Vote for Tom for Wayland Select Board on Tuesday, April 1st, 2025
endorsements
Words of Support for Tom
Through his years of service to our town, Tom's work has impacted a number of Waylanders. Here are a few examples of what his supporters have to say.
Experience, Knowledge, and Energy
Experience, Knowledge, and Energy
Experience, Knowledge, and Energy
A Vote for Tom Fay Means Progress
I’ve been friends with Tom and Juliette Fay since our kids attended preschool nearly 20 years ago. It’s been a great privilege working together on a continual series of progressive initiatives for our community over the years, including funding for education and other services, approval for a new high school and more.
While Wayland is a wonderful town, newcomers are usually surprised to learn how much hard work is required to overcome resistance to change here. Tom has always worked extremely hard to accomplish great things in town. And to his credit, he is known to be a bridgebuilder, always reaching out and meeting with everyone. I have always admired this about Tom, as well many other aspects of his character – he is smart, fair, hardworking, loyal, and kind and has great integrity.
We are very fortunate to have someone of Tom’s caliber willing to serve our town. Please join me in reelecting Tom Fay!
Cynthia Sheppard
Pickwick Way
Unrivaled knowledge
We are fortunate to have Tom Fay running for re-election to the Board of Selectmen.
Tom’s passion and commitment to supporting, promoting and improving our community are exceptional. In addition to countless hours and years supporting the schools and sports while his four children went through the public system, Tom has held numerous elected and appointed positions within town government.
I first became aware of Tom’s involvement with Town issues when Tom spearheaded the Wayland Hurricane Relief Steering Committee. Since then, I have been impressed with his continued and varied involvement with town government from the Wayland Library Planning Committee, to the Wayland Town Meeting Rules Advisory Committee and most notably the Board of Selectmen from 2009 - 2012 and again starting in 2019 until now.
Tom’s knowledge of how our town government works and the issues we face for the last decades to the present are unrivaled. Please join me in supporting Tom Fay for reelection to the Board of Selectmen by voting absentee or at the polls on April 1.
Lisa Valone
Rice Rd
A REPRESENTATIVE FOR ALL
It is with great enthusiasm that I write in support of Tom Fay for re-election to the Select Board.
Some years ago, Tom and I served together on the Board and I found Tom to be an inclusive member who listened to all sides of an issue and deliberated before answering and was always thinking of what was best for Wayland. Unlike some, Tom does not have a personal agenda; his main objective is to serve all the citizens of Wayland.
It is my hope that you will join me in re-electing Tom Fay to the Select Board. Thank you.
Susan Pope
Moore Road
Former State Representative and Member of the Wayland Select Board
PROVEN LEADERSHIP
We were residents of Spencer Circle for over 20 years. We write to support Tom Fay's bid for re-election to the Board of Selectmen and highly endorse his candidacy.
Our experience with Tom began when the residents of Spencer Circle brought to Tom's attention the repeated difficulties they had been experiencing over the previous 19 years in getting the Town to finally take Spencer Circle as a public way. This was an undertaking that was intended as a part of the original subdivision approval and which should have been accomplished by at least 2004.
Tom was one of the most instrumental Town representatives with whom we dealt in finally getting Spencer Circle taken. He quickly assimilated the past history of the subdivision and the undertakings that had been promised but not fulfilled by former Town employees. Thereafter, realizing that positively resolving this nearly 20-year old issue would clearly be in the Town's best interest, he aggressively moved ahead to ensure that all Town Boards and Departments understood the need and their legal obligation to support doing so. He worked tirelessly throughout the process, attending every board meeting, and ensuring that all of the needed steps were accurately and timely completed, ultimately resulting in Town Meeting approval.
Tom's character, integrity, leadership, legal ability, attention to detail, and having the Town's and its residents' best interests at heart, make Tom the best candidate for the open position. We urge all Wayland residents to support Tom's re-election to the Board of Selectmen when voting at the polls on April 1!
Ev & Gordon Schultz
Spencer Circle
EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, AND ENERGY
We write in enthusiastic support of Tom Fay who is running for re-election to the Select Board in Wayland. We have three simple reasons: Tom’s experience, knowledge, and energy for improving our beloved town.
