Town caucus sees big turnout as Select Board is set to grow

Around 140 residents gathered at Town Hall Monday to nominate candidates for this year’s election. It was the first chance for voters to voice an opinion on potential members for town-wide elected positions, including the Select Board, which will expand from three to five members in May.

Turnout was more than double the norm, according to numbers from Town Clerk Janet Murphy, and residents came away with four nominees for the three-way Select Board race as well as candidates for a host of other open seats.

Select Board

Susan Zacharias nominated Al Aydelott, speaking to his many years of municipal service, including decades on the Historical Commission and 23 years on the Planning Board.

“He doesn’t just know our current issues,” Zacharias said. “He knows the history behind them.”

Aydelott, who is serving a Planning Board term that expires in May, did not speak to his nomination.

Select Board Chair Lise Revers nominated Rebecca Mercuri, who was appointed to the Traffic and Sidewalk Committee last fall. Revers spoke to Mercuri’s dedication to preserving the town’s character and community. Mercuri said it was important to step up to serve the town, as Weston will need to address future development, infrastructure needs and new state mandates.

“We need to sharpen the pencil to keep spending and taxes under control and make smart investments in Weston’s future,” Mercuri said.

School Committee member Tiao Xie nominated Mai Luo, stating Luo’s experience as a real estate developer would provide useful insight on the development projects in town. Xie added that Luo, a member of Weston’s Chinese community, would lead to better representation in town government for that population. Luo, a graduate of UC Berkeley and MIT, told residents he decided to run after speaking with his father back in China.

“He said, ‘I was 74 years old in this country, in China, and I never elected anyone and I was never asked to be elected. That’s a privilege to you,’” Juo said. “We have a lot going on. The new school project, many developments. I think this is a very important time for people to step up.”

Alex Selvig put forth Anupam Sachdev as the fourth caucus candidate. Sachdev and his wife moved to Weston 35 years ago for the school system, which he said he wants to work to maintain, as well as the town’s rural character.

“Those are the good things that we came here for, and we would like to see them maintained for current residents and for future generations,” Sachdev said, adding his experience in the tech industry means that he can adapt with changing times.

School Committee

The School Committee race will also be contested. Steve Dietz and School Committee Chair Adam Newman will both run for the one open seat.

Newman was also nominated by Selvig, who spoke to Newman’s experience as a committee member, as well as his time as a teacher and educational consultant. Newman said his experience has helped him build trust across different sectors of the school district.

“We need to be collaborative. We need people who understand the complexity of the education ecosystem, who can help connect folks who care about our schools,” he said.

Gwen King nominated Dietz, highlighting his experience as a software developer, saying that his knowledge will help him shape technological policy within the school. Dietz said he moved to Weston for the schools and wants them to remain at their quality for future students.

“We have to think carefully about what having the best school district will look like over the next couple of decades,” Dietz said. “The world is changing a lot and it’s not going to be enough to look the way it has for the last three or four years.”

Other races

Four people are running for the three seats on the recreation commission. Chikaebere Toure, nominated by Phylis Halpern, will be running for re-election. George Manley was nominated for the position by Jonathan Xi. Nick Warren and Art Gibson were both nominated by commission member Adam King.

The following seats have uncontested races:

• Planning Board: Adrienne Giske was nominated by Planning Board Chair Leslie Glynn.
• Moderator: Ripley Hastings was nominated for the role by Peter Hill.
• Board of Health: Diana Chaplin is running for re-election, nominated by Laura Azzam.
• Board of Library Trustees: Emma Kwon and incumbent Robert Mullin nominated each other for the two seats.
• Board of Assessors: Tamilyn Lisenfield and incumbent John Hennessey were nominated for two seats.
• Measurers of Lumber: Daniel McDonald, Alan Day and Julie Hyde were nominated.
• Two seats on the Commissioners of Trust Funds seats received no nominations.

Interested parties are still able to add themselves to the May 2 ballot for any seat. Potential candidates will have to pull nomination paperwork and collect signatures from 50 residents by March 27.

Editor’s note: Town Caucus Chairman Joel Angiolillo and Clerk Alanna Muldoon serve on the Weston Observer’s advisory team.