By Cynthia Whitty

Ashland town elections will be held on Tuesday, May 18, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Ashland High School, 65 East Union St. (This year annual town meeting is scheduled for June 12.) For up-to-date information, visit www.ashlandmass.com/219/Elections-Voting.

This year three candidates – Yolanda Greaves, Pam McQuillan, and Rob Scherer – are running for two seats on the Select Board, and three – Kathy Bates, Christina Fitanides, and Marc Terry – are running for two seats on the School Committee. 

Candidates running for uncontested seats are Steve Greenberg for Board of Assessors; Claire Goss and Linda Weene for Library Trustees; Bernadette Lunkuse, Koduvayur Narayana and Barbara Sekesogundu-Simon for Board of Health; Carolyn Beaton for Housing Authority; and Anna Tesmenitsky and Deepa Venkat for Planning Board.

Ashland Local Town Pages asked the candidates for the Select Board and School Committee contested seats the following questions: Why are you running for office? What qualifies you? What do you hope to accomplish if elected? Read their responses here.

Select Board

Yolanda Greaves

Hello, my name is Yolanda Greaves. I am running for re-election to the Ashland Select Board, and with your vote will continue to serve the town of Ashland for another three years.

During my nine-year tenure I have served in various roles on the board, including three years  s Chair. I have focused on transportation and infrastructure projects and worked with the board to improve communication and board interaction with residents. I represent the town in various regional organizations and committees.

I have championed the Rt. 126 project, helping to keep it on the TIP (Transportation Infrastructure Program) and worked with town management and staff to ensure the project moved forward. After six-plus years of work, we are seeing the project beginning to take shape! This project will open up Rt. 126 for enhanced economic development and growth that will benefit Ashland. I look forward to working with the stake holders of the corridor and the residents to create a master plan that will guide the growth of this area as the project is completed. 

Should I get your vote and get re-elected, I look to help complete the following projects with resident input. The Valentine project, the downtown project, the Mindess building replacement project, the Public safety building, and conservation restrictions on various parcels the town owns.

I have lived in Ashland for 30 + years with my husband Rich. Outside of my volunteer work as a member of the Select Board, I manage the Finance and Human Resource department for a small software company. I work with dance and theater groups as a stage manager and production manager. My newest volunteer role is as a board member of the MetroWest Conference for Women for which I am currently the vice chair.

I really enjoy the work I do as a Select Board member. I have appreciated my time on the Ashland Select Board and working for the citizens of Ashland. I look forward to continuing projects I have helped start and continuing to work as a public servant for Ashland. Please give me your vote on May 18!

Pam McQuillan

When my family and I moved to Ashland, I intended to jump right into town politics as I had watched both my parents do. Growing up in Natick, my parents were always involved, from being Town Meeting members to my father serving on the Finance Committee and now a current Selectmen. “It’s in my blood” is something I genuinely believe. 

My professional background has been focused on business operations and management within the legal industry. In early 2021, I resigned from my position to become a stay-at-home mom to my three children, a kindergartener at Warren, a preschooler at Pittaway, and a toddler. My passion is volunteerism, and I currently volunteer as a member of the Pittaway Preschool PTO and the Pittaway/Warren Site Council. 

Something about living through a pandemic gave me the jumpstart I needed to begin my journey serving our community. I watched our Ashland Facebook threads and started asking questions. I reviewed Town Meeting minutes, watched our Select Board meetings, and I found that while our community leaders work hard to make tough choices there seemed to be a lack of overall community support. 

Some of the reasons I am running for Select Board are to ensure equity in response to all Ashland residents’ concerns or inquiries, increased online access to information, and transparency in decision making. I intend to be a voice for the citizens of Ashland and bring their concerns directly to the Select Board, whether presented to me through a Facebook message board, email or even a handwritten letter.

I believe I can be an ally for our current Select Board members and an advocate for all the members of our community – from children attending our schools to those served by the Council on Aging and the Senior Center. 

I believe it is time for a new voice on Ashland’s Select Board. I love Ashland and see great potential in our town. My vision for Ashland includes our community connecting with modernized communication to improve the dialogue between our town government and the residents we serve. 

Rob Scherer

I believe that serving on the Select Board provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the well-being of our community. 

My background is in non-profit and government finance and administration. I have an MBA from University of Massachusetts, and serve as the Chief Financial Officer at Worcester Community Action Council.

When I campaigned for Select Board in 2015, I spoke of the need to create a cohesive vision for our community that would preserve the best of our past, build a sustainable future and focus on the quality of life in our community. I pledged to work to build a strong financial base to provide the services our community needs.

Since then we have made a great deal of progress, building our reserve funds, protecting key open spaces and historic sites, and embarking on key projects. These projects include: the new Public Safety Building, the Mindess School replacement, the Rt. 126 renewal, and the downtown project. 

In this unprecedented year, we have also been able to provide financial and regulatory support to residents and businesses impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. We continue to build affordable housing using our Housing Production Plan, a key tool to maintain control over proposed “40B” housing projects. This summer, we will break ground on the first segment of the Ashland Upper Charles Trail, the “Trolley Brook” segment connecting Memorial Drive to downtown.

