Campaign Advisors
Shep Cohen
Don McCauley
Arthur Priver
Marla Robinson
Campaign Committee
Lina Musayev
Joel Bloom
Sheri Kassirer
Lisa Fico
Bobby Morgenstern
Rob Joseph, Manager
Mari Passananti, Treasurer
Renee Spencer
Linda Maslin and Daniel Moshief
Sunny Zhou & Leah Wang
Supporters
Leda Eizenberg
Barbara and Peter Marx
Marguerite Chatelier
Ezra Englebradt
Ronni Michaelson
Margie Palladino
Tere Ramos
Karen and Mark Wolfson
Maura Murphy
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Deed McCollum
Jim Roberti
Sally Watts
Kathleen Woodward
Debora White
Jeanne Mayell
Endorsements from 2021
I worked with Ann-Mara on a committee at Temple Beth Elohim. She was never worried about voicing her opinion, even if her view was not the most popular. I always enjoyed volunteering with her because she is a “do-er” and follows through with what she says she will. She has passion and I enjoy seeing that. I so respect and appreciate how generous she is with her time in serving our community on League of Women Voters and with her work on our libraries. On top of all this, she is a neighbor who always has a smile and time for a conversation when I see her on a walk. She and her family have been generous opening their home for neighborhood gatherings. I feel confident she will continue living her values as a member of the Wellesley Select Board if elected.
-Stefanie Albertson, Sanders Terrace
I am very pleased to endorse Ann-Mara Lanza for Wellesley Select Board. Ann-Mara has a tradition of stepping forward when she sees a societal need, perhaps one inculcated in her by her family’s strong history of community service. She is known for her enthusiasm and can do attitude. I got know Ann-Mara well through my role as the co-chair of Temple Beth Elohim’s Racial Justice Initiative in which Ann-Mara took an active and vibrant role. She has creative ideas and the will to back them up. When it became clear through our studies that the American government had actually played a critical and defining role in segregating American neighborhoods, Ann-Mara took action and formed Building a Better Wellesley to create a positive voice for affordable housing in Wellesley. She is open minded, positive and thoughtful in her approach and energetic and comprehensive in execution. She will be a great SelectBoard member because she will listen to all sides of an issue, seek counsel from citizens who aren’t necessarily approached and make wise decisions accordingly. I urge you to vote for Ann-Mara in the March 2 town election.
-Sheri Kassirer, Squirrel Road
I am asking the voters in Wellesley to elect a fellow Brown University graduate, Ann-Mara Lanza, to the Select Board. As a 49-year Town Meeting Member and a former member of the School Committee I am aware of the time involved in serving the Town. Ann-Mara has demonstrated her dynamic and energetic commitment over the past several years. Her many years on the Board of Library Trustees and also as a Town Meeting Member afford her the opportunity to understand how Wellesley functions. She has outlined some key goals when she becomes a member of the Select Board. Wellesley is fortunate that such high-caliber individuals are willing to volunteer their time to keep the Town an outstanding place in which to live.
-Arthur S. Priver, Linwood Road
I’m writing to voice my support for Ann-Mara Lanza for Select Board. Ann-Mara understands our community and works hard for residents. Last year, when, as chair of the Wellesley Board of Health, I sought funding for critically needed mental health services for the community, I knew I could count on Ann-Mara Lanza’s solid support. Ann-Mara organized impacted residents to advocate before both the town’s Advisory Committee and Town Meeting, greatly assisting in our success. At Town Meetings, she always stands up for local public health, which is especially important now when the demands for environmental health and community health promotion and protection are increasing dramatically.
She understands the needs of Wellesley residents, across all demographics. Through her work as a Wellesley Free Library Trustee, she has illustrated an understanding of the importance of combatting isolation by supporting spaces and programs for residents. She has proven her abilities to get basic services delivered in a thoughtful, compassionate manner.
