[Ed note: On Tuesday, May 14th, residents will vote to appoint two candidates out of the four running for the Board of Selectmen. To help you make that decision, I have invited each of them to submit a letter to readers. You may comment to endorse the candidate. No mudslinging allowed.]
To the Editor:
Hi. My name is Marty Healey and I’m a candidate for Selectman. I appreciate the time you’ll take to read this letter, and so I won’t take up too much of it.
My wife Nicki and I moved to Southborough in 1991. Our four children all went thru the Southborough schools and Algonquin. Southborough finds itself in a good place right now with lots of positive, even exciting things happening and planned, but challenges abound: Maintaining fiscal discipline and affordability, particularly for those on fixed incomes. Providing excellent services, top notch education, and a full range of active and passive recreational opportunities. Intelligently managing growth and maintaining the look and character that make Southborough special. Protecting neighborhoods from development that may adversely impact, among other things, public safety. Improving facilities and expanding programs for the Senior Center. Supporting later start times for students, especially at the high school.
All of these issues are connected. Whether it’s public safety; schools; recreation; open space; services for seniors, veterans, and kids; intelligent growth; or economic development, the Selectmen must weigh priorities, resources, short and long-term impacts, and more. How to get things done amid those challenges and sometimes competing priorities? And how to be sure it’s the “right” things that are getting done? Vision, experience, integrity and leadership are critical. My professional career and my Town experience reflect those qualities, which is why I’ve been elected Chair of important committees like Advisory – for 7 of my 10 years on the committee – and the Main Street Working Group. You know I’ll get things done because I’ve gotten things done.
Finally, open, transparent, responsive government has to be our top priority. Our residents expect and deserve nothing less. Maintaining trust requires it. I’ve spent most of my career as a federal prosecutor, in San Francisco and Boston, prosecuting organized crime and public corruption and I currently supervise all securities enforcement litigation in New England for the SEC. I know how important open, responsive government is. I’ll demand it from myself and all of town government.
Thanks for your time and consideration. Please take the time to vote on May 14. And I hope I’ve earned one of the votes you cast.
Best,
Marty Healey
Updated (5/10/19 7:58 am): My apologies for misspelling the candidate’s last name in the headline
I served on the Advisory Committee while Marty was chair. I know that Marty has a wealth of knowledge about town operations and is willing to take on difficult issues. As chair, he ran very fair meetings. All sides of an issue were heard with respect. I also know that he is more than willing to change his mind but you will have to make sure you know your stuff because he does as well.
I recall one specific instance that impressed me about Marty. During a debate about Special Ed budgets, he made an impassioned argument along the lines of how we treat those with special needs defines who we all are and what we believe in. This stuck with me over the years.
Marty can laugh at himself which I believe is an important attribute to surviving the many challenges of local government. I am happy to vote for Marty and I hope you do as well.
The Candidate’s Night discussion was very helpful. Having not followed town politics all that much until recently, it is clear that Mr. Marty Healy and Mr. Sam Stivers have the most experience with Advisory and other boards and committees. Fellow voters, take a look at the tape if you need to quickly get up to speed. Beth has posted the link on the Candidate’s Night article (also see Southborough Access Media).
Please support Mr. Healy and Mr. Stivers as the best and most experienced candidates. Thank you to the library for a wonderful event.
I’d like to echo sentiments of “Undecided Until Candidate’s Night”. Mr Healey presented himself exceedingly well and certainly earned my vote. I am still undecided on second seat but do encourage others to watch the video themselves. I also very much appreciate the additional insight from Alfred. It’s great to hear that Mr Healey is a strong advocate for those in the community who are often overlooked and under-represented.
Marty Healey is exactly the candidate that we need on The Board of Selectmen. I, too was undecided until candidate’s night. it was very clear in my mind that Sam Stivers was my first candidate to support but Mr. Healey locked in the 2nd vote after candidate’s night.
His experience serving our town on town boards and committees coupled with his awareness of the issues facing Southborough are evident. I really like that Marty understands the importance of transparency and honesty in local government. At the end of the day we need two candidate’s on the BoS who are aware and appreciate the challenges we face. Mr. Healey is my choice! I urge you to support Marty Healey!
VOTE MARTY HEALEY for SELECTMEN!!!!