There has been some harsh opinion expressed in the editorial pages lately directed at the Harvard Board of Selectmen and particularly its chairman, Leo Blair. I’ll admit that I don’t spend a lot of my time focused on the details of what happens in each selectmen’s meeting, but I do know this: Harvard has some serious business to do and Leo’s leadership and unique ability to identify, stay focused, and take action on key issues has contributed to real progress in our little town.
It’s been less than one year since the election of our new Board of Selectmen and in this short amount of time much has been accomplished. Job one of the new board was to institute a policy to broaden citizen participation and improve transparency by limiting the number of committees on which selectmen can serve. As a result, we have more first-time volunteers on boards and committees than any time in recent history, which has brought new energy and fresh ideas to our town government.
As chairman of the JBOS, Leo has reframed the Devens issue from an all-or-nothing-for-Harvard scenario to one in which we work in cooperation with the Joint Boards of Selectman to provide more cost-effective services, to the betterment of all in the years ahead.
On issues such as affordable housing, town center sewer, fresh ideas for the reuse of town center buildings, forward-thinking on keeping schools in the town center, creating a better senior center or a commercial district, Leo and the current board have demonstrated a moderate, sensible “let’s get it done” approach that has generated positive momentum for our town.
Leo Blair and our current Board of Selectman have invested an enormous amount of their personal time doing their homework, asking tough questions, and dealing with complicated issues. For this, I am thankful and want to express my appreciation here for all of their hard work and the results they bring. It’s my hope that my Harvard friends and neighbors will look beyond just the editorial pages to get a fuller picture of our elected volunteer leaders in action, because if they do, they’ll most likely agree we’re fortunate to have them serving our town.
Tina Bardenheuer
Ayer Road
