There is a person on the Board of Selectmen some would consider a liberal, another that some consider a conservative. McEttrick is neither. If the Board of Selectmen has an independent it is Marion McEttrick.
” . . . understanding people, their interests, and finding common ground”
Raised in Acton, McEttrick received her Bachelors degree from Wellesley College, a Masters from Northeastern, and eventually a law degree from Suffolk University. She went on to work for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the Criminal Justice Department.
“Proposition 2 1/2 is like a cross on my back”
However there are some issues the defy any amount of homework and the burden Proposition 2 1/2 is putting on Massachusetts municipalities is one of them according to McEttrick. “Proposition 1 1/2 is like a cross on my back. I don’t see how it’s done anything for anyone,” states McEttrick.
McEttrick believes it inhibits the ability to develop a good budget, has made it impossible to make good financial planning and has definitely changed politics. “It effectively turns the budget into a campaign issue.”
As a consequence town officials are motivated by crisis and rarely have the opportunity to sit back and think.
“Credentials are all great but experience is the best teacher.”
Given the budget challenges town departments face, it does not come as a surprise that McEttrick believes that “[There’s] nothing like a good administrator.”
Officially Selectmen are the decision makers but they cannot decide everything and the running the day-to-day operations of the town under constrained budgets is extraordinarily difficult. McEttrick places a high priority on local knowledge and experience. “Credentials are all great but experience is the best teacher,” according to McEttrick. Experience with the town, its people and its departments help an administrator learn how to motivate staff, find alternatives and create solutions.
She notes, “Hiring and promoting people is a major challenge and responsibility. This was something I had to learn.”
And are there any administrators that we are missing? “A finance director might be a plus.”
“This is a very smart community.”
Ms. McEttrick during the course of our conversation echoed some sentiments expressed by her colleague on the Board, Kathy Fagan. One of those was the activism of the community. McEttrick noted that there are quite a few committees here in town and she noted, “People want to be on those committees.” She also shared Fagan’s appreciation and regard for neighborhood associations they are “very helpful and [it] is important to encourage them.”
Despite the economic hard times that we find ourselves in McEttrick maintains, “This is a very smart community. We are going to figure out a way to be productive.”
It wasn’t long after McEttrick made this statement that I attended Special Town Meeting. I remember thinking, it is a smart community and I know because I just heard 35 people get up and speak and I found them all thoughtful, intelligent and persuasive.
So what has she learned and what is she proud of? It was a quick reply, “I’ve enjoyed being a selectmen more than I thought would. I’ve made a lot of friends. It has been a great social experience.” And like many officials, McEttrick is proud of the library and schools. “They are worthy capital investments . . . [I am proud to be] a cog in the wheel that helped make that happen.”