Deb Mauger For Selectman

To the Editor:

We believe that Deb Mauger will work hard and well for the town of Lexington as a selectman. She has a strong background in management and finance, as well as experience managing both people and budgets, including several years as a CFO at Harvard Business School.

Deb spends a great deal of time learning about town problems, learning about what people want. As fellow Town Meeting members in Precinct 8, we have observed Deb interact with others on the floor of Town Meeting, as well as in small group meetings. We believe that she will continue to be accessible and responsible in her new role. We ask you to vote for Deb Mauger for Selectman on March 1st.

Diane Biglow
Bellflower Street
and
Ingrid Klimoff
Reed Street

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To the Editor:

It’s a pleasure for me to endorse Deb Mauger for Selectman. Deb has many supporters, as previous letters have shown, and with good reason. She brings valuable experience as an administrator in higher education and as the CFO of Harvard Business School. We in Lexington know her as the former president of the League of Women Voters. The combination is unusual: she knows how to manage money and the different constituencies of a large organization, and she is a superlative communicator and mediator. She can work as part of a team. She can lead.

But Deb’s most striking qualities transcend her impressive resume. Anyone who knows her has witnessed her boundless energy and curiosity. She is an intensely committed person who doesn’t rest until she feels that she has thoroughly understood an issue, no matter how complex. Perhaps because of her years as president of the League, she is an active collaborator and listener, a person who respects discussion and the democratic process and then acts decisively.

Deb is the person we need in these troubled times. She has the focus and skill to help us through the next few years, a deep respect for the concerns of Lexingtonians, and the firmness and vision to lead us into the future.

Please join me in voting for Deb Mauger for Selectman on Monday, March 1.

Rita Goldberg
Independence Avenue

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To the Editor:

Deb Mauger and George Burnell are my choices for Selectmen. Both understand public process and know what local government is really about, i.e. fostering community and providing services. They know that in the public sector solutions come with faces. Decisions are not made by analysis and numbers alone, but by considering the impacts on the people of Lexington, both residents and employees. Both have the prerequisite analytic skills to make astute judgments. George has over 40 years of business experience and chaired both the Appropriation and Capital Expenditures Committees. Deb served as the CFO of Harvard Business School. Both know that numbers alone do not tell the whole story.

Yes, we are in a recession, but Lexington is well prepared to survive the cut in state aid and the decrease in local receipts. We are not obliged to make deep cuts in services as are many neighboring communities. George and Deb recognize that now is not the time to consider cuts, but to sustain services to meet the needs of those struggling to make ends meet.

Yes, healthcare costs are a driving force in our local budget. George and Deb recognize that the Town has accepted coalition bargaining and consequently Lexington is obliged to bargain all aspects of health care benefits, both program design and percent contribution. They know that a solution will be achieved at the bargaining table, not by fiat. Resolution will involve sharing the savings thereby ensuring continued capacity to recruit and retain highly professional employees while protecting the pocketbooks of the Town’s residents.

Deb and George get it. They know that the influence of the Board of Selectmen rests in its ability to work as a team, to seek counsel from other elected and appointed boards and committees and to secure the buy-in from the greater community. George gets it from his experience in Town government. Deb gets it from her experience with the League of Women Voters and what she learned about consensus building from her administrative job in higher education.

I am voting for George and Deb on March 1. Please join me.

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To the Editor:

I am writing to endorse the candidacy of Deb Mauger for Selectman. She is an exceptional candidate who will provide Lexington with an excellent opportunity to have an additional informed, committed and ethical member on the Board.

Deb’s career in business and her position as CFO of the Harvard Business School demonstrates her ability to not only understand the operational municipal budgetary issues but also the challenges our town will continue to face in an uncertain economy.

I know Deb through her leadership role as President of the League of Women Voters. I was immediately struck by her knowledge of critical issues that affects all of us. She understands the interconnectedness and importance of all departments in town and has the collaborative ability to work well with everyone. Deb is a very able communicator who listens well, is a problem solver, can anticipate needs, is concerned about the town’s welfare and insists on transparency in all interactions.

