Rally For Truro

Meet the candidate for Re-Election

My name is Kristen Reed and I've worked and lived in Massachusetts for sixteen years, moving to the Outer Cape in 2005, renting in Truro in 2012 and purchasing my home in 2014. Like many of you, I make my living here anyway I can: as a certified nurse assistant taking care of our local elderly; as the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Chequessett Chocolate. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree from Clark University in Cultural Studies and Communication, focusing on people's communication dynamics with diverse identities, experiences, and histories. I have a wide range of experience as an entrepreneur and working to help others, employing principles and practices that promote sustainability in the areas of agriculture, architecture, and design. After college, I worked at the University of Pennsylvania Affirmative Action Office and Veterans Upward Bound to empower the community and had the honor of serving those that have made sacrifices for my freedom. As a Certified Nurse Assistant on Cape Cod for several years, I have prioritized others' care and well-being, especially the needs of older people in our community.

Like you, I've been both a renter and a homeowner, and I know the trials of each: I know how hard it can be for locals to find a place to live housing for us is as tight in the high season as it is in the long and empty winter and I know the anxiety and the stress we feel when the nor'easters make our roofs creak with snow and the sea rise ever closer to our front doors. I love the vibrant energy of our Truro home at the height of our busy season, when the work is as plentiful as the sunshine, and I love the quiet cold of Truro when it's just us left to while away the long winter nights. Truro is my home. I know the unique challenges we face as a community because I've lived them, and it's because we've lived these challenges together that I stand here today, asking for your vote.

Our love for Truro goes beyond partisanship. The Outer Cape has so much to offer its residents--both part and full time--but only if we take care of it in turn. We have our beautiful beaches and our fruitful sea, and we have a responsibility to preserve and protect them - not only for the sake of our children and grandchildren but for our continued economic development. We need to direct our attention to ecological restoration and management, enhance green growth policies for agriculture, livestock, fishing, and aquaculture; improve our relationship with the National Seashore to tap into the resources they provide, and to promote environmental advocacy through water resource protection, land preservation, and smart growth, in order to ensure that locals and tourists alike will be able to enjoy Truro for generations.

Although our economy depends heavily on mother nature, there are other measures we can take to strengthen Truro's economy. The more we are able to invest in our infrastructure--be it transportation, wastewater management, or information technology--the more attractive Truro will be as a place to hire. Chequessett Chocolate could be anywhere, but we’re here in Truro. Our family business employs over 20 people because this town gives us the benefit of community relationships and a community experience that only an intimate neighborhood can provide. People come to our shop looking for chocolate, but what they find there, is each other. We are providing a space outside our homes and workplace where people can gather and interact while experiencing a sense of ease and belonging. Wouldn't it be nice if more residents with talents and entrepreneurial spirit could open their own businesses, and build on our sense of community?  We could put more of our people to work.

Finally, as we increase Truro's economic viability by preserving nature and promoting sustainable growth, we will better be able to address critical shortcomings in our civil services. Let’s broaden our tax base by increasing investment in our community, so we can improve programs and services to benefit the health and well being of Truro’s children, families and senior citizens; we can improve town services through the application of smart technology and data solutions; and begin to address the issue of the lack of affordable year-round housing that our friends and neighbors rely on to survive.

We Cape Codders, are known for many things. Thrift, ingenuity, and above all civic engagement. Let’s work together to find solutions to our unique and pressing issues.  If elected to the Truro board of selectmen, I will work tirelessly on your behalf to find solutions to our unique challenges and do my best to ensure that Truro remains strong, beautiful, and prosperous. I thank you for your time, your consideration and I ask for your vote on May 11.

I am dedicated to addressing the issues facing Truro including, but not limited to:

• Develop and strengthen programs to protect our beautiful beaches so that our town and its tourist economy can continue to flourish.

• Invest in transportation and infrastructure, especially as it relates to waste water management.

• Find ways to increase our revenue without placing additional burdens on residential taxpayers, especially families, the working class and seniors on a fixed income.

• Improve programs and services to benefit the health and well being of Truro’s children and local senior citizens.

• Promote environmental advocacy through water resource protection, land preservation and smart growth.