Search Results for: james rodrigue

The Town of Wellesley depends on the active participation of its citizens in governance of the Town. Wellesley has 11 Boards and Committees on the ballot at the Annual Town election each year in March. The 2019 election will be held on Tuesday, March 5, 2019.

Contested race: Board of Health

The mission of the Wellesley Health Department is to assess and address the needs of the Wellesley community, in order to protect and improve the health and quality of life of its residents and work force.

This charge is carried out in part by the Board of Health. There are three members of the Board. Secretary Lloyd Tarlin, MD will vacate his seat when it expires in 2019. There are two candidates vying for that spot: Linda Oliver Grape and Dr. Jim Rodrigue. Grape’s responses were part of an earlier post. We invited them to answer a few questions about their qualifications and their priorities for the Town of Wellesley.

Dr. Jim Rodrigue, candidate for Board of Health

The Swellesley Report: What is your background and what qualifies you for this position?

Dr. Jim Rodrigue: I’ve been in healthcare for 30 years – as a clinician, a researcher, a teacher, and an administrator. I’m a Professor of Surgery and Psychiatry in the Harvard Medical School, and I’m the Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. I have been funded for over 20 years by the National Institutes of Health to conduct research on how best to reduce social, economic, and racial disparities in healthcare. I have chaired many committees at the university level as well as nationally and internationally in my area of specialty. As a clinical psychologist, academic leader, and health outcomes researcher, I have considerable experience in program development and evaluation, strategic planning, policy development, fiscal management, and building collaborative relationships. Also, I am an elected Town Meeting Member and a member of the Recreation Commission. I believe that my healthcare background, leadership experience, and town engagement/governance will be invaluable assets to the Board of Health.

Sw: If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your 3-year tenure on the Board?

Rodrigue: Despite its affluence, Wellesley is not immune to mental health problems, addiction, food insecurity, domestic violence, limited access to affordable healthcare, and the adverse impact of climate change on public health. I will work with other Board members to ensure that the Director of the Health Department (Leonard Izzo) has the sufficient resources to carry out the many activities that are consistent with the Department’s mission:

 Implement disease prevention and health promotion programs
 Provide community health, nursing, and mental health services
 Conduct public outreach and education
 Conduct compliance inspections for 160+ food permit holders to minimize community
health risk
 Respond to emerging health threats within the community (e.g., tobacco and nicotine
delivery products, opioid crisis)
 Minimize the risks of climate change on public health
 Conduct housing and environmental inspections

In addition, I have five core initiatives that I will prioritize in the first six months of my term:
i. Increase funding for Health Department
ii. Expand mental health resources available to residents, particularly for middle and high
school-age youths
iii. Tighten regulations for tobacco and nicotine delivery products to limit availability
iv. Pursue later school start times for middle and high school students in Wellesley Public
Schools (data show substantial health benefits)
v. Implement “Environmental Sustainability for Public Health” initiative

Sw: What is your hot-button issue?

Rodrigue:  I would characterize all five items above as “hot-button” items. However, the Health Department needs more funding to pursue these initiatives and to administer their usual day-to-day activities. Wellesley claims that health and well-being is one of its core values. Talk is cheap. Show me the budget and I’ll see what the town values. It certainly isn’t health, as funding for the Wellesley Health Department – as measured by dollars per resident – is substantially lower than that of most other
Massachusetts towns of our size. This inadequate funding level has real consequences, including an inability to respond to emerging health threats (e.g., opioid crisis, nicotine delivery products, etc.), delays in implementing new policies and regulations that place public health and safety at risk, grossly insufficient attention to mental health problems in our children and adolescents (see the Metro West Adolescent Health Survey findings), and the risk of losing outstanding Health Department employees. What Mr. Izzo and his staff have been able to accomplish for town residents, despite insufficient funding, is nothing short of heroic – but this must change.

Sw: What is the greatest health-related need in Wellesley?

Rodrigue: There are several important health-related needs in Wellesley. If I must choose only one it would be the mental health needs of the youth in town. I encourage everyone to read the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey findings (available from WPS) and the Public Health and Wellness Chapter of the Wellesley Unified Plan. Critical unmet mental health needs identified in these reports. Add to this the emerging addiction to nicotine delivery products among adolescents and we are rapidly
moving toward a crisis in our town.

Sw: Is there anything you would like to say that the above questions did not cover?

Rodrigue: Along with my wife and three daughters, I’ve lived in Wellesley for nearly 13 years and I am grateful for the many benefits we have accrued from being part of this wonderful community. As a member of the Board of Health, I will commit my time and expertise to ensure the well-being of our neighbors, young and old, and to raise the overall health of the community. I would be honored to have your support and vote on March 5th.

