Wayland 2021 Candidate: Duane Galbi For Board Of Public Works

WAYLAND, MA — With four candidates running for two seats and a recent crisis over contamination in Wayland's water, the 2021 Board of Public Works race has taken on a new significance.

With Jonathan Mishara not seeking another term, Duane Galbi is one of three newcomers along with Sherre Greenbaum and Abner Bruno, Jr seeking to pick up the seat, while incumbent Clifford Lewis aims to keep his seat.

The two winners will be tasked with helping to fix Wayland's PFAS problem. The town recently discovered elevated levels of the harmful chemicals in the Happy Hollow well field, Wayland's main water supply. Under new state regulations, the town has to come up with long and short-term solutions to remove the contamination from the water.

Patch sent each of the four candidates a questionnaire so voters can get to know them better. Here's how Galbi answered:

Duane Galbi

Age (as of Election Day): 55
Position Sought: Board of Public Works
Family: Karen and I have lived in Wayland for nearly 10 years.
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No
Education: Masters in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University
Occupation: Computer Engineer for 30 years
Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: No
Campaign website: www.duane4wayland.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

Wayland has many very talented residents. For many years, Wayland has had the same small set of residents filling our town positions. I believe I can serve Wayland by injecting new energy and new creativity into the Board of Public Works.

The single most pressing issue facing our town is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Water Quality: The newly required PFAS testing has shown that Wayland has been supplying contaminated water to its residents for years. I believe this is unequivocally unacceptable. The MWRA water which supplies Boston and 50 other towns already passes through Wayland. This water has zero PFAS and is some of the purest most plentiful water in the Country. Although I am open to other options, I believe we should move quickly to incorporate MWRA water into our water system to assure that current and future residents will never again need to question the quality of the water they drink. Although the initial charges will be higher for MWRA water, it will provide a long term savings by eliminating the costly maintenance associated with our wells. MWRA water allows Wayland to reduce our reliance on our stressed local watershed and eliminate the need for summer water rationing. I believe residents are willing to pay for a clean plentiful water supply.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My position on MWRA water is clear. I have researched the issue. I have talked to the Framingham Water Director to understand why he is happy they use MWRA water. I would join the Board with an urgency to quickly resolve our water issue.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

In the last 15 years, the Board has spent over 15 million dollars attempting to produce plentiful clean water for the town. Our water rates are 2x that of Weston, and 20% higher than Sudbury. Our water reserve fund has been depleted to pay for capital projects. We still suffer from water rationing restrictions in the summer. We now find that our water is contaminated. Based on hindsight, I think we all must admit the Board has not made the correct water decisions in the past. The Board has known about the current PFAS contamination for nearly six months. By now, the Board should have both a short term and long term remediation plan they can present and discuss widely with residents. This has yet to happen.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I believe our local officials did very well. I was very impressed with last Fall’s flu shot organization.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I believe we should have a plan to expand our sidewalk network and tie it into our new rail trail. We should work to make Wayland a more walking friendly town. I believe we need to continue to look for options to allow residents to reduce their dependence on oil and allow them to switch to solar and other cleaner sources of energy.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

For the past 30 years, I have been involved in contributing to and managing complex technology projects. As an Engineer, I am used to dealing with complicated technical issues. In addition, I am familiar with the new technologies the Board can use to communicate with residents, and I believe they all should be leveraged to make the Board’s actions as transparent as possible.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." I come ready to serve the citizen’s of Wayland.