I’ve aspired to be moderator ever since attending my first Town Meeting in the spring of 2017 and observing then-moderator Bob Eubank. Despite getting scatterings of write-ins over the past five years, the timing just wasn’t right for me to run until now.
As moderator, I am committing to the following priorities, in addition to the roles and responsibilities provided to me by the Harvard Charter:
I will work tirelessly to maximize participation at Town Meeting by eliminating barriers that prevent residents from attending. We’ve experienced very low attendance at recent Town Meetings. I will work to identify these barriers, and then partner with various groups to find ways to reduce and eliminate them, thereby increasing attendance.
I will work to create a pipeline of potential members of the Finance and Capital Planning and Investment committees. We have a volunteer crisis in town. Having a pool of future engaged volunteers is crucial to avoid committee vacancies.
I will continue to promote the importance of “neighborly debate” both inside and outside of Town Meeting. The tone and rhetoric in national and local politics has gotten more harsh over the last 10-plus years. I strongly believe it’s important to continuously reinforce “We are all neighbors,” like many Harvard moderators have done.
I will commit to ensuring the moderator term remains a one-year term, as it has been for generations. The time commitment to get 32 signatures each spring should be a triviality compared with the importance and impact of the position. Eliminating this small annual effort for future moderators is not more important than retaining checks and balances that benefit the town and its residents. Please join me in voting “no” on Question 4 on May 9.
Thank you for your consideration.
Brad Besse
Westcott Road