As an educator, I am impressed with Deb’s knowledge of complex educational issues and her desire to be a part of the solutions. Deb is sensitive to the needs of all members of our town. She is rational and can be trusted to weigh what is important so that everyone in our community benefits.

Everyone knows that Deb is smart and an effective contributor but she also cares about people. She will prove to be a great addition to the Board of Selectmen.

Please join me in voting for Deb Mauger on March 1.

Barbara Manfredi
Taft Avenue

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To the Editor:

From everything I know and have heard about Deb Mauger, she possesses a rare and unbeatable combination of skills and experiences that is perfectly suited to bringing to our Board of Selectmen the kind of leadership that would be the envy of any community.

Let’s start with Deb’s rare combination of proven ability to manage budgets in excess of Lexington’s annual budget coupled with her many years of experience working with and managing people in all the intricacies and nuances that are part and parcel of the human condition. This ability to keep an eye on the bottom line while at the same time balancing competing interests and departmental needs will provide strong leadership for our community in the years ahead.

Deb’s performance during the recent round of candidate forums has put on display several of her leadership skills. Her thoughtful probing questions in response to issues raised displays a keen interest in considering all sides of an issue while engaging her audience in an active respectful dialogue. What has also been on display during these sessions is Deb’s measured manner of decision-making. She does not allow herself to be rushed into a hasty response but takes the time to ensure that all information is on the table before taking a position. Taken together these traits bode well for providing the critical thinking and inclusive facilitation skills required of our Selectmen.

If elected, Deb will not only bring a fresh perspective to the Board of Selectmen but one that is grounded in years of service to our community in a variety of roles. This has provided her with a wealth of experience in the workings of our town that will prove invaluable in assuming the duties of Selectman.

Please join me in giving one of your two votes for Selectman to Deb Mauger.

Keith Ohmart

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To the Editor:

I am writing in support of Deb Mauger for Selectman because I think that she will bring new talent and energy in a way that will compliment and strengthen the Board going forward.  I believe that in these difficult financial times the towns in Massachusetts are best served by open discussion and the building of consensus.  Each of the three candidates claim that they will follow an engaged and collaborative approach to governing, so it is up to us as citizens to make our choices as to which candidates will be best at exploring new solutions and building the support to carry them out.

To make this judgment, we can only look to the past record of the candidates as a predictor of future performance.  It appears to me that all three have a strong background in the financial sector.  This is important because we are in for some difficult choices in keeping this town solvent.  Maintaining our excellent school system, both financially and in dealing with societal issues that challenge our youth is also an arena where the Selectmen must lead, in collaboration with school authorities and state guidelines.  This is an area where, in my estimation, Deb has a clear lead, based on her role with the LWV and her professional experience in school administration.  Finally, I believe Deb will actively carry on the role Jeanne Krieger promoted so well in the transportation and environmental fields.  Please join with me in casting one of the votes for Selectman for Deb Mauger on March 1.

Jerry Van Hook Meriam Street

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To the Editor:

I am writing in support of Deb Mauger for Selectman because I think that she will bring new talent and energy in a way that will compliment and strengthen the Board going forward.  I believe that in these difficult financial times the towns in Massachusetts are best served by open discussion and the building of consensus.  Each of the three candidates claim that they will follow an engaged and collaborative approach to governing, so it is up to us as citizens to make our choices as to which candidates will be best at exploring new solutions and building the support to carry them out.

To make this judgment, we can only look to the past record of the candidates as a predictor of future performance.  It appears to me that all three have a strong background in the financial sector.  This is important because we are in for some difficult choices in keeping this town solvent.  Maintaining our excellent school system, both financially and in dealing with societal issues that challenge our youth is also an arena where the Selectmen must lead, in collaboration with school authorities and state guidelines.  This is an area where, in my estimation, Deb has a clear lead, based on her role with the LWV and her professional experience in school administration.  Finally, I believe Deb will actively carry on the role Jeanne Krieger promoted so well in the transportation and environmental fields.  Please join with me in casting one of the votes for Selectman for Deb Mauger on March 1.

Jerry Van Hook Meriam Street

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To the Editor:

For these challenging times, we are fortunate to have two wonderful candidates for Selectman – George Burnell and Deb Mauger. I urge you to join me in supporting both of them.

