Selecting a Selectman

Long commutes to work were never my favorite. When left with no choice, I preferred driving through the quiet, picturesque New England inroads than the stressful commute of high speed, congested highways to get to work. During election season I noticed these inroads were lined with lawn signs supporting this candidate or that other one. Some candidates, those running at the national level, or a few at the state level, looked familiar. But there were other names on the signs that were always unfamiliar, invariably supporting a Town Selectman. Having been raised in India, I was aware of municipalities, but the title of ‘Selectman’ looked new and always caught my attention and curiosity. Though eager to learn about local government, at that time I was too caught up with a busy tech job and family, that there was never enough time to learn.

Incidentally, after moving to a town where the residents are the town government legislative branch and where budgets/ policies are passed within a Town Meeting, my involvement in the town increased. A town meeting is a whole different democratic process, which allows  the citizens of the town to vote on how and for what our taxes would be used. I also learned that the Board of Selectmen is the executive branch which decides the important issues facing the town.  It was also over a decade ago, and new to the town, that I met a graciously knowledgeable, long time resident of my town, Lauren Rosenzweig-Morton, who happened to be a Selectman. She was also the Chair of the Board at that time, and introduced me to some aspects of town government. It didn’t take long to understand the importance of selecting the right Selectman.

After the earlier fleeting introduction to local governance, it wasn’t until a couple of years ago, at a high tea and meet and greet organized by a dear friend Sahana Purohit, that an up-close meeting with candidates running for the public office enlightened me more about the positions and plans of the Board of Selectmen. I understood why the Board is so important for the growth and development of the town. I also met Jon Benson at that time. Although I was a little skeptical at first, I felt he had some great ideas, an inspiring vision, and realistic, practical goals for the town which has had a big influx of academically conscious, young, Asian parents, balancing off the generations of other ethnicities. Jon was elected to the Board in 2018, and currently is the Chair.

In August, for the first time ever in the History of Acton, the Indian flag was raised at the Town Hall. The Board of Selectmen played an important role in this historic event happening in the town, and I had the opportunity to talk informally about various topics with Jon Benson that day. I was already quite fascinated by the picture he shared of his father serving in the Army/Air Medical Dental Corps post WWII in Agra, India, and was curious to hear more stories.  Jon’s dad returned to India with his mother for a visit in 1970.

I soon found out that Jon had an interesting background. Nine out of ten retirees describe retirement as an opportunity for a new beginning. Most look towards maximizing leisure time with the greater flexibility and freedom brought by retirement. Few contemplate starting a new career, especially trading their freedom for public service that pays a measly, honorary amount of $650 per year- Jon chose this rare path. After having practiced family law for forty-two years, he decided his next stint would be in local governance. After all, governance had been his first love, before he moved to practicing law - having served as a student government president in high school as well as in College. While talking to him that day, I saw a twinkle in his eyes, replacing his generally equanimous demeanor, as he nostalgically remembered his days as a campaign staffer for the Democratic State Congressman Allard Lowenstein of New York in 1970 after graduating college. Lowenstein was known for his activism against the Vietnam War.

Under Jon’s leadership, the Kelley’s Corner Infrastructure Project and the North Acton Fire Station have taken a step in the right direction. In a calm, zen manner, Jon mentioned that his work is regularly a 40 hour job, though during Covid, he has had to work for 60 hours. To me that sounds like a selfless, thankless job! Very humbly, as he attributed his fellow Board members as wonderful mentors, he described how in his role he has had to “balance interests” and make “trade-offs” which, at times, can result in imperfect resolutions. The Board is non-partisan with members from different affiliations and ideologies. To me, leadership in such a setting, which includes different backgrounds in a fair-minded manner, sounds like a tough job! In awe, I listened some more, as Jon talked about how mundane yet important these day to day issues are. I have seen the goals set by the board - these are progressive planners - thinking about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Climate change and clean energy, and town resources like housing equity, land zoning, library and dog park! I thought the Caroll Spinney memorial was the coolest goal !! (I later found out that Caroll Spinney, who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street, grew up in Acton and is a graduate of the high school). I was aware that Massachusetts is the most liberal state of 2020, with a 14 point Liberal Advantage. In the last couple of years I have learned that our town is even more progressive than our state. 

I had always been interested to know about the tasks and roles of the Select Board, local governments and city councils. My conversations with Jon left me with a newfound respect for the public office roles in local government. Jon may feel that he is solving mundane issues, but I realized what an important and solid foundation the Board is setting up for the further development of the town - something I had always taken for granted as I had busied myself with my life. When Jon told me he is running for the Select Board again for the next term, I was glad that we would continue having someone with his experience at the helm of our Town’s Board.