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Decisions made now need to be thoughtful solutions for our future.
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Economic Development
Reading needs economic development, otherwise our town will not thrive. I am committed to our local businesses and their success, and while shopping locally is vital to the success of our downtown businesses, we must find ways to increase “tourism” to bring more customers to Reading. Another very exciting initiative is the planning for the development in the Eastern Gateway district of town. The Eastern Gateway Initiative is a vital part of our future planning to increase our tax base and potentially increase housing. This area of town is located in the Market Basket area of town. It is the largest parcel in Reading which has great potential to increase or commercial tax base. We are just in the beginning stages of this initiative and I encourage everyone to complete the survey on the Town website. Your ideas and input are an important part of the successful planning for the development of this initiative.
ReCAL
ReCAL is a very exciting project and I look forward to working with all residents to ensure our goals to have this facility be a community facility will come to fruition. It is vital the facility be open to all residents at all times of the day to ensure the entire community is actively engaged in many different activities, both for the young and older generations. We are asking for non-senior residents to support this important project, just as the younger families are asking for the seniors to support the Killam School project. Both projects are vital to our community. All of our residents will benefit from many different types of programs that can be offered.
Tax Rate
I believe the split tax rate needs to be incrementally increased to move some of the burden from the residents to our local businesses. The goal is to equalize the tax burden as much as we can, and at this time the residents are bearing a far greater burden than the local businesses. No one wants tax increases, especially in this economy and with our town facing two debt exclusion projects, and a potential operational override in a few years. Property taxes go up based on our assessed values of our homes; that is not something we can control. As amazing as it is that the value of our homes keeps rising, there is a cost to the residents who are aging in place, or wish to stay in Reading for many years. Bringing more commercial businesses to town is extremely important in order to help the town increase its commercial base and as we revisit the tax rates yearly, this can be addressed each year as our needs change and as our commercial base changes.
Parking
I served on PARC and learned a great deal about the issues surrounding our residents and businesses and parking issues. I am very passionate about parking, and enjoy hearing everyone’s opinion – I learn something new each time I bring the submit up. Parking issues will never go away. Our police department is doing a terrific job with traffic and parking enforcement. We as a town need to listen to our police department regarding parking as they are in the trenches each and every day, and see the patterns and behavior of the parking issues. We have already paid for the kiosks. The fiscal decision is to keep the kiosks in place, and revisit how these will best work for our town residents and businesses periodically. PARC had many hours of discussion regarding different alternatives, having a kiosk in one lot and not the other, free hour, discounts for seniors, etc. Many of these discussions were not heard by anyone other than the few that watched our meetings on tv. The Select Board has a responsibility to move forward the vote of Town Meeting and as Town Meeting approved the kiosks, and paid for their installation, it is the Select Board’s responsibility to figure out how to solve the problem.
It's Time to Vote!!!
Tuesday April 8th, RMHS Field House
7:00 am to 8:00 pm
YOUR VOICE IS IMPORTANT!
My name is Karen Rose-Gillis and I seek your vote on or before April 8th, 2025 for Select Board.
Sometimes it’s just the timing that’s the catalyst for someone to decide to do something.
I have a fresh perspective and a very positive attitude which will be important when facing some of the complex tasks facing our Town.
I was very involved when my kids were in the school system, but over the years nothing really piqued my interest until PARC was created. I learned a great deal from serving on PARC and have been evaluating the best way for me to get re-involved in volunteering for the town.
I enjoy listening to people and value their ideas. I am analytical and like to work out problems and find solutions. I feel the Select Board is the perfect platform for me to use my skills to serve the residents, resolve problems and make thoughtful decisions.
I am a calm, thoughtful, practical and logical decision maker and believe these attributes will be a huge asset to the Select Board. These are challenging times with the national and local dialogue growing coarser. Our community needs more people willing to step up and help us move forward. For me, the time to step up is now.
I have lived on Linden Street, at the edge of the downtown, since 1993. I raised my three children in Reading and been involved in many aspects of the community: Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Girl Scout leadership, various positions on PTO Boards in elementary, middle and high schools, and most recently a member of the Parking Advisory & Recommendation Committee (PARC). I love living in Reading, and consider myself incredibly fortunate to have been able to live in and raise my children in this town.
I graduated from University of Massachusetts/Amherst with a B.A. in Economics. For my “day” job, I have worked in the legal field for over 32 years in administration and accounting. The various firms I have worked for over the years involved insurance defense, environmental law, special education law, and currently I work for a firm which specializes in intellectual property.
I believe I can bring a fresh perspective to the Select Board. The year 2025 will bring many challenges for our Town and its residents. I know I have a lot to learn, however my experience with PARC was the first step in realizing how impactful our residents can be – stepping out of our comfort zones to work with each other and build a better community for the future.
Important issues I see facing Reading now, and moving into the future:
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Killam Elementary School construction;
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Reading Center for Active Living (ReCAL);
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Eastern Gateway Priority Planning initiative;
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MBTA track turnaround;
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Community Preservation Act Study Committee (CPA Ad Hoc Committee) and its work moving Reading forward in areas of affordable housing, historic preservation, and recreation;
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Climate Advisory Committee and the work being done ensuring Reading moves forward to create a greener community;
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Parking issues should be monitored on a regular basis to ensure we are meeting the needs of residents, businesses, employees, and out of town visitors;
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Increase communication between Town Hall, residents, and Committees;
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Increase residents’ participation in Town initiatives, Committees, and projects;
Please join me with your enthusiasm and energy to move Reading forward and make it even better.
YOUR VOTE AND SUPPORT ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!
Donate!
Please Support Karen's Campaign!
Mail Checks to:
Committee to Elect Karen Rose-Gillis
69 Linden Street
Reading, MA 01867
Event Calendar!
It's Time to Vote!!!
Tuesday April 8th, RMHS Field House
7:00 am to 8:00 pm
Let's Connect!
What's On Your Mind? Have Questions: I would love to chat!
Important Dates!
Election Day: 4/8/25 at RMHS Field House
