When I joined the Select Board in 2020, Concord was in the throes of a pandemic. Suddenly, debates were no longer about campaign platform positions. Instead, we were donning masks, reviewing virtual meeting policies, and raising additional funds for the middle school project.
It was an extraordinary time, but all times are extraordinary. Consider what’s happened in Mary Hartman’s term: No one expected MCI-Concord to close without notice after 150 years. Few imagined that only a single company would bid to dredge Warner Pond at four times the expected budget, throwing its future into doubt. And who should raise a flag over Monument Square?
As each new issue emerged, I’ve admired Mary’s careful, open-minded, inclusive approach to gathering input. She asks tough questions, not to sway the outcome, but to get clarity.
More importantly, Mary drives fair decisions. It’s difficult, because people argue persuasively on both sides of these debates. Any way a Select Board member votes will upset some friends and neighbors, but in the end, they must take a position.
As Ruth Lauer’s Traditions and Expectations document for new Select Board members declares, abstention “…is not used when you do not want to go on the record; it is not used when you are uncomfortable taking a public position; it is not used when you cannot make up your mind. In Concord, it is generally expected that Selectmen will go on the record unless there is a conflict of interest.”
Mary has the fortitude to go “on the record” about tightening spending, investing in infrastructure, and addressing affordability, when it would be easier to kick the can down the road. We can’t predict Concord’s next challenge, but Mary’s someone I trust to navigate whatever comes. Please join me in voting for her on April 8.
Matthew Johnson
Winthrop Street
