{"id":96231,"date":"2024-05-02T13:43:57","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T13:43:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelandmark.com\/?p=96231"},"modified":"2024-05-02T13:43:57","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T13:43:57","slug":"candidate-statement-linda-long-bellil-holden-select-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/2024\/05\/02\/candidate-statement-linda-long-bellil-holden-select-board\/","title":{"rendered":"Candidate statement: Linda Long-Bellil, Holden Select Board"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Name:<\/strong> Linda Long-Bellil<\/p>\n

Position sought:<\/strong> Holden Select Board member<\/p>\n

One of the best decisions I ever made was moving to Holden. In 2008, I was working at UMass Chan Medical School when my husband and I moved here in search of a strong community in which to raise our son, who is thriving in college after getting his education in the Holden schools. We were drawn to Holden by its reputation for being a flourishing community with good schools. Our experience here has been very positive.<\/p>\n

I have served for nine years on the Wachusett Regional School District Committee (WRSDC). During that time, I have developed a deep understanding of our town’s needs and challenges. Now, I am eager to bring my passion for public service and my commitment to the well-being of our community to the Select Board. One of my goals, should I be elected, is to increase communication and collaboration between the town and the school committee. In my work with members of both governing bodies, I will be a positive and respectful collaborator and will seek to model civil discourse in all my dealings. I believe that strong relationships lead to better outcomes. I will also encourage openness and transparency in the Select Board\u2019s decision-making processes, where there is definitely room for improvement.<\/p>\n

Another concern of mine is the hardship some of our older residents experience in paying their property taxes. Holden does have a Chapter 41C tax abatement for seniors, but the income limits to qualify are outdated ($20,000 for a single person\/$30,000 per year for a married couple). There are many ways we can reduce the burden of property taxes on seniors. My goal will be to find a way to reduce that burden in a way that is fiscally responsible.<\/p>\n

I am pleased to see the recent plans to upgrade the town\u2019s playgrounds and other recreational facilities, and look forward to helping to move those proposals forward.<\/p>\n

I do research for a living, and I combine that with my legal skills to come to thoughtful decisions. Listening and being available to our community is key.<\/p>\n

I am excited about the opportunity to serve Holden in this new capacity, and I humbly ask for your support and your vote on Election Day: May 13. Together, we can build a stronger community.<\/p>\n

Thank you for your consideration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Name: Linda Long-Bellil Position sought: Holden Select Board member One of the best decisions I ever made was moving to Holden. In 2008, I was working at UMass Chan Medical School when my husband and I moved here in search of a strong community in which to raise our son, who is thriving in college […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":96232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-politics"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devcherryroad.com\/news2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}