Editor’s note: Eight candidates have stepped forward this spring to fill expiring terms on Harvard’s four elected boards. The field includes five incumbents and three newcomers, one of whom is a write-in candidate for the Warner Free Lecture Trustees. None of the races is contested, but the Press saw the May 5 Annual Town Election as an opportunity for readers to learn about each of the candidates and their views. The candidates were offered space to introduce themselves and then answer three questions relevant to the office they seek.
I am honored to seek reelection to the Harvard Select Board and to continue serving the community I care so deeply about. My public service in town began long ago on the Planning Board, where I worked on zoning, land use, and long-range planning issues like the 2016 Master Plan—helping to reflect residents’ vision for Harvard’s future. That experience gave me a strong understanding of finding ways to balance needed growth while preserving the function, scale, and historic character of the community. Planning is critical to ensuring that the impact of growth is fully analyzed to understand how it will affect residents in terms of traffic, safety, property values, revenue generation, and quality of life; and those considerations have stayed with me even as I have now served on the Select Board for several years.
I would like to see changes that improve clarity, accountability, and efficiency in town government. A charter should be a practical guide that reflects how a modern municipality operates, and for the most part the charter has achieved that, but there are always improvements to be made.
Over time, responsibilities can become unclear or outdated, and processes that once worked may no longer serve residents effectively. I would support reviewing the roles and relationships among boards, committees, and appointed staff to ensure lines of authority are clear and decision-making is transparent. This includes strengthening communication among elected boards and town administration, while preserving the checks and balances that residents expect.
I would advocate for the Planning Board to once again be an elected body because it is important for those serving on that board to express their vision for the type of growth they want to implement. In that way, residents can vote for those candidates that align with their values and vision for the future.
There are a few other tweaks that I think would make the lines of accountability clearer, but I look forward to seeing the work that the Charter Review Committee does and what they recommend. Most importantly, the charter should continue to protect Harvard’s tradition of open government and Town Meeting, which remain central to our civic identity.
We must approach both goals carefully and strategically. We need to expand housing opportunities for young families, seniors looking to downsize, and those who contribute to our community but struggle to find homes they can afford. That may require thoughtful zoning updates, support for mixed housing types, and policies that allow modest growth in appropriate locations. At the same time, infrastructure, traffic, school and economic impacts must be fully evaluated.
With respect to commercial development, we should continue to support our current local businesses and find ways to make the commercial district more welcoming for the type of growth that would expand and diversify our tax base and enhance community services. Approving the form-based code bylaw was an important step forward to ensuring that the town can shape the type of growth that would make our commercial district more vibrant. Providing additional infrastructure—such as water and sewer along Ayer Road—should be thoroughly investigated to see if there would be a meaningful return on investment by enabling more goods and services to enrich residents’ quality of life. At the same time, I would like to see Harvard’s rural character, open space, historic charm, and sense of place preserved. Growth should complement the town, not overwhelm it, and I believe development can be integrated responsibly into the community fabric if it is shaped with an eye toward the town’s scale and character.
As an incumbent, I have gained a deeper appreciation for the complexity of municipal government and the importance of collaboration. Serving on the Select Board requires balancing competing priorities: fiscal discipline, service delivery, and resident expectations. I have strengthened my skills in consensus-building, budgeting, and regional cooperation with neighboring communities. I have also learned that listening carefully is one of the most important responsibilities of public service, and I think having regular Select Board Community Hours has helped to open those lines of communication for residents.
These experiences help make the board even stronger because effective leadership depends not only on ideas, but on execution, communication, and trust. I bring continuity, institutional knowledge, and a willingness to ask hard questions while remaining respectful of differing viewpoints. Harvard faces important decisions in the coming years, and I believe experienced, steady, and forward-looking leadership is essential to navigating them successfully. I kindly ask for your support in the election on May 5.
I’m running for reelection to the Select Board because these last few months have reinforced my conviction that Harvard grows best when we move thoughtfully and deliberately—and I want to continue that work.
As a longtime volunteer on the Finance Committee, Capital Planning and Investment Committee, the Town Administrator Search Committee, and the school theater program, I’ve always been committed to this community. I’ll keep bringing the same focus, calm, and dedication to finding common ground that Harvard deserves.
The Charter has served us well. It is a good foundational document for the town, and this review is an opportunity to make it even stronger. Much of what I’ve identified centers on clarity and precision in language—there are places that have led to confusion due to undefined terms or apparent misalignment between clauses, and others that were intentionally left open to interpretation. While flexibility remains important in many areas, we should be explicit about the key points that guide how we operate together.
