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Town of Lexington
Lexington 20/20 Vision Committee
Minutes of Meeting of March 28, 2014
20/20 Vision Committee
A meeting of the was held on Friday, March 28 at 7:45 a.m. in the Parker Room in the Town
Office Building at 1625 Massachusetts Avenue.
Members Present: Fernando Quezada, Dan Krupka, Marian Cohen, Bhumip Khasnabish, Andrew Dixon, Margaret Coppe
Staff: Candy McLaughlin, Melissa Jones
Members Absent: Peter Enrich, Alan Wrigley, Peter Lee, Greg Zurlo, Jane Warren, Joe Pato
Others Present: Carroll Ann Bottino, Matthew Pronchik
Action Items:
Identify a list of communities to study for models of multicultural integration (Dan)
Send out latest survey data and analysis for the Committee to review (Candy)
Meet to discuss Board of Selectmen’s boilerplate language in Committee charge and identify next steps for
approval (Fernando and Joe)
The meeting was called to order at 7:50 a.m. and acted on the following items:
Approved the minutes from February 21, 2014.
Hear report on Demographic Change Subcommittee’s presentation to the Senior Management Team:
Dan
presented the subcommittee report to the Town’s Senior Management Team, which consists of the directors from the
major departments. He said that he did not receive closure in terms of following up on the recommendations that were
given to the Town Manager and the Town Clerk. Dan also met with the Lexington Historical Society, which is
considering oral histories. He said that two members of the subcommittee will be talking to the Society further about this.
Marian said that oral history is a great opportunity for the Town to capture facts and perceptions about events as well as
personal experiences from those living in Town. Margaret said that Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area conducted an
oral farming history; she said that their work may tie into the work of the Historical Society and that there may be
opportunity for partnership. Dan was also invited to present the report to the Human Rights Committee. He said that he
would like subcommittee members from CAAL and IAL to take over these presentations. Dan said that Carl suggested
bringing up this report at the Board of Selectmen’s annual goal-setting session in order to ensure that the group’s
recommendations are followed up on. Carl also suggested addressing the report at the board and committee training in
May. Carl asked Dan to go to CAAL and IAL on his behalf and form a connection so that when a vacancy occurs, Carl
can reach out to these groups. Margaret told the group that Dr. Ash formed a group to look at multicultural education.
Marian cautioned against over-programming; she said that this could lead to division instead of cohesion. Andrew said
that we can learn from other communities who have been through this process. Dan said that Carl did suggest studying
other communities with large Asian populations that have made a concerted effort to integrate.
Discuss next steps on survey:
Marian noted that one major topic that came out of this survey was environmental issues
(sustainability, open space, reducing emissions, etc.) but she thinks that this theme may have been dominated by those
residents with a particular agenda and a passion for environmental issues. She is not convinced that this is a Town-wide
opinion. Fernando asked about the Town administration’s effectiveness, in terms of service delivery. Marian said that the
data indicates a statistically significant difference between level of importance and performance (excluding Economic
Development). She said that this is also true for the School Department. The Committee decided to discuss the survey in
more depth at the next meeting.
Conclude discussion on revised Committee charge:
Margaret asked whether members from the three elected Boards
(Selectmen, Planning Board, and School Committee) are to be liaisons or voting members to this Committee. The group
explained that they would like these representatives to be full members. Carroll Ann asked for reinforcement that the
Committee would like input from liaisons such as herself; the group confirmed that they value the perspective of liaisons,
who play a critical role in speaking on behalf of their respective committees. Fernando said that he still needs to touch
base with Joe on the Board of Selectmen’s boilerplate language, which may not apply to this Committee. He said that he
and Joe will determine next steps for having the charge approved by the Board of Selectmen.
Meeting Adjourned:
9:00 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Jones, Scribe
Next meeting:
Thursday, April 24 in the Selectmen Meeting Room