Perhaps most surprising and most compelling are concerns regarding the transparency and accessibly of our town government. The perception that town decisions are made behind closed doors, by a select few in the community, needs to be acknowledged and dissolved.

A reconstituted Economic Development Committee should think about innovative ways to attract and expand upon our commercial base beyond brick-and-mortar construction.  Businesses want to go where the talent is; Cohasset has that talent and the success of businesses such as Work Station make clear that our residents want to work locally

Cohasset’s annual legal and litigation costs, while high, are necessary to protect the taxpayers and our Town Manager, elected and appointed officials, and town employees from liability resulting from their actions as agents of the town.  Though necessary, there are ways to mitigate our exposure to lawsuits and better manage these costs. 

The commitment of the Community Preservation Committee, rebirth of the Affordable Housing Trust, and the proposal to establish an affordable housing steering committee are positive steps, but to believe that we can meet this challenge through public funding alone is a mistake.  Encouraging private development of affordable housing should be included in our master plan.

The new contractual increases did not require an override in FY16 or FY17 and based on current fiscal forecasts won’t be the cause of an override in FY18. Paying our educators a fair and competitive wage fits within existing fiscal policies and the constraints of Prop 2-1/2.