One of the Charter’s core goals was to strengthen accountability by channeling more responsibility through the Select Board, and that instinct was sound. In practice, however, this has sometimes created an imbalance—with the Select Board positioned more as an overseer of committees than as a partner to them. We have a real opportunity here to refine that relationship: preserving the accountability the Charter intended while also protecting the independence that makes our committees effective.
We talk a lot about preserving Harvard’s character, and rightly so—but that phrase means different things to different people, and we need a clearer picture of that. To me, Harvard without its farms and orchards simply wouldn’t be Harvard. That agricultural identity is worth protecting. At the same time, there’s a real opportunity in welcoming small businesses, especially those that complement and strengthen what our farms and orchards already bring to this community.
On housing, most of us seem supportive, but we want it to fit. Concern of large, out-of-place developments is legitimate—and it has understandably led us to vote down proposals that seem to carry that risk. The challenge is that this caution also creates a barrier to growth, making Harvard increasingly less affordable.
A critical first step is a community and economic development director who truly understands small towns—someone who gets what makes a place like Harvard worth protecting. But that hire only pays off if we, as a town, are genuinely open to their recommendations and committed to the goal of thoughtfully growing our businesses and housing.
Seven months in, and it has been a busy time—busy enough to reveal both where we work well and where we leave opportunities on the table. Some of that is structural: policies, long-standing practices, the pace of municipal life. Some of it is simply about how we approach our work. There are many areas to work on, but I will focus on three that I believe will yield the greatest return.
Strategic focus may be where our greatest opportunity lies. The Select Board’s role is to articulate a strategic direction based on the town’s values, not to manage or direct the work of committees, departments, and staff. What we can do is make our priorities clear early, so that those bodies have a meaningful frame of reference as they plan and execute their work. Then we can focus our energy on supporting them in that work. By keeping each group, including the Select Board, focused on the right areas, we can all be more effective and efficient.
Better goal setting is where strategy becomes action, and can be a powerful tool for communicating to committees, departments, and staff what the board believes is most important and for giving everyone a shared frame of reference for the year ahead. These goals are not instructions about how work gets done; the people doing that work are far better positioned to make those decisions than we are. Our goals should describe meaningful outcomes we want to see the town move toward and build a framework so that we are all working together toward that vision.
Meeting preparation and planning is where all of this comes together. In my experience, the least productive moments in our meetings occur when topics arise that members haven’t had time to review and prepare for. There will always be urgent matters that demand immediate attention, but it should be the exception, not the pattern. We must develop a more consistent cadence: topics are introduced, discussed, and then brought to a vote—in that order, with adequate time in between. A more deliberate process won’t slow us down. It will make the decisions we reach more thoughtful and sustainable.
I am seeking a third term on the Harvard School Committee because this is a pivotal time for our district. The transition to a new superintendent’s (and new assistant superintendent’s) leadership is one of the most important responsibilities we face. At the same time, we must navigate ongoing budget pressures while sustaining high quality education for all, supporting daily operations, and planning responsibly for the future. Experienced governance matters and is important now more than ever.
Over two terms, including four years as chair, I have helped lead through complex policy, budget, and strategic decisions. With my background as an educator, parent of four students in the district, and committed public servant, I am prepared to help guide the Harvard Public Schools through this critical period.
The School Committee has already taken meaningful action on this issue. We were among the first districts in Massachusetts to write and adopt a comprehensive AI policy, and the work we did has since been used as a model by other districts across the state. At the time we acted, neither the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education nor the Massachusetts Association of School Committees had issued guidance on AI in schools; there still isn’t guidance from those organizations. We recognized the need and did not wait.
As a policymaking body, the School Committee’s role is not to determine which specific tools teachers use in the classroom. That is appropriately left to our educators and administrators. Our responsibility is to establish the guardrails: clear policy that addresses privacy, academic integrity, and equitable access. Our educators and school leaders have already put that policy into practice, developing acceptable use plans for the schools and classrooms so that students are clear on when and how AI tools are to be used and when they are not. We are regularly updated on the implementation of this policy and the changes that come with it.
Technology evolves rapidly, and we recognize that any policy written today must be a living document. We are committed to reviewing and revising our AI policy periodically to ensure it keeps pace with new developments and continues to serve the best interests of our students and educators.
I am excited to continue this work in my third term. The AI landscape in education will look very different three years from now, and I am committed to making sure our policies evolve with it.
