Joe Laurin announces run for Select Board 

January 24, 2025

When I announced my candidacy for Select Board last year, I wrote the following that is still relevant:

My wife and I have raised our family in Concord. Our twin sons are products of Concord’s public schools and now benefit from that exceptional education in college.

Concord is my dream town. I grew up in Pittsfield, studied in Chicago, and worked in both Colorado and Europe. I’ve seen local governments make good and bad decisions that have long-lasting impact. We can learn from others.

After working for large companies like GE and Fidelity, I became the CEO of a small data science company. I’ve led teams through good times and bad, and I’ve learned how to set priorities and make tough decisions.

I’ve also invested in my communities: I’m a trustee of The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle, and I have volunteered for years with Kicks for Cancer. I’ve coached multiple youth sports here in town. Outside of Concord, I volunteered with Tenacity, an organization that supports inner-city Boston youth, and The Entrepreneur’s Forum, which mentors women and other underrepresented entrepreneurs.

A few things I’ve learned since that last announcement: We have some tough decisions to make. Our spending needs to be much better controlled. We need better — and more transparent — processes, planning, and decision-making. We have some once-in-a-generation opportunities in front of us that will significantly shape our future.

I care deeply about Concord and want to ensure it remains vibrant. But this doesn’t just “happen.” It takes good management, fair weighing of options, and thorough analysis in order to understand the near- and long-term impacts of decisions. And it means speaking the truth, not avoiding bad news, and sometimes making tough decisions to stay on course.

I look forward to talking and sharing ideas with you.

Joe Laurin

Southfield Road