2022 Town Election: Candidates Share Their Views
If you are elected to the School Committee/Select Board, you will be in a position to impact sustainable practices in all facilities and create opportunities to strengthen the environmental literacy of our leaders and residents. What is your plan in this regard and what specific programs or practices will you endorse?
Below are some examples that illustrate the synergy among our Town, Sharon Public Schools (SPS), and Sustainable Sharon Coalition (SSC):
SSC’s Transportation group leader worked with our Town Planner to secure a Safe Routes to School grant of $452,095.75 in January, which will fund new sidewalks on Cottage Street, safe street crossing enhancements and sharrows. How could you help implement safer, sustainable transportation in Sharon?
At the 2019 Town Meeting, four passionate Sharon High School students presented a warrant article for a public commitment to get the town to zero carbon emissions by 2050. It passed with overwhelming support. What can you do in town and the schools to help Sharon reach net zero emissions by 2050?
In 2020, the town voted for a three-year moratorium on an artificial turf athletic field at the high school. If the opportunity to install an artificial turf field comes before the town or school committee again, would you vote for or against it? Why?
The position for the SPS Recycling Coordinator was created by SSC through a MassDEP grant. The position has evolved into a Recycling Coordinator working to benefit both the schools and the town, and yet it is a part-time position with a tremendous amount of important work to be done. Would you support making this a full-time position?
SSC Youth Sharon High School students are raising money and arranged with the town to plant trees at Deborah Sampson Park on April 23rd. What more could be done to preserve our natural resources and increase/improve walking/biking paths?
Dan Lewenberg
Sustainability is close to my heart. It started with my mother who helped launch the pioneering Newton recycling program in the early 1980s. I majored in Environmental Biology, and worked as a science teacher, environmental consultant, and educator at the New England Aquarium. I am a composter. My family of five uses the smallest garbage bin available. And I personally divested fossil fuels years ago.
Among Sharon's greatest assets are its natural resources - Lake Massapoag & network of ponds, our green spaces, and our drinking water supply. Protecting these is an essential part of protecting Sharon’s future. Sustainability is a clear priority in Sharon, and I am proud of that.
As Select Board Member, I plan to promote sustainability throughout our community, specifically to:
1. Protect, monitor and actively maintain Lake Massapoag, our green spaces, and drinking water supply.
2. Invest in sustainable infrastructure including solar, electric charging, bike lanes and sidewalks, and efficient building and lighting systems. And maintain buildings to make them last.
3. Educate and embrace sustainability through community programming and services (community events, composting & recycling education, water conservation measures, Share Sharon, drive awareness of available resources like Mass Save).
4. Engage the larger community through eco-tourism; support well-maintained athletic fields and pursue additional field space opportunities (not turf at the Lake).
5. Re-source initiatives by identifying and securing aligned grant funding opportunities.
Sustainability weaves through everything we do as a Town and I look forward to collaborating across our community to lead Sharon sustainably into the future.
Sam Liao
I have a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a PhD from MIT. The profession I am in - has been at the forefront of implementation of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and Envision – a framework for sustainable infrastructure. In 2008, I edited a publication, “Engineering Strategies for Global Climate Change.” Also having an MBA from BU, I have the management capabilities to implement sustainable practices and innovative programs for Sharon.
In regards to transportation, the most impactful thing we can do is to eliminate school bus fees to encourage bus transportation. This would reduce automobile emissions from parents driving their children, as well as mitigating traffic during drop-off and pick up. Also, at Sharon Gallery, after Costco is established, advocate for the opportunity to convert a number of parking spaces to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, to the benefit of the businesses, and to be a “way station” exactly mid-distance between Providence and Boston for charging EVs.
On the getting the Town to zero carbon emissions by 2050, I would propose a committee to oversee an audit of all viable options/opportunities, to provide a specific plan for the next 28 years to meet this goal. Establish a revolving fund from the future revenues of the Mountain Street solar energy project to fund additional solar and the zero carbon emissions plan. Increase collaboration with SSC and Sharon Friends of Conservation and other organizations to promote environmental literacy within the Town to increase sustainable practices.
Kiana Pierre-Louis
Sharon is a town that can be at the forefront of new and sustainable practices. We have several initiatives in place; however, these initiatives tend to be siloed. To create systematic solutions, we need to collectively come together on all initiatives. To do this most effectively, the town would benefit from creating a Sustainability and Climate Action Plan that has solutions that scale up.
This kind of a plan would require the collaborative effort of stakeholders from town government, community organizations and community members to generate large scale feasible solutions. Soliciting community input for this plan's success is paramount. The plan will focus on climate resistance, equity and education and guide Sharon toward achieving feasible results. There are several organizations that help towns with developing plans, writing grants, and finding funding opportunities for these initiatives. We can leverage this support to create our own Sustainable and Climate Action Plan.
The Plan can guide the community in reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, hiring a full time Recycle Coordinator, researching alternatives to turf athletic fields and grant writing to generate innovative solutions to improve energy efficiency. Solutions such as hybrid police cruisers, electric charging stations at the train stations, parks and other high traffic places and assessing the feasibility of purchasing electricity from renewable sources in Town Hall. I believe working collectively to develop a strategic vision and plan for Sharon around sustainability will enable the town to have a tremendous impact on our future for decades to come.
Xander Shapiro
Sustainability can feel abstract, but a “Think Globally, Act Locally” attitude can drive tangible progress on sustainability. If elected, I will recommend adopting a town-wide sustainability goal, complete with measurable metrics to be reported back to the Select Board on a regular basis—“that which isn't measured isn’t done.”
The new clean energy option for residents is a great example of how consistent work, broken down into manageable steps can create meaningful change for sustainability in our town.
Some years ago, I worked at an architecture/planning firm in California with both interior and new construction projects. California is a longtime sustainability leader, so I got to see many sustainable practices our clients selected, many of which are increasingly being implemented here in Sharon:
Solar on new/existing buildings and parking lots
Environmentally-responsible materials and equipment like hybrid vehicles
Energy savings through natural light and motion sensors
To build environmental literacy, I recommend using tools like learning resources and community projects (such as SSC Kids/SSC Youth tree planting), to real-time water quality information, beach kiosks, and best practice trainings -- tactics that were outlined in the Lake Massapoag Advisory Committee article approved at the 2022 Annual Town Meeting. We can also use resources from large sustainability-focused organizations to drive literacy.
In short, if elected to the Select Board on May 17, I will use my professional experience in marketing and human resources to build coalitions among government, civic, and school stakeholders to drive progress on sustainability.
