Wicked Local
After 1,310 residents cast votes at Weston s Town Election, some in advance and some at the polls on May 8, Chris Houston was re-elected for the Select Board over challenger Keith Johnson, and Attia Linnard and Ken Newberg were elected to the School Committee. I think Weston is really lucky to have so many people who are willing to give back and contribute to this special town, Linnard said on May 9. We all win when different folks are willing to throw their hats in. I’m personally very excited to return to working for and behalf of kids.
Linnard picked up the most votes for School Committee with 906, while Newberg earned 777. A third candidate, Tricia Liu, picked up 560 votes.
Keith Johnson
I am running for the Weston Select Board, and I am asking for your vote.
We are fortunate to live in Weston. It is a beautiful town. We also have challenges that must and can be addressed.
If you feel, as I do, that we need fresh perspectives and new ideas, please vote for me.
Financial Reporting, Measurements and Spending
We would all benefit from knowing how efficiently we are spending our tax dollars. Weston needs to implement operational metrics for all town departments, measure each department s performance, and compare ourselves to surrounding towns where appropriate.
In the aggregate, Weston’s tax base affords us the ability to spend tax dollars in almost any amount. However, our recent and projected future growth in spending is problematic. Weston has a declining and aging population along with anemic recent growth in housing values. This will cause higher tax increases on average or mean valued households and those living on fixed incomes.
Weston Select Board member asks: Are all towns created equally?
Harvey Boshart
Over the past year, there has been much conversation surrounding the level of taxes in Weston relative to nine other purported comparable towns. Most of these discussions have intentionally utilized town’s “average” tax bills, which, as anyone that has taken an introductory statistics course would tell you, is wildly misleading.
The “average” is meaningfully distorted by a small number of homes that are way to the right of the curve. By analyzing the more appropriate median tax bill, the alleged Weston “premium” is cut in half from 36% to 17%, with three towns finishing close behind Weston.
Wicked Local
TO THE EDITOR:
The Weston League of Women Voters will sponsor a Candidates Night on Thursday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. We have invited the candidates for the contested board seats to participate Chris Houston and Keith Johnson for one seat on the Select Board; Ken Newberg, Tricia Liu and Attia Linnard for two seats on the School Committee; Jennifer Kickham, Heidi Wyle and James Bradner for one seat on the Board of Health; and Melissa Crocker, Marcy Dorna and Peter Hill for two seats on the Recreation Commission.
If you have a question for a candidate, please submit it in advance to tackc@aol.com. There will be no live questions, but we will pose as many questions as time allows. The link for the event will be made available a week in advance.
Wicked Local
TO THE EDITOR:
It s been asserted by some recently that Weston has the highest property taxes in the state, with an average tax bill that is 38% higher than the average of nine peer towns. But is this the correct way to compare property taxes between towns?
As an analogy, a recent CNBC article looked at the Fed’s latest Survey of Consumer Finances and learned that the overall average net worth of U.S. households is $748,800. But $748,000 is not truly representative of how much wealth most everyday Americans have to their name it’s way too high. The most affluent households in the U.S. skew the numbers, resulting in an average that’s well above most people’s realities. A better indicator is the overall median net worth of U.S. households, which is $121,700.