Letter: Boshart Has the Qualities to Be Weston's Town Moderator

To the Editor:

I am writing to express my support for Harvey Boshart for town moderator, and I hope you’ll vote for him in the upcoming election. 

Harvey and I worked together on the Finance Committee for a number of years, including the time during which I served as chairman. Serving on a volunteer committee with someone is a great way to get to know them. It is easy to identify those who work proactively and constructively toward solutions. 

Harvey was a positive force on the committee and was consistently productive, straightforward and open to new ideas. The same qualities that made him effective on the committee will make him a successful town moderator.

Harvey’s six years on the Finance Committee – including a year as chairman – serve as an excellent background for the position of town moderator. Finance Committee members get a complete view of town government and are active participants in the Town Meeting. This is especially true of the chairman of the Finance Committee, who drafts the Finance Committee statement and also speaks at the Town Meeting. Harvey will bring an experienced perspective to the moderator’s responsibility of appointing members to the various town boards and committees as well as to the running of the Town Meeting itself. 

Harvey doesn’t have any hidden agendas. As is clearly evidenced by his two terms on the Finance Committee and his interest in the moderator position, Harvey is simply interested in serving the Town of Weston. 

While some find the Town Meeting to be an inefficient and anachronistic form of local government, I personally think it is a wonderful institution. It is a chance for the town residents to quite literally come together to discuss and decide on the issues that effect them day-to-day. For this forum to serve its purpose, it needs to be run by a moderator who is fair, clear, organized, inclusive, informed and, above all, has common sense. The Town Meeting needs a moderator that will facilitate an orderly meeting, not dominate it. I’ve lived in Weston for almost 20 years and have known Harvey for over 10 years – socially, professionally, through our church and through volunteer efforts. I am certain that Harvey Boshart will be fantastic in this role.

Steve Peacher