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Community Corner

Keeping the Focus on Results for Wenham

Serving as an elected official in a small town is not always fun or easy. A lot of people ask me why on earth I would choose to take on this position. It's true, the work is tough. With many issues, no matter what you do, your decision will make someone unhappy. Achieving significant results in government can take a long time, and things don't always go the way you want them to.

At the end of the day, however, there is a great reward from putting your shoulder to the wheel of civic obligation. Engaging with volunteers to bring about a spirit of teamwork, trust and collaboration is a vital component of making our municipal organization work well. I've dedicated myself to that goal in my first term.

And the work has paid off. My proudest moment was when Standard and Poor's gave Wenham a AAA rating - the highest possible rank, currently achieved by only 9% of the towns in Massachusetts. More important to me was the comment in the report citing Wenham's strong management and fiscal policies. This objective opinion shows we are on the right track. The teamwork and trust we've worked hard to build between: 

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·  The Finance Department and Town Administrator's Office

·  The various Boards and Committees with Town Administration, and

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·  The two towns and the Hamilton Wenham Regional School District:

All these efforts have paid off. An objective third party and our independent auditor have recognized these efforts as creating a stronger organization for the taxpayer and that’s a Big Deal. It means we are continuing to provide the high quality of municipal services residents expect, in a cost-effective manner.

In addition, our collaborative efforts with School leadership have produced steady progress in school budget development and communications . The trust we have built between the Towns and the Schools has made substantial return of surplus funds possible, while at the same time working to improve educational quality. That effort, along with other efforts to control town costs have produced among the lowest rates of tax increase in Wenham in many years.

Let's keep moving Wenham forward on the path of highest quality governance and teamwork. I ask for your support at the polls on April 10th.

Thank you,

Patrick Wilson

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