Seat: Board of Selectmen – 3 year term
(vote for 2 candidates)
Why I am running for office:
When people come up to me and ask “Why on earth do you want to be a Selectman?” I usually respond “I was dropped on my head as a child.” The slightly more serious answer is that I am doing it for my Grand Niece and Grand Nephew who, at ages 3 and almost 1, are some of our newest Southborough citizens.
I grew up in Upstate New York and where I received an excellent public education and, with my wife of 36 years, raised my own three children here in Southborough. I am running for Selectman to help make sure that our town’s financial house is put in order to assure that resources are available to provide the next generation the same educational advantages I and my children received.
Why I am the right candidate for the position:
In my 18 years in town, I have served our community in a wide variety of roles. I have been a Boy Scout leader, soccer coach, and basketball coach. I ran for Selectman a number of years ago on the platform of preserving our regional school system. Since then I have served on and chaired the Capital Budget Committee, served on and chaired the Advisory Committee, and served on and chaired the Ad Hoc Town Manager Legislation Committee.
I have a strong financial and quantitative orientation and want to bring these skills to the board to assure that we deliver the vital services our community needs in an effective and efficient fashion.
My priorities/Key issues:
There is no single issue that animates my desire to serve. I am interested in tackling a number of longer term issues that our community faces. These include:
- Unfunded Liabilities
- Open Government
- Decaying Municipal Infrastructure
- Restructuring our Government for the future
- Tax policy
- Rt 30
To find out more about my positions on these issues and others or to contact me, please visit my web site www.al4selectman.org.
To contact me to help support my candidacy:
Please vist my website www.al4selectman.org.
[Editor’s Note: If you would like to endorse this candidate, you can comment below. This section is a mud-free, shenanigan-free zone! So, endorsements must include your name and street name. And no criticisms or questions are to be posted on this page. You can include your reason for endorsement as long as it’s not slinging mud at other candidates.]
I am endorsing Al Hamilton for one of the two three year Board of Selectman seats. I have known Mr. Hamilton for many years.. Mr. Hamilton has all requisite background and knowledge to be able to serve as a Selectman. Mr. Hamilton has always had the bests interests of Southborough in mind as he served on various committees and boards in the past. Mr. Hamilton has the ability to help Southborough manage the significant issues we are facing in the next twenty years. Mr. Hamilton is also not afraid of taking positions on issues that he believes are the correct positions even when he knows they are not the popular choices. It is very exciting that we are going to have an expanded BOS and a stronger town administrator so that they will have the time to focus on our most important issues.
Kathy Cook – Graystone Way
Hello, Mark Ford here, Woodland Road, Southborough…
I am a strong supporter of Al Hamilton for Selectman. He brings a wide range of experience to his candidacy, both from his extensive work for our town in various volunteer roles, to his career, which spans both big firms and entrepreneurial ventures. I served with Al for eight years on Advisory, and in that time he impressed me with his preparation, thoroughness, candor, and willingness to be persuaded by a cogent argument. I can’t think of better qualities for our Selectmen.He’s trustworthy, hard working, and reliable. And win or lose, he’s kept fighting for Southborough–spending countless hours over spreadsheets and municipal law minutiae to help our town thrive. He’s exactly what Southborough’s BOS needs right now, and I urge you to vote for Al.
I am pleased to recommend a vote for Al Hamilton for Selectman. I served with Al for many years on Advisory Committee. Al is hard working, thoughtful, and an independent thinker. He is careful in his approach to issues. He is firm and very forthright in expressing in his beliefs, but I have also found him willing to change his mind based on facts and discussion. I think he would make an excellent Selectman.
John Butler – Advisory Committee member
In my opinion, Al Hamilton is the most qualified candidate in the 3 year Selectmen race. His business knowledge, preparation and consistency is outstanding. Al does the crucial ‘homework’ as anyone will attest when they listen to him speak.
If you missed seeing Al at Candidates’ Night, he was THE candidate who clearly articulated his priorities for the Town:
• Maintain an affordable community
• Continue the excellent school system
• Keep seniors in town
• Meet obligations to employees
• Tackle the hard decisions
• Conduct difficult discussions (in public)
• Adjust Town operations to advance a strong business approach
Check this out for yourself on southboroughaccessmedia.org (Southborough Candidates’ Night). You can fast forward to the 48:00 minute location (in the YouTube video) to hear Al’s introduction. He again reiterates his commitment in his closing statement. Al’s is at the 2hr:24min location.
If you have any questions as to why I feel so strongly of Al’s ability, I would respectfully ask you to contact me for a few minutes of your time.
Claire Reynolds – Main Street
I have known Al for my entire life; he is my uncle. Growing up, Al made me eat the vegetables I didn’t like when I was over for dinner and convinced me that he had a pet dragon. As I grew he taught me how to camp and how to manage my finances. None of these things qualify him to be your Selectman, but what I hope that they illustrate is that Al is someone who invests in the the things he cares about, and he cares deeply about Southborough (but he will make you eat your vegetables). I moved to Southborough in 2011 and have two children who will grow up here. Al takes my daughter hunting for “hefalumps” in the yard and always offers to hold crying babies. But beyond being an outstanding great uncle, Al is one of the most intelligent and thoughtful people I know, and is a person of incredible integrity. He is reliable, hard working, and if he says he’s going to do something, he does. I know that he would make a trustworthy, dedicated and innovative leader of our town, and I hope that you will consider voting for him.
Julie Connelly – Oak Hill Road