Students with high needs and the general school population are not two competing groups. Harvard Public Schools is one community of learners, and framing them as opposing interests does a disservice to all students and can unnecessarily sow division. Our vision commits us to providing a high-quality education centered around dynamic learning and personal well-being in a community where everyone can find belonging. That word ‘everyone’ is not incidental. Every student deserves strong academic and social-emotional programming. That is not a competing priority; it is the core responsibility of the district and is embedded in our vision for all learners.
Federal law requires public schools to provide all students with an education that meets each student’s needs. Within that obligation, students receiving special education services are entitled to individualized support to ensure meaningful access. Harvard Public Schools meets those requirements and more by asking not only what the district is required to provide, but what each child needs, and works to deliver that through appropriate support, services, and instruction.
Serving students with high needs and maintaining strong programs for the broader student population are parallel obligations. The idea that one comes at the expense of the other reflects a misunderstanding of how effective public education works. Strong systems of support strengthen instruction, school climate, and outcomes for all students.
Our schools are a community asset, for everyone, not only families with children currently enrolled. In recent weeks alone, community members have participated in school events such as Bingo Night, judged at the Science Fair, celebrated the Festival of Cultures, and supported student-athletes at sporting events. Long-standing partnerships like the Bloom N Art Show with the Garden Club of Harvard and student participation in the Warner Free Lecture Series further demonstrate the important connection between our schools and the broader community. For those looking to become involved beyond school activities, I strongly encourage participation on one of our three school councils, all of which currently have open community member seats.
While there are so many opportunities already for community engagement with the schools and students, we identified stronger communication and broader engagement as priorities during our strategic planning process. As a result, expanding community communication became an explicit district goal this year, with implementation led by district administration. This includes regular outreach to community groups, informational programming through Harvard Cable Studio, and printed newsletters distributed at key locations throughout town.
One example that reflects the spirit of this effort: Students from our middle and high school theater programs have performed at the Council on Aging and offered tickets to COA members to attend school productions. While community outreach is not the School Committee’s primary function, our schools belong to everyone, and everyone has a role to play in keeping them strong. Building community connection works best when it is a shared effort, and I look forward to that shared work in my third term. As a fellow School Committee member often says, the schools are Harvard, and Harvard is the schools.
I am running for School Committee because I believe that investing in our students is among the most powerful ways to invest simultaneously in the present and future of our town. Having been raised and educated in a small town myself, I understand the unique strength of a community where every student is known and supported. My family chose Harvard nearly seven years ago, drawn not only by the excellence of the schools but by the town’s rural character.
While I have two children in our schools, my commitment to our town is rooted in the flourishing of our whole community. We have something extraordinary here in Harvard, and I am dedicated to preserving and growing that excellence. Professionally, I serve as a pastor specializing in transitional leadership, guiding faith-based and nonprofit organizations through complex decisions and change. Locally, I have been active in the HES School Council, the PTO, and last year’s budget override campaign. I am eager to bring this experience to the School Committee to ensure our schools remain a point of pride and a sound investment for every resident.
The presence and integration of artificial intelligence is one of the most active and rapidly evolving conversations across most sectors of society today. Education, at all levels, is a vital part of this lively conversation. Last year, the Harvard School Committee took a proactive lead by carefully crafting one of the first AI policies for a school district in Massachusetts. That policy has since served as a template for other districts navigating similar challenges. Rather than viewing this policy as a finished product, we are all best served by recognizing it as a living, evolving document. By staying grounded in current evidence and fostering a culture of collaboration across stakeholders, we can ensure our students and educators are prepared to thrive and lead in an ever-changing landscape.
The perceived tension between high-needs services and general education often stems from the assumption that these priorities are competing for a limited ‘piece of the pie,’ when in reality, these initiatives are deeply and necessarily interconnected. Rather than viewing these groups as distinct populations with opposing needs, we are better served by recognizing them as part of a single, dynamic educational ecosystem where improvements in one area often elevate the experience for everyone.
This perspective is reinforced by the fact that many ‘high needs’ students are also exceptionally gifted, joining the ranks of thinkers like Einstein or advocates like Greta Thunberg. We are held accountable to this by the federal mandate to ensure a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for every child. Supporting our most complex learners isn’t a diversion from our broader academic and social-emotional goals; it is the most authentic expression of them. A system that is responsive to students with diverse learning profiles naturally fosters an environment where every student understands that they and their peers have something unique to contribute.
Ultimately, our district’s mission commits us to a ‘high-quality education centered on dynamic learning and personal well-being within a community where everyone finds belonging,’ and we truly fulfill that promise when a quality education, coupled with belonging, is a lived reality for every student in Harvard.
