Laura Richards announces run for Board of Health

the following was submitted by the candidate

Today I am announcing my candidacy for the Board of Health. I am an attorney with over a decade of experience in public health law working with the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards.

I was appointed to the Board of Health in July, 2013 to replace Attorney Timothy Lowney. In my time on the board, I have observed, first hand, how helpful it is to have an attorney as a member, especially one with public health expertise. Presently, the Board of Health also includes a nurse and an epidemiologist, and this combination of professional experience has proven to be truly valuable. We work very well together and I am often called upon by my fellow board members to provide legal advice and assistance. My legal background is helpful in many matters that come before the board, particularly those involving regulation development and implementation, tobacco control and applications for septic and other variances.

Significant changes have occurred since my appointment, and I have been a part of the decision making process involved with them. For instance, our Health Director was appointed as the assistant Town Administrator and we conducted detailed interviews of several candidates before a new Health Director was hired. Since then, our Principal Clerk has retired and we are interviewing candidates for that position. These are important decisions for the town, and the present board was and is able to make them, reaching consensus after careful consideration.

Perhaps most importantly, we are also in the process of rewriting our tobacco control regulations. This is where my experience will be most helpful. My public health legal background provides the board with a unique and valuable resource. Put simply, I have done this before. While at the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards I worked extensively in tobacco control and was often called upon to draft legislation and regulations. I also compiled the 2nd edition of The Legal Authority for Tobacco Control in the United States.

I was born and raised in Milton as was my husband, Tony Sbarra. We have three children, Danny Sbarra, a sophomore at UMass, Amherst and Andrew and Lily Sbarra, both students at Milton High School. As a lifelong resident of Milton, all the issues the town faces are important to me. I understand that I am dealing with real people with real concerns. All health related issues require the consideration of experienced, thoughtful people and I believe that I am well equipped to continue to be a valuable asset to the board.

I respectfully ask for your vote on Tuesday, April 29th.

  12 comments for “Laura Richards announces run for Board of Health

  1. Dana Etre
    April 7, 2014 at 10:21 am

    When I recently decided to move my family to Milton it was the commitment its residents had to the continued growth and prosperity of this town at every level that greatly influenced my decision. As a life-long resident who is raising her family here, I am confident that Laura Richards is sufficiently invested in the town and that she will serve its residents competently and with integrity. Further, her relevant experience speaks for itself. On April 29th, my wife and I will vote for Laura Richards to sit on the Board of Health.

  2. Brendan McLaughlin
    April 7, 2014 at 12:48 pm

    Congratulations to Laura Richards on her announcement for the Board of Health race. Milton is very fortunate to have such experienced people who are willing to donate their skills and their time to the town. Laura has done a great job and deserves everyone’s support to continue her work on the Board of Health!

  3. Joseph Patrick O'Malley
    April 7, 2014 at 2:05 pm

    Laura Richards is running for election to continue serving on Milton’s Board of Health for the right reasons. She does not have a personal agenda. It is important to note, when Attorney Timothy Lowney resigned (having moved out of town) the other two members of the Board of Health reached out to Laura because of her background as an attorney in the health care field. Laura is a very important member of this board. I will be casting my vote entusiastically for Laura Richards for Milton’s Board of Health.

    Síocháin – JPO

  4. Dan Biagiotti
    April 7, 2014 at 8:05 pm

    Laura Richards is a knowledgeable and talented individual. I believe that it is very important to have someone that understands the complicated rules and regulations with which the Board of a Health must comply. She has been a valuable asset to the board. I will be voting for her on April 29th.

  5. Paul Yovino
    April 7, 2014 at 10:21 pm

    We are fortunate to have two outstanding candidates running for the board of health. One brings a legal background and the other brings a background in public health policy and management.

    Actually, they both deserve to be on the board.

    It is hard to walk away and ignore that Cindy Christiansen has a Ph.D. in public health and is a professor at Boston University at Boston University’s School of Public Health and has the experience in obtaining government funding grants for public health issues. Anyone who can bring government funding to Milton is a great asset to this community where local funding in this area is extremely limited.

