by Mike Maholchic

The Rev. Shelly Davis was the speaker at the latest Milton Rotary Club meeting.  Rev. Davis was recently called as pastor at East Congregational Church and has been serving the congregation since last August.  She moved to Milton with her partner Beth Olson in November.  Rev. Davis has been listening carefully to find out which issues she ought to be concerned about as a new Milton resident and leader of a local faith community.

Rev. Davis is aware people in Milton have serious concerns about airplane traffic over the town.  She is aware that rampant substance abuse is a national problem and a local problem, which faith communities must help address.  But in speaking to civic and business leaders in town, she felt she needed to address issues of land use and property development.  She considered these in the light of three holy texts from the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim tradition, all of which essentially say, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.

Our neighbors, she said, are not just those who presently live next door, but are all the ones we are called to serve and to love.  To love one’s neighbor as oneself is to want housing for our neighbor comparable to our own housing.

The prior week Rotary heard from Kathleen O’Donnell, a lawyer hired as special counsel to the Town of Milton to provide advice on several upcoming housing projects with an affordable component (“40B Projects”) .  We knew these were projects that allocated 25% of the units to persons making 80% or less of the area median income.  Right now there are two such projects before the Milton Zoning Board of Appeals.

Rev. Davis said, “Vigorous opposition to 40B housing developments reinforces the image of the town as a wealthy, uncaring suburb.

  Many of Milton’s own parents know there is no way their recent college graduates can afford to live in town as they start their own families. Justice ‘rolls like a mighty stream’ and the justice called for in our faith traditions is for much, much more than the legally mandated number of affordable housing units.”

In the discussion afterwards, the members discussed funding for the town’s affordable housing trust.  Many Rotary members were supportive of exploring ways with the Milton Interfaith Clergy Association and other groups in creating a Habitat for Humanity home in town.

The Milton Rotary Club meets Wednesdays at 12:15 at Abby Park Restaurant, 566 Adams Street, Milton.  Please contact the club secretary, Michael Maholchic, if you are interested in one of our upcoming programs.    On February 18 we will hear from Erick Ask of the Milton Bicycle Advisory Committee on creating safe routes for kids to walk or bike to school.  On March 4  Imge Ceranoglu of Sustainable Milton will update us on their group’s latest efforts.  Finally, on March 11 Rick Neely, chairman of the Milton Town Government Study committee will go over their proposed changes to our town government.