Therefore, I urge voters to check off the name of Ann-Mara Lanza for Select Board on March 2, 2021. And while you are there, please also vote for Marcia Testa-Simonson, uncontested for Board of Health, to continue her exceptional, expert contributions to the health of all Wellesley residents. Thank you.
-Shepard Cohen, Cartwright Road
We are writing to urge you to vote for Ann-Mara Lanza for Select Board on March 2. Ann-Mara is an accomplished community leader, and has spent countless hours working to make our town a better place.We have worked with Ann-Mara both in Town Government and with the League of Women Voters.
With the League, she devised and implemented several creative and effective voter education programs. For example, she was the driving force behind the popular “Wellesley Meet-Up,” a night when town residents can meet and ask questions of elected members of town government. She brought state officials to the Town to answer questions about the ranked choice voting ballot initiative. She also led the League in putting the Town Voter Guide “Vote411.org” on line, which has become a model for the League state wide.
In Town Government she has been a tireless advocate for the Wellesley Free Library. She served for twelve years as a Trustee of the Library and was instrumental in saving the Branch Libraries and developing the Fells Branch as a Children’s Learning Center. She is an active and intelligent participant in debate and discussions at Town Meeting. She was a positive force in the development of the Unified Plan.
Her dedication to public service is second to none. It is a pleasure to work with Ann-Mara as she listens to and shares ideas in a collaborative and informative manner. If she doesn’t know the answer to a question, she will quickly find the facts. She will be a no-nonsense, hard working and effective Member of the Select Board and deserves your vote.
-Pam Kubbins & Paul Criswell, Linden Street
We are writing in support of Ann-Mara Lanza for the Select Board. She is a strong proponent of resident involvement in town government and is very dedicated to her role in the League of Women Voters. It is abundantly clear to us that Ann-Mara believes every voice in Wellesley counts. She takes the time to listen to many different opinions and always responds thoughtfully. Ann-Mara understands the way to move Wellesley forward is through resident consensus and believes working together is the only way to get a job done. Effective communication and transparency are just a couple of attributes that make Ann-Mara a well-rounded candidate. We truly believe she will be a wonderful addition to Wellesley’s Select Board. Please join us in voting for Ann-Mara Lanza on March 2.
-Lisa and David Fico, Mayo Rd.
I am writing in support of Ann-Mara Lanza for the Select Board. I grew up in Wellesley and have watched the town budget expand and the job of the Select Board become increasingly complex. With a $180 million budget to manage, the Select Board needs the most competent residents at the helm.
Ann-Mara has the management skills, financial expertise, and town government experience required to do this job. Her heart is also in the right place – protecting the most vulnerable citizens, supporting climate action, and creating opportunities for community understanding of racial and human justice.
Ann-Mara also has bundles of energy and the organization skills to get complex operations off the ground and completed. For example, in 2006, when we thought our precious branch libraries were going to be closed, Ann-Mara found a cost-effective way to save them, using fund raising and her tireless can-do attitude. She was later honored for her achievement by the Wellesley Townsman who named her a 2009 Townsman 10.
Since serving with her on special projects and in Town Meeting and watching her at the helm of our libraries, I have seen how she cares, how she gets it done and all in the most cost-efficient manner. Anyone can throw money at a problem, but Ann-Mara is not only smart, experienced and caring but she also a friend to the Wellesley taxpayers.
I hope you will join me in voting for Ann-Mara Lanza on March 2.
-Jeanne Mayell, Town Meeting Member H, Seaver Street
I am writing to endorse Ann-Mara Lanza for a seat on the Select Board. As we face the continuing impact of the pandemic on town government, it is more important than ever to maintain collaborative, open and transparent local governance. I believe Ann-Mara has demonstrated her commitment to fostering such governance through her dedicated work as a Library Trustee, Town Meeting Member, and other various town wide initiatives. The challenges posed both by the pandemic and our ever evolving civic commitment to equitable solutions for all stakeholders in the town can best be met by someone such as Ann-Mara, who combines both a strong commitment to open and equitable town government with a deep experiential background working within town government. I hope you will join me in voting for Ann-Mara for the Select Board.
