Dear fellow Hanoverians:
Below please find James Hoyes’ candidate information sheet. Mr. Hoyes is
running for one of the two open three-year terms on the Select Board.
There are two candidates for the two open seats, so he is unopposed,
despite the fact that there is another candidate for Select Board.
“Candidate: James E. Hoyes
Office Seeking: Select Board
Address: 56 Stone Meadow Lane, Hanover, MA, 02339
Telephone Number: 781-308-9247
Email: jim@HoyesForHanover.com
Length of Residency: 22 years
Relevant Experience: I have served the Town of Hanover in both volunteer
and professional capacities since 2015, including my current role as
Director of Budgeting and Financial Strategy since October 2024. As a
volunteer, I spent more than six years on the Advisory Committee and two
years representing Hanover on the MBTA Advisory Board, where I also served
on the Operating Budget, Capital Budget, and Ferry Services subcommittees.
The Select Board also appointed me to support key short-term initiatives,
including recommending an investment firm for the Town’s OPEB Trust Fund
and assisting in the Town Manager selection process. In the community, I
remain actively involved with the First Congregational Church of Hanover,
where I have served as Finance Chair and Moderator and currently serve as
Treasurer.
Professionally, I bring over 40 years of experience in the pharmaceutical
and healthcare sectors, including senior executive roles across multiple
functions and serving as President and Head of U.S. Operations for EMD
Serono, the U.S. subsidiary of Merck Serono. I have also served on the
boards of major industry organizations, including PhRMA, MassBIO, and the
BIO (Health Section Governing Board), and spent several years in healthcare
strategy as an Executive Partner in a consulting firm. These experiences
provide me with a clear understanding of how the public, private, and
government sectors intersect. Through these roles, I have led complex
organizations, built high-performing teams, managed large-scale
initiatives, and delivered results.
In summary, I offer a proven track record in leadership, finance,
operations, and collaboration, combined with a deep understanding of
Hanover’s municipal government. I am prepared to leverage this experience
to help the Town navigate its priorities and challenges over the next 3–5
years.
Major Issues: Over the past several years, much of the focus has been on
finances, budgets, and the 2025 override. That override vote was a critical
first step as it helped stabilize service levels and provided breathing
room to strengthen the Town’s long-term financial strategy. But the work
is not done. Hanover still faces difficult choices as we balance service
levels, affordability, and sustainability … particularly as we work
toward fully funding our pension obligations by FY31.
At the same time, building a strong community requires more than sound
budgeting. It also requires a focus on people, quality of life, and
long-term stewardship of the Town’s resources. Beyond the annual
operating budget, Hanover faces several key priorities that demand
attention. These are the groupings of issues I will focus on and the type
of actions I will champion as a Select Board member:
Bringing Hanover Together
• While not a policy issue, this is a leadership tone I would like to set
as a Select Board member. After several years of difficult budget decisions
and override debates, our community has experienced growing division and
partisanship even in roles meant to be non-partisan, like the Select Board.
As we approach Hanover’s 300-year anniversary, we have an opportunity to
reset the tone. I am committed to fostering respectful dialogue, rebuilding
trust, and focusing on what unites us as a community. Our town has many
challenges to address, and we need to minimize external distractions from
the task at hand.
Core Infrastructure and Financial Planning
• Providing Clean Water & a Reliable Water Supply: The Water Enterprise
must address PFAS challenges, upgrade Hanover’s three treatment plants,
and continue to invest in aging water main replacements while also
developing a long-term water supply strategy that supports residents,
businesses, and responsible growth.
• Structuring Capital Investment Requirements: Maintaining and
modernizing schools, municipal buildings, and infrastructure through
disciplined long-term planning is outlined in the Town’s new 10-year
Capital Investment Plan. This requires a careful balance between usage of
debt, free cash, retained earnings, and stabilization funds. It will also
require forward-looking thinking to capture timing, costs, and property tax
impacts of major construction projects.
• Strengthening Revenue Growth: With limited “New Growth” available
under Proposition 2½ constraints, Select Board advocacy for smart growth
concepts, including support of local business growth, is essential. At the
same time, we must actively manage key revenue sources such as meals tax,
motor vehicle excise, investment income, and fees to offset the expense
side of budgeting.
