Dear fellow Hanoverians:
Below please find Vanessa O’Connor’s candidate information sheet. Ms.
O’Connor is running for re-election to one of two open seats on the Select
Board.
CANDIDATE INFORMATION SHEET
Vanessa A. O’Connor
Office Seeking: Select Board
Address: 43 Mayflower Circle, Hanover, MA 02339
Telephone Number: (781) 296-7029
Length of Residency: 7.5 years
Relevant Experience: I was elected to the Select Board in 2020 and
re-elected in 2023. I have served as Vice-Chair (2022-2023) and Chair
(during both override years – 2023-2024 and 2024-2025). As a Select Board
Member, I have served as liaison to the Fire Works Site Focus Committee and
the Transfer Station Study Committee. I serve as liaison to the Affordable
Housing Trust (which I also sit on), Advisory Committee, Board of Health,
Parks and Recreation Committee, Taxation Aid Committee and Zoning Board of
Appeals. Before election to the Select Board, I was the Advisory Committee
appointee to the Fire Station Planning Study Committee. I am an active
community volunteer, member of The Hanover Club, HYAA soccer and basketball
coach and founder of the Hanover Fiber Club. Professionally, I am a real
estate lawyer at The TJX Companies, Inc., where I provide legal counsel and
guidance on all aspects of real estate leasing, acquisition, management,
development and disposition. I earned my J.D. from Boston College Law
School, my B.A. in political science from Tufts University and am a
graduate of Braintree High School. I grew up nearby in Braintree and lived
in Dorchester with my family before settling in Hanover in 2018.
Major Issues: Hanover continues to face several challenges, namely related
to the tension between affordability and maintaining services, major
infrastructure and environmental costs, and for the growth and aging of our
population. The two-year process that led to the FY2026 override
underscored the need for responsible budgeting that still manages to
protect our schools and services – which will require disciplined
long-term financial planning. At the same time, Hanover is confronting
serious environmental and public health challenges like PFAS contamination
in our water, which is not a problem our government or residents created,
but will require major investment to fix. Relatedly, challenges with
respect to COVID, healthcare costs, benefits, etc., have forced us to put
off or limit investments in our infrastructure (such as those related to
traffic, technology, and public buildings) which we need to address – how
we invest in our town today shapes how we experience it in the future.
Finally, we are also working to get ahead of housing growth needs so that
young families and seniors alike can afford to join and stay in our
community.
Why I Am Running for The Select Board: As I did in 2020 and 2023, I am
running for the Select Board because I believe that Hanover should be a
collaborative, sensible, and inclusive community. I advocated passionately
for moderate override that reflected the needs of families with students in
Hanover’s public schools with the very real financial pressures resident
face. While the override ultimately passed last year, our related
challenges did not end there and I vocally committed to avoiding another
override through at least FY2032 (when a number of debt, pension obligation
and tax factors provide some relief to our budget). I am running for the
Select Board again to see that commitment through, which will require
adhering to the Comprehensive Financial Policy that I (along with Select
Board Member Hughes, the Town Manager, and the Budget Director) led the
charge on this past fall. I want to fulfill the commitment that I made to
the residents of Hanover and will work towards that goal if re-elected. I
want to continue to work diligently to be inclusive and communicate often
and transparently with residents as I remain the only Select Board member
to push meeting information out to residents using social media and hold
weekly office hours. I have consistently been responsive to resident
concerns and needs, often resolving issues myself or connecting residents
with the correct town representative to assist in resolving them and
remaining involved until the issue is addressed. In my six-year tenure as a
Select Board member, I have shown myself to be poised, efficient,
pragmatic, and unafraid to ask questions or acknowledge and learn from my
mistakes. Finally, I have worked hard to approach my role with competence
and inclusion while speaking out for what is right. I again ask for your
vote and look forward to the opportunity to continue representing you!
For “Around Town on the Web”,
Cathy H-B
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