I urge voters to select Mark Paolillo for Moderator in the town election on April 1. For two decades, I have served with Mark on elected and appointed committees. He has the broad experience and leadership skills to guide Town Meeting.
The job of the Moderator consists of three tasks: preparation for Town Meeting, moderating Town Meeting, and making appointments. A candidate for this job must demonstrate the ability to act fairly and impartially in performing these tasks. It requires many years of experience—years spent gaining an understanding of the variety of issues that come before Town Meeting.
Mark has served for 32 years as a member of Town Meeting. He has gained insights from watching two former Moderators. He saw how they managed the meetings, including times when issues were very controversial. He witnessed their efforts to encourage full participation from all sides of issues. This experience has honed his appreciation of qualities required of a Moderator.
By serving on the Select Board, Mark has participated in Town Meeting preparation. The Moderator reviews the warrant and discusses it with town counsel, reviews motions to be sure that they are properly worded, ensures that relevant officials attend the meeting, and prepares the meeting space and equipment (whether in-person or virtual).
Finally, the Moderator makes appointments, including all members of the Warrant Committee. As a Select Board member, Mark helped make hundreds of appointments, including Town Administrator, Town Counsel, Police Chief and Fire Chief. He has shown wisdom and fairness.
When voting on April 1, remember these tasks of the Moderator: preparation for Town Meeting, moderating Town Meeting, and making appointments. That is the totality of the job. Mark Paolillo will perform those tasks with greatest fairness and impartiality for all of Belmont.
Ralph T. Jones, Summit Road