As a former Selectman, there are several key attributes I look for in candidates for the role. First are their values – their commitment to what makes Lexington a vibrant community with an attractive environment and excellent services. Second are the skills to work collegially and constructively on a 5-member board and with professional staff and hundreds of involved citizens. Third is the knowledge and experience to lead a complex public organization. And fourth is the wisdom to view short-term issues in their long-term context.

I have had the privilege to work closely with both Deb and George over the years, and I am confident that both of them, in their different ways, possess these qualities in abundance. They will serve us very well.

I note that this year we are losing a Selectman, Jeanne Krieger, who has epitomized all these qualities during her 12 years of service. She’ll be sorely missed, and we need people who can help fill the void her departure will leave.

Having served this past year as chair of the Selectmen’s Ad Hoc Fiscal Task Force, I can attest that Lexington, like other cities and towns, is facing difficult financial challenges. But our past leadership has done an admirable job of positioning us, far better than most comparable communities, to weather the storm. With the right leadership, we can look to a bright future for our town and its residents.

Please join me in supporting Deb and George on March 1.

Peter Enrich
35 Clarke St.

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Letter to the Editor

I am enthusiastically voting for Deb Mauger and George Burnell in the upcoming election for the Board of Selectmen. Thanks to the wisdom and experience of George, the other Selectmen, and Town Manager Carl Valente, our finances have been expertly managed in recent years.  We have built up reserves and enacted policies for their use. As a result, our fine town will make it through these hard times with our vital services intact, despite our not having had an override since 2007.  Mr. Burnell has certainly earned another term on the board and will continue working to preserve our services and our assets.  Ms. Mauger will bring bright new ideas, support of the schools, and her own financial expertise to an already outstanding board.   The Town government has another hard year or two to get through without operating overrides, and possibly with declining aid from the state.  A Board of Selectmen that continues its recent work, and that works well as a team, will serve us well.

Tom Diaz
74 School Street

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Letter to the Editor

My husband and I have lived in Lexington for 27 years, and during this time, we’ve watched the town sink deeper into tough financial challenges. We feel we’ve been watching the ‘soul’ of our town fade. An attitude of “I need to just take care of my own garden, thank you” runs through our conversations with neighbors. We have a sense that over time there’s been less communication and transparency from our elected officials.

Now Deb Mauger has come forward for one of two seats on the Board of Selectmen. On one of my neighborhood walks I bumped into Stew Kennedy, Deb’s husband. “Brenda. Can you help Deb?” “Help her? You bet we can. I haven’t felt this ready to write a letter to the paper in years. Why?

Deb speaks to our better nature, to possibility, to creative collaborative thinking. I trust her sense of the common good. Deb will look at the tough questions from all perspectives. She’ll draw on her deep knowledge of budgets and administrative costs to balance the needs for community services with the smaller available funds. She will work as hard as she possibly can.

How do I know all this? A few years ago, Deb was in a town-wide program called Study Circles, which was developed to create small safe groups where people from diverse backgrounds and interests could come together to discuss issues within their community. It was here I saw Deb’s effective leadership style. She was always curious to hear the other person’s position. She did not reach out for the easy solution but understood the complexity behind words and the meaning behind a silence.

A vote for Deb Mauger is a vote for excellent leadership on the Board of Selectmen. Please join us in voting for Deb on March 1st.

Brenda Prusak
Hillside Terrace

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Letter to the Editor

I have known Deb Mauger for the past 13 years since we moved to Lexington, first as a neighbor and later as a fellow dog lover. I have always admired her calm demeanor and thoughtfulness, but I never knew her business background and her experience. I recently had the opportunity to get to know more about her at a coffee, and I was more impressed with her than ever.  Her experience as a former Harvard Business School CFO, her leadership in the League of Women Voters, and her involvement in Town Meeting tell me that she is the kind of person who cares about our town and who is very much aware of issues that are important to us.

