The storm is brewing

January 23, 2026

Welcome back!

We’re all buckled down for the big storm. And by “buckled down” we, of course, mean that all of us are at Market Basket buying milk and bread. Fun fact: if you combine the two it’s called a “panade.” Aside from obscene amounts of cheese, a panade is the secret to incredible meatballs. Do with that what you will.

Here’s what we have for you this week:

January 23, 2026 Edition

Let’s get into it!

Town Election Ballot Taking Shape

NEWS
By the League of Women Voters of Sudbury

One definitive ballot gap remains after the third week of the local election season since no prospective candidates “pulled papers” to file their intention to run for Park and Recreation Commissioner in the March 30 Annual Town Election. The deadline to pull papers is Thursday, Feb. 5.

The Town Clerk’s office certified this week the nomination papers of five people: Ingrid J. Mayyasi and Elizabeth Mathews Iwasaki who are running for Goodnow Library Trustee, Susan Ruth Sama for Board of Health, and Ravi Simon of Sudbury and Jason McLure of Lincoln who are running for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee. All are now official candidates whose names will appear on the ballot.  

Prospective candidates who file an intention to run will not appear on the ballot unless they return their papers with the required signatures and those signatures are certified by the Town Clerk’s office. The deadline to return papers is Monday, Feb. 9.  

You can find a complete list of open positions here. You can find information about how to run for office here, and resources to support a run for office here.

Here are the articles about town election activity to date:  

Henrich Helps Small Businesses Get Media Coverage At Sudbury Chamber Event

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

As the media landscape is undergoing a transformation driven by social media, artificial intelligence (AI), and the demise of many traditional print newspapers, local businesses have more tools than ever to reach current and prospective customers. But rising above the digital noise requires a more nuanced media strategy than ever before.

Michael Henrich, Chief Strategist at Henrich Communications, spoke at a Sudbury Chamber of Commerce “Lunch and Learn” event on January 21, and provided an energetic and actionable set of recommendations to a full room of local business people at Sudbury Point Grill.

Henrich walked the group through an overview of owned, earned and paid media — a framework frequently used by public relations professionals to conceptualize media strategies.

Sewataro Subcommittee To Keep Public Comment

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

During the first meeting of the Select Board’s Liberty Ledge/Sewataro subcommittee, member Dan Carty voiced a desire to eliminate public comment from the subcommittee’s agendas. Member Janie Dretler opposed that idea, and the two agreed to take it back to the full Select Board for a final decision.

On Tuesday, January 20, the Select Board had a robust discussion about the matter. While Carty and Dretler cited examples of subcommittees that had or did not have public comment, it was ultimately the rest of the board that would resolve the impasse.

During the discussion, Carty expressed that the subcommittee could not do anything with the public comments it received because the comments were opinions, and the subcommittee was tasked with gathering existing information about the property, not opinions. Dretler expressed her desire to maximize transparency with the public.

SPS Enters Uncertain Territory As Administration Disregards Committee Authority

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

The January 15 meeting of the Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) School Committee was not a normal school committee meeting. The administration, represented by Superintendent Brad Crozier, Assistant Superintendent Annette Doyle, and Director of Student Services Stephanie Juriansz, spent much of the meeting fending off tough Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget questions from a frustrated committee. That is, until Town Manager Andy Sheehan’s attempts to assist the school district revealed that the district wasn’t fighting nearly as hard as the Town Manager for Sudbury students.

What stood out most during the meeting was the moving target created by the administration. Crozier, Doyle and Juriansz responded interchangeably, often interjecting to cut off a line of questioning from committee members. At other times, the administration put the onus back on the committee to design educational summer program concepts on the spot.

Wireless Overlay District Bylaw Makes Progress Towards Town Meeting Warrant

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

The Planning Board got an update on a long-discussed wireless overlay district bylaw from Adam Burney, Sudbury’s director of planning and community development, during their January 14 meeting. Burney informed the board that he instructed their wireless consultant to draft the bylaw for the board to review.

Burney also told the board that he will ask them to vote to submit a warrant article for the bylaw before the deadline later this month. That would give the board time to continue iterating on the draft bylaw in February and March.

Events

Opinion

Parting Thoughts

It’s a late edition this week… so we’ll just close things out with a GIF:

Freezing Bill Murray GIF

Onward!