Board of Selectmen

With a town election and Annual Town Meeting imminent, it seems like a good time to re-start my blog after a hiatus of too long a time.


Today, an endorsement and a comment about the Milton Times.

Board of Selectmen

Twelve year incumbent John Shields is being challenged by School Committee member Denis Keohane. They differ in political experience, temperament and their views on certain issues facing the town.

Shields should be commended for his 12 years of service, and many no doubt consider this experience a benefit. But excessive longevity can suffer from a political version of the law of diminishing returns, and may even become detrimental to a vibrant, forward looking governance.

Too many years in the same role breeds complacency. Reliance on a small core of advisors and supporters while the community around you undergoes change tends to distance you from segments of the population. You become less open to change. You look backwards for possible solutions rather than looking at problems with a fresh perspective. Experience becomes a straightjacket.

Denis Keohane is a breath of fresh air. He’s only been involved in town politics for 2 years but he’s lived here for 20 years, during which time he’s met and become friends with an amazing number of residents. In my nearly 30 years in Milton I’ve never seen a candidate whose friendships and associations cut across so many geographic, racial, political and socioeconomic lines. He will bring their voices and concerns to the Board of Selectman.

Key to Denis’ success with people is his temperament. He has his views, but his easygoing nature, and unfailing politeness make it possible for him to listen to others, and for them to listen to him. This is important to an executive board that needs to be inclusive, to seek various opinions and build consensus.

Mr. Shields, on the other hand, has the reputation for sometimes being short tempered, and sometimes personalizing political issues. Two famous examples involve his treatment of the Milton “No Place for Hate” committee and of our state Senator over the disposition of Ulin Rink. The latest example is our Police Chief. Mr. Shields voted against the last contract for Chief Wells citing conduct issues. But it is hardly a secret that he did not support the selection of Chief Wells in 2007 and has not been a supporter ever since. With an increase in criminal activity town-wide, we should be supporting a very effective Chief with a longer term contract and resources he requests.

I hope you’ll join me in supporting Denis Keohane for Selectman on Tuesday, April 24th. I’ve gotten to know Denis over the last month or so. We do not agree on all political issues. But he’s open to discussion and persuasion. His intelligence, business experience, respectfulness and openness make him the clear choice for our next Selectman.

Milton Times

A few years ago the Milton Times adopted a policy of not accepting letters in support of candidates during campaigns. The Publisher cited the difficulty in balancing views, and no doubt hoped the campaigns would be more likely to place paid advertising instead.

The years preceding this decision saw a large volume of such letters. They heightened interest in the election. Collectively they covered a wide array of issues. Sometimes they even touched on news not reported in the Times. (Who can forget the scandal in 2007 involving two sitting Selectmen that was covered extensively in the Globe and the Ledger, without a peep from the local paper of record).

So imagine my surprise to see two letters to the editor this week in support of John Shields. As far as I can tell there was no announced change of policy. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised though. The Milton Times has always had a particular political bias, which is why I saw the letters to the editor in a friend’s copy of the paper.