As a fellow dog lover, I’m impressed with Deb’s awareness of the pros and cons of having a leash law in Willards Woods. She’s not speaking from lack of experience because she has walked her dogs there. She also understands the position of abutters as well as the parking problem. Weighing both sides of the issue, she has come up with a proposal that there be posted hours for off leash dogs. This solution may not please everyone, but it is another example of how Deb is able to look at a problem from all angles in order to come up with an equitable compromise.

Our town needs a Selectman who will give careful consideration to the serious issues coming up, and I believe Deb is prepared, experienced and motivated to be that person.  Please join me in voting for Deb Mauger for Selectman on March 1.

Sonia DeMarta
51 Ledgelawn Ave.

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Letter to the Editor

Our taxes are up 5% from last year, yet the Selectmen have no plan to curb such unsustainable increases. The Fiscal Task Force noted that overrides cannot pass in this depressed economy, but its only concrete recommendation is to deplete the Town’s $7 million reserves to balance upcoming budgets. Instead, we must find ways to operate more efficiently, so that tax increases (via overrides) are only a last resort. As a liberal Democrat, I consider this a critical priority and a moral duty to promote economic and social fairness: otherwise, we will “price” residents with limited financial means out of Lexington. 
Iang Jeon and Deb Mauger understand that we must systematically identify better ways to run our municipal services, schools and employee benefits programs.

Iang knows how to analyze budgets and operational data and ask the right questions. Years ago, he asked how many employees the schools have, well before any functioning system existed to track school full- and part-time employees. I disagree with some of Iang’s views, but these do not directly impact the Board of Selectmen, which sorely needs Iang’s energy and creativity. Not to speak of diversity (of ethnic background and opinion)...

Deb’s independence – her questions about the Munroe building, which the Selectmen wanted to sell for $1,000, were excellent –, financial expertise as former CFO of Harvard Business School and openness to differing views will also strengthen our Board of Selectmen (which would be all-male without her...)

Iang and Deb will examine some key issues the Board of Selectmen has ignored, and will push for action to: 
- seek savings on health costs: Brookline will save $4.8 million annually by joining GIC. 
- limit our subsidies to other employers: Concord’s salaries are higher than in Lexington, but its contribution to health premiums is lower than ours, leading more employees to subscribe to health benefits from their spouse’s employer, not from the Town.

Electing Iang Jeon and Deb Mauger is our best chance to keep our municipal services and schools strong while limiting future tax increases.

Patrick Mehr

Town Meeting member, Precinct 3

Woodcliffe Road
Lexington Minuteman 1/14/2010

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Letter to the Editor

As we prepare to elect our new Selectmen, we are fortunate that Lexington has managed its government and schools prudently. We have set up financial reserves for harder times. That enables us to maintain services now, when state aid has been cut and the economy is weak. Unlike other communities, we have not had to lay off essential police and fire personnel, the public-works staff who maintain our streets and water supply, or our classroom teachers.

That didn't just happen. It was a result of informed policies, good choices, and town leaders' work with the whole range of constituencies: citizens, our financial committees, Town Meeting, and our town and school staffs.

Sustaining the town we cherish—matching limited resources to needs, creating reserves, and replenishing them as they are used—requires multiple talents. Not just analysis. Not just listening to all points of view. Not just the hard tasks of reaching out and building agreement on the right decisions. It requires all of those traits.

George Burnell and Deb Mauger have shown that they have all these vital skills. They have done so in our town government; in volunteer service from the financial committees and the recent fiscal task force to the League of Women Voters; and in other work settings, from private businesses to large nonprofit institutions.

In record of service to Lexington, and the promise of more to come, George Burnell and Deb Mauger have earned our support for election to the Board of Selectmen on March 1.

-John Rosenberg

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Two for the Money

In this year’s local elections, we have a chance to dramatically improve our Board of Selectmen’s capability to respond to a changing fiscal environment. Lexington’s leaders cannot afford to continue doing things in the same old way. The Town faces significant fiscal challenges and we cannot look to the state or federal government to bail us out. We need new skill sets on the Board right here and right now to deal with the future.

That is why we are supporting Deb Mauger and Iang Jeon in their separate campaigns for the two Selectman seats at stake this year. While very different in their backgrounds and experience, they complement each other by sharing several attributes that we desperately need: the ability to think critically about the issues, the openness to reach out and seek counsel from people with whom they do not always agree, an understanding of numbers and dollars, an appreciation for data and its role in sound decision making, and a willingness to discuss openly and respectfully their objectives and positions without condescension and impatience.