Ashland continues to provide very good value to the taxpayers. Our per capita expenditures for municipal services remain one of the lowest in Metrowest. 

Looking ahead, I continue to be concerned with the potential impact on our community of the Eversource Pipeline expansion project, including its role in increasing greenhouse gases and accelerating climate change. I am pleased that Town officials, with key assistance from residents, have successfully opposed this project and insisted that key questions must be addressed. We must continue our sustainability efforts by passing and implementing a Net Zero plan for 2040, and hold Eversource accountable. 

I am running for re-election to continue the progress we have been making as a community,   nd to continue my work on these key projects. I would be honored to have your support.

School Committee

Kathy Bates

Hello residents of Ashland! My name is Kathy Bates and I am running for re-election to the Ashland School Committee. I have lived in Ashland my entire married life of 29 years with my husband Wayne who grew up here. My three sons all attended Ashland Public Schools from preschool to graduating from Ashland High School and continuing on to college. I am a graphic designer, working part-time for Mass Audubon helping to produce wayfinding signage which combines my love of graphics with my love of conservation and protecting the environment.

Since moving to Ashland, I have been involved with our town, attending town meetings, volunteering and participating in various town events, and taking on an official role in 2012 when I was first elected to the school committee. Over the years, I have enjoyed seeing the town grow and prosper and feeling a sense of pride that I play a small part in that.

I was on the school committee when we supported critical policies that focused on building the town’s financial reserve leading to our triple A rating. More recently, I was on the school committee that steadied the ship with the hiring of Jim Adams as our superintendent. I enjoy being part of the leadership team and contributing to the stability and forward progress of our schools and town. 

After a year of being either remote or in a hybrid schedule, our students are just now returning to school in-person, full-time. This presents a unique opportunity to re-think how we configure our school day. With state and federal school funding coming, there’s an opportunity to think creatively of how to invest those funds and I welcome the opportunity to continue to influence how we invest in our future.

It is an honor to be a part of the stewardship of the Ashland Public Schools. I hope you will support my candidacy for the Ashland School Committee, and allow me to continue to contribute to the steadiness and forward progress of our schools.

Tina Fitanides

My name is Tina Fitanides and I am running for a seat on the Ashland School Committee. My husband and I have lived in Ashland for 17 years and have two children currently attending Ashland Public Schools. I have been an active volunteer in our school district for years, serving on various Site Councils as well as the District Reorganization Task Force, the SEL Parent Advisory group, and more recently Ashland Residents for Equity & Action.

Professionally, I am an attorney and have spent my career advocating for vulnerable children and families in various capacities with the bulk of my career being spent in education policy and advocacy. As a Policy Analyst at the non-profit Massachusetts Advocates for Children, I spent a more than a decade working on policy issues concerning special education, teacher licensure and training, equity in education, creating supportive school environments, early literacy, school funding, state budget advocacy, and other issues. I currently work as an advocate/attorney assisting families as they advocate for their children within the special education system. My personal and professional experiences have deepened my knowledge on many issues related to creating and maintaining high quality, efficient, equitable, and compassionate schools for students, staff, and families. 

I decided to run for School Committee because I have a passion for education, enjoy working with stakeholders to collaboratively address challenges, and want to give back to the community in a more substantive way. Ashland is a wonderful town with many strengths, among them a high-quality school system filled with dedicated professionals. Being a member of the School Committee would afford me the opportunity to add my voice and experience to the important conversations and decisions surrounding our schools and add a fresh perspective to a dynamic group of professionals.

My vision is to bring my knowledge of educational policy and student learning needs, together with my collaborative approach to decision making and problem solving to the table to further the mission of our district and build upon the strengths of the Ashland Public Schools to continue to meet the needs of all students, families, and staff.

Marc Terry

My name is Marc Terry, and I am seeking re-election for a third term on the Ashland School Committee. In my six years serving in the role, I have contributed to many initiatives and programs that have improved the Ashland Schools. I hope to have the opportunity to continue to serve the schools and town.

As a parent of two school-aged children, with a commitment to community service, and 20+ years of professional experience as a school lawyer, I bring multiple perspectives and expertise to the School Committee. This includes community leadership, a personal desire to ensure all children receive the best possible education and expertise in negotiations, policy and best practices in school management.

In the past six years, the Ashland schools have made tremendous progress. We addressed our initial space needs by adding classrooms to the Warren School. The work of the Space Needs Committee led to what will be a new elementary school to replace the Mindess School, thanks to the support of the Ashland community. We implemented free full-day kindergarten for all students, giving everyone an equal and better start to their education. We modified start times at the middle and high school to align with the science that shows that teenage students are more successful when school starts later.

We have also improved students’ opportunities for success by expanding elective opportunities at the high school, increasing support for the social/emotional growth of all students and adding support for students of all abilities and backgrounds. Significantly, we have done this by adopting and implementing sustainable budgets year after year.

Moving forward, I will continue to advocate for changes that improve opportunities for all students. Among my priorities are to make the Ashland schools a leader as an anti-racist school district.

I hope that by my service over the past six years I have demonstrated the value of my leadership.  I ask for your vote on May 18 so I can continue to serve our community. Please check out Marc Terry, Ashland School Committee on Facebook.