    As a panelist in last week’s candidate’s debate I don’t think it would be appropriate to endorse either candidate and I will not.

    Laura Richard’s brings her own substantial qualifications to the job and is dedicated to fighting drug abuse and all its negative consequences to individuals, families and to the community at large. That is an issue that is sadly becoming more of a concern even in leafy towns like Milton. This no longer just an urban issue. It is ignore at the town’s peril.

    I did ask both candidates if they would they reconsider and revisit voting for the 20 foot smoking ban outside commercial buildings. The previous board of health vetoed that ban; that refusal to support the 20 foot smoking ban flies in the face of all the public health studies.The newest studies confirm the serious health dangers innocent bystanders can incur by exposure to second hand smoke. For some reason that earlier board of health seemed to exist in a total state of denial of the dangers of second hand smoke. How could you be on a board of health and hold that position is something I find difficult to comprehend.

    Both Cindy Christiansen and Laura Richards promised to reopen this vital town-wide health issue. Christiansen said she would come armed with newest studies that make a 20 foot smoking ban something the new board of health must address immediately.

    This is an issue that can no longer be ignored which ever of these two qualified candidates wins.

    Good luck to both.

  6. April 10, 2014 at 8:14 pm

    I also think we’re lucky to have two good candidates for the Board of Health.

    I’ll be supporting Laura Richards because her experience is most applicable to the duties of our Board of Health. Laura is not just an Attorney, but an Attorney who has spent some years working in an Association that assists Boards of Health throughout the state. Central to the duties of Boards of Health is the interpretation and implementation of state and local laws and regulations that promote public health. Having legal expertise on the Board is invaluable. And with almost 9 months already on the job, Laura will need no time to “catch up” with issues we are already facing.

    By the way, Cindy Christiansen’s Ph.d is not in Public Health, but in Statistics.

  7. Ed Miller
    April 11, 2014 at 11:15 am

    Mr. Mathews, thank you for correcting some misinformation regarding Cindy Christiansen’s Ph.d.

  8. Laura Richards
    April 11, 2014 at 12:47 pm

    Please know that I am grateful for the comments made in response to my announcement as a candidate for the Board of Health. Your kind words inspire me to give the board my best efforts if I am afforded the privilege of continuing to serve. Thank you.

  9. Paul Yovino
    April 11, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    Not to belay this point and not to take anything away from Laura Richards but Mr. Mathews raises a difference with little distinction regarding Cindy Christiansen’s Ph.D..

    Cindy Christiansen’s Ph.D. in statistics, if that is what it is, is totally focused on the analysis public health issues. If you have to crunch numbers it might as well be on issues that affect our public health.

    I really think the town should expand the Board of Health so that the town can take advantage of both highly qualified candidates.

  10. Sarah Mahoney
    April 11, 2014 at 8:59 pm

    I note with interest the discussion concerning the relative experience of the two excellent candidates for Milton’s Board of Health. Of particular importance is that one of the current members, Ann Fidler, is an accomplished epidemiologist. By definition, her occupation requires the highest level of statistical analysis. We have statistics covered. Given the limited time each member can devote to the board’s responsibilities, isn’t the town better served by having Ms. Richards’ experienced legal point of view at its disposal?

  11. Sheryl Fleitman
    April 12, 2014 at 8:49 am

    People don’t seem to understand that Cindy isn’t just a statistician, she’s does cross-disciplinary research and teaching. She has experience in all layers of public health and health policy.

  12. Patricia Demers
    April 13, 2014 at 3:51 pm

    Further on the discussion about the relative experience of the two well-qualified Board of Health candidates, it is useful to look at the experience of the members who will serve with the newly elected one. Anne Fidler is an Associate Dean of the Boston University School of Public Health and an epidemiologist. We are lucky to have her. Her expertise, however, overlaps significantly with that of Cindy Christiansen. Laura Richards’ public health legal background, however, is a unique asset, and one of which the town should take advantage.

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