Between us we have been active in town government for more than thirty five years, serving in Town Meeting and on the Appropriation Committee and the Board of Selectmen, as well as several other boards and committees. We understand the financial problems that face the town and the need to rejuvenate trust in our local government. We are excited by the possibility of real change and we ask you to join us in voting for Deb Mauger and Iang Jeon on March 1st.

Richard Pagett
Jane Pagett

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Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

I heartily endorse Deb Mauger for Lexington Selectman. During this challenging economic period, I am looking for someone who will bring fresh energy to the Board of Selectmen, a commitment to work collaboratively, and a clear vision to guide us through a lean fiscal period while protecting the services we need and planning for what, we hope, will be more prosperous times in the future.

Deb is an optimist – but she is also a realist. Her business background brings practical skills to the Board. Her volunteer work in Lexington, through the League of Women Voters, has given her the chance to hear from so many of us.

Deb is an excellent facilitator. She can hear diverse opinions, bring people closer together, and set out an action plan. Deb knows what we are worried about and she is prepared to serve as both a representative and a leader.

I hope you will join me in casting a vote for Deb. Don’t take my word for it, come out to meet her at a coffee so you can share your thoughts with her. I know she will take them into account as a Lexington Selectman. I am also voting for George Burnell, and look forward to his continued service.

-Jessie Steigerwald

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Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

I have been friends with Deb Mauger for many years, but last night at a candidate’s coffee I learned a great deal more about her. As a former CFO of the Harvard Business School, she was faced with difficult decisions. She approached these very pragmatically and in her presentation said Lexington will also benefit from a very pragmatic approach in this fiscal climate. Deb and I are both from the Midwest and are often labeled as being frugal, something I personally am proud of. Out here I guess you just call it Yankee. No matter how it’s labeled, being frugal is an asset. Planning for the long term, setting priorities based on real need, providing safe environments, and protecting our planet are just a few of the issues which Deb addressed last night. I hope you will have the opportunity to meet Deb at a coffee or candidates night.

Please join me in voting for Deb Mauger on March 1st and visit her web site (debmauger.com) for more information about up-coming events. There you will have a first hand opportunity to discuss the needs of our community with her.

Sincerely,

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Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor
Re: Deb Mauger, Candidate for Board of Selectmen
From: David Horton, 68 Paul Revere Road, Lexington 02421

Vote for Deb Mauger on March 1st and elect her to the Board of Selectmen! I am casting a vote for her and recommend that you do the same! We in Lexington are best served by people on our local boards and town committees who study the issues thoroughly, listen to all stakeholders and opinions, share their views and thinking with the public, can render tough decisions, and who demonstrate equanimity and patience in public and as members of the aforementioned groups.

I have had the good fortune to see Deb in action and she has all of the qualities that I look for in a person who is a successful selectman. The first time I saw her in action was when she was a group leader of a Study Circles group sponsored by No Place for Hate that focused on “Anger and Divisiveness in the Town: Their Roots and How to Dig Them Out!” Deb did a masterful job planning the group sessions and guiding a diverse group of participants through a highly sensitive and potentially contentious topic. I also was present when she moderated a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters that featured the candidates for the Massachusetts State Senate of the Fourth Middlesex District. She did an outstanding job maintaining the focus on the candidates and providing an opportunity for the public to pose questions to them during the evening. Thanks to Deb, the result was an informative evening in that the candidates were able to share their views on a wide range of topics and the public was able to take its measure of them.

Deb is presently a Town Meeting colleague of mine representing Precinct Eight. As much as I will miss her on the floor of Town Meeting, she is absolutely the right person to now represent the entire town as a member of the Board of Selectmen. Please give her your vote on Election Day!

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Letter for the Lexington Minuteman

I am writing as an enthusiastic supporter of Deb Mauger, who is a candidate for one of the two open seats on the Board of Selectmen.

