A Flush Beats a Full House

Welcome back!

It has been an exciting, and a little hectic, week in Sudbury. Tim Choate was sworn in as Fire Chief, we had another snow storm complete with a snow day for the schools, and the Town election hit its first milestone with the deadline to pull papers having passed.

For those of you thinking about letters of endorsement for candidates, please refer to this article about the submission requirements and deadlines for Sudbury Weekly. We had to turn away two letters that came in after the deadline last year, which was sad because they were thoughtful and well-written letters, so please plan ahead.

For all the chaos, there’s good news today for swimmers - the Atkinson pool is reopening on Monday. Full details here.

And with that… here’s what we have for you this week:

1. SudburyWeekly.com News Roundup

2. Three Contested Races Likely; Morton, Poch, Roopenian Pull Papers Thursday

3. Conservation Means Hard Work and Teamwork in Sudbury

4. Naughty Potties: PBC Approves $212K for "Acoustic” Fix

Let’s get into it!

Three Contested Races Likely; Morton, Poch, Roopenian Pull Papers Thursday

By The League of Women Voters of Sudbury

The period to file to run in the Annual Town Election has closed, with three potentially contested races: Select Board, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee, and the two-year seat on the Sudbury School Committee.

On the final day, Eric Poch and Charles Morton, IV, filed their intention to run for the two seats on the L-S school committee. Three other people have filed for the L-S seats. John Ryan, Jr., has returned papers and is an official candidate. Lee Hannauer Gross and Valerie Friedholm have filed but have not yet returned papers. The four people who have not returned papers have until 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, to do so.

Poch is a member of the Finance Committee and has previously served as chair of that committee. He has also served as vice chair of the Planning Board.  

This is Morton’s first run for office in Sudbury. He is a lecturer in chemistry at Brown University.

Three people are running for the two open seats on the Select Board:  Radha Gargeya, Lisa Kouchakdjian, and Kevin Matthews. All three have qualified to be on the ballot.

Two people have filed for the two-year seat on the Sudbury School Committee. Allison Vanderels has returned papers and is an official candidate.  Elizabeth Sues has not yet returned papers. The two-year seat fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Mary Stephens.

Only Jessica McCready is running for the three-year seat on the Sudbury School Committee, so that is an uncontested race.  

The two Sudbury School Committee seats are separate races because of the difference in term length.

Kirsten Roopenian filed her intention to run for Planning Board on Thursday. There are two open seats on the Planning Board. Anuraj Shah, an incumbent, has qualified to be on the ballot. 

Roopenian is vice chair of the Community Preservation Committee and has previously served as chair of the Select Board.

Katina Fontes returned her nomination papers for re-election as a Goodnow Library Trustee Thursday. The Town Clerk’s office has not yet certified the signatures. 

Trevor Haydon has not yet returned papers for the Board of Assessors seat.  

Prospective candidates who file an intention to run and then change their mind can, but are not required to, notify the Town Clerk or L-S District Clerk of their decision. Any of the prospective candidates who have not yet returned their nomination papers can simply not return their papers by the deadline, effectively exiting the race.

You can find a list of open seats here.

According to the Town Clerk’s office, as of 5:01 p.m. Feb. 6, the following people have filed an intention to run. An asterisk (*) indicates an official candidate whose name will appear on the ballot.

Select Board – contested race
(2 seats, 3 years)
Radha Gargeya*
Lisa Kouchakdjian*
Kevin Matthews*

Board of Assessors
(1 seat, 3 years)
Trevor Haydon

Goodnow Library Trustees
(2 seats, 3 years)
Jill Caseria*
Katina Fontes

Board of Health
(1 seat, 3 years)
Carol Bradford*

Park and Recreation Commission
(2 seats, 3 years)
William Granger Atkeson*
Mara Huston*

Planning Board
(2 seats, 3 years)
Anuraj Shah*
Kirsten Roopenian

Sudbury School Committee
(1 seat, 3 years)
Jessica McCready*

Sudbury School Committee
(1 seat, 2 years)
Allison Vanderels*
Elizabeth Sues

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee
(2 seats, 3 years)
Lee Hannauer Gross
Valerie Friedholm
John Ryan, Jr.*
Eric Poch
Charles Morton, IV

Conservation Means Hard Work and Teamwork In Sudbury

By Kevin LaHaise

The Sudbury Conservation department has but three full-time staff to manage 1,200 acres of Town-owned conservation land and 600 acres of conservation-restricted properties, all while working with the Conservation Commission, a volunteer board, to administer the Wetlands Protection Act and the Sudbury Wetlands Administration Bylaw. 

That sounds like a lot for a small department. But just how much is it? In a recent Conservation Commission meeting they reviewed their draft annual report. Conservation Coordinator Lori Capone noted that they conducted 180 wetland hearings, issued 24 Orders of Conditions and 37 Determinations of Applicability, as well as 27 Certificates of Compliance and four enforcement actions in 2024.

Department staff are deeply involved in the process, conducting site inspections, working with the public to answer questions before hearings, and providing expert guidance to the Conservation Commission for their hearings. 

That’s a solid portfolio of “regular business,” and yet somehow there’s more. 

The Conservation Department did a comprehensive upgrade of trail maps in 2024. Speaking of trails - the department was also tasked with overseeing compliance with construction requirements for both the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and the Eversource transmission line/Mass Central Rail Trail - two sprawling, town-wide projects that have been years in the making and account for about 10 miles of trail. 

Dizzy yet? 

The Conservation Commission and the Department have invested in education about invasive species. Garlic mustard has been an invasive species of particular concern and focus, and the Town offered a disposal program. 

