…and it takes five minutes!

Vote for Melissa Murphy

And get your friends and relatives to do the same! Please forward this email widely and help get the word out. Early voting has started!

It’s impossible to overstate how crucial your vote is. Town elections, especially a special election like this, have small turnout. We need every single vote.

To build a responsible, ethical, and commonsense board, and to help continue the Select Board transparency that new chair Carlo Bacci is helping to institute, we must bring another strong advocate on board.

Reading has a divided and chaotic Select Board that often faces a 2-2 deadlock on key issues.

A vote for Melissa is a vote for sanity, common sense, fiscal responsibility, and initiatives that benefit all residents.

Focus on Common-Sense Priorities

The MBTA Communities Act is barreling towards us and has the potential to devalue property in its path, as well as open the door to unscrupulous developers and massive strain on the town’s infrastructure.

Melissa will be a crucial voice in negotiating a minimally compliant approach to the Act, if it’s even shown to be constitutional.

The devil is in the details, and Murphy will be a strong voice in ensuring a complete discussion and review of alternative proposals, including ones that do not over-deliver on compliance. In contrast, Gregory has posted on social media opining that single-family zoning is not still necessary in Reading…and the Town Meeting members seem unwilling to give plans with a smaller footprint a fair hearing.

Melissa’s other top priorities include:

• Responsible spending
• Fair water rates
• Supporting residents and small businesses
• Improved services & support
• Open communication

For more on Melissa’s priorities, see her web site and the Reading Votes endorsement.

Contrast these bread-and-butter priorities with her opponent, who both in current and previous campaigns, openly signals support for more and more town spending, higher taxes, and bigger government in the form of a new Commission on Disability; directing more spending on capital projects and infrastructure of questionable need (like wider sidewalks and bike lanes along Walkers Brook Drive); and charging a permanent 1%-3% surcharge on property tax bills via support of the Community Preservation Act—all while claiming to address tax rates.

Voting Information

Early voting has  already begun:

In-person early voting will be May 4th to May 9th at Reading Town Hall.

• Tuesday May 7th – 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM
• Wednesday May 8th – 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM
• Thursday May 9th – 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM

Election day is May 14 and voting runs from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM at the Reading Memorial High School Field House.

A final plea

Reading is at a crossroads and faces many crucial decisions and challenges. It is essential we support the commonsense candidate who will be the deciding vote on things we all care about. Local elections are decided by the smallest of margins, so please vote for Melissa Murphy on or before May 14, and share this crucial information with your friends and contacts.

Sincerely,

Reading Votes