In the fourth grade, my classroom teacher paired all students with an adopted community grandparent. From that time on, Lois Michelstetter became a cornerstone in my life. Lois attended nearly all of my school and community events in addition to my graduations. She made time for me, and I for her, so that we could exchange stories and perspectives. My life was richer and fuller because of her, and she often shared the same sentiment with me.
Strengthening the bond between our schools and the wider Harvard community is a vital two-way street. While we must remain mindful stewards of our primary mission and resources, intergenerational partnerships are an investment in our collective strength. Students gain invaluable perspective from neighbors, while residents without children in the district often find renewed purpose in such connections. Building these bridges fosters more engaged students and more connected residents, equipping us to navigate challenges together. Ultimately, connecting and building relationships isn’t just a school initiative, it is a shared community endeavor that flourishes when we all work together to learn and grow across every generation.
I am running for my sixth term as library trustee. I have been a trustee since 2011, have been chair twice, and am currently the longest serving member on the board. I spent 25 years in the computer industry as a financial/business analyst; what I learned there and as a trustee and manager of a trust and an LLC has been invaluable in my time as a library trustee. I have lived in Harvard for 33 years and raised a daughter who got an excellent education in the schools here and who has been a lifelong avid library patron.
Since I moved to Harvard over 30 years ago, I have understood the library as a defining feature of our community, as both an educational and a social resource. The library is a space—physical and now virtual as well—for encouraging personal and intellectual growth and fulfilling the needs of the community. As a patron and current library trustee, I have used the library in many capacities and have seen firsthand its value to every age group. It is a dynamic place for quiet study, socializing, education, concerts, and talks.
That central mission—encouraging personal and intellectual growth and responding to the needs of the community—doesn’t change, but the means do: Content delivery must evolve in response to evolving needs. We have a five-year strategic planning process, involving townspeople, staff, and trustees, to understand the needs of the community and to define the library’s responses to those needs.
In the past 10 years, more resources have become digital. More books are borrowed as e-books or audiobooks. We also have increased access via applications like Overdrive and Kanopy and increased sharing of materials across Massachusetts library networks. Our staff provides assistance in accessing these resources. Staff members even visit the senior center weekly to provide assistance to their clients.
Also in the past decade, programming has grown exponentially. We have long had robust children’s programming, and now the adult programming has grown as well. No longer just book clubs, programming includes a cooking club and all kinds of special interest activities.
Everyone uses the library—it is the single town resource that serves citizens of all ages. Eighty percent of residents hold library cards. Circulation and program attendance continue to increase year over year. We have grade-related reading programs with regular visits. We have book clubs and programming for all ages. We collaborate with town organizations like the Warner Free Lecture Series for programming.
Patrons who work from home use our quiet study rooms for meetings. Tutors provide tutoring in quiet study rooms. Kids work on team projects in the quiet study rooms and on the mezzanine.
Kids come after school to study and hang out and wait for rides home in a safe and welcoming space.
In the past decade we constructed the patio space with shade and comfortable seating and tables, which is popular with patrons of all ages during library hours and beyond. The recently constructed pavilion provides outdoor space for free programs for every age: kids’ projects, music, movies, performances. So now our efforts are focussed on improving the interior space.
Working with staff, focus groups of young adults and citizens, we have identified the changes that will best serve our residents in the near term:
- A larger teen space with comfortable seating and movable tables and chairs for collaborative work and a gaming area and maker space, which are now common in public libraries
- More private meeting rooms
- An improved kitchen for food-related activities in Volunteers Hall
- An improved staff room
- Reconfiguring the Harris Room as a meeting room and providing better access to historical records
My name is Rebecca Brown, and I am running for library trustee. My background is in higher education administration, teaching and learning, and teaching with technology, where I’ve worked with instructors at all stages to help them build their confidence and design engaging and effective learning experiences for students. The throughline of my work has been community building—creating a space where people can meet to share, learn, and make new connections. The Harvard Public Library is a critical resource to the town and surrounding communities, and I am eager for the opportunity to strengthen and expand its reach.
In addition to providing access to books, archives, and other forms of information and entertainment, public libraries can serve as ‘third places’—places outside of the home (the first place) and the workplace (the second place) where people meet with friends, make new ones, and connect with their community. When information, news, and entertainment are readily available online, and many folks work remotely or hybrid, especially since 2020, it can be very easy and even tempting to go without human interaction for any length of time. The public library offers a free, accessible, and crucially physical space to engage with others in real life, have conversations, and be in a safe, comfortable space to work, read, or reflect.
