[Note: What follows is a statement authored by Dan Kolenda who is running for a seat on the Board of Selectmen. No endorsement is implied. Town elections will be held on Monday, May 9. A list of candidates can be found here.]
As our Annual Town Election draws near, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the campaign. I am so thankful for the outpouring of support for me and my candidacy. Volunteering is not easy, as we all have busy work and family lives, but volunteerism is how our town works. I have been fortunate to have been entrusted with the confidence of our residents in being elected to our Southborough Housing Authority and later to our Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committee, as well as my appointment to our Advisory Committee. In each of these positions, I have seen the dedication of our town residents in ensuring that our budgets are lean, our tax dollars spent wisely, our services efficient and our citizens well served. I am proud of the relationships I have built over the years with so many committee and board members, and believe those experiences and those relationships will serve me well as your next Selectman.
I am also steadfastly proud of my service to our Nation as a Major in the United States Army Reserves. My deployment to Iraq from 2008-2009 was extremely hard on my family and me, but the wonderful support we received from the generous residents of Southborough was heart-warming. You demonstrate the best in America. I was in Iraq during a time when Iraqi’s waited in long lines through multiple security checkpoints to have an opportunity to participate in their fledgling democracy. I made a promise then to fully participate in mine.
The role of Selectman is serious business. I have spoken with current and previous Selectmen, and thank them for their dedicated service on behalf of our town. I remain extremely proud of the endorsements I have received. Please take a look at the list on my website www.kolenda2011.com. The list is wide and the views of each varied. I firmly believe my experience on elected and appointed boards and committees will serve me well as your next Selectman.
My platform includes the following:
- Efficient, effective Town government; limited taxation; transparent leadership
- Support business development while maintaining the quality of life in Southborough
- Fully fund our excellent school system while identifying areas for fiscal improvement
I am a proponent of expanding areas of responsible commercial growth in our town to increase our available revenue base, while keeping taxes as low as possible, always remaining cognizant of our residents on fixed incomes. We do need to fully fund our exceptional schools while always ensuring that each hard earned tax dollar is spent wisely. Our challenges are many, but our opportunities even more. Southborough is a patriotic, beautiful town from which I have received much. I hope to give back tenfold as your next Selectman.
Thank you again for considering me and my candidacy.
Dan Kolenda
Candidate
Southborough Board of Selectman
www.kolenda2011.com
A man of true integrity!
I am voting for Dan. I worked with him on the Advisory Committee and I believe he will challenge some of our old ways of doing business, ask hard questions and require answers.
I’m not sure who I’ll vote for.I suggest all read Rosenberg’s detailed staement and his business background. It is impressive stuff.
Dan Kolenda is the best kind of leader for Southborough right now, because he comes without a predetermined agenda, but yet a willingness to do the right thing (not just the easy thing). Those who know Dan know what I am talking about, and those who do not know him will be pleasantly surprised by his approach to the issues facing our Town. He has my vote.
Dan has my vote as well. I was fortunate to get to know him through his service as a coach with Southborough Youth Baseball – just part of his impressive record of service to our town and country. He’s a smart, level-headed and apparently tireless guy, with the kind of town government experience that will serve him well as a selectman.
Both candidates seem like fine fellows but Kolenda has the breadth of municipal experience that should serve him well on the board of selectman.
I am so impressed with Dan’s dedication to public service.
So few people volunteer to participate in our Town government. They think they have too many commitments. Think about Dan. Dan was on Advisory when he was called to active duty in Iraq. After a year being pulled away from family and job, he is has been back serving the Town immediately on his return. That earns my vote and my thanks, Dan.