HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-02-28-VISION2025-minTown of Lexington
Vision for Lexington Committee Meeting
February 28, 2025
Remote Meeting
7:45 a.m. — 9:00 a.m.
Minutes
Members Present: Sara del Nido Budish, Marian Cohen, Margaret Coppe, Andrew Dixon, John Giudice,
Jill Hai (Select Board), Bhumip Khasnabish, Carol Marine, Catherine Yan, Min Zhou
Absent: Larry Freeman, Carol Marine, Robert Peters
Meeting was called to order: 7:52
The remote meeting script was read by Margaret Coppe
Roll Call Vote: Budish, Aye; Cohen, Aye; Coppe, Aye; Dixon, Aye; Giudice, Aye; Hai, Aye; Khasnabish,
Aye; Marine, Aye; Yan, Aye; Zhou Aye.
Minutes:
• The approval of minutes from December 20, 2024, was moved by Marian Cohen and seconded
by John Giudice.
• Roll Call Vote: Roll Call Vote: Budish, Aye; Cohen, Aye; Coppe, Aye; Dixon, Aye; Giudice, Aye;
Hai, Abstain; Khasnabish, Aye; Marine, Aye; Yan, Aye; Zhou, Abstain. The minutes are approved.
Meeting Highlights:
Committee Membership
Nominating Committee: Sara del Nido Bush and Catherine Yan Applicants
PK Shiu and Sandra hackman are visiting as applicants. Sara del Nido Bush and Catherine Yan are on the
nominating committee. They will make a recommendation to the committee. Then, Vision for Lexington
will make a recommendation to Select Board. There is no public interview process. Appointments will be
official a couple of weeks after March 101h. Margaret Coppe provided a brief background on what Vision
for Lexington's work including the 5 -year Survey and election research.
VFL Website and report on emails
No emails and nothing to report on the website.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity
There are strong sentiments amongst the town both for and against DEI. The school committee had
strong public attendance during their recent meeting on DEI. An update was provided on the Town's
Chief Equity Officer position. The Town Manager is meeting with meeting with people to try to update
the role and prepare whoever steps into the position for success. The Town is committed to the position
and is open to receiving feedback.
Update from subcommittee on Participation in Local Elections
The first draft of entire report is complete. The subcommittee is currently going back through it to
review links, wording, and check charts. They are thinking of practical recommendations for the Select
Board. The subcommittee is also considering the legal and feasibility aspects of their
proposals. The town clerk has been helpful in reviewing the report and providing input on its
recommendations.
The Town is consolidating voting places. The goal is to make it easier to know where you vote, get voters
out of schools, and increase voter participation. The group discussed ways to boost youth participation
and low vision ballet accessibility.
Future study on housing:
The group met with Jonas Miller, Director of Communications, about making information more
accessible on housing. He is very open to working with us more. The group also met with the Housing
Partnership Board, who are excited to collaborate with Vision for Lexington to make their work more
transparent for people. The committee discussed zoning in Lexington and the impact of Special Town
Meeting Article 2.
Public comment
No public comment
Motion to adjourn:
Budish, Aye; Cohen, Aye; Coppe, Aye; Dixon, Aye; Giudice, Aye; Hai, Aye; Khasnabish, Aye; Marine,
Aye; Yan, Aye; Zhou Aye
Adjourn: 8:50
Next meeting: March 28, 2025 7:45 AM
Remote by Zoom