I met Deb about a year and a half ago when we were setting up tables on the Visitors’ Center green for the Minuteman Bikeway Hall of Fame celebration. We didn’t talk much, but what struck me about her then was that she knew how to work hard – Deb wasn’t someone to stand around and watch other people do the heavy-lifting. I learned from others that she was the very hard-working, well liked, and effective president of the League of Women Voters as well as Stew Kennedy’s wife. A few months later, I joined the LWV and began videotaping their First Friday lecture series, usually hosted and moderated by Deb.

It’s interesting what you learn about people when you watch them from behind a camera and then later re-play them over and over in an editing studio. As Deb welcomed her audiences, introduced her guests, encouraged audience participation and fielded questions, I saw someone who is: very smart, quite analytical, focused, somewhat self-deprecating, warmly humorous, spirited, and in touch with everyone in the room. And crazy about her husband Stew.

Deb and I both joined Town Meeting last spring as members from Precinct 8, and I saw in her approach to issues facing Town Meeting the same smart, focused, analytical, collegial style as she studied from all angles the background and value to the community of major warrant articles. In the case of the warrant article to sell the Munroe School building and land, Deb talked with scores of people to understand the case for and against the sale before she made up her own mind that she would vote against it. Deb isn’t a knee-jerk anything and I have not seen her take a point of view based on its base of town supporters; that’s why I like her.

I joined Deb Mauger’s campaign because I feel, like many in town, we need stronger leadership and someone with Deb’s excellent professional and personal skills on the Board of Selectmen. You can find out more about Deb by visiting her website http://www.debmauger.com and her Facebook page and attending some of the candidate events being held over the next month.

Please join me in voting for Deb Mauger for Selectman on March 1!

Peggy Enders

11 Kimball Road

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To the Minuteman Editor,

I am supporting Deb Mauger for Selectman because she will help Lexington become a sustainable community. Municipalities must take measures to lower their energy consumption in order to reduce their impact on global warming and save precious energy dollars. I know Deb will continue to urge our municipal departments to look for new and creative ways to reduce energy use. She supports the adoption of the Stretch Building Code, which will bring funding to our town for energy efficiency programs and make the homes in Lexington more efficient as well as more attractive to homebuyers.

I met Deb when her husband, Stew Kennedy, and I worked on the first "Lexington Reads" program in 2004. The chosen book was E.O. Wilson's "The Future of Life", a call to action to preserve the natural environment. Deb and I agreed that sustainability and protecting the natural world were top priorities for us. She has always supported the work of the Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition and has attended many of our events over the past 5 years. She and her husband are long-time environmentalists who 'walk the walk' when it comes to caring for our planet.

Deb understands that by supporting efforts to make Lexington a Green Community, there are many benefits that will come to the Town, including grants and incentives for alternative energy and energy efficiency, and it will make Lexington an even better place to live and work. I wholeheartedly support Deb Mauger for Selectman.

Nancy Nolan

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Letter to Minuteman
Original with signature at the Lexington Office

I am voting for Deb Mauger for Selectman as she is more than qualified.

After graduating from the University of Illinois with a Psychology degree, she same to Harvard Business School and eventually became Chief Financial Officer of the school.

Obviously she is competent and works well with people. She has shared her talents with the Lexington League of Women Voters, and recently resigned as President in order to campaign for Selectman.

My introduction to Deb was during her three months of enforced “bed rest,” followed by weeks of maneuvering on crutches. However, she continued to be in charge as President of the LWV, with the help of other dedicated League members. Adversity seemed to give her inner strength! (Fortunately, she has a husband who enjoys cooking, as well as maintaining trails in conservation land.)

I am confident she will use her knowledge and inner strength to represent all of Lexington on the Board of Selectmen.

Angela (Jere) Frick
Brookhaven Street

Submitted 1/21/2010

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This letter appeared in The Lexington Minuteman 1/14/10 under the headline “Mauger has shown leadership”

While there are many qualities one may look for in a member of the Board of Selectmen, in my opinion leadership is one of exceptional importance. I served as a board member on the League of Women Voters while Deb Mauger was its president and had an opportunity both to witness and to benefit from Deb's leadership style. Deb is very smart and thoughtful, always willing to hear opposing viewpoints and to consider alternate approaches to resolving difficult issues. She is willing to ask the tough questions and to think "outside the box" in order to ensure that the best decisions are made. Deb strongly believes in transparency in process so that no matter what the final decision may be, everyone understands how that decision was arrived at. Finally, her collegial style values each participant and her sense of humor makes the process of difficult decision making more respectful and genial.