I haven’t seen the most recent numbers of requests made, but my understanding is that the library is a well-utilized resource in the community; engagement numbers can always be improved, though! The library does offer a wide array of programming across ages and interests, and its ability to bring the community together has been further enhanced by the pavilion. I am excited to dig into the numbers to see who is accessing the library’s resources, as well as who is not, and to uncover what barriers there are to access, and to work with the trustees and library staff to overcome those barriers.
There are already plans underway for making changes to the library’s physical layout, including creating a maker space, where patrons will be able to use some of the library’s many tools like the Cricut Maker and 3D printer, and redesigning the Teen Room to be a more vibrant, welcoming, and collaborative space for teens to use as their third place, do their homework, or process the day with friends before heading home. Adding more study rooms and/or larger reading rooms for telecommuting and collaborative gatherings would serve patrons who come to the library to work remotely as well as students and other community members who need a safe space to meet and talk.
I have been the chair of the Warner Free Lecture trustees for the past three years. In those three years the trustees have carried on the 135-year-old tradition of bringing the best in lecturers and performers five to six times a year. In these three years we have introduced a website that not only announces lectures but has a record of lectures, including over 20 videos, going back to 2009. Our mailing list has grown by roughly 50%. We have managed to acquire grants to help address ever-increasing costs for producing the lectures.
I want to continue the work that the trustees have done to further enhance the Warner Free Lectures.
The primary goal is to present great speakers. With the many opportunities speakers have, finding a balance of speaker fees, availability, and topics we want to cover can be difficult. We also want to balance the lectures across performing arts, human condition, and science and technology. Ultimately we are trying to fulfill Henry Warner’s goal that ‘the young and the old, the learned and the uneducated, can enjoy good lectures, and receive from them knowledge, ideas, and improvement.’ I’m looking forward to a very dynamic 2026-27 season.
Pragmatically we must continue to find sources of funding to shore up our finances, especially as fees increase. Most of our speakers receive an honorarium, and many have set fees for speaking. These fees have gone up markedly in the last several years.
Technology really doesn’t change the basic lecture. We may record them with more sophistication. What is changing is how we broaden our audience. With the unrelenting advance of social media, online video, and artificial intelligence, it can sometimes be difficult to communicate the value of learning from a person in the flesh. The opportunity to have a more meaningful interaction should not be underestimated.
We have historically had an older crowd attend lectures and performances. This past year we added the Bromfield Student Lectures to our season, showcasing talent in Bromfield. Using new social media channels is also important. We hope to increase the age range in the demographics of those attending our lectures.
I hope to carry this mission of Warner Free Lectures for another term.
My name is Stephen L. Richter. I live on Hynes Lane and have agreed to run as a write-in candidate for the Warner Free Lecture Trustees open position.
I have lived in Harvard for 45 years and retired from Raytheon Company in 2018, having worked there for 47 years, on software requirements for radar search and track of aircraft and missiles. Over the years, I have attended and enjoyed many of the Warner Lectures, and now, with fewer responsibilities, feel it is time to give back by helping the committee continue to present the Warner Lectures for everyone’s education and enjoyment, and I have the time to do so. You may vote for me by writing my name in one of the write-in positions on the ballot.
The mission of the Warner Free Lecture Committee in 2026 is the same as it has been for the past many years of the Warner Lectures: to find presenters to continue lectures and other events for the education and enjoyment of the town’s residents.
I do not think that changes in technology necessarily alter expectations for a public lecture. In the past, the Warner Lectures have ranged from standard lectures with slides and discussion, to play-acting, musical performances, and dance presentations, to attendee participation such as square, contra, or other dancing and singing, to other formats such as debates or hands-on activities. The variety of formats is one of the things that makes them valuable, and that value continues unchanged and independent of technology advances. With current and future technology, WFL events can be attended remotely, and new topics involving technology advances could be presented—such as the recent lecture on producing electricity using nuclear fusion.
This question is difficult for me—I have no insight into who does not attend, whether in person, remotely, or by replaying a recorded lecture. Expanding the variety of types of lectures offered and perhaps enhancing publicity might increase attendance. It would also help to make clear that recordings of past lectures are available for those who cannot attend in person—those who watch recordings should be included in the count of attendees.
Editor’s note: To cast a vote for Steve Richter, write his name on a blank write-in line of the Warner Free Lecture Trustees section of the Annual Town Election ballot. Be sure to spell his name correctly and to completely fill in the oval to the right. A sample ballot is posted on the town website. (https://www.harvard-ma.gov/Document Center/View/2569/May-5-2026-Annual-Town-Election-Specimen-Ballot-PDF)