It is with great pleasure that I announce my intent to run again for an open seat on the Wellesley Select Board. 

Just five months ago, I asked for your vote at the September 1st election.  Thanks to your interest and support, I was a close runner-up, garnering over 35% of the vote.  Since then, I have actively continued to advance my mission for making a positive difference in our community through building relationships and opening dialogues for change. I would like to continue to be the voice of concern for people of all colors in Wellesley. I would like to share legislative processes with a section of our town that I feel is often neglected or left out of the conversation. I am a keen listener, and I have continued to work within my community to find out what issues impact the citizens of Wellesley the most.

Despite COVID-19 affecting my own household last fall, I have been diligently preparing for the role for which I am running. I have participated in and observed meetings for the School Committee, Planning Board, Board of Health, Select Board, Housing Authority, and MBTA/ Metro West Transportation. I have also collaborated with community groups and committee members via zoom to see what my future constituents would need from my representation. I founded a Veterans Cheer team called Barton B.A.T.T.L.E. Cheer, to celebrate fitness and recreation for the children who live in the Barton Road neighborhood, as well as to honor the veterans in our town. 

To serve the immediate issue of food insecurity, I am leading a coalition to start a Community Fridge Project right here in Wellesley. Once opened, it will be the first of its kind in the MetroWest area.  To serve the families that suffered financially due to COVID-19, I co-founded a community-based Meal and Gift Drive, which along with a small team of friends and neighbors, provided joy and relief to dozens of households during the recent holiday season. 

To address the concerns I hear about economic stability for our youth, I recently organized a Youth Financial Workshop Zoom that will be held in February 2021. 

I have 12 years of experience as a Wellesley resident, as the parent of a blended family of seven children, and as an active community volunteer.  I am fair-minded and would listen to multiple viewpoints.  I would bring the collaboration skills that I have developed over my lifetime of service to the Select Board.  As a coach, I understand the importance of teamwork. 

I have a degree in biomedical technology and have worked for biotech companies and hospitals as a laboratory technician. Today, I teach and coach at St John’s School and Wellesley High School, as well as volunteer in several organizations in our town.  For more than a decade, I have been an active volunteer and advocate in Wellesley for housing, education, youth, seniors, and women.  Family, community, service, and equity are all things I care about deeply.  My goals include keeping Wellesley affordable for young families and senior citizens, supporting small businesses, and increasing the level of inclusion of multi-cultural residents.

I would bring financial common sense to the town budget and a fresh set of eyes to articles that affect the interest and welfare of our town.  I would like to be the independent voice that represents you, because your voice matters. What I bring to the table is the unique ability to be passionate about ideas, while remaining open to hearing and understanding other points of view on all topics.  I stand for all parties having a voice at a time when diverse voices and ideas are needed more than ever.

Our country seems to be divided right now with many issues impacting us all politically, health-wise, and socially. This is a major part of what is driving me to run for the Select Board:  We are all in this together. I know that with education and a willingness to have important dialogues, our town can truly reflect the Wellesley that we have all been visualizing we are. I believe that we can make a difference on our streets, our neighborhoods, our town, and then our nation. 

I would be honored to serve as your next Select Board member. I respectfully ask for your vote on March 2^nd, and thank you for your consideration!

Odessa Sanchez 

Barton Road

[email protected]

I would like to announce my candidacy for re-election to the Select Board

If you feel I asked for your vote just a short time ago, you are right!  I was elected to the Select Board in the September 1st special election, and am now running for re-election to that same seat for a three-year term.

Since joining the Board, I have been directly involved in decisions surrounding elementary school buildings and engaged in challenging discussions about the Town’s capital and operating budgets and town wide financial plan, among a myriad of other undertakings. I am the Board’s representative on the Town’s Mobility Committee and represent Wellesley on the MBTA and MWRTA Advisory Boards. I also represent Wellesley on the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and The MetroWest Regional Collaborative. Engagement in these groups has allowed me to use my strength as a collaborator to form relationships with our neighboring towns and to advocate strongly on Wellesley’s behalf on transit and other matters. I was recently asked by the MBTA Advisory Board to join their Budgetary Committee.

I served as chair of Wellesley’s Audit Committee and am a Town Meeting Member.  I have twelve years of experience as a Chartered Accountant, working with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the UK and the US.

I have been very engaged in civic activities for over a decade. I was a neighborhood representative in the redevelopment of Linden Square, have supported our schools as treasurer of Sprague PTO and of Central Council of PTOs, and was Co-President of Wellesley High School PTSO.  I also served as treasurer for Sustainable Wellesley. I have a history of cooperative, constructive, and respectful engagement with the people and organizations I have worked with.

My experience on the Select Board combined with my role as a Town Meeting Member, career as an accountant, and work as a civic volunteer gives me a strong foundation to continue my service on the Select Board. If reelected, I would further the work I have begun on sustainable mobility and in budget development during this challenging fiscal climate.

I respectfully ask for your vote on March 2nd.

Colette Aufranc

Hill Top Road

www.electcoletteaufranc.com