We are so fortunate to have Jill Hai on our Select Board, and I enthusiastically support her reelection. Jill brings tremendous professional experience and deep knowledge of town affairs through her prior service on Town Meeting, the Capital Expenditures Committee, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and other town boards and organizations, plus her last six years on the Select Board. Jill has played a vital leadership role in addressing some of the most pressing opportunities and challenges that our town faces, and she will continue to do so. Her leadership and knowledge of the issues is recognized not only within Lexington but across the Commonwealth as well - Jill was elected as the President of the Mass. Municipal Association! This is a really big deal, and a demonstration of how her many peers in Massachusetts local government view her.
I had the privilege of serving our state for eight years in the Baker Administration, four years in Governor Baker’s Cabinet as the Secretary of Housing & Economic Development. In my role, I collaborated on projects and initiatives with the vast majority of our mayors and a host of other local officials, and I personally visited 151 cities and towns and got to know their leadership. Based on my experience, I would share the assessment of Jill’s peers at MMA that she is a truly exceptional municipal leader! Jill demonstrated great leadership last spring when Town Meeting passed two very significant housing articles; I was personally very pleased to see this progress on housing both as a 20-year Lexington resident and a former Secretary tasked with addressing our state’s housing crisis. A lot of town leaders played a role in passing these articles but Jill’s leadership on the Select Board was essential. It was nice to see Lexington step up to become a leader on addressing an issue that is so essential to our future as a town and state and central to our aspirations for a competitive, equitable economy. Jill is truly an agent of change, as evidenced by Lexington’s changing attitudes and policies toward housing.
Mike Kennealy
Brent Road
This Letter originally appeared in The Lexington Observer on February 29, 2024
