by John Osborn ·
Friday, January 16, 2026
There was a changing of the guard at Devens this past week as new members of the community’s two elected advisory committees took their seats and determined who would lead them in 2026.
The five-member Devens Committee welcomed three new community representatives at their Jan. 7 meeting. They are Tolga Caglar of Grant Road, Aaron Farber-Chen of Chance Street, and Lisa Kendrick of Bradley Circle, all first-time members, each beginning a three-year term. All three are residents of the Emerson Green neighborhood and will serve for three years.
The committee reelected Laura Scott of Elm Street, 3-2, to another term as chair, with Scott voting for herself to break a tie with Caglar. The committee then elected Caglar by unanimous vote to serve as vice chair. Kendrick was elected secretary, but current secretary Ralph Fehlberg agreed to continue until Kendrick is comfortable assuming her duties later this spring.
The newly seated representatives replaced longtime members Cindy Carter, Tracy Clark, and Michael Alves, all of whom were present for the committee’s reorganization, seated in the audience.
The Devens Educational Advisory Committee held its first meeting of the year on Jan. 13 and chose Philip Cheung of Chance Street as temporary chair. Cheung and Fahima Shaik of Bradley Circle were elected as write-in candidates to fill two open seats on the four-member committee. Both will serve two years.
However, Christie Glynn, a returning member with one year remaining in her term, has announced she is stepping down, leaving the committee with an open seat. It is not known whether or by what process the empty seat will be filled, a matter for MassDevelopment as the governing authority to decide.
Back at last week’s Devens Committee meeting, there were complaints about the handling of December’s election. The absence of a key employee, out on emergency medical leave, left MassDevelopment’s team at Devens short-staffed, leading to delays in getting the word out and a scramble to complete both registration and the election itself before the December holidays. The biographies of some nominated candidates were omitted from a pre-election newsletter that listed who was on the ballot. Said Larry LaForge, a candidate for the Devens Committee, “It could have been done better.”
Acting Director of Operations Shane Melone said there had been “trials and tribulations.” Some residents were unaware that “just because you’re registered for national elections and state elections doesn’t mean you’re registered for the Devens election,” Melone said. Due to staffing shortages, “We did the best we could with what we had. … We did not want to push [the election] out any further.” MassDevelopment has formed a working group to “revamp” election procedures and ensure such a situation does not occur again, he said.