oversight within the higher education, healthcare, and biopharmaceutical industries. He holds a Master of Science in Project Management and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University.

“I subscribe to a decision making process based on evidence, utilitarianism, and fairness. We must not allow the politics of identity, fear, or nostalgia dictate where we are headed as a community.” Josh emphasized.

If elected, Josh articulates his guiding principles as:

Sustainability: A commitment to both fiscal and environmental sustainability is imperative for the long term success of our community. We must:

• Provide conscientious stewardship of our tax funds by addressing issues proactively and within our current means.
• Be pioneers in addressing climate change by enacting achievable, common sense guidelines for our consumption of environmental resources. Implementing building code requirements to incorporate green building features, power aggregation, and enforcing current regulations are all vital to this success.

Growth: While fiscal sustainability is important, so too is controlled growth. It would be disingenuous to grow heavy industry or expansive chain retail in Westwood. We should:

• Use our influence and powers to engender small/ local business growth in our community. This growth would provide an increasing tax base to alleviate residential tax burden as well communal foci.

Community: We all love the community that Westwood is, but I want to ensure we love what Westwood is becoming. We can:

• Decrease our reliance on large-scale commercial developments.
• Evaluate future residential developments and property tax relief strategies to support our seniors and low income families.
• Expand the Select Board from 3 to 5 members to better encompass the interests of the community.

The Westwood town election will take place on April 28. Please remember to make your voice heard.

For more information, email joshua.ames@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/JoshForWestwood