>> Selectmen: Tom Fay

Town Service

Chair, Wayland to Waveland Hurricane Relief Steering Committee
Parishioner, St. Zepherin Parish, Cochituate Village
Multiple Committees
Former elected town meeting member in Needham, at age 18

Professional Career:

Partner, Boyle Morrissey & Campo, P.C.
Trial Practice and Corporate Problem Solving

Educational Background:

Boston College (B.A., 1983)
Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America (J.D., 1987)
Catholic University Law Review (1985-1987)

Website: www.tomfay.org

Email Contact: Tom@TomFay.org

Statement: My name is Tom Fay, and I am running for a seat on the Wayland Board of Selectmen. If there was ever a need for continued steady leadership to guide our great town to meet the economic challenges of the day, it is now. As chair of the Wayland to Waveland Hurricane Relief Steering Committee, an attorney, and a 16-year Wayland resident, I have the experience, judgment, knowledge, and commitment to be an effective voice for Wayland’s residents.

As Selectman, I will strive to maintain the Town’s strong financial position, essential services, and school quality. Wayland is a well-run town. Moody’s Investors Service recently affirmed this fact by conferring its rare AAA rating on the town’s general obligation debt, a rating the town has enjoyed since 1993. I will work to appoint Finance Committee members who are dedicated to a balanced budget and maintaining the town’s excellent bond rating, while responsibly supporting quality town services for residents.

Working together we must continue to explore and implement creative cost-saving strategies. These include joint purchasing, consolidating work and departments, collaborating with comparable municipalities, and seeking greater efficiencies within town departments.

It was this nation’s greatest natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina, that motivated me to help lead Wayland’s efforts in Waveland, Mississippi. The Wayland to Waveland Committee (W2W) raised over $1.6M to build eight new homes in Waveland last year, its largest project to date. This effort involved over 400 skilled tradesmen, 60 area construction companies, and hundreds of volunteers. Many of these volunteers were Wayland residents, including high school students. As a leader in W2W for the past three and a half years, I have had the opportunity to work closely with Wayland’s elected and appointed town leaders.

Having gone to Waveland nine times since Katrina, I know first hand what it takes for a community to meet unprecedented challenges. Wayland shines as a model of Americans helping Americans, and demonstrates the power of hands-on community service. While our homes stand strong here in Wayland, there is anguish and suffering also, as residents lose jobs and struggle to do with less. I look forward to effectively meeting our community’s challenges with the same energy and dedication that W2W brought to Waveland.

Wayland’s school system is one of the town’s most valuable assets. Sixteen years ago, my wife Juliette and I, like so many families, moved here for the schools. Our four children thrive in Wayland’s elementary, middle and high school programs. I recognize how important quality education is for the community, now and in the future, and I am committed to support that tradition, as we have for decades.

Wayland residents have traditionally believed in responsible environmental stewardship. If elected I will support proven, cost-effective initiatives to help preserve Wayland’s conservation lands. I will also aggressively explore and implement the development of alternative energy sources, and help to improve energy efficiency. I will work to protect our natural resources, and will support effective, fair, and vigorously-enforced land use regulations and procedures.

I love Wayland. It would be an honor to serve on its Board of Selectmen.