Updates & Reflections

When I ran for Planning Board in June 2025, I campaigned on four priorities: listening, practicality, accessible information, and consensus building. Over the summer, the board and I have worked to carry those priorities forward.

Priority 1: Listening

  • Attended 10 Planning Board meetings since being sworn in, with public comment at each one.

  • Engaged with residents at Old Home Day, the farmer’s market booth, two open houses, and Zoom sessions with property owners.

  • Held office hours to help neighbors complete the housing survey and share perspectives directly.

  • Read the survey results closely.

  • Fielded resident emails and read all resident comms forwarded to the full board.

Priority 2: Practicality

  • Worked with the board to create a parcel scorecard to evaluate properties objectively using measurable characteristics.

  • Helped weigh three overall approaches to compliance with the MBTA Communities Act and narrow them to the most viable options.

  • Contributed to discussions with other town boards and committees, grounding our work in cross-town expertise.

For me, practicality also means approaching governance with a steady, fact-based lens:

  • Grounding decisions in data and foreseeable consequences, rather than speculation.

  • Asking not “Will MBTA zoning ruin Carlisle?” but “What kinds of solutions can address the concerns residents have raised?”

  • When information conflicts, giving greater weight to subject matter experts — land use attorneys, planners, engineers — whose professional expertise helps the board separate legitimate risks from unfounded worries.

  • Viewing the state mandate not cynically, but as an opportunity for Carlisle to make thoughtful choices rather than have them made for us.

Priority 3: Accessible Information

  • Took the lead in shaping the parcel scorecard to make parcel data more visually clear and easy to use.

  • Built and formatted maps to support the board’s analysis and public discussion of approaches and options.

  • Drafted a concise one-page explainer that was later adopted as the board’s official handout for residents.

  • Analyzed public survey input to ascertain ranked choice approach preferences - and with simple graphics to communicate those preferences.

These tools have made the board’s work more transparent and easier for both members and residents to follow.

Priority 4: Consensus Building

Listening widely has meant hearing very different perspectives — residents who strongly disagree with one another, those grounded in data and analysis, and those shaped by fears or partial information. All of this input matters. But part of the board’s responsibility is to weigh input carefully: respecting what we hear from residents while relying on subject matter experts — land use attorneys, planners, engineers — when it comes to technical questions.

The result is that no single zoning proposal will reflect exactly what any one person — or any one board member — would prefer. That’s the nature of consensus. The board’s responsibility is not to deliver a “win” for one side, but to balance competing needs — informed by both community input and expert guidance — in a way the town can live with, together.

What’s Next

  • At the September 22 meeting, the board will identify 3–4 specific zoning proposals to bring forward for November Town Meeting.

  • Public hearings in late September and early October will give residents a chance to ask questions and comment.

  • I will continue listening closely and working toward practical, balanced solutions that reflect Carlisle’s values.