Welcomed and seen.
I want everyone to be welcomed and seen, from day one. I want every Acton resident to live comfortably and stress-free in a home they can afford; enjoy sufficient food; pay no more rent or taxes than fits into their budget; and be able to get to where they want to go when they want to. Taxpayers should find reasons to stay in Acton long after their kids graduate; young people should be able to thrive socially and economically in town, send their children to town on safe sidewalks. Seniors should have a centrally-located senior center. We should be maintaining a place where anyone’s future great-grandchildren will enjoy living.
I want everyone to be recognized as the gift they are to our community, no matter how long their family has been here–one day, or hundreds of years, or “no idea”, or “I don’t even live here, I work here”, or “I just take gymnastics lessons here”, or “We love to picnic here”–and whatever their race, country of origin, citizenship, religion, sexuality, or gender identity. I want them to enjoy accessible playgrounds, pristine open space, and ubiquitous public transportation.
I want their children to be educated and cared for as needed, from pre-school through age 22. It is important that Acton-Boxborough schools provide a strong civics curriculum and the study of history to reflect all students’ family backgrounds. It is important that we provide a varied program–science fairs, theater, journalism, and a strong special education program. We must not forget the students in the middle. No student should feel invisible. And all children should have access to mental health support.
I want residents to know that their nursing service is a call away, that the Senior and Social Services center staff and educational activities can support them, and that their town officials are working for them. When any of these given supports are missing, or a family is in crisis of any kind, I want them to have help within reach. When we call the police, the responders now include mental health providers, a program we must continue to support.
I don’t want people to just survive with support, but to have fun! I hope each person finds activities that feed them—in the inclusive theater group Open Door Theater, the Acton Community Chorus, or Community Ed classes; climbing Great Hill, sitting in the Chinese garden at the Acton Arboretum, or hiking from Spring Hill to Nashoba Brook conservation land; playing baseball on the Miracle Field, running at Leary Field, or playing soccer at night at the Lower Fields; meeting with a Republican or Democratic club, a religious group or humanist society; the Rotary Club, the Lions Club, a language lesson, whatever ham radio enthusiasts do in 2021. People should be able to stroll and shop and eat out, without hopping in and out of a vehicle, and to take the train west to the Fitchburg Art Museum or east to Cambridge. People who don’t drive and people with disabilities should be able to fully participate in everything Acton has to offer, including participation on Town Boards and Committees–a lively aspect of Acton life that I am especially fond of. When a doctor says, “Come in on Monday,” we shouldn’t have to spend the weekend figuring out a ride. When we want to visit a relative in a nearby town, we should know that our transportation program will help us get there.
To these ends, on this website, you will see Issues & Ideas that I will continue to work on as a Select Board member. I say “continue” because even in the six years since my three-year term ended on the Board, I have stayed active in all of these areas.
Vote Franny Osman 