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To the Editor:
New England Town Meeting dates back to 1622, 400 years ago, when the Plymouth Pilgrims first organized their form of government, and this democratic form of government continues to this day. Town Meeting members decided the important matters before their colony, and Town Meeting members selected a few amongst them – the “Select Men” – to carry on the business of the colony in between Town Meetings. The “Select Men” were the most highly regarded members of Town Meeting. I have served as a Town Meeting member since 2005 and have been proud to serve my community in this capacity. I am on the ballot for the April 5 election and would very much appreciate the votes of my neighbors in precinct 5. I have always worked to stay informed of issues before Town Meeting, and have listened to the concerns of all my constituents. I believe that I have represented my constituents well.
A few days ago, I received a copy of a flier paid for by Ms. Nancy Tawadros, candidate for Select Board, with her recommendations for Town Meeting. I was not on her recommended list. Ms. Tawadros has never served a day on Town Meeting or any board, committee, or commission in this town, and she is now offering her recommendations to all citizens in all precincts, not just her own, for whom to best represent them at Town Meeting.
A previous LtE noted that different groups have put together recommended slates of candidates for office, based on shared values, but no candidate for Select Board has ever endorsed Town Meeting candidates or paid for such a flier. To do so raises many ethical concerns. Ms. Tawadros has brought politicking to a new level in Reading.
Ms. Tawadros and her supporters claim she is a new independent voice, that she is unbiased and will listen to all, and she will make informed decisions based on all relevant information. Not true.
How did Ms. Tawadros come to decide whom to endorse for Town Meeting in all eight precincts? Only she can answer that, but here are some relevant facts. On March 24, Make Reading Better sent an email to their supporters with sample ballots and a slate of Town Meeting members they support. At the bottom of the email was written, “Make Reading Better is not affiliated with any candidates for office in Reading, MA. MRB’s endorsements are not approved by candidates.” Nothing wrong with that; independent groups are free to endorse candidates they prefer.
I see the problem as this: in the same email, MRB, which states they are not affiliated with any candidate, writes “Financial donations are needed and appreciated to help with printing costs. Checks can be made out to ‘The Committee to Elect Nancy Tawadros’ and dropped off at… (John Halsey residence) 75 Beaver Road.” Alternately, a donation button link in the MRB email brings one right to the Tawadros campaign website.
In the past few days, fliers have been distributed all over town, paid for by the Tawadros campaign, with her endorsements for Town Meeting. Ms. Tawadros’s list is the same as the Make Reading Better list. Did Ms. Tawadros, who by her own admission has only very recently been following town politics, come to the same exact list of those to endorse, from several hundred possible candidates, independently, or did she just copy the MRB list, as is suggested in the email MRB sent out? I do not believe Ms. Tawadros came to the exact same list independently. I ask Ms. Tawadros to explain the criteria she used to evaluate Town Meeting member candidates for endorsement. Is this the same lack of due diligence and lack of careful consideration she would show as a Select Board member? That is very alarming. Ms. Tawadros is not an independent voice, and I do not believe she will make an effort to listen to all sides of an issue and all of her constituents when she has made her alignments so clearly known before the election. We all deserve so much better.
Who else did Ms. Tawadros (and MRB) leave off her list of endorsements for Town Meeting? She left off some of the most hard-working and informed people in town, who have spent years dedicating themselves to this town. People who are not considered “political” but are rather quite measured and moderate, and who add so much to discussions and debate, including Jennifer Hillery, Jonathan Barnes, Sheila Mulroy, Anne Landry, Emily Sisson, Sarah Brukilacchio, Anika Scanlon, Nancy Twomey, Anthony D’Arezzo, to name just a few.
Ms. Tawadros endorsed School Committee members Chuck Robinson and Tom Wise, running unopposed, but not Town Moderator Alan Foulds, also unopposed, just as Make Reading Better did. Coincidence? A vote for Nancy Tawadros is really just a vote for… John Halsey?
This is a very important election, and your vote matters. Do not sit this election out, too much is at stake. To read Town Meeting candidate statements, go to readingma.vote. For your Select Board votes, remember, when someone shows you who they are, believe them.
Very sincerely,
Angela F. Binda, precinct 5
Orchard Park Drive