-David Himmelberger, Linden Street
I am writing to express my strong support for Ann-Mara Lanza’s candidacy for the Town of Wellesley Select Board and to encourage residents to vote on March 2.
I was fortunate to have first met Ann-Mara shortly after moving to town nearly 15 years ago when we co-chaired the effort to keep the Wellesley Branch Libraries open. We have continued to work together over the years on community projects, primarily related to the Wellesley Free Library (WFL). I have a deep respect for her energy and enthusiasm to support the Wellesley community. She is a tireless volunteer who brings strategic perspective to problem solving, embraces challenges as opportunities to make things better, and is a real team player.
I believe Wellesley will benefit from Ann-Mara’s ability to creatively problem-solve in an informed and responsible manner. She has a hallmark commitment to putting in the work to understand the needs and desires of fellow residents. Ann-Mara has contributed to Wellesley in several capacities including as Town Meeting Member and WFL Trustee. She has a proven record of being thoughtful, reasonable and effective in Town government. She is dedicated to finding solutions for issues she believes are important and works collaboratively to make them a reality. Ann-Mara Lanza knows how Town government works, she cares deeply about continually improving the quality of life in Wellesley, and she knows how to listen to people and work with them. I hope you will join me on March 2 in voting for her for Select Board.
-Lynne Brady Wagner, Kipling Road
I have had the great pleasure of knowing and working with Ann-Mara over the past many years.
As a former Chair of the Select Board, I believe that Ann-Mara’s broad experience in town government, educational foundation (Brown University and M.B.A from the Wharton School), financial expertise, and her demonstrated ability to build coalitions will be an asset to the town. Additionally, Ann-Mara brings commitment, enthusiasm and her values to everything she does. As evidence of Ann-Mara’s effectiveness and collaborative approach, she founded Building a Better Wellesley, to address the housing concerns of residents and be a positive voice for thoughtful housing development. Building a Better Wellesley is committed to projects and policies that will increase affordable and attainable housing for downsizing seniors, young families, and our town’s workforce, as outlined in the town’s most recent comprehensive plan. Ann-Mara understands the housing needs of Wellesley, and will work to address them.
Over the course of the next few years, the Select Board will be involved in decisions regarding numerous large projects, such as construction of the new Hunnewell and Hardy schools, the Wellesley Office Park, the on-going renovation of Town Hall, and support of the town-wide Climate Action Plan, to name a few. As a member of the Select Board, Ann-Mara will find solutions to challenging problems, engage with, and listen to, residents, and support fiscally responsible decisions.
Please join me in voting by mail for Ann-Mara for the Select Board in the March 2 town election.
-Harriet Warshaw, Grove St.
I am writing in support of Ann-Mara Lanza for Select Board. I have worked with Ann-Mara in town government for over 13 years. She consistently demonstrates not only dedication and hard work, but also creativity and vision.
I first met Ann-Mara when, as a young mother, she spoke at a community meeting in favor of saving the town’s branch libraries. She immediately agreed to take part in a study of the main library’s children’s services to ensure that all children would continue to be well served. As a plan for the branch libraries emerged, Ann-Mara stepped up to co-chair the successful fundraising campaign. This ability to identify challenges and then assist in developing the solution is one of Ann-Mara’s key strengths.
As a Library Trustee Chair, I have depended on Ann-Mara to lead three strategic planning efforts, ensure that our budgets consistently meet the needs of residents and the town financial guidelines, and take on tasks as needed, such as serving on the town’s Unified Plan Steering Committee and as the library liaison to the School Building Committee. Her incredible financial and budgeting skills came in particularly useful in union negotiations and when bringing on our new Library Director.
Ann-Mara has passion, balanced with a willingness to listen to other points of view. I believe that she would make an excellent addition to the Select Board. Please join me in voting for Ann-Mara on March 2.
-Marla Robinson, Windsor Road