After having served the Town of Reading in various volunteer and elected positions for 19 years, it is my pleasure to announce my candidacy for the Reading Select Board. My goal has always been to work with my fellow resident volunteers as a steward for the long term good of our community, and I feel that now is the right time for me to put my years of experience to use on the Select Board.
My husband Stephen and I moved to Reading in 1996 and have raised our daughter Madeleine here. She attended Reading schools K-12 and is now a sophomore in college. I was first elected to Town Meeting in 2001 when my daughter was starting to walk. Since that time, I have served on the Historical Commission, the Library Building Committee, two ad hoc committees, as well as relevant PTO and local initiatives over the years. I am in my fifth year on Finance Committee and serve as the Finance Committee liaison to the RMLD. In 2019, I worked with other residents and volunteers to request better solar options and facilitate a more cooperative relationship in general. As a result of significant input from the community and my work as Fincom liaison, I am thrilled to share that RMLD is implementing a new net metering policy and has an improved solar rebate program in place.
Our annual municipal budget has grown to over $100M, and our current cash reserves are well over 10%. This is something we can be proud of, which gives the Town a solid financial base for the future. With a budget this large and complex, I am grateful to be able to leverage my significant Town Meeting and Finance Committee experience to quickly and effectively become a strong supporting member of the Select Board.
I am also an experienced small business owner, with a Masters in Business Administration from Bentley University. In 2020, I will celebrate 17 years as a Reading-based RE/MAX residential broker and was recently inducted into the RE/MAX Hall of Fame. In 2019, I completed my National Association of Realtors GREEN Certification, which is being recognized in and outside of my industry as a significant educational achievement in the area of GREEN and Sustainable Building practices. I understand that local businesses are an important part of our community.
Three key items that will be critically important for Reading going forward are: balancing our budget constraints in an environment of decreasing state funding and expanding local needs; pressing forward on sustainable and green building technologies and standards for the town, schools, businesses, and residents; and maintaining an atmosphere in town government that instills trust from our taxpayers.
In addition to the above issues, there will no doubt be unexpected challenges that will arise. I promise that if elected, I will commit to always LISTEN and seek to first understand before making decisions. We all wear multiple hats in our professional and personal lives; we are parents, grandparents, business people, homeowners, neighbors, and community volunteers. If elected on March 3rd, I look forward to respectfully working with residents, staff, town boards and committees, and other elected officials to ensure that Reading remains a desirable, safe community in which to live, work and play. For more information: karenherrickselectboard@gmail.com
