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Town of Lexington
Lexington 2020 Vision Committee
Minutes of Meeting of December 13, 2013
2020 Vision Committee
A meeting of the was held on Friday, December 13 at 7:45 a.m. in the Selectmen’s
Meeting Room in the Town Office Building at 1625 Massachusetts Avenue.
Members Present: Fernando Quezada, Dan Krupka, Joe Pato, Peter Lee, Andrew Dixon
Others: Candy McLaughlin, Melissa Jones, Carroll Ann Bottino, members of the Demographic Change
Subcommittee (Margaret Heitz, Nirmala Garimella, Pat Costello, Martin Hwang, Susie Lee-Snell)
Members Absent: Marian Cohen, Alan Wrigley, Bhumip Khasnabish, Jane Warren, Peter Enrich, Greg Zurlo,
Margaret Coppe
Action Items:
Make final edits to revised Committee charge and circulate to the Committee (Candy)
Send Demographic Change Subcommittee report to the Board of Selectmen and request time to present at a
future meeting (Fernando)
Future agenda item: Identify next steps on planning mini-citizens’ academy (Candy)
The meeting was called to order at 7:50 a.m. and acted on the following items:
Approved the minutes from November 15, 2013.
Welcomed and introduced the Demographic Change Subcommittee:
The Committee and the Subcommittee
discussed how to best move the report forward. Fernando said that the report provides a way to promote diversity
in Lexington in a deliberate way. He asked whether the issues laid out in the report should be presented as a
"problem" in order to be more attention-grabbing, or whether that would limit the message. The group discussed
presenting the issues as an opportunity, so that people have something positive to rally behind. The group discussed
how the report's recommendations might be implemented, and noted the need for a "champion" to keep pushing the
message forward during the action plan phase. Joe said that the Board of Selectmen will likely agree with the
report's recommendations, but that there should be an advocate who makes sure the recommendations stay
present. Dan also noted that there is some responsibility on the part of CAAL and IAL to push people to volunteer
for boards and committees. Nirmala noted that IAL needs a point of contact that can provide guidance as new
individuals express interest in getting involved. Fernando said that 2020 Vision can serve as one window for
that. Susie Lee-Snell said she would reach out to the Korean community.
Approved Demographic Change Subcommittee Report:
A motion was made, and seconded, to approve the
report. The vote of the members present was unanimous. Dan, Peter, Nirmala, and possibly Martin or Susie will
present the report to the Board of Selectmen. The Moderator will be invited to attend that meeting, since she is an
appointing authority along with the Selectmen and the Town Manager.
Discussed revised Committee charge and ideas for recruitment:
Andrew said that he tried to define the
Committee charge based on its workflow and processes. He noted that it may make sense to break the charge into
three categories: “what,” “how,” and “who.” The Committee discussed making the charge more clear and concise
by using less of a paragraph format and more bullet points. Candy noted that the two longstanding areas of focus
for the Committee have been long-term planning and citizen engagement. The Committee briefly discussed its
title, and decided that “2020” is still relevant as a way to indicate clear vision and a forward-looking focus. The
Committee also discussed how it is challenging to find measures that track progress and hold the Committee
accountable for its work. Joe noted that the Committee need not come up with the actual measures; rather, it should
be aware of its goal and monitor progress but leave the measurement to the relevant implementation groups.
Identify next steps on planning mini-citizens’ academy:
This agenda item was postponed until the next
Committee meeting.
Meeting Adjourned:
9:10 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Jones, Scribe
Next meeting:
Friday, January 17 in the Parker Meeting Room