Bent honored with Commonwealth award

Weston resident Laurie Bent spent more than a decade in public service, and in recognition of her achievements, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women has honored her with its Commonwealth Heroine Award.

Rep. Alice Peisch nominated Bent to celebrate her commitment to local politics. Bent served on the Weston Select Board for six years and on the Conservation Commission for 10 years. Bent was one of two Weston residents recently to be nominated, as Sen. Michael Barrett also recognized Jeannette Velasquez, a local business leader, for her work on behalf of local families.

Bent, who received the award on June 24, said she was grateful to be recognized among other dedicated women from across Massachusetts.

“It was really nice to receive. It was unexpected, but it made me feel good,” she said. “The ceremony was really fun…It was a very feminist event, which was great. I really appreciated that.”

In Bent’s time on the Select Board, she spearheaded the change of its name from Board of Selectman to be more inclusive.

“It had been proposed earlier and failed, but I think it was more powerful coming from a woman saying I don’t feel comfortable with this term, it doesn’t describe me.”

Bent also worked to bring pay-as-you-throw to the transfer station to raise awareness of the amount of waste Weston generates and to try to reduce how much garbage the town produces. In her time on the Board, she also advocated for bicyclists and pedestrians to reduce dependence on cars through redesign of Norumbega Road and Park and work on the Ash Street sidewalk, which is currently awaiting approval from the MetroWest Regional Collaborative, according to Bent. One of her last projects as a Select Board member was to work on water tank funding.

“I really loved being on the Select Board. It was a joy. I worked with really good people,” Bent said. “It was a privilege to be able to serve in that way.”

Bent said her work on the Select Board was influenced by her time on the Conservation Commission. In her 10 years on that board, she helped preserve Wellington Farms land, which belonged to the Danforth family.

“It meant a lot to the Danforth family and it was so good for the town,” she said.

Bent said she is grateful for her time spent serving Weston and for the chance to be a role model for other women and girls in town.

“I certainly was not the first woman to be on the Select Board…That felt important to me, that we got another viewpoint on the Select Board and now we have two out of five,” Bent said. “It wasn’t why I ran but it was a good thing to have representation, and you want to model this kind of leadership to girls and young women to create that expectation that women can and should be leaders.”