Wayland is at crossroads with the recent enactment by the Commonwealth of a special act to form a town manager model of government, as approved at the 2021 Annual Town Meeting. The next few years will require a steady hand in attracting, selecting, and guiding a permanent town manager, supporting town staff and volunteers, and moving projects forward. The Select Board has experienced significant turnover in the last few years. Now is the time to re-elect an experienced, knowledgeable, energetic candidate whose institutional knowledge will not be lost in a time of transition.
Tom understands the critical balance between responsible fiscal management and support for services required in a town like Wayland. Tom is the right person for the Select Board at this critical time. Please join us in voting for Tom Fay on April 1.
Lea and Charlie Anderson
Sedgemeadow Road
Lea is a Former Member and Chair of the Wayland Select Board
PROGRESS
This letter is to reach out to all my fellow Wayland voters on the upcoming elections for Select Board incumbent, Tom Fay.
I always vote for the person that I think will represent the people of our Town and will best serve our community’s needs. I look for a leader who takes the challenges of our times and works across divisive lines to get things done. In this regard, Tom Fay has been outstanding.
There are many challenges including COVID responses in our schools and public services that continue to carry over from the past years as well as several new capital plans that are listed for the next three years. Tom and the Select Board members have gotten many things done: shepherding the River’s Edge housing forward, overseeing the PFAS water treatment project to completion and finally, Tom successfully negotiated a settlement agreement with Twenty Wayland, LLC regarding the municipal parcels at the Town Center. He also got consensus of the Select Board to submit the CoA/Community Center Article at Town Meeting.
I am putting my faith and hope in Tom’s honesty and integrity. Please register to vote today and re-elect Tom Fay to the Select Board.
Bill Sterling
Morse Road
Vice Chair of the Council on Aging Board Writing Personally
OUTSIZED IMPACT
Wayland Community,
I am writing to share my enthusiastic endorsement of Tom Fay for re-election to our Select Board.
I have known Tom since we were teammates on the original Lavelle softball team that played in the inaugural Wayland Men's softball season in 2014 (see our team picture below). We played together on a closely knit team who genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.
Through a host of conversations, Tom’s integrity, intelligence, and sense of purpose were apparent. Tom was an instrumental advisor as we conceived of and developed the Wayland Dads group and our programming, including the Loker Dads and Kids Saturday morning drop-ins. Tom helped us navigate the various town groups and infrastructure to chart the course for the successful community group that Wayland Dads has ultimately become.
During my 14 years in Wayland, I have been keenly aware of the leadership roles Tom has played and the outsized impact he has had on the many boards and committees upon which he has served. Tom's leadership, persistence, and dedication to our Town earns my full support.
I encourage you to support Tom at the ballot on April 1st for the Select Board.
Thank you,
Scott Walters
Draper Road
Co-Founder Wayland Dads
TOM WITH THE TEAM
An EXCELLENT STEWARD
I am writing to support Tom Fay for Select Board. I am a Wayland father of four, a former chair of the Town's Finance Committee, and a long-time fire pit aficionado.
There are good reasons Tom Fay has been serving our town for as long as he has. He is kind, he is a good listener, and he is an excellent steward of our diverse interests. Those of you who have coached with and served alongside Tom know all this already.
I encourage everyone else in town to get to know Tom and vote for him, too.
Thomas Greenaway
Jeffrey Road
Former Chair of the Wayland Finance Committee
Value Aligned
I am writing in support of Tom Fay for re-election Wayland’s Select Board on May 10th.
Tom Fay has devoted himself tirelessly to Wayland through his service, bringing his expertise as an attorney, and understanding as a multi-decade resident, to our community. He has demonstrated his ability to work collaboratively with other committees to do what is in the best interests of our town.
I deeply appreciate Mr. Fay’s fiscal responsibility when considering changes and enhancements to our town. He understands the importance of finding effective means to save money, but also to invest in the things that make Wayland an amazing place to live. He has concentrated his energies on essential services and keeping our schools of the highest caliber while protecting our financial reputation and bond rating.
Tom was instrumental in the push for the Human Rights, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. This aligns with the values of many of us who live here, and further proves to me he is the right choice of leadership in our town. I will cast my vote to re-elect Tom Fay to Wayland’s Select Board.
Maureen White
Sedgemeadow Road
STRONG RELATIONSHIPS
Tom Fay has been my neighbor and cherished friend for over twenty years.
