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Inaugural Address |
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WOBURN
- MAYOR JOHN C. CURRAN
Reverend Clergy, Elected Officials, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:
We gather here tonight to perform the most privileged of community obligations, to organize the 322nd representative form of government on behalf of the good people of Woburn. It is altogether together fitting that we celebrate freedom and democracy in the midst of world events today.
I know that I speak for all of the elected officials who have taken an oath tonight when I say this a tremendous honor and a sacred trust bestowed upon us by the electorate. I am forever grateful to be chosen to be your servant.
It is my hope and confidence the city government organized here tonight will represent the people of Woburn with strong leadership, integrity, purpose and good will.
Every two years at this time it is incumbent upon the Mayor to assess the health of our community and act as a compass for new paths we must travel for a better future for our city. We must ask who we are? Where we came from? And where we want to go?
I look out across this auditorium and I see mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. I see students, teachers and coaches. I see veterans of the armed services, I see veterans of public service.
I see the wisdom in faces that have served their community in some capacity and the hope in faces that may be compelled to serve in the future. We can hold our heads high as citizens of this great community.
Woburn has a proud history, a history of service, a history as a home to generations of hard working, honest families, but no community, even Woburn, is immune to the mistakes of the past. It is not always easy to remember the past but it is infinitely more harmful to forget it.
It would be easy to just recollect the proud tradition of hard work and economic fortune that came from the tanning industry. But let us never forget the price we paid for ignorance in environmental safe guards.
This generation and those before us have witnessed the profound and far reaching impact that it has had.
These experiences have only made us strive for a better Woburn, a better life for future generations.
We can take pride in knowing that Woburn is nationally acclaimed for reclaiming previously unusable land as first class office space.
We can take pride in knowing that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has recognized these accomplishments in the form of a new interchange and the Anderson Regional Transportation Center.
We can take pride in knowing that we have come this far but we must not stop here. We must never turn a blind eye to environmental issues but we cannot let fear cloud our judgment. There is more work to be done to ensure that our environment is safe for our families. This administration has an unwavering commitment to getting this done in a methodical and reasonable manner.
As we step back to assess ourselves we need to look long and hard at the unprecedented growth we have experienced and the impact it has had on our quality of life.
It is time to dispel the notion that we cannot ask for appropriate growth and mitigation for fear that we may undermine the commercial tax base that keeps our taxes low.
I am not absolutely certain, but whoever coined the phrase “Location! Location! Location!” had to be thinking about Woburn.
Our city limits surround the busiest intersection in the Commonwealth. It consists of the two biggest highways in Massachusetts, which evokes another familiar contemporary phrase “If you build it they will come” and they have.
Over the past several decades regardless of economy the commercial base in Woburn has grown.
There is no doubt that we have enjoyed a low residential tax base as a result. However, we have also seen the increasing strain this commercial growth has contributed to our infrastructure. We have seen an increase in traffic and storm water drainage problems that have overtaxed our sewer system.
We can strike a balance between measured growth and infrastructure rehabilitation.
As a community we need to take a proactive stance towards potential development. We need to knock on their doors instead of waiting for them to knock down ours. We need to collaborate with the commercial sector to address the needs of the community.
All of this begins at the Mayor’s office and my door is open to anyone who wants to improve the whole community.
Some will say that we are facing hard economic times and we should brace for the impact. I say that times have changed and where there is change there is opportunity.
A slower growth period enables the Mayor, the City Council and the Planning board to redefine the planning needs of the city.
Over the next two years we must rewrite our Master Plan. A Master Plan is not just a document. It is a tool used to regulate and guide growth according to our needs as a community. Such a tool is essential to weed out developers looking to exploit the affordable housing law for financial gain alone.
This plan must include an assessment of housing needs. We can all agree that there is a need for affordable housing. But not when that need serves as a mask for profit at the expense of our neighborhoods.
Woburn has a distinguished history of looking out for those of lesser means and we shouldn’t try to change that goal.
We need to look out for those in need in our own community. Over the next decade our senior population will continue to grow… and the need for elderly housing will grow with it.
The next Master plan will incorporate the needs of our growing senior population. People shouldn’t be forced out of the community they love because they can no longer afford to live there.
The next master plan must address a vast array of public safety needs that have grown out of the economic boom we have just experienced. It must include a reassessment of zoning needs in the future and a comprehensive plan for traffic and drainage mitigation.
All of these efforts will serve to protect Woburn’s greatest natural asset,…. Horn Pond.
This area has served as a passive recreational playground for adults and children alike. We have all heard the stories of the different generations of people that have enjoyed Horn Pond. In fact, I’m sure that many people in this room learned to swim at Foley Beach.
We must preserve this cherished asset for our children and their children to come.
The significance of this resource extends far beyond beauty,…. it extends far beyond leisure and recreation. Horn Pond sits atop another priceless resource… our water supply. We must continue to limit the activity that takes place in the watershed area and take every opportunity to expand the protected area that surrounds our well field. It is my hope that the new city council will support this administration’s efforts to acquire the land on the backside of Horn Pond Mountain.
We must face the threat to this asset head on. This administration is committed to enacting an aggressive mitigation program to eliminate unnecessary drainage contribution to our sewer system. Not only will this help to reduce discharge into Horn Pond but also it can save the city money by reducing MWRA sewer charges.
Perhaps most important is the need for our community to collaborate with our neighbors to solve our common problems. We all share the same watershed and we all share an obligation to protect it. This administration is committed to seeking outside funding to protect our watershed and sharing this effort with Burlington and Winchester will help get the job done.
Although the restrictions on our watershed may have dashed the dreams of bowling a perfect strike on Horn Pond Island forever, we can take solace in knowing that our water supply is safe.
As we gather here in this hallowed hall. We can’t help but be overwhelmed by the history of events and the commitment to education that it evokes.
I chose this place to organize our city government for a reason. Just under one hundred years ago another Mayor gave his inaugural address. The major challenge facing his administration was the need for a new high school for the children of this community and I quote from Mayor Linscott’s address on January 1, 1906, “I do not consider it necessary to enter into detail of stating how much a new high school is needed. It is too well known that the present building lacks ventilation, is overcrowded and does not contain enough room or modern equipment.” This building was the answer to that challenge and it has served our students well. Now almost one hundred years later we face some of the same issues. But more importantly I believe we share the same goals and philosophies. One hundred years ago as it is today the people of Woburn wanted the best possible high school facility for their children and as they did one hundred years ago we shall have it.
We must proceed cautiously ahead. With the cooperation of the school committee and the city council we will endeavor to find the most efficient and manageable way to finance a first class facility for our children. This effort must be a unified effort. It requires the cooperation and participation of the whole community and I am asking for your help to make this a reality.
We are fortunate that the city is in excellent financial condition and I am grateful to Mayor Robert M. Dever for his dedication to that end.
We face many challenges over the next two years and I believe that we are up to the challenge. We cannot be discouraged by change we should be challenged by change and learn to think differently to overcome obstacles and make Woburn a better place. This is what generations of our ancestors have consistently done and, to paraphrase the inspirational words of President Kennedy, that is why when someone asks you where you are from? I hope you reply as I always do with pride, “I am from Woburn Massachusetts”. |
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