Quality of Life
• Supporting Seniors: I believe Hanover must better align resources to
meet the needs of its growing senior population. The findings from the
Needs Assessment looking at Aging in Hanover, conducted by the Gerontology
Institute at UMass Boston, highlights several key issues including
supporting aging in place initiatives, expanding housing options for
seniors, enhancing social engagement programming, and addressing health
impacts caused by issues such as isolation and loneliness.
• Protecting the Environment: Advancing the fireworks site cleanup in
coordination with state and federal partners is critical to Hanover’s
environmental footprint. Equally important is protecting and maintaining
the existing network of open spaces and trail systems. In order to further
build on a long-standing commitment to the environment, the town needs to
better leverage our Green Community status to secure annual grants, expand
solar opportunities, reduce energy costs, and lower our long-term carbon
footprint. This needs to be done overtime with realistic, affordable, and
measurable goals.
Operational Excellence
• Focusing on IT & Technology: Building a modern, secure, and efficient
technology framework is essential. This includes strengthening
cybersecurity, updating policies (including the use of AI), clarifying
leasing versus purchasing decisions, and actively managing hardware
lifecycles. Artificial Intelligence platforms may present an opportunity to
improve efficiency and enhance how the Town interacts with residents and
businesses. To jump-start this initiative, I support relaunching the
Technology Committee with a clear, updated mandate.
• Supporting Continuous Improvement: We must always strive to improve.
Town staff and elected and appointed officials must critically evaluate
completed projects to ensure taxpayer dollars were spent wisely, identify
what worked well and should become best practice, and address what did not
… all in a transparent manner.
Finally, we must responsibly manage our long-term liabilities which
includes a mix of existing debt, Plymouth County Retirement payments, and
OPEB obligations. This approach will require financial discipline,
long-term planning, and maintaining a strong bond rating with agencies such
as Moody’s Investors Service. And it will require a firm commitment not to
push these multi-million-dollar costs onto the next generation.
Why I am Running for the Select Board: I have proudly called Hanover home
since 2004. For more than two decades, this community has been where I have
raised my family, built my career, and formed lasting friendships. Hanover
is a special place, and it is a community worth protecting for the future.
Like many other South Shore communities, Hanover faces real challenges,
particularly around affordability, budgeting, and long-term financial
sustainability. I am running for Select Board because I want to help our
town navigate these challenges thoughtfully and responsibly, and in a way
that preserves the character and quality of life that makes Hanover such a
wonderful place to live.
Professionally, I bring decades of leadership experience in the
biopharmaceutical industry, where I led a large organization and later
advised companies on complex strategic decisions. That background has
instilled a solid foundation in problem-solving, accountability, and
results-driven leadership. Locally, I have spent seven years serving on the
Advisory Committee, participated in multiple ad hoc committees, represented
Hanover on the MBTA Advisory Board, and most recently worked as a Finance
Department consultant for the town. In that role, I have been directly
involved in developing budget proposals, shaping long-term financial
strategies, supporting capital planning, and improving debt management.
This combination of professional experience and local involvement gives me
a clear, practical understanding of the decisions ahead, especially over
the next 3–5 years.
My focus as a Select Board member will be simple:
• Set clear priorities.
• Make disciplined, transparent decisions.
• Work collaboratively with residents, businesses, and town leadership.
• Streamline and clarify core town policies and the many town programs
available for residents.
Hanover’s future depends on thoughtful leadership, and a willingness to
make smart and sometimes tough decisions. I am ready to do that work …
together with our community.
My commitment to the voters is to Listen, Lead and Deliver. You can hold me
accountable to that commitment.
I am excited to be running for the Select Board and energized by the
opportunity to represent the residents of Hanover over the next three
years. As a Select Board member, you can count on me to stay focused on
Hanover’s priorities, to work hard, and to deliver thoughtful, practical
solutions. My time and energy will be dedicated to the issues that directly
impact our community because Hanover has more than enough important work
ahead of us. And we do not need any distractions from this important work.
I respectfully ask for your vote on May 16th.”
For “Around Town on the Web”,
Cathy H-B
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