But what happens when a resident is strolling down a new rail trail, and they spot a whole bunch of an invasive species growing? Worse, an invasive species (Japanese Hops) that has never been seen in Sudbury before?

The Conservation Department sprung into action, working collaboratively with MassDOT on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and other partners on the Mass Central, (where the Japanese Hops was also found) to develop a plan to eradicate the Japanese Hops. They had about a 30 day window to act, otherwise the problem could get out of hand. They got the job done, and the invasive species was removed before becoming a long-term problem. 

Many Hands Make Healthy Lands?

Sudbury’s Conservation Coordinator, Lori Capone found herself in the spotlight in 2024 when the Sudbury Valley Trustees honored her with their Distinguished Public Service award. We asked her for her thoughts on the work completed and milestones achieved in 2024:

Teamwork and community engagement is evident in much of the work of the department and the Conservation Commission. Sudbury’s first Land Manager, Joseph Miller, led the installation of a new trail system at Broadacres Farm on Morse Road. As part of the revitalization project, Miller engaged a group of volunteers to remove brush and invasive species, repair fences, and design trails. Future work will include restoration of antique farm equipment.

Back in the Conservation Department, eight residents provided critical support on office and field tasks through the tax work-off program.

Volunteers were also essential to a new pollinator meadows program. The department engaged volunteers to dismantle an unauthorized tree house on conservation land, reclaim the wood for planter boxes, and Sudbury Valley Trustees donated seeds. The department is hoping to expand that program in the future, as protecting pollinator species is becoming more critical for biodiversity and preservation of ecosystems.

The Conservation Commission oversees agricultural licenses for local farmers on 77 acres of conservation land in Sudbury. Those relationships have proven valuable, as one local farmer tilled the soil at Lincoln Meadows, where 40 gardeners tend to 70 plots. Volunteers from the bow hunting program for deer management stepped up to install bat boxes for insect control at Lincoln Meadows, too.

More Than the Sum of Its Parts

The Conservation Commission has a reputation for well-run meetings. Chair Dave Henkels keeps things moving and orderly. The commission is tasked with enforcing some of the strongest wetland protections in the State, but the commissioners also give applicants an open mind and a warm welcome. They seem fully prepared for each matter that comes before them, as does the Conservation Department.

That certainly takes a good amount of had work and preparation. But it's emblematic of something bigger. In the context of a sprawling volunteer operation across thousands of acres of land and multiplying departmental programs and initiatives, it highlights how rowing in the same direction can produce exponential results.

Sudbury Weekly asked Conservation Coordinator Lori Capone how she keeps everyone moving in the same direction and she said “By cultivating a positive, welcoming, and productive environment, I have been fortunate to attract passionate volunteers who genuinely enjoy their work with the Conservation Department – so much so that they have spread the word within their networks. I serve as a motivating force, keeping initiatives moving forward while nurturing each individual's ideas and solutions to ensure we achieve the best possible outcomes with the resources available.”

The work Capone and her team completed in 2024 may not have been possible without volunteers. However, it’s their collaborative approach that could pay dividends for Sudbury for years to come.

Naughty Potties: PBC Approves $212K for "Acoustic” Fix

By Kevin LaHaise

The Permanent Building Committee met on February 4 and voted 5-1 to approve $212,862.27 to be spent on an “acoustic remediation” project to be completed by Colantonio Inc., the contractor for the construction of the Fairbank Community Center. (7:00)

A miscue during construction resulted in disruptive conditions in both the Sudbury Public Schools offices and the Park and Recreation department offices. Specifically, the walls were built in such a way that noise from the bathrooms carries into surrounding rooms. Let’s just call it a symphony in porcelain major…

Notably, it’s not just the loud noises like flushing that carry into adjacent spaces. Even voices can be heard, which presents a privacy issue for Sudbury Public Schools, and ongoing distraction for Park and Recreation employees.

They expect to complete the work in a series of phase in the June/July timeframe, as that’s the least disruptive for departmental operations. Until then, occupants will have to tune out the lavatorial sonata, albeit with reassurance that a fix is on the way.

Parting Thoughts

Tip O’Neill didn’t invent the phrase “all politics is local,” but he sure as heck made the most out of it.

Here’s the question… are all politics still local?

The Sudbury Water District had this sign posted on Raymond Road for quite some time. It’s a fairly common tactic when a project is funded by a major piece of federal legislation… the politicians want you to see the local impact of federal funding. But did anyone really notice? Did anyone care?

Meanwhile, if someone posts some pseudoscience about fluoride in drinking water to social media, it captures everyone’s attention, and debates rage on for days, or weeks.

Lately it feels like all politics is national, and it’s hard not to see the connection to social media. Most research indicates that social media has fueled polarization. But has it nationalized politics? It has certainly made it very easy to repackage polarizing national issues and push them down to the local level, too.

Sudbury’s Congressional representative, Katherine Clark, certainly isn’t door-knocking in 01776 to warn you about the impact of tariffs on your produce, is she? Nope - she’s just tweeting about it.

Here’s an amusing fact: the American people trust local governments more than they trust… the American people themselves. But there has been a slight decline in trust in local government in recent years. It’s hard not to conclude that the astonishingly low level of trust in the federal government and the “nationalization” of politics is dragging everyone else down.

Is that phenomenon driven by social media? Are these platforms collapsing discourse from all levels of government into one miserable Gordian knot of national polarization, grievances and distrust? It sure seems like it some days.

And perhaps that’s why 64% of Americans say that social media is a bad thing for democracy.

It’s tempting to declare that all politics is national. But that doesn’t feel quite right. It seems like all politics is… social.

Onward!