Sw: How should voters reach you if they want more information?

Rodrigue: I’m very accessible and appreciate hearing about any issues or concerns that may impact the health of our neighbors and community. Please email me at: JimRodrigueForHealth@hotmail.com.

MORE: Wellesley election 2019

The Town of Wellesley depends on the active participation of its citizens in governance of the Town. Wellesley has 11 Boards and Committees on the ballot at the Annual Town election each year in March. The 2019 election will be held on Tuesday, March 5, 2019.

We invited all eleven candidates in contested races to answer questions about what they bring to the table for the following positions: Board of Selectmen; Natural Resources Commission; Board of Health; Planning Board (5-year term); and Planning Board (1-year term).

Here are links to each interview. If you want a broader look at the election, go to our Wellesley Election 2019 page. You can also view the recording of the Meet the Candidates night event at the bottom of this post.

Board of Selectmen

Jenn Fallon: “I hope to improve transparency and communication between the BOS and the entire Wellesley community. There is so much going on in town and during this race I have learned that many people do not know what the BOS does, never mind the important decisions that are being made on their behalf.” READ THE INTERVIEW

Lise Olney: “I’m committed to preserving our town’s quality of life, while also creating a welcoming environment that’s attainable for people of different ages, incomes, and backgrounds.” READ THE INTERVIEW

Natural Resources Commission

Raina McManus: “One of the NRC’s most important functions will be educating the public on the economic and environmental value the North 40 is currently providing to Wellesley, including drinking water protection and flood control.” READ THE INTERVIEW

Jim Miller: “My top priority is to make NRC a more collaborative partner and build coalitions with other boards in town and the broader community. I view environmentalists, civic and business leaders, schools, and the sports communities as allies and would be a bridge to bring them together.” READ THE INTERVIEW

Board of Health

Linda Oliver Grape: “The prevalence of Substance Use Disorder in the State has reached epidemic proportions; the Board of Health needs to ensure that the Town is adept at caring for and supporting residents with this problem.” READ THE INTERVIEW

James Rodrigue: “Wellesley claims that health and well-being is one of its core values. Talk is cheap. Show me the budget and I’ll see what the town values. It certainly isn’t health, as funding for the Wellesley Health Department – as measured by dollars per resident – is substantially lower than that of most other Massachusetts towns of our size.” READ THE INTERVIEW

Planning Board, 5-year term

Thomas Ahern: “I can talk all day long about the need for early, forward-thinking planning to protect against the town having to react to whatever is proposed by developers. As an example, consider all the 40B projects currently working their way through our Zoning Board of Appeals process.” READ THE INTERVIEW

Patricia Mallett: “I look forward to implementing the Unified Plan and the Housing Production Plan in order to achieve safe harbor with respect to 40B Comprehensive Permit applications. I am also very interested in pursuing the proposed 40R Overlay Zoning for the Wellesley Office Park.” READ THE INTERVIEW

Planning Board, 1-year term

Deed Mccollum: “I hope to lay the foundation for affordable housing; a foundation that leverages the priorities set forth in the Unified Plan: to expand housing options, increase town diversity and make Wellesley a more inclusive, dynamic and resilient community.” READ THE INTERVIEW

Frank Pinto: “Wellesley residents paid $35 million for the North 40 and we need to hear all voices (not just the loudest and most shrill voices) regarding its future. Wellesley was clearly remiss in not developing a housing production plan until now to rationally meet our affordable housing mandate under state law.” READ THE INTERVIEW

Wellesley’s March 5, 2019 Town Election isn’t going to be a quiet one. Five of the eleven open town-wide Board and Committee  seats will have more than one candidate vying for them. Was it really only a few years ago (2013) that not a single town-wide office seat was contested? Times have changed, indeed.

Candidates had until Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 5pm to throw their hats in the ring. Here is the list of candidates for contested positions that the town shared with us on Tuesday afternoon. We’ll update it with any additional candidates once we have that info:

Board of Selectmen — 1 seat open

• Jennifer Fallon
• Lise Olney

Board of Health — 1 seat open

• Linda Oliver Grape
• James Rodrigue

Natural Resources Commission — 1 open seat

• Raina McManus
• Jim Miller

Planning Board — 1 5-year seat, 1 1-year seat

5-year term candidates

• Thomas Ahern
• Patricia Mallett

1-year term candidates

• Albert Berry
• Deed Mccollum
• Frank Pinto

The seats on these boards are staggered so that one or two seats are elected each year for 3-year terms. (Planning and Housing include 5-year terms).

MORE: Meet the candidates on Feb. 10