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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Having worked side by side with Mark Dockser on the Finance Committee, Town Meeting and finally, for the past five years on the Select Board, I wanted to take this opportunity to formally thank and congratulate my colleague on his exemplary service to our community.
It takes great patience, fortitude and persistence to serve as an elected municipal volunteer. It is a calling for many of us and most certainly Mark.
Shepherding a community of nearly twenty-eight
thousand during times of great turmoil is not for the faint of heart and not something that should be attempted without requisite knowledge of municipal government and appreciation for committee work.
Much of the job involves listening and balancing competing priorities with the understanding that no decision or path forward satisfies everyone. As a Select Board member, Mark Dockser consistently demonstrated by his actions and votes, a commitment to ending divisiveness and making sound fiscal, tax, and hiring decisions.
Among Mark’s many talents is his ability to thrive under pressure. During the early fearful days of the Covid pandemic – Mark served as the Select Board Chair and somehow managed to execute his duty of running the meeting in a “new to us all” Zoom environment – all the while 100% controlling the nascent software. As Chair, you are already balancing keeping order under Robert’s Rules while still being part of important deliberations and decision making. It was a challenging juggling act that few could manage successfully and I still admire him for it. While he was Chair, we kept the lights on, residents safe, and critical services functioning while meeting weekly as a Select Board for four or more hours at a time.
Over the years whether as Chair, Vice-Chair or Secretary, Mark has remained almost universally calm and respectful with staff, colleagues and residents even when the emotions ran high. The last six years have been challenging for us all, and I am grateful that I always had at least one colleague on the Select Board who would seek common ground and make decisions for the greater good of the community.
That is leadership in a nutshell and we desperately need more of it.
Although retiring from the Select Board, Mark has pledged to continue serving as an active volunteer and representative Town Meeting member. When you see him walking the dog or at a volunteer meeting, please join me in thanking him for his two decades plus of continuous service. Reading must elect Select Board and School Committee members that we can trust with leadership on the important challenges facing our Town – namely affordability, taking care of our seniors and our families, and protecting Reading’s reputation as a town where all are welcome and feel safe.
When you head to the polls tomorrow, April 8, grab a family member or neighbor of voting age. As you consider which ovals to fill completely, take an extra moment to pause and consider “what would Select Board Member Dockser do?*
Karen Gately Herrick
Vice-Chair, Reading Select Board Town Meeting Member, Precinct 8
