Cesar Monzon Running for Framingham Selectman

A former School Committee member and former chair of the town’s EDIC is the first to announce his candidacy for Framingham Selectmen.

Cesar Monzon, a retired assistant regional census manager for the U.S. Department of Commerce, plans to run for one of the two selectmen seats on the Town of Framingham’s ballot in March 2016.

“I can offer political leadership,” said Monzon.

Framingham will elect a new Selectman in 2016, as incumbent Mike Bower announced in June he would not seek re-election.

Framingham Selectmen Chair Charlie Sisitsky is up for re-election, and although he has not formally announced, he is expected to seek another 3-year term.

Election season kicked off this week, as Monday was the first day to take out nomination papers for town-wide office.

Monzon said he “applauds” the Board of Selectmen’s efforts to keep the tax rate increase to less than 2.5 percent.

But he said he would like to “promote a lower assessment of small businesses and start ups that are between $300,000 and $500,000 to a $25 per $1,000 tax rate, in order to give them the chance to grow”; and then gradually increase to the businesses to the $40 per $1,000 rate.

Framingham Selectmen vote each year whether to tax businesses annually at a higher tax rate than residents. For the last 5 years, Selectmen have voted for a split tax rate.

Monzon said he would like to see chnage the role of Selectmen.

“We have to move the board from its licensing only role, back to a policy setting board,” he said.

“We are in the middle of the 20-year plan for capital improvement and I see many neighborhood groups working really hard on projects that the Board of Selectmen should have been more proactive, giving guidance and answers,” said Monzon.

The host of an Access Framingham talk show, Monzon is also supporting the need for a charter commission to study the Town’s current form of government.

“I feel that having a Charter Commission that studies the different options in a transparent way, where input from the citizenry of Framingham is taken into account, and then voters decide, is what is best for Framingham,” said Monzon.

Monzon graduated from Merrimack College with a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology. He has a Masters degree in management from Lesley University.

He said one of his favorite places in town is Millwood golf course.

Monzon, a former Framingham Town Meeting member, is married, with two daughters, who are both engineers and graduates of the Framingham Public Schools.