Marianne LeBlanc Cummings Running for Select Board

Thanks to Ms. Marianne LeBlanc Cummings for contributing her news to Westwood Minute.

Marianne LeBlanc Cummings, a past chair of the Westwood Finance and Warrant Commission, has announced her candidacy for the Westwood Select Board. A resident of Westwood for 20 years, Marianne and her husband, John, are the parents of three children who attended Westwood Public Schools.

A trial lawyer for nearly thirty years, LeBlanc Cummings is a partner with the Boston law firm of Sugarman and Sugarman. An active volunteer in the Westwood schools and youth sports for many years, LeBlanc Cummings served from 2009-2018 on the Westwood Finance and Warrant Commission (FinCom), which vets and advises the Town on all articles on the Town Meeting Warrant. She served as Chair of FinCom for five years.

During her tenure, FinCom vetted the major issues facing residents in recent years, including the University Station Development, the new police and Islington fire stations, the Islington Redevelopment Project, and the initial steps taken toward the Hanlon-Deerfield School Building Project. As Chair, she initiated a Long-Range Financial Planning Sub-Committee to better understand the competing short-term and long-term budgetary priorities of the Town, and she also appointed the Commission’s first ever Energy Liaison to advise FinCom on climate and energy conservation issues which permeate budgetary concerns and proposed capital projects. She was also instrumental in bringing FinCom’s focus to the level of public safety staffing within the fire department, which catalyzed an independent review and further hires to increase staffing levels to meet the Town’s evolving needs. Since 2018, LeBlanc Cummings has served on the Westwood Commission on Disability which advocates on behalf of our residents with disabilities and their families.

“Westwood is unmatched as a great community in which to live,” LeBlanc Cummings stated. “I am running for the Select Board because I want to contribute to this community which has given so much to my family and me. I think I would bring a fresh perspective and innovative thinking to the Board. If elected, my guiding principle will be to lead by listening. Having chaired dozens of FinCom public hearings, I understand how deeply important public participation and vigorous, respectful process is for our good governance.”

LeBlanc Cummings’ priorities in seeking the seat include health and public safety, financial sustainability, protection of our resources and universal access for all residents to enjoy those resources, the continued excellence of our schools, and the pro-active engagement and inclusion of all residents. “To be truly successful we need to ensure that all residents feel included in the process of town governance and that their concerns are heard and considered,” LeBlanc Cummings said. LeBlanc Cummings seeks to engage with as many residents as possible during this election cycle. She can be reached at mleblanccummings@gmail.com.

In addition to her service to the Town, Marianne has led and chaired the boards of large professional associations (including the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts), and two non-profits (one providing pro bono legal services for low-income women and another providing assistance to survivors of domestic violence). She currently serves, by appointment of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, as Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers. She is a graduate of Ursuline Academy in Dedham, Wellesley College, and Boston College Law School. 

For more information, please visit www.elect-marianne4westwood.com. Election Day is April 26, 2022.

Editor's note: Westwood Minute takes no position on candidates running for election. Articles featuring candidates are provided for the purpose of community information and interest.

Publication timing and presentation of articles are a function of the capabilities of the publishing platform and what resources are available for an article to publish at a given time. Differences should not be interpreted as any endorsement of one candidate over another.

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