About Dwight Valentine

BACKGROUND and EXPERIENCE

• Born in New York City, raised and graduated from High School in New Jersey

• BA in Political Science/History, Columbia University, New York, NY

• J.D., Suffolk University Law School, Boston, MA

• Admitted to the Bar and practiced law in Massachusetts for almost four decades representing parties in civil litigation and trials, as both plaintiffs and defendants, including individuals, small businesses, major corporations, and major insurance companies, in state and federal courts throughout the Commonwealth.

• Chair, Finance Committee, Town of Rockport.

• Joined the Finance Committee in 2019, served as a Member and subsequently was elected Chair and have served in that capacity to date.

• Millbrook Meadow Committee, Member.

• Sandy Bay Yacht Club, Member.

WHY I AM RUNNING FOR SELECT BOARD

Municipal self-governance in Rockport is a complex ongoing process that requires diligence and attention to details that are big and small in scale and impact. Questions must be asked, plans proposed and solutions agreed upon. Our town meeting form of government imposes responsibilities upon members of boards and committees, administrators, department heads, employees and citizens. In short, successful outcomes depend upon communication, a collaborative spirit and transparency across the governing spectrum.

During my tenure on the Finance Committee, we worked hard to meet our review and oversight obligations, to listen carefully to budgetary proposals, to ask the necessary questions, to comment freely and offer insights constructively and to reconcile fiscal sobriety when disagreements have occurred. Although members have different professional backgrounds and experiences that result in nuanced views on matters, the Committee typically forms a consensus after spirited discussion. This is the essence of teamwork.

Rockport’s current financial posture is relatively strong, given its low debt, AA bond rating, balanced budget and disciplined administrative budget construction and multiple committee and board review process. Nonetheless, external factors and internal needs continually arise and pressure the process and outcomes.

Operational and financial forecast planning over an extended period (5 year minimum) is necessary to substantively address and control the effect of downward pressures, especially in a new political era that may well diminish or eliminate state and federal grants and funding. This process has begun at the administrative and departmental level and should continue. I hope to join and contribute value and insight to the process.

Infrastructure issues and needs dominate the fiscal horizon. The Town’s systems -water, sewer, roads, bridges, buildings - are aged and require repair or upgrading in order to meet current and increasing use. Recent significant failures, including the dispersal of sewerage into the harbor, underscore the scope of the problem. Notably, the DPW has managed to cope with events to date, but failure to prepare for inevitable future events is a risk the Town should not incur. Moreover, the encroaching effects of climate change, including rising sea levels, impact the Town and also require planned mitigation.

Rockport’s declining school age population requires that administrators, the School Committee and the entire community reassess and strictly evaluate the school budget, student needs and the benefits of resource and expense sharing with other communities. I believe that an affordable well-run school system is the heartbeat of a strong community. Every effort should be made to plan accordingly.

Of course, affordable middle-class housing is also essential to community stability and continuity. One of Rockport’s strengths over time, and a contributing factor to its sense of community, has been the occupational and income diversity of its residents. As the old rhyme suggests, without “the butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker,” or the teacher, lobsterman, and police officer, our community would be a less cohesive and less beneficial place to live and grow families.

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