Offers town knowledge and planning expertise

Peter Warren. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz )

When asked what skills and assets he would bring to the position of selectman, Lancaster County Road resident Peter Warren says that he offers, among other things, “a thorough knowledge of Harvard.”

To say “thorough” may be an understatement. Warren has lived in town for the past 48 years, and during that time he has served in numerous public roles. He was a member of the Fire Department for 40 years and served as fire chief for eight years. In 1972, he was appointed by the Board of Selectmen to investigate and establish the town’s ambulance service and was its founding director. Warren has also served on Harvard’s Board of Assessors.

A fixture in the Harvard business community, Warren was the owner of Harvard Realty from 1964 to 2001. In 1982, he was the Massachusetts Realtor of the Year, and in 1999 he received the Outstanding Professional Business Person Award from the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce. Warren has also served as the president of the Ayer-Devens-Harvard-Shirley Rotary Club and as a trustee at North Middlesex Savings Bank and the Nashoba Community Hospital.

Now, Warren is running for a one-year term as selectman, against incumbent Bob Eubank.

Warren believes that his connections to the community, his intimate understanding of town operations, and his business expertise make him an ideal candidate for selectman. After so many years in Harvard, he says, he is able to take the long view on the town’s issues and needs.

Like many of the candidates running for selectman this year, Warren believes that the biggest issue facing the town “centers around leadership.”

“There has been a real lack of leadership,” he says. “I don’t think that the elected officials are listening to what the people are saying.” And it is because of this lack of leadership, he says, that the town has been unable to achieve any of its significant goals.

“There’s got to be some movement and resolve,” says Warren, “and that doesn’t seem to be happening too often.”

In a recent e-mail to some town residents, Warren expressed concern about the “resignation of a record number of elected and appointed officials, all of whom have contributed much for the good of our town.”

He believes this is due in part to “the lack of communication with the Board [of Selectmen].” Warren would like to enhance communication among boards, perhaps by arranging for boards to meet with each other on a quarterly basis. He would also like to give residents more opportunities to voice their concerns during the selectmen’s meetings.

As selectman, Warren says that he would make it a priority to address the town’s current financial situation.

“The overrides are there all the time now. Is there any way to avoid an override? Are we doing enough to write grants and get state aid? What are we doing to help solve the problem?”

Warren believes that a priority for the Board of Selectmen should be to make a greater effort to track down grants and explore additional sources of revenue.

Warren cited as an example his successful efforts to access grant money for the Fire Department when he was fire chief. Over the years, he says, he secured $200,000 in federal and state grants, both competitive and noncompetitive, to address the capital needs of the department.

Warren is also concerned about the pace of development in Harvard, particularly in light of current and proposed 40B projects in town. Warren credits Harvard residents Phil Shutt and Morrill Sprague with developing zoning bylaws for the town that “helped the town to grow at a more favorable rate.” Warren’s goal is to maintain this slow pace of growth in order to preserve Harvard’s character and avoid putting undue stress on town services.

The town center’s septic issues are also an area of focus for Warren. While he is reluctant for now to express a position on exactly how the issue should be addressed, he believes it is a problem that needs to be solved, and in a timely way.

Warren believes he can offer a knowledgeable and accessible form of leadership that can help the town address its current needs and plan for the future.

Note: Peter Warren is running against incumbant Bob Eubank for a one-year term on Harvard's Board of Selectmen.