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My name is Steve Correia and I am running for election to the Wayland Board of Selectmen.

My wife Janet and I have lived in Wayland for 12 years. We consider ourselves extremely lucky to have the opportunity to raise our three children, Scott (10) James (7) and Adrienne (4) in a town that truly values quality education, exceptional services and programs, environmental conservation and community volunteerism. We have enjoyed working and playing with some of the most wonderful people over these years in many committees and recreational arenas. Whether leading a Cub Scout meeting, hammering nails into new houses in Waveland or exploring ways to advance youth philanthropy in Wayland, it is the talent, commitment and passion of so many that makes me confident that  Wayland will continue to be a great place to live for many years.

Like every city and town in the Commonwealth, Wayland is dealing with severe fiscal constraints. Our town finds itself struggling to balance tight budgets, quality services and affordability, and has to make some tough choices.  I fear that making these choices is dividing our town along the lines of special interests. These challenges motivated me to bring a new voice to the Board of Selectman.  I believe my 30 years of business and finance experience, my involvement as a member of Wayland’s Finance Committee, and serving as a volunteer on numerous other committees gives me a broad base of knowledge to help Wayland navigate these critical issues. My experience in real estate sales and my conservation efforts have educated me on what will keep our property values solid.  I am also confident that my management style can promote consensus building and informed decision making.

If you ask me where I stand on key issues, these would be some of my responses: 

• Proposition 2½ Override – I strongly support this year’s proposed override. The override will cover the cost of providing the services we have in place today through the next fiscal year. If this override does not pass, we will be forced to make lasting and substantive cuts to existing core programs used by everyone, from our seniors to our children.

• Town Center – I strongly support the Town Center, both because of the commercial revenue opportunity and the positive contributions to community life.  There are still many challenges that need to be thoroughly analyzed and managed to protect our community and our long-term fiscal plans.

• Traffic – I believe that Wayland faces significant traffic challenges and we need to work together as a town to develop mitigation plans that keep our streets safe for all of Wayland, not just a handful of thoroughfares.

• DPW – I support the creation of a Department of Public Works because consolidation will streamline operations, better utilize management skills and will generate numerous cost saving opportunities.

• WHS – We must maintain our high level of education which includes keeping our facilities safe and effective.  I support efforts to pursue state aid and the development of an improved high school facility.

• Conservation and Historic Preservation – I am committed to maintaining Wayland’s heritage and conserving open space when the opportunities present themselves.

• Development – I believe that continued development is inevitable in a desirable town such as Wayland; however we must balance development with the planning for open space.

Each one of these positions is grounded in strong beliefs I have about the town of Wayland:

Wayland is on a path towards achieving its long-term financial goals.

The increases in health insurance, pension, and utility costs have seen double digit growth. Towns are also faced with state mandated requirements around education, conservation and elderly programs. These all continue to put pressure on almost every department in the town with little help from state or federal governments. The process of balancing already tight budgets with increased expenses outside the control of the town is an immense challenge.

Within this context, the town, along with the help of the Finance Committee, has made great strides in developing and implementing a long term plan for consistent fiscal stability.  As part of this plan, Wayland is obliged to look at every avenue to consolidate operations and functions to improve efficiencies and save costs, as well as review all opportunities to bring in additional revenue from state aid to increased commercial tax revenue.  

Wayland’s plans are working and getting us towards these goals. We are not yet there but we are making consistent progress. We need patience and diligence to see these plans through and to keep them consistently updated. We have already seen close to $700,000 in savings through our Ad Hoc Budget Committee and structural changes in our health insurance and pension programs are starting to payoff.  I have recently reviewed this Ad Hoc Plan in closer detail and feel confident that with more analysis and restructuring, there are more savings to come by all departments working together.   

We must balance our budget while maintaining levels of services and addressing specific issues of affordability. 

This is a tough job and all departments deserve an enormous amount of credit for maintaining high levels of service with 5 or more years of level funding.  The process should be thorough, fair and accountable. It requires diplomacy and trust that the system will treat every department with the same rules and guidelines.   

Specifically, our educational system constitutes an extremely important asset and at the same time represents the largest share of our overall budget. It is undeniably one of the drivers that maintains our high property values and attracts potential buyers.

While we focus on balancing budgets at the town level, we cannot lose sight of the needs of individual families who may be struggling with increased property taxes. We need to keep researching and communicating the means to make our Town affordable to all, with more property tax relief options and exemptions similar to the senior Circuit Breaker and the tax work off programs. 

We must maintain those assets and services that make Wayland a great town. 

We are fortunate to have a first-rate educational system, acres of conservation land and recreational services, well maintained roads and high levels of comfort from our public safety departments.  As we make decisions around the future of Wayland, we cannot sacrifice all of what makes this town special. 

As an example, Wayland has always been a leader in conservation and historic preservation. Those who came before us gave us the gifts of open space and a sense of our history. I am committed to maintaining that heritage as Wayland continues to grow and change. We must wisely invest in our future by buying and conserving open space when the opportunities present themselves, creating new recreation space and developing our town in ways that will benefit all citizens in Wayland. It could be a new Library, Cultural Center, a new Center for the Council on Aging, new Town Pool or maybe even an ice skating rink.

Over time I truly believe we can make all of these opportunities a reality and make Wayland a better town if we can learn to disagree without being disagreeable – that it’s possible to compromise so long as we know those principles that can’t be compromised; and that we have to be willing to listen respectfully to each other. 

Finally, part of what drives me in Wayland is volunteerism, which I seem to have caught while living here, and I believe I can help keep that enthusiasm alive. There is a spirit and energy in Wayland that makes this a great community. If elected to the Board of Selectmen, I will do everything I can to encourage this community activism. I will provide the leadership and skills necessary to keep Wayland on the path of maintaining a quality of life that is and will remain the envy of other towns. 

I look forward to hearing your perspectives on the issues, and meeting those Waylanders I don’t already know. 

I ask for your support at the polls on Tuesday, April 8^th. Thank you.

Town Service:

• Finance Committee (appointed 2007)
• Cub Scout Pack 88 Leader
• Wayland to Waveland volunteer
• Hazelbrook Watershed Association (co-chair)

Professional Career:

• 30 Years of Finance, Accounting and Management experience in various Fortune 500 companies.

• V.P. of Consulting Services for Hyperion Solutions. Global responsibilities in the redesign and training of  financial reporting, budgeting and analytical applications.

• Private Investment Management ( General Partner)

• New England Representative of YouthGive. A youth philanthropy educational organization.

• Part-time real estate sales ( 2004-2006)

Educational Background:

• Suffolk University Bachelor of Science in Business Admin. (Major Accounting,
  Minor: Biochemistry)
• University of Southern New Hampshire (Masters in Business Administration, International Marketing and Finance)

Email/Contact Info: stevencorreia@comcast.net