Over 100 Attend Campaign Kick-Off

Over 100 supporters braved the snow to attend Marc's Re-Election Kick-Off event, held at Chung King (Rick's Café) in Billerica Center on Saturday, February 9. A silent auction, drinks, plenty of great food, and good conversation made for a perfect evening. Following dinner, Marc offered the follow remarks:

Thank you all for coming tonight, I appreciate your support.  Without you and your support, a successful election wouldn’t be possible.

There are so many people I want to thank and I hope I don’t miss anyone.  I want to first thank my family for their support.  My amazing wife Melissa, I would be nothing without you.  You give so much of your time and our time together to this community and you are just as much as a public servant as I am.  I am so grateful for your patience, encouragement, and support.  To my Mom and Dad and my siblings, thank you for your help day in and day out.  Your encouragement means more than you know.

There are certain people that are your backbone, who give unconditionally and one such person is Sandra MacMillan.  I always say the gates of heaven will be wide open for Sandy when her day comes because she is the most selfless and caring person I know.  Thank you for everything you do for me day in and out.  And her husband John, thank you for your guidance and mentoring.

Thank you to Ed Hurd for his guidance and his mentoring during my first term, I am truly grateful to you for showing me the ropes and helping me grow as a Selectman. To my good friend and communications Director Dan Tobin, thank you for all your help.  And a thank you to the rest of my committee, including Dot Pearson, Helen Hatch, and all the rest of you.  I can’t thank you all enough.

Three years ago, the nay-sayers said this kid couldn’t win a seat on the board.  The Lowell Sun gave me 20 to 1 odds to win a seat.   However, three years ago, I knew that the town was ready for a leader who would bring change to the board.  I knew that Billerica needed a leader who had courage, one who would challenge the status quo.  I knew that the town needed a Selectman who remembers that he is there for the people.

I am so proud to be a member of the Board of Selectmen.  More specifically, I’m proud to be a board member who truly stands up for the taxpayers.  On many occasions, I find myself in the minority when discussing important issues, but that won’t stop me from being a voice for the people.

I’ve been a Selectman who hasn’t just talked about fiscal responsibility; I've been a Selectman who has voted for increased fiscal responsibilities. When the town wanted to hire engineers while the school department was forced to not hire teachers, I spoke up and said ‘no.’ When faced with options to add staff to the payroll, time and time again, I said ‘no.’ Just as important, I have told the town manager that I didn’t want to see budgets that increased taxes $300 per year like before I was on the board.  When presented with budgets, I’ve always asked what it meant for residents' tax bills.

These questions weren’t asked before I was on the board and now we’re making progress.  The last two years, taxes have seen a modest increase of 2% per year; this is surely better than the 7% per year we were seeing prior to my tenure.  It’s not perfect, but we’re moving in the right direction, and there’s still work to be done.  Fundamentally, the difference between me and others is that I know that Government is here for the people, not the people for the government.

I believe that Selectmen should have a vision for the community.  This means not only looking at the finances of the community, but looking at how we develop our community.  When 40B projects have threatened neighborhoods, I’ve spoken up to colleagues on other boards to say 'no.'  When a proposal to bring Home Depot to the center of our community arrived, there was only one Selectman to say “Home Depot doesn’t belong in our center.”  The owners of the Billerica Mall have abused this town for years; they’ve let their building deteriorate and turn into an eye sore and a tax write off.  Now they present a proposal to “revitalize” the mall.  Well, the mall needs to be revitalized, but Billerica deserves a responsible proposal that will be in the best interest for our community and not for some corporation in New York City.

When a power plant was proposed for North Billerica, I talked to residents and learned about the project.  I read hundreds of pages of testimony about this project.  The neighborhoods appealed to their Board of Selectmen for help and I was there.  While some members of the administration see a fat payday for the town of Billerica, I see our fresh air being contaminated with toxins.  While some see a construction project for a couple of months, I see a huge threat to the safety of our neighborhood and the water supply of many communities.  When no one wanted to talk about this proposal, I was there.  I will always stand by the residents and I’m not afraid to say Billerica does not need a power plant to supply electricity to Connecticut!

I pride myself on bringing common sense to the Board of Selectmen.  All too often, common sense is not so common.  Common sense and financial data tells me that paying taxes on our homes is expensive.  We have single family homeowners and condo owners in our community.  The fact is that some condo owners pay more taxes than single family homeowners.  I believe condo owners deserve the same rights as any other taxpayers in town.  That is why when a proposal came to the board to take away trash pickup from many condo owners in town, I did not support it.  Condo owners are not second class citizens and they deserve equal representation.  I will always stand up for all taxpayers in town.

April 5th’s election is very important and I need your help to continue to serve on the board.  I promise to continue to serve with integrity, dignity, and common sense.  I will always stand by the residents because my job is to serve you.  I will have the courage to take unpopular positions when it’s right for the town.  I have no conflicts of interests as a board member so you can be sure my only special interest is you, the taxpayers of our community.  If re-elected, you can be guaranteed that you will have a voice on the board of Selectmen.

Thank you all so much for coming and God bless you all.