The selectmen this week voted 3–1–1 to appoint Nate Finch of Codman Hill Road to an open seat on the Capital Planning and Investment Committee.
Finch has been a Harvard resident for seven years. He is a software developer and told the committee he has worked as a programmer for 18 years. He is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a degree in computer science. He is also the founder of Indivisible Harvard, a local organization that describes itself as a progressive, political action group.
During his public interview, Finch said he hoped to be a voice for all the parents in town and Harvard’s younger taxpayers. He said as a programmer his job was “figuring out things no one has ever done before.” He said he was interested in serving on the Capital Planning and Investment Committee (CPIC) because the committee would be grappling with important choices. “It’s a place where I can make a difference,” he said, adding, “I make spreadsheets for fun.”
Three candidates had applied for the the open citizen-at-large seat on CPIC. The four voting members of that committee interviewed Finch, Paul Green, and Bill Marinelli last month and, after a split vote, recommended that the selectmen appoint either Green or Marinelli. But when it came time for the selectmen to vote at their last meeting, Selectman Stu Sklar abstained and asked for a chance to interview Finch, while the remaining four selectmen split their vote between the other two candidates.
Since then, circumstances on CPIC have changed. Interim Chairman Jon Seeley has agreed to co-chair the committee with SusanMary Redinger, the School Committee’s representative, and therefore, Selectwoman Alice von Loesecke told the selectmen Tuesday evening, the new member would no longer be asked to chair the group, making appointment of a less experienced resident feasible. Von Loesecke, Sklar, and Lucy Wallace Tuesday joined in voting for Finch, while Kara Minar voted for Green and Ken Swanton voted for Marinelli.
Finch replaces former citizen-at-large Debbie Ricci and will begin serving a three-year term at the committee’s next meeting, just in time to weigh in on capital requests for the Nov. 6 Special Town Meeting. His wife, Jennifer Finch, is an associate member of the Finance Committee.