Lexington would indeed be fortunate to have Deb as one of its town leaders. Please join me in voting for Deb on Monday, March 1, for a seat on the Board of Selectmen.

Nancy Adler
Village Circle

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This letter appeared in The Lexington Minuteman 1/7/10 under the headline “Vote for my wife”

This may seem a somewhat unusual Board of Selectmen candidate endorsement letter, because I am writing about my wife, and it is natural to be inclined to favor our spouses and partners. (Incidentally, if you didn’t realize that Deb Mauger and I are an item, I’m proud and tickled to be able to so introduce the fact.) But please read on, because I don’t want you to take my word for it that Deb will make an excellent Selectman. Over the coming weeks, if you’ll take advantage of the many opportunities to read about, meet, and talk with Deb, you’ll get to know her well enough to be convinced yourself what a fine choice she is for Selectman.

Watch this space for letters from very special people themselves, who will describe through their experiences with Deb why they admire and respect her and support her candidacy. Come to one of the morning coffees or evening gatherings in homes around town, which will be listed each week in the Election Notebook on these pages as well as on Deb’s web site. There you will be able to meet Deb, give her your views on issues important to you: ask questions, and hear her answers. Attend the town-wide candidates’ debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Lexington and one of the various local debates that Deb will participate in. Show up during any of her weekly “office hours” at Brewed Awakening on Marrett Road, Wednesdays 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM and Saturdays 2 PM to 3 PM, for an informal chat. And by all means visit Deb’s web site at www.debmauger.com where you can read about her and what she will bring to town governance, look over her list of early endorsers, see her schedule of public appearances, and find ways you can contribute to or help in her campaign.

Finally, be sure to participate in this important election by getting to know the candidates and then casting your vote on Monday, March 1.

Stewart Kennedy
Liberty Avenue

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This letter appeared in The Lexington Minuteman 1/7/10 under the headline “An Endorsement from Arlington”

I am writing in enthusiastic support of Deb Mauger's candidacy for a seat on the Board of Selectmen. I have known Deb for more than twenty years, having met her when we both worked at Harvard Business School (HBS). While at HBS, Deb held a number of management positions, culminating with her promotion to CFO. I was a manager and faculty member at HBS, and since leaving in 1995, have worked as a management education and leadership development consultant and am now faculty at Babson College.

During my tenure at HBS, I saw Deb manage a myriad of issues from educational affairs when she was assistant dean for the entire school, to complex financial challenges as CFO. She was widely respected across HBS -- filled with smart people with big personalities -- for her clear-eyed intelligence, her ability to make tough decisions when needed, and her courage to speak up for the responsible course of action even when it was politically difficult. Deb was able to listen and build working relationships across different constituencies – faculty, managers and staff, both within HBS and across the wider university—and because of these relationships, was able to effectively assess, influence and lead resolutions to an endless stream of financial and human resource challenges. In particular, she was able to manage at the intersection of educational principles and for-profit business objectives with an eye to the values, the needs and the benefits of both.

Deb represents a rare combination of strong personal values, tough-minded intelligence, deep insight and feeling for the needs, motivations and concerns of others, and the ability to marry all of these into practical and responsible action plans. Every organization Deb has worked with has been better for her tenure.

Over the years, I have seen her grow and develop, learning to place her own preferences aside when it came to the well-being of an organization or a group. She demonstrates a rare maturity in her leadership style and she looks for the gifts in others, so that she can encourage them to take the organization further together than any individual could on her or his own.

I believe that Lexington would be extremely fortunate to have Deb Mauger as a Selectman and I only wish she lived in Arlington so she could play a leadership role in my own town. There is no one I would trust more to do so.

Mary C Gentile PhD
Director, Giving Voice to Values and Senior Research Scholar, Babson College
129 Highland Avenue, Arlington, MA 02476-7823

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