4-19-2022 5:50pm

Q & A with Marianne LeBlanc Cummings, Uncontested Candidate for Select Board

Darlene Cancell Editor

Photo courtesy of Marianne Le Blanc Cummings.

Thanks to Ms. Marianne LeBlanc Cummings for participating in this Q&A with Westwood Minute.

Select Board Clerk John Hickey has decided not to run for re-election, and his term expires this May. There is only one candidate running for the open seat on Select Board - Ms. Marianne LeBlanc Cummings is the uncontested candidate. Below, Ms. LeBlanc Cummings responds in her own words to five timely questions posed by Westwood Minute.

Q: You have served on the Westwood Commission on Disability. What are the needs of Westwood’s disabled community that are not currently being met and how would you address them on Select Board?

First, I would like to thank the Westwood Minute for this opportunity and for the valuable service it provides to our community.

Since 2018, I have had the privilege of serving on Westwood’s Commission on Disability, which advocates for our residents with disabilities and their families. I sought this appointment because I wanted to further my work on behalf of the disability community. As an attorney, I represent many individuals with disabilities and have witnessed their challenges. However, the lived experiences of my fellow Commission members, who are individuals with disabilities or who have family members with disabilities, have provided me with an even deeper understanding of the need for greater support and resources for our residents with disabilities so that they can be fully active members of our community.

Westwood has shown a strong commitment toward being a welcoming, caring and accessible town in which to live, work and learn. I’d like to see Westwood leverage those accomplishments by taking further steps forward toward universal/inclusive access for all our residents. While newer facilities are accessible to individuals with physical disabilities, many of our older buildings are not. I have heard from many parents of children with disabilities and special needs about the need for more recreational programming in which their children can safely and fully participate. Additionally, our sidewalks should be able to safely accommodate foot traffic, wheelchairs and strollers.

Noteworthy is the recent update to Westwood’s Comprehensive Plan which prioritizes universal access with respect to all town facilities and resources. As a Select Board member, I will work to engage the Commission on Disability, in addition to SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Committee), for their insight on how we can strategically achieve greater access for our residents with disabilities. I will propose that Westwood engage in a town-wide audit of our facilities, policies and programs as to access, originally completed in Westwood in 1992, so that we can better understand the remaining needs and create a plan to meet them.

Q: What does inclusiveness mean to you?

I am proud to live in a town in which our Select Board and Human Rights Task Force have jointly adopted a strong statement affirming the Town’s values of diversity, equity and inclusion - which I fully support: https://www.townhall.westwood.ma.us/Home/Components/News/News/297/15#:~:text=The%20Town%20of%20Westwood%20strives,mutual%20respect%20for%20each%20other

Our diversity is a vital strength within our community. In embracing inclusiveness, we seek to foster an environment in which everyone is treated equitably, with dignity and respect. As an attorney, I have worked over the past twenty years to promote greater diversity and inclusion in my profession, particularly as President of the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, and more recently as Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers’ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Task Force. As a Select Board member, I will actively support the continued work of the Westwood Human Rights Task Force in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts throughout our community.

Q: There seems to be a lot of support for the proposed conservation restriction from Hale, but the proposed cost would be $10 million. How can this expense be made more palatable to resident taxpayers, given the new and ongoing expenditure to the town of constructing a new Hanlon-Deerfield School, the necessary future work at the Sheehan School, and the talk of new or improved facilities for the town’s public safety and administrative buildings?

Like any municipality, Westwood faces a number of competing capital needs due to aging infrastructure. I propose that we reinstate the town’s Long Range Financial Planning Committee, with community representation, so that we can formulate a strategic road map to meet these needs in a balanced and fiscally responsible way.

With respect to Hale, I have served on the Hale Conservation Restriction Task Force since its formation in 2019. This task force is advisory to the Town Administrator. I support the Task Force’s recommendation that the Town pursue a conservation restriction with respect to Hale’s property in Westwood. This is consistent with Westwood’s Comprehensive Plan and Open Space and Recreation Plan, both of which identified the permanent protection of Hale as an important open space need. While the Town has not yet put forth a proposal to residents regarding Hale, and the actual cost of such a project to the Town is yet unknown, I support the Task Force’s recommendation that the Town should vigorously leverage any available federal and/or state funds to offset the cost of a conservation restriction to taxpayers (in addition to private fundraising by Hale), and further that the Town explore the opportunity to address other town objectives with such a project. Assuming the Select Board decides to move forward with such a proposal, there will be a need for broad public engagement and discussion as to the cost and benefits to the Town.

Q: What are the top three things you want to accomplish as a Select Board Member?

First and foremost is the safety, health and well-being of our residents. While we all fervently hope that we have entered the post-Covid era, the Town must remain vigilant to protect our residents, especially the most vulnerable. This includes continued strong support of Westwood Public Schools, the Board of Health, and the vital services provided by Westwood Youth & Family Services. It also includes ensuring that our public safety service is well-equipped to meet the evolving needs of the town, including emergency preparedness.

Second, I would like to reinstate Westwood’s Long Range Financial Planning Committee, with representation from the community, so that we can strategically plan for our long-term capital needs, with a focus on the Town’s sustainability and the goals set forth in the Comprehensive Plan.

Third, I hope to be an agent for further inclusion and public participation in our town’s governance. I believe our greatest natural resource in Westwood is our people, and I will advocate for greater accessibility so that all residents can fully participate in our community.

Q: What do you most want Westwood to know about you?

I am a proud mother of three children and a 20-year resident of Westwood. Like so many people in our community, I have served as an elementary school class parent (Hanlon x3), youth athletics coach for over a decade, PTO member, and cheerleader at countless games of my children. I have attended community forums, Town Meetings and have voted on the important issues facing our town. Professionally, I have been a trial attorney for almost 30 years, serving as an advocate for individuals and families. I have honed my leadership skills by chairing professional and non-profit boards.

Public service is a core value for me. As an optimist, I believe that we each have the ability to contribute to our community in a positive way. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served on Westwood’s Commission on Disability. I also enjoyed serving for 9 years on Westwood’s Finance and Warrant Commission (FinCom), and as its chair for 5 years, which gave me a robust understanding of the town’s finances and operations. As Chair of FinCom, I came to understand how critically important civility and public participation is to our good governance - which is why my guiding principle on the Select Board will be to lead by listening. I am truly humbled by the support I have received for my candidacy for the Select Board and I look forward to getting to work with and for all our residents in shaping Westwood’s future.

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.