Through The Swellesley Report, I write to announce that I am not seeking re- election to the Natural Resources Commission in the March 2026 Annual Town Election. It has been a great honor to serve our Town and advocate for its natural resources since 2022. As I approach my mid-30s, other professional and personal goals leave me without the time necessary to continue service on the NRC.
In the past three and a half years, the NRC has undertaken many important initiatives for Wellesley: a line-by-line review of and update to the regulations governing Town parkland; new playgrounds for Wellesley’s children, including a marquee facility to be installed this year at Warren Park; installation of new tennis courts and a light and sound system at Hunnewell Field; increased collaboration with neighbors relative to special events on NRC property; a new beach and bathhouse at Morses Pond; and, particularly special to me, a first-ever Land Conservation Plan charting the future of land conservation in Wellesley.
None of these projects were without controversy, but open disagreement ultimately produces better results. Feedback from the public frequently changed the direction of NRC initiatives. This is a feature and not a flaw of Wellesley’s decentralized, intensely democratic system of local government. I encourage the public to continue to advocate before our boards, committees, and commissions as well as at Town Meeting. I also encourage those entrusted with pulling the levers of government to continue to listen earnestly and with open ears. As Thomas Jefferson aptly observed, “government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part.”
I have full confidence the NRC will continue to prosper under the direction of Director Brandon Schmitt and our small but mighty staff. (Thank you Brandon, Julie, Lisa, and Stephanie!) Key to this success are the exceptional colleagues I have worked with over my tenure: Bea Bezmalinovic, Jay McHale, Lisa Collins, Laura Robert, Steve Park, and Tom Hammond. They deserve our thanks, and I am grateful for their friendship.
When my grandfather emigrated from a small village in Abruzzo, Italy to Rice Street in 1949, he could not have dreamed that the move to Wellesley would create such wonderful opportunities for our family. I continue to be grateful for the sheer fortune and dumb luck that led Wellesley to be the village I call home. I am indebted to the voters for giving me a chance to serve and to the members of the community who have supported me since I first pulled papers to run for Town Meeting in 2009. To all of them and to each of you: Thank you.
Michael D’Ortenzio Jr.
Wellesley resident