I’ve marveled at how much he has accomplished (most recently bringing the Community Center and the Loker grass field article to a vote) and how much time he has selflessly devoted to making Wayland a better and more inclusive place.
The key to Tom’s effectiveness is the long-standing, wide-reaching and mutually-respectful relationships he has built with our residents, staff, and volunteers. Please join me in voting for Tom Fay for our Select Board.
Megan Lucier
Rice Spring Lane
UNDISPUTED TRACK RECORD
Please join me in supporting Tom Fay for re-election to the Wayland Select Board.
Tom has an undisputed track record of understanding the importance of maintaining the excellence of our schools and town services while insuring that the town makes all decisions in a fiscally responsible manner.
During these challenging and polarizing times, Tom’s strong leadership, good judgment, calm demeanor and hard earned experience serving on multiple boards over the years is needed more than ever. Moreover, Tom is a consensus-builder who has gained the respect of all staff and town volunteers who have worked with him.
I first got to know Tom over fifteen years ago when as then chair of the Select Board I appointed him as co-chair of the Wayland to Waveland Committee, a group of Wayland residents who were committed to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. It was one of the best decisions I made as chair, as the Katrina initiative was extraordinarily successful and critically acclaimed in its impact. It was clear then and has been obvious to all who have worked with Tom that he is a man whose integrity, decency, and passion for our town is unsurpassed.
I strongly endorse Tom for re-election to the Select Board.
Michael Tichnor
Hayfield Lane
Former Member and Chair of the Wayland Select Board
A NATURAL CONSENSUS BUILDER
I met Tom shortly after moving to Wayland over 13 years ago and have worked closely with him on various efforts over the years.
It was Tom's love of and commitment to Wayland that encouraged me to get involved locally as a member of the library planning committee and the finance committee. Tom is an effective leader with decades of experience, good judgement and creativity.
His commitment and devotion to our community are admirable, as are the relationships he has built with residents and town staff over the years. As a natural consensus builder with decades of experience, Tom is well suited to help navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Please join me in re-electing Tom Fay on April 1st!
Jen Gorke
Bow Road
Former Member of the Wayland Finance Committee
First-Hand Knowledge
To fellow Wayland residents,
The Town of Wayland needs Tom Fay.
As a Select Board member for more than nine years, Tom has critical working knowledge needed to get things done for our community. As we transition to a new Town Manager form of government. As we work to complete the Community Center. As we create a master plan for Route 20 to help revitalize the corridor. The list of tasks goes on and on. Important challenges are ahead of us.
Tom understands how the Select Board works, and how our town government works. To be candid, he understands how a select few squeaky wheels in our town make our town employees’ and town volunteers’ lives very difficult -- notoriously more difficult than in other towns, our town’s reputation most certainly precedes us -- leading to essential employees and volunteers leaving, taking their good intentions and institutional knowledge with them.
We’ve been hit with several key departures in recent months, leaving us with a short bench, which makes someone with Tom’s experience all the more critical to keep in place this year.
Tom has the demonstrated demeanor and experience to represent ALL Wayland residents, incorporating the reasonable concerns of the vocal few, but not succumbing to overkill or inertia. We need a leader who has, and who can, balance the best interests of the entire town to move us forward and achieve our goals as a community. To keep our schools strong. To find good town employees, with full knowledge of our town’s challenges. To balance the needs and the wants of many parties, and many priorities, to find realistic and cost-effective solutions, and carry them forward.
Neighbors have asked me what I think of the other candidates, and while I believe Tom is clearly the best choice for this year and this time, I would encourage Dovie to run next year when two Select Board seats open up. Her perspective and expertise could encourage long-term balance of the Select Board, and the benefit of another year to get to know Wayland beyond HRDEI (Come join us on EDC for a year! We would welcome your energy) would make her a compelling candidate for 2023 for Wayland.
However, this year above all years, we have critical roles to fill, processes to enact, and jobs to get done, and we need Tom’s demonstrated steady stewardship among many groups, and his deep, first-hand knowledge of all our key issues, to make sure these happen this coming year. We are learning the hard way that it is essential that we should not let proven institutional knowledge, strengths, and attributes walk out the door when they are so urgently needed.
Please join me in voting to re-elect Tom Fay on May 10th.
Becky Stanizzi
Chair of the Wayland Economic Development Committee
Written personally