My Platform

Below you may find my platform on various issues and how I would approach solutions.

I will be adding to this page over time. 

Contact me if you want my position on a specific town issue and I will share my answer on here.

I will be supporting the override. The latest override proposal (due to the updated new growth projection) spreads out this tax burden over several years allows Hudson time to achieve financial sustainability going forward through a combination of new growth and efficiencies in our municipalities. If the override passes, a deficit is not projected until FY 2029. As a member of the Select Board, I will push that we prioritize efforts to prevent this projected deficit from being reality. We must start planning now identify areas where we can improve efficiencies and where we can prioritize new growth for the town. Redevelopment of Intel plant is one area that could set us on a path of fiscal sustainability but we should not put all our eggs in one basket. We also need to look at how vacant or underutilized lots could be redeveloped to provide more residential and commercial spaces where it makes sense. We need to talk to developers, landowners, and business groups and determine how we can enable smart development. From the town side, this may require rezoning or the pursuit of state grants like Massworks, to improve infrastructure in areas for smart development.  We should be proactive so we are not back here with another override in the future.

The transfer station expansion is bad for Hudson residents and compromises both public safety and health. Hudson should not become the dump for neighboring towns. I understand that the current facility needs to be modernized, but the current plans just seek to maximize profits for a private company. Hudson will also bear the cost of the wear and tear on the roads where trucks have a disproportionate effect compared to passenger vehicles. The town does not get enough benefits from this transfer station expansion to outweigh the long-term risks.

It is critical to the town that the Intel property is redeveloped to put Hudson on a long-term path to fiscal sustainability. We should take steps to encourage the redevelopment of the Intel property, whether through zoning changes or infrastructure improvements, to accommodate redevelopment through state funding such as Massworks grants. Through conversations with all the stakeholders, we can find a balance between residential, commercial, and recreational needs. Whenever the developer decides to move forward, we should be ready to push for Hudson’s interests.

We need to look to Hudson’s past to address the parking issues. The reality is that Hudson was built as a mill town in which walking was one of the primary modes of transportation when the streets were laid out, and therefore parking was not considered at that time. However, we need to embrace this feature of the town and work on promoting more parking at locations nearby downtown that are underutilized, such as along Vila do Porto Blvd and the Railroad Ave lot.

We should also encourage local residents with the ability to walk or bike downtown on our rail trail and sidewalks. We should look into a roadmap for improving overall pedestrian and bike safety within Hudson. I’ve talked to people who feel unsafe at some times of days walking around the downtown area due to traffic, speeding cars, and poor visibility or short crossing signal timings at some intersections. I live nearby downtown on Walnut Street. I walk whenever I can to downtown, and I’ve seen opportunities to remedy unsafe situations. I’m sure others have also.

Hudson as a whole must become more environmentally sustainable through the encouragement of waste reduction, building redundancy in our grid through integrating green energy to keep our electric rates low, and encouraging EV adoption by our municipalities and residents. 

Sustainability also provides economic benefits to the town. Towns that embrace sustainability are more desirable to live in and along with other sustainable practices such as improved walkability and less waste can raise property values.

Climate change is a tax on us all due to increased frequency of high impact storm events that damage and destroy our infrastructure. Empowering DPW to improve our stormwater infrastructure (and pursuing state grants when appropriate) will reduce our costs in the long run and lower the risk of disruptive road closures.

Costs to pursue these initiatives can be offset through taking advantage of state grants. We all pay taxes to the state, Hudson should be fighting to return as much taxes as we can back to Hudson.

It may make sense to hire a town grant writer to help pursue these opportunities. Investing in this position would return dividends to the town by:

  • Pursuing Green Community grants to modernize our critical systems like HVAC, boilers, and invest in EV infrastructure and vehicles.
  • Pursuing Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grants to improve our tree canopy in Hudson and lower cooling costs by decreasing the heat island effect. We can get costs reduced 50% through this grant (75% reduction in environmental justice neighborhoods).
  • Making our current infrastructure budgets go further by subsidizing projects through Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grants.
  • We can dampen the impact of future stormwater fee increases as costs of infrastructure repair continue to rise
  • We can lower the number of debt exclusion votes to fund unexpected projects due to infrastructure failures

Rising costs effect people the most who are on fixed income such as social security, disability, or unable to work for whatever reason. We should look at ways to expand the senior work and property tax relief programs, as, at the moment, property taxes continue to rise faster than the relief these programs provide.  Hudson needs to make every effort to avoid additional overrides.

We must empower residents to become involved in local government, whether it’s how to submit concerns, propose bylaws and policies, or other avenues to provide feedback. There are many easy wins, including: developing procedures and policies for how resident concerns can be submitted and prioritized; providing translations of documents for local government functions, such as commission meeting agendas, minutes, policies, and important presentations; and starting a quarterly newsletter (digital or physical) to be a source for local government news, issues, and feedback opportunities, much like other communities. We could consider adjusting the format of the town meeting to hold it across multiple nights to give more opportunities for attendance, which other communities have done successfully. If elected, I will commit myself to holding at least one in-person office hour a month and make myself available online for those who cannot attend. Empowered residents make a stronger community.

Chat with Pat!

I’m more than happy to grab a coffee, throw some darts, or take a walk through our public lands to hear what’s important to you!

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