Letter To The Editor Roundup: More Burlington Election Views

BURLINGTON, MA — The following letters were submitted to Burlington Patch by residents.

To submit a letter to the editor email chris.huffaker@patch.com.
The town election is April 10. There is a contested race for the Board of Selectmen.

Previously on Patch:

• Burlington Election Final List: Dozens Run For Town Offices
• Letter To The Editor Roundup: Burlington Town Election
• Letter To The Editor Roundup: More Endorse Shari Ellis

Letter from Town Meeting Member Scott Martin

Shari Ellis for Burlington

I moved to Burlington in 2001 and had spent the previous 15 years involved in the town governments of Billerica and Bellingham. I had told my wife that I thought I wanted to take some time off from spending my nights with people that seemed to be stuck in the past, that made up their mind based on out-of-date data or no data at all, that didn’t have a plan for the future of the town, were only concerned about how their plot of land would be affected and not what would benefit the majority of the residents and businesses of the town.

We got a subscription to the Burlington Union. The first article that I read had a quote from Shari Ellis about a warrant article for the Town Meeting. I caught a portion of the Town Meeting on BCAT, and there was Shari Ellis. My first impression – smart women.

I have since become a Town Meeting Member and member on the General Bylaw Review Committee and have had the opportunity to work with Shari on a number of occasions. Shari is no stranger to the politics of the town. Her time as a Town Meeting Member has been used to urge for the passage of articles that consider the future of the town and for the benefit of the majority of those that live and work here. At Town Meeting when she gets up to speak you know that she has done her homework, dug out the facts, reviewed the data and is concerned for what is best for the town and the town’s future.

I have had the privilege to work closely with Shari in her role as Chair of the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee. Shari is willing to do the work, to listen to the residents and business owners, to understand the situation and how it affects us all and to persist at doing what is the course of action that will lead Burlington into the future.

These are the qualities that, I believe, will make Shari Ellis a valued member of the Select Board in Burlington. Please remember to cast your vote for Shari on Saturday, April 10.

Scott Martin
Cormier Rd.
Town Meeting Member – Precinct 7
General Bylaw Review Committee – Chair

Letter from Bylaw Review Committee member Wendy Guthro

Dear Editor,

When a new hat is thrown in the ring for a seat on the Town of Burlington Board of Selectmen, soon to be more appropriately re-named, Select Board, my interest is always piqued, and more so when the hat belongs to Shari Ellis. I write to the voters of Burlington to share my personal experience of why Shari Ellis should help lead Burlington.

My association to Shari Ellis began years ago when we served as Town Meeting and Land Use Committee members together. She tackled issues, including a complex Planned Development District (PDD) Zoning Bylaw rewrite which required understanding zoning, building, business,
town departments, legal issues and people’s interests. I was impressed with Shari’s clear thinking, tenacity and ability to take ideas and turn them into solutions.

Whether collaborating with Shari as a Town Meeting, Land Use, Zoning or General Bylaw Review Committee member, she approaches issues with a passion to achieve results, using her ability to see root causes of a problem, create realistic, fiscally sound solutions, and communicate those ideas to reach consensus. Check out her Track Record of Success and History of Service at www.EllisForBurlington.com.

These are qualities we need in a person to lead Burlington. Please join me in voting for Shari Ellis for Board of Selectmen on April 10th.

Wendy Guthro
17 Treetop Court

These letters were produced by their authors. The views expressed are the authors' own.