The following was submitted by the candidate

I am very pleased to announce my candidacy for re-election as one of your Milton Public Library Trustees. I enjoy serving as a Milton Library Trustee. As Past-President of both the Milton Library Foundation and the Milton Foundation for Education, and an Overseer of the BIDH-Milton, I have demonstrated my long-standing commitment to supporting Milton organizations that have important impacts on all segments of our community.

My wife, Ronit, and I have lived in Milton since 1981, raising our two children, Justin and Emily. We have embraced Milton for 34 years through our involvement with our neighbors, public schools, Hospital, Library, and various other organizations. I am a Town Meeting Member and have an understanding of the fiscal issues facing our town and library.
(photo by Jennifer Langdon Voigt)

These past three years have flown by very quickly! The most important items facing the Board when I was elected, besides making sure we spent enough on books, DVDs, audio books etc., so we meet minimum state certification requirement (and qualify for state aid), were the Library’s parking and traffic issues. Many automobile accidents at the Library’s entrance and the lack of adequate parking spaces had been an issue since the renovated library opened. I believe I helped the Board to focus on this issue and brought it to a reasonable position that resulted in additional parking spaces being added on Canton Avenue. I also serve on the Milton Library’s Art committee and physically brought (with Frank Schroth) to the Library the Nathaniel Kidder’s portrait from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society on a 10-year loan. In that capacity, in 2013, I, with other Art Committee members, visited the Milton Woman’s Club and recommended receiving the Club’s gift a mirror and a portrait of its Founding President to the Library.

The next major issue facing the Milton Library was the matter of the dying Copper Beech and Sugar Maple trees on the Library grounds. As a member of the Library’s Planning and Planting Committee, I advocated removing both diseased trees because of significant safety concerns. In the end, the decision to do this was, in fact, unanimous, and the reaction of the public seems to be consistent with our decision. I look forward to the spring, when new trees will be planted to beautify our Library grounds. I suggest that the decision of what to plant be the subject of Milton’s school children.

When running for office three years ago, I advocated for expanding the museum pass program. This has happened through the Friends of the Milton Library. I advocated for closer ties with the Milton Public Schools and this is happening, although not as rapidly as I wanted.

If re-elected, I will continue to promote increasing Library access during summers and on Sundays year-round. I will also continue to advocate for a “technology petting zoo” at the Library that includes free public programs regarding, and access to, 3-D printers. There is no reason for there to be a “digital divide” here in Milton. I have recently been obtaining information regarding adding solar panels to the Library’s roof to help reduce electricity costs.

I have been a professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University for 34 years and have served as Department chairman, associate chairman and University Faculty Council chairman. I am active in my profession nationally and internationally, currently serving as President of the International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM) and Past-President of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE), a non-governmental organization for the World Health Organization and the United Nations. I am currently a Fulbright Scholar on sabbatical at the Pontifical University Catholic of Peru. I would appreciate your support for my re-election and one of your three votes on April 28th.