Gwen Baker announces candidacy for Wellesley Board of Selectmen

Wellesley will hold a Special Election on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to fill a seat on the Board of Selectmen vacated by Jack Morgan, who resigned in May because he was moving out of town.

A new member will be elected in September for a term to expire at the next Annual Town Election on March 2, 2021.

In an email to The Swellesley Report, Gwen Baker has announced her candidacy for the seat. Baker says:

I am announcing my candidacy for the open Selectman seat on September 1 st .

I am a 27-year resident of Wellesley. I currently serve on Town Meeting and have served Town Meeting for Precinct A and served on the Celebrations Committee. I love and care about Wellesley.

I bring 25 years of business experience as an owner of an insurance and investment management company, a business based out of Wellesley since its founding 25 years ago that has grown into a national business. My two adult married sons are partners, running day-to- day operations. Prior to that I worked at Community Newspapers all over the western suburbs covering education and other town issues including The Townsman.

I feel like I have been part of the “silent majority” in Wellesley of people working, raising families and often too busy to participate in local government. I would like to engage more Wellesley citizens to share their concerns and thoughts about the town. Many people I spoke to had concerns that were not always reflected in Town Meeting or the in media.

As many others would agree, during the past four months of being “grounded” from COVID, home has become more important than ever. Like many Wellesley working professionals, I traveled all over the country prior to the shutdown. But in the end Wellesley is home and there is no place like home. Driving into Wellesley from Rte. 30 and Weston Road from the airport on many late nights I was always struck by the peace, quiet, tranquility, and beauty of our town with well-kept homes with beautiful lawns, trees and landscaping.

I have traveled extensively for business and I’ve seen how successful entrepreneurs and families have built their assets, spending time in some of the largest cities and visiting our clients in their homes and businesses all over the USA.

Managing a town, the size of Wellesley approximately 28,000 residents of all ages, and a budget of $181,579,453 (FY2021) requires business and life experience that I can bring.

I want to be able to maintain the town’s unique character, beauty and desirability, and sound property values. For most people their home is their most significant financial asset. They want to maintain their homes along with good schools through sound financial management and reasonable taxes.

As a Town Meeting member I observed several issues : the restructuring and renovation of the schools, decision of what to do with the North 40, and more affordable housing in Wellesley.

We have many Seniors in our town and many would like to age in place in Wellesley. We have many parents of school aged children.

Our struggling business district demands attention. Shops, restaurants, commercial office space and all the businesses in between serve both Wellesley and out of town residents. Businesses provide higher tax revenue.

Every constituency and their concerns must all be addressed.