Would offer a practical approach if elected

“I promise to be a horrible politician.”

Leo Blair. (Courtesy photo)

That’s the word from East Bare Hill Road resident Leo Blair, who has thrown his hat into the ring for the selectman’s race. Blair has been nominated for one of the two three-year positions that open in this spring’s election.

Blair, a Harvard resident for 10 years, grew up in Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Boston College and has worked in industry in and around Massachusetts throughout his career. Blair has started, operated, and sold seven businesses over the years, including the Boston Private Bank and Trust, and Greenfield Industries, which was traded on the New York Stock Exchange. He owns and develops residential and commercial real estate and is currently developing waterfront properties in Maine.

Blair has already served as a town volunteer, as an associate member on the Planning Board for the past six months. He said that his experience on the board has given him a greater understanding of town politics—along with a concern about the process.

This concern has led him to enter the selectman’s race, despite being what he calls “a reluctant entrant.” Blair said he does not consider himself a political person, but rather a pragmatist who prefers to focus on getting the job done.

Blair’s pragmatic approach has led him to focus on four specific goals in his run for selectman: maintaining excellence in the schools, preserving the rural character of the town, retaining longtime residents, and changing town governance. He has offered concrete action plans to make each of those goals a reality on his campaign website, www.selectblair.com.

When asked to elaborate on his plans, Blair explains that he views the town as a “social ecosystem” composed of three key constituencies: parents with school-age children who are concerned about the quality of the schools; farmers and landowners who are concerned about property taxes, stewardship, and preservation; and longtime residents of Harvard who are concerned about the affordability of continuing to live in town.

The key, said Blair, is to understand that the three constituencies do not, as some assume, represent competing interests. On the contrary, he said, “none of them can exist without the others.”

“What makes the schools so good is the low density in town—and that is thanks to the farms and the ‘empty nesters,’” said Blair. “And we can’t afford to pay for the schools unless we have those land stewards.”

He adds that for ‘empty nesters,’ the benefit to a strong school system in town is that property values are maintained.

With that in mind, Blair is proposing a series of changes designed to make each constituency feel that its voice is heard and its needs are being met.

When it comes to preserving excellence in the schools, Blair acknowledges that this comes with a cost. He is proposing a “voluntary tuition” program, which would call on parents of school-age children to contribute an additional amount—anywhere from $1 to $5 to $50 each week—that could be used to help cover the school’s expenses. Blair said he believes that if parents were to participate in such a program, other residents might be more inclined to vote favorably for additional overrides should they be necessary.

Preserving Harvard’s rural character is also high on Blair’s list. Blair notes that the current 40B crisis is forcing Harvard to address issues of growth on a scale that it has not seen before. He said, “In the last 40 years, Harvard has grown at a little less than 1 percent annually—about 13 houses per year—and the schools have grown at .8 percent per year. Development has been through slow, natural growth. Today a lot of the ideas that are being floated [about development in Harvard] will cause sudden, spasmodic growth.”

The “ecosystem” will be thrown out of balance, he said, and the problems will be “incalculable.” It is for this reason that Blair has spearheaded the proposed all-affordable housing site on Ayer Road, in order to minimize the number of additional homes that would need to be built in order for Harvard to fulfill its 40B requirement.

Blair said he also believes that a key to preserving the town’s rural character is solving the town center sewer issue. He asserts that the current town septic system, with upgrades, would be sufficient to hook up all of the town buildings, the General Store, the churches, the former Harvard Inn, and the old library. While he acknowledges that a new system would serve the town center’s residents as well, he claims that it would also be “breathtakingly expensive.”

“There’s a feeling in town that “big solutions” are the right way to go,” said Blair. “I think we need to get small and smart.”

Another key component of Blair’s platform is his plan to retain longtime residents in Harvard. Rising property taxes and consistent overrides have forced many ‘empty nesters’ to consider leaving town. Blair proposes that the town offer an enhanced tax deferral program that would allow residents age 55 and older to defer real estate taxes up to 50 percent of the value of the home.

Finally, Blair said he believes that fundamental changes need to be made in town governance.

“The decisions that we will make in the next two to three years will affect the town forever,” he said, adding that every citizen should feel they have a voice.

Blair contends that under the current system, many town residents feel disenfranchised and “intimidated” at the prospect of speaking their minds at the selectmen’s meetings.

To that end, Blair said he would like to change the structure of these meetings, making the first portion of each meeting open for public questions and comment. He would also schedule occasional Saturday meetings with day care provided so that residents with small children or seniors who have trouble driving at night would be able to attend. Additionally, he said, he believes that it is important to schedule at least three or four meetings a year on Devens.

“We should at least tell them that we’re interested,” he said.

Blair said he also believes that the Board of Selectmen needs to change the way it does business. To Blair’s thinking, it is “a terrible mistake for members of the Board [of Selectmen] or any other board to serve on other boards,” as it constitutes a conflict of interest. In answer to the argument that selectmen serve on other boards because of the dearth of town volunteers, Blair responds, “They’re probably right. More likely, though, the people who would otherwise do it feel like there’s no point.”

Blair also supports the idea of term limits for selectmen, so that no selectman would serve more than two consecutive three-year terms.

“One of the hardest things to learn in life is when to leave,” he said.

Blair said he believes that his life and work experiences have equipped him well for the challenges of being a selectman. “I’m not political,” he reiterates. “I’m a problem solver.”

Note: Leo Blair is running against Ron Ricci and Marie Sobalvarro for a three-year term on Harvard's Board of Selectmen.