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I am excited to announce my candidacy for a seat on the Lexington Select Board!
As a 15-year resident and parent of a child who has attended Lexington's public schools from elementary through high school, I have become actively involved and deeply committed to our town, taking on various roles including President of the High School PTO, Chair of the Town Meeting Members’ Association, and member of the Town Manager Search Screening Committee. I served on the Board of the Lexington Education Foundation and am currently in my third term as a Town Meeting Member. I have also played an active role in energizing and empowering people in the community to get involved in town government so that decisions are truly by and for the residents. I understand how our local government operates and I have built valued relationships with town staff, volunteers, and fellow residents.
My professional experiences as a management consultant have honed my ability to analyze complex issues, balance data with the real-life needs of individuals, and build consensus among diverse stakeholders, often with competing ideas and perspectives.
We face significant decisions in the coming years, particularly around large capital projects like the new high school. How we prioritize, fund, and execute these initiatives will shape the future of Lexington and reflect our values as a community.
I am confident that my experience, knowledge, and relationships equip me to address these issues and to help ensure that Lexington remains a vibrant and sustainable community for all its residents. I hope to earn your support and your vote for Select Board on Monday, March 3, 2025.
As a 15-year resident and parent of a child who has attended Lexington's public schools from elementary through high school, I have become actively involved and deeply committed to our town, taking on various roles including President of the High School PTO, Chair of the Town Meeting Members’ Association, and member of the Town Manager Search Screening Committee. I served on the Board of the Lexington Education Foundation and am currently in my third term as a Town Meeting Member. I have also played an active role in energizing and empowering people in the community to get involved in town government so that decisions are truly by and for the residents. I understand how our local government operates and I have built valued relationships with town staff, volunteers, and fellow residents.
My professional experiences as a management consultant have honed my ability to analyze complex issues, balance data with the real-life needs of individuals, and build consensus among diverse stakeholders, often with competing ideas and perspectives.
We face significant decisions in the coming years, particularly around large capital projects like the new high school. How we prioritize, fund, and execute these initiatives will shape the future of Lexington and reflect our values as a community.
I am confident that my experience, knowledge, and relationships equip me to address these issues and to help ensure that Lexington remains a vibrant and sustainable community for all its residents. I hope to earn your support and your vote for Select Board on Monday, March 3, 2025.
Sophia Ho endorses Vineeta for Select Board
I find Vineeta’s passion for service and desire to focus her energy on Lexington commendable. Her skills in combination with her insights as an immigrant present a fresh and unique opportunity to add to the Select Board. And I strongly endorse Vineeta and invite others to join me.
Read full testimonial here.
State Representative Michelle Ciccolo endorses Vineeta for Select Board
Vineeta Kumar is an exemplary leader, committed to Lexington, and a good friend. I’ve known her and worked with her for years in a variety of capacities and have always been impressed with her passionate and thoughtful approach to problem solving.
Read full testimonial here.
MY VALUES AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES
We live in a town that is an example of excellence in many ways, but also faces some serious challenges. As we embark on the next phase of our journey, with large capital projects in queue, competing priorities, urgency of execution and financial constraints, it’s our value systems that will guide us towards balanced growth and a resilient future. As a Select Board member I will factor these guiding principles in my decision making process.
EVERY VOICE MATTERS
Listening to and lifting every voice is critically important in a diverse community like ours. I plan to work closely with all stakeholders to tap into the richness of our diversity, so that everyone feels recognized and their input is considered in all decisions. I did this through my work on Article 8 (Dismantling Systemic Racism) and my leadership in iGIG (Indian Americans Getting Involved Group)- both aimed to ensure that community decision making was by and for all residents. This approach is especially important as we plan our capital projects and define new policies.
SMART, SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
As we grow as a town, building and modernizing to meet increasing demands, it’s important that we incorporate strategies for sustainability of the environment in all our decisions, keeping current and future generations in mind. When development and conservation strategies go hand in hand they not only help protect our natural environment, they strengthen our communities through better health, economic opportunities and overall resilience. resilience.
FISCAL PRUDENCE
It’s vital that we prioritize and plan our capital projects within the context of our revenue, debt, and operating costs to achieve the most sustainable financial impact on the community. I plan to apply my financial knowledge and consulting experience to help us toward balanced decisions and explore opportunities for efficiency and operating cost reduction. Equally importantly, I will always keep financial inclusion in mind while evaluating important decisions and explore opportunities for additional fiscal relief measures for all residents.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & TRANSPARENCY
Our residents are reassured when local government actions are transparent, and there are opportunities for them to engage at all stages of the process. This was one of the values I used in my evaluation of our current Town Manager and I look forward to supporting him in improving our engagement with and responsiveness to Lexingtonians through live and virtual channels. I will continue to highlight opportunities for engagement through boards, committees, and planned events.
COLLABORATIVE APPROACH
A collaborative approach ensures that we develop solutions that benefit the entire community. Whether as members of the Select Board itself, or in discussions with other groups/boards/committees and our key stakeholders- the taxpayers, we will not always agree. What’s important is that I listen to all ideas, publicly discuss options and solutions, and commit to making our decisions successful.
WHY I AM RUNNING
I care deeply about our town and our legacy as Lexingtonians and would like to participate actively in creating it. I am truly proud to have chosen Lexington as our home, and I’m grateful for the life it’s given my family and me. Community service and uplifting everybody around me has been a fundamental part of my upbringing and value system. For this reason, deciding to dedicate myself further to the town I love so much is a natural and meaningful step.
We are at an inflection point with a rich multicultural population and large transformative initiatives that will shape us into the town we want to be. As we go through the process of building the High School over the next few years, we must also plan and fund a number of other large capital projects already identified and others that are yet to be queued up. We are seeing unexpected scale with speed in project submissions (under the MBTA communities article recently adopted), which requires us to plan for the impact on operations and support the projects effectively.
There is no better time than now to get involved and help through these complexities, decisions and plans. My experience in town government and voluntary roles gives me knowledge about our operations, opportunities and most importantly the challenges that taxpayers face. The experience I bring through my professional work lends me the ability to contribute across multiple disciplines of finance, operations, strategy and project management, and to bring them together as we evaluate, plan and execute for a thriving, resilient Lexington.
I care deeply about our town and our legacy as Lexingtonians and would like to participate actively in creating it. I am truly proud to have chosen Lexington as our home, and I’m grateful for the life it’s given my family and me. Community service and uplifting everybody around me has been a fundamental part of my upbringing and value system. For this reason, deciding to dedicate myself further to the town I love so much is a natural and meaningful step.
We are at an inflection point with a rich multicultural population and large transformative initiatives that will shape us into the town we want to be. As we go through the process of building the High School over the next few years, we must also plan and fund a number of other large capital projects already identified and others that are yet to be queued up. We are seeing unexpected scale with speed in project submissions (under the MBTA communities article recently adopted), which requires us to plan for the impact on operations and support the projects effectively.
There is no better time than now to get involved and help through these complexities, decisions and plans. My experience in town government and voluntary roles gives me knowledge about our operations, opportunities and most importantly the challenges that taxpayers face. The experience I bring through my professional work lends me the ability to contribute across multiple disciplines of finance, operations, strategy and project management, and to bring them together as we evaluate, plan and execute for a thriving, resilient Lexington.
Committee to Elect Vineeta Kumar for Lexington Select Board | Marc Rubenstein, Treasurer | Lexington, MA 02421