To the editor:
I write to endorse the candidacy of Odessa Sanchez for the Wellesley Select Board.
At present, our Select Board is implementing town-wide change on many fronts—notably climate action, DEI initiatives, housing, and transportation.
I believe that our Select Board would benefit from another change over the next three years, and that is the change that Odessa Sanchez would bring to the town’s leadership. Simply put, Odessa’s deep commitment both to our community and to our common humanity would be a major asset to the Select Board. Odessa cares about all the people of Wellesley, and listens to their concerns. Not everyone in Wellesley is in a top income bracket, and Odessa, a resident of Barton Road, understands that. She cares about those who worry about purchasing an electric vehicle and paying increased fuel costs to heat and cool their homes. Odessa knows that there are Wellesley residents who worry about their household budgets while paying higher property taxes. As a mother and coach, Odessa understands the concerns parents have for their children’s future. Moreover, as an African American woman, Odessa understands diversity, equity, and inclusion at a level that few in Wellesley can comprehend.
Odessa’s qualifications include many years of volunteering and public service in Wellesley. Currently, Odessa chairs the Wellesley Housing Authority. She also serves as a Town Meeting Member (Precinct E) as well as on the Historical Commission and the League of Woman Voters nominating committee. She has actively participated on the Town’s DEI task force and civil discourse initiative. Odessa is also active in Wellesley’s Catholic Collaborative and her Barton Road community. Outside of Wellesley, Odessa serves as legislative chair of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. On the home-front, she lovingly shepherds a blended family of seven children, and is a proud new grandmother.
I am voting for Odessa Sanchez because I believe that she has the leadership skills, strength of character, common sense, and compassion that we need in town government. I believe that Odessa would bring these important qualities to the Select Board.
Please join me in voting for Odessa Sanchez for Select Board on March 5th.
Donna Maria Ticchi
Wellesley resident