Cities and Towns – and all of us who live and work in them – are at the front lines of addressing climate change and accelerating the transition to a zero-carbon economy. There are investments to be made and benefits to be shared. It is our responsibility to ensure that our elected officials understand the stakes, and take actions that will accelerate our progress toward a fair and equitable transition for all stakeholders.
In advance of next week’s Needham Town Election, Green Needham has again reached out to candidates and is pleased to share their responses to our questions on energy and climate.
The Select Board election is uncontested, but given the Board’s central role as an executive body, voters want and deserve to understand a Select Board member’s perspective on these issues.
This year, we also present answers to questions addressed specifically to the Planning Board candidates. The Planning Board will play an increasingly important role in our response to climate change. Buildings produce over 1/3 of all greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings and land use choices have long lives. How, where and what we build now will set our trajectory for decades.
We invite you to read the responses of the Planning Board and Select Board candidates, and to share them widely with friends and neighbors. If you receive this in an e-mail, please forward it. If you read this on our site, use the social media tools at the bottom of this article or the pages with the answers to encourage as many Needham residents as possible to gain a fuller understanding of the candidates they are about to elect to these very important town-wide offices.
Our thanks to the candidates for stepping up to serve our community, and for their answers to our questions. We look forward to working with them.
