To my friends, neighbors and fellow residents:
In 2017, it became obvious to the Select Board that the town required a strategic plan to determine how best to deal with significant debt obligations that were maturing and to address the aging infrastructure of town facilities as well as capacity issues at the grammar schools that we were anticipating for the school district. The upcoming retirement of much of the town’s debt offered us an opportunity to use those dollars that were dedicated to debt associated with previous capital projects to now be reallocated to the future needs of the town. This was a once in a generation opportunity to address in a thoughtful and transparent manner the future needs of the town and at the same time position us for long term financial stability while minimizing the impact on taxpayers.
Recognizing the scope of work as well as the expertise, time, and effort that would be required to analyze and prioritize the town’s needs and what was the best method of financing these needs, the board decided to form a Strategic Planning Committee. Joe Connell’s name was considered as a member along with a number of other residents with impressive backgrounds.
I never knew Joe prior to us considering him to be appointed to this critically important committee. My research at the time revealed to me that Joe was a highly decorated Army veteran who retired as a colonel. He did combat tours in Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, served in Korea, and received 23 awards and decorations during his service. But what really intrigued me was that he served as chief of staff for U.S. Forces Afghanistan. He dealt with the military aspects of occupation as well as the political. Joe, being a very modest individual, rarely speaks about his accomplishments as a military officer, but he has a proven record of leadership and service to his country. Adding to that distinguished military career, Joe has served as a senior executive at Fortune 500 companies.
Joe was selected to serve on the Strategic Planning Committee along with four other residents with impeccable credentials. And if you were to speak to any of his colleagues on that committee, they would tell you that Joe assumed the chairmanship of the committee and spent endless hours collecting and analyzing data and demonstrated his management skills again and again throughout this multi-year assignment.
The result of the committee’s final report would serve as a blueprint that the board utilized to manage the strategic challenges of these past few years. The grammar schools were expanded to accommodate the anticipated classroom sizes necessary at our grammar schools. The Public Safety/Town Hall project was approved at Town Meeting and is currently under construction. The ill-conceived library project was rejected at Town Meeting and the Select Board, under Joe’s leadership, will now be offering a fiscally prudent alternative for consideration at an upcoming Town Meeting.
Perhaps one of the best decisions that wife and I ever made was to move to Lynnfield and bring up our family here. We are asking you to vote for Joe in this upcoming election because what we want is for this town benefit from individuals such as Joe who have the skill set and commitment to be the effective leaders we need during these challenging times.
Respectfully,
Dick Dalton
