Town COuncil

Candidate Website/Social Media Address

www.tedcormierleger.com and also on Facebook

Candidate Biography

I am a Proud Father, husband, home owner, business owner, and community advocate with over 20 years of non profit, professional experience. Born and raised in Medford, I am a lifelong Mass resident.

Interesting things about me?

• Eagle Scout

• Huge Patriots and Red Sox fan

• Speak, read and write conversational Italian

• Visual artist

• Highly respected and award winning realtor with a 5 star rating from my clients.

Will you support putting the override on the ballot this term? If not, how do you propose addressing the fiscal challenges set out in the FY2021 budget message? https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/2020-05-27_fy_2021_budget_message_narrative_final.pdf

Yes. Ultimately this decision belongs in the hands of the voters.

How do you propose supporting Franklin’s small businesses? What actions Town Council should take to attract more small businesses to Franklin?

Town councilors should sit in on Downtown Partnership meetings and hear directly from Franklin’s business community. Online commerce and high commercial rents are hurting many local businesses so we need to be creative in order for them to be successful. Healthy small business is critical to keeping Franklin a place to live, work and thrive. Nobody wins if our storefronts are shuttered. Councilors also should interact one on one with business owners whenever possible and encourage constituents to support them. I pride myself on having many close relationships with small business owners in town including many contractors and home service providers. I love referring them to friends, neighbors and clients.

More small business attraction to Franklin? Shared resources like sharing space, bundling services, group purchasing power and we should at least be willing to entertain tax incentives for startups so they can get properly settled in town.

What accomplishments are you most proud of during your most recent tenure? Or, if you are a new candidate, what achievements make you most qualified for the position?

I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished on the Franklin Cultural Council over the last 2 years (especially during a global pandemic)- reviewing and awarding grants to more than 60 applicants, free master classes online for residents, a hugely successful Halloween yard decorating contest, and most recently a fantastic Franklin Cultural Festival on our town common which attracted over 8,000 people.

I also serve as a board member for the Franklin Youth Football & Cheer organization. We have been able to grow our program to serve nearly 200 kids and as Fundraising chair, I was able to renew our business sponsorship program. Working with my fellow board members, parents and athletes, we also had a record canning season and a hugely successful calendar sale.

What do you believe the Town Council’s priorities should be for the upcoming term?

Create and implement a responsible, forward thinking budget that not only meets the growing needs of our town (including our schools) but plans accordingly for its future. Funding for the arts in Franklin (music, visual, performing etc) is a key component to a healthy and vibrant Franklin.

Encourage diverse voices from all over our community to speak up, volunteer and be a part of the fabric that keeps our town strong. For too long, many of these voices have been silent or discouraged from participating. We are stronger if we celebrate our differences and find ways to come together.

Franklin has a strong and proud police dept, fire dept and EMS service deserving of our support. National events have shined a negative light on the important work they do in our community. I want to work with my fellow Town Councilors to make sure they have everything they need to do their job safely and give them the tools and training needed to de-escalate situations without violence whenever possible.

Identify funding to fix many of the infrastructure problems facing our town from sidewalks to bridges to water delivery systems. And we need to streamline a way so that residents can report issues and get a timely response.

Continue to find ways to preserve our natural resources and maintain/better utilize public space.

In its 2020 update to implementation of the 2013 Master Plan, the Department of Planning & Community Development (DPCD) recommended two goals related to housing in Franklin, the first goal is to provide an appropriate mix of housing alternatives for middle income workers. The second goal is to support development opportunities for low, moderate and middle income households preventing many in Franklin from being able to find affordable housing. Are you in support of these goals? Why or why not?

Yes, I am a strong believer that everyone deserves a place to call home. I would especially like to see us create more affordable housing for our senior population and connect the housing to critical services so they can feel supported and safe.

In the FY22 Budget Hearing, the Superintendent of Schools presented data showing Franklin falls in the 22nd percentile statewide for Net School Spending (state aid + local contribution) and 75% of districts in Massachusetts spend more, per pupil, than Franklin. Do you believe Franklin's local contribution to education should increase? Reference: https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/fy22_public_budget_hearing_presentation_2.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2kIknw-RiGTdInzDHdBcc4Th8VDGdlug7qYepSxrnoQxUCK_oITKrCiQY

Yes. We need to be more in line with comparable neighboring communities. Otherwise our amazing teachers and administration leave for better opportunities. Our kids deserve the best possible public education available as they are our future.

In its 2020 update to implementation of the 2013 Master Plan, the Department of Planning & Community Development, (DPCD) recommended two goals with regard to transportation and infrastructure. Goal one was to improve and maintain the Town’s public roadway system. The second goal is to make the Town more walkable and bikeable by creating and maintaining safe interconnected pedestrian and bicycle routes. Are you in support of this why or why not? How do you propose funding?

Yes. I would like to see a master plan that addresses these concerns over a reasonable amount of time so as not to place an undue burden on the taxpayers of Franklin. Better roads, sidewalks and bike trails/lanes will lead to healthier and happier people in Franklin.