Winchester Speaks
Town Leaders and Residents Share Why They're Voting YES! on the Override
Jason Lewis
State Senator
MA 5th Middlesex District
This override is necessary to fund the critical needs of our town and schools, and is part of a comprehensive plan that also includes cost efficiencies and protections for taxpayers.
I will be voting Yes on March 21st.
Michael Day
State Representative
MA 31st Middlesex District
This override is essential to funding our community's needs. From our schools and public works to our police and fire, our town provides the best services because we provide the resources needed to fund them. Winchester residents should have confidence that this override plan is the result of rigorous work across all departments that will cut costs where we can, find additional revenue everywhere possible and ultimately only asks our residents to step up where it is absolutely necessary to continue our town operations at the levels we expect.
All 5 Winchester Select Board members unanimously support the override
"With +95% of the town’s property tax revenue coming from residential taxes, and our ability to raise revenue limited to ~3% per year, we run structural deficits when union contracts, costs of materials, and benefits increase by more than 3%.
We have two straight years of health insurance increases of +14%. We need additional revenue to maintain the staff and the services that we give to residents, and add investments to address unmet needs."
MICHELLE PRIOR
Chair, Winchester Select Board
"I'm voting Yes for Winchester because the override will allow our operating budget to meet rising healthcare costs and ensure critical services like public safety are appropriately staffed. The investment in capital funding will allow for critical upgrades to the historic Town Hall as well as schools building improvements. Winchester’s students will benefit as we adopt a new literacy curriculum and support expanded programs at the upper grades. And as a Muraco parent, the override is key to keeping the new Muraco on track by providing key funding for the required feasibility study, showing the MSBA that we are a reliable partner, and protecting our bond rating so the project can be delivered in a cost effective way."
ANTHEA BRADY
Vice Chair, Winchester Select Board
"I fully support the override to support our schools, municipal services, and capital needs. We are facing a perfect storm of increased costs for healthcare, school contracts, and operational needs, and our revenue cannot keep up. I believe this number is right-sized and addresses our structural deficits while balancing our fiscal responsibility to residents who are feeling the pain of an affordability crisis. Please join me in voting YES for Winchester."
MICHAEL BETTENCOURT
Winchester Select Board
PARAS BHAYANI
Winchester Select Board
"The override on the ballot this month will protect crucial School and Town services while allowing for strategic, overdue investments in critical areas. The Select Board unanimously supported a balanced financial plan that places a strong emphasis on strategic efficiencies and non-tax revenue. Residents can be fully confident that this rigorous plan will protect and enhance the Town we all love. I hope they join in voting Yes! for Winchester."
WILLIAM MCGONIGLE
Winchester Select Board
"I’m a YES on the override because I’m a YES for Winchester. I’m a YES for schools, for literacy, and for math. I’m a YES for students, teachers, and school staff. I’m a YES for Town Hall, DPW, and our entire municipal team. I’m a YES for conservation, preservation, and smart growth. I’m a YES for expanded adult education and senior support. I’m a YES because the override offers something for everyone, protects the Winchester we love, and best prepares it for the future."
"The State of the Town’s engaged leaders, citizens, and capable municipal and school employees worked hard to produce an exceptional plan that maintains the community we love by sustaining the schools, services and facilities that we value. Question 1 deserves our support."
Tom Howley
Former Select Board Chair
"Do I want to pay more in taxes? Not really. Do I nevertheless understand that, given the macro economic environment, our town cannot continue to provide the level of services we all enjoy when it is limited to a ~2.5% annual residential property tax increase? Absolutely. If we don’t pass this override, we will swiftly feel the effects, including in our kids’ classrooms. The average monthly cost of the override in its first year to the average Winchester homeowner is $60. That’s a price I am willing to pay for a new literacy curriculum, maintaining classroom sizes, updates to Town Hall, and funding for DPW."
Elizabeth Mooney
Winchester Resident
"Winchester’s students deserve strong schools, dedicated teachers, and learning environments that support their success. The override helps protect those resources and includes funding for the feasibility study needed to move the Muraco project forward. While it doesn’t fund the school itself, it’s an important step toward a new Muraco as soon as possible."
Sandy George
Former Chair Muraco PTA
"As a former Chair of the Winchester Finance Committee, I know how carefully our town manages its finances. In a largely residential community like ours, costs often grow faster than Proposition 2½ allows, which means periodic overrides are sometimes necessary. The last override was expected to last 3–4 years but lasted seven thanks to strong financial management. To protect Winchester’s schools, services, and quality of life, I will be voting Yes on March 21st."
Sam Allison
Former Finance Committee
The Winchester School Committee unanimously endorses the override
KAREN MARUYAMA BOLOGNESE
Chair,
Winchester School Committee
"I’m voting YES for the override because I’ve seen firsthand the thoughtful work of volunteers across multiple boards to identify revenue opportunities, reduce costs, improve efficiencies, and lessen the tax burden on seniors. This override supports the town and schools’ multi-year plan to protect educational opportunities while also sustaining programming through WinRec, the library, the Jenks Center, and other municipal services. These programs and services are central to our community and help ensure that residents of all ages can enjoy the Winchester community for a lifetime."
TIMOTHY MATTHEWS
Vice Chair,
Winchester School Committee
"Stable investment in public schools directly shapes children’s academic growth, well-being, and long-term success. Without a successful Proposition 2.5 operational override, Winchester will face significant budget shortfalls that could force cuts affecting classroom supports, staffing, and student services. Please help us support Winchester’s children and families for years to come with the high-quality education and strong community programs that families rely on while giving our schools the stability they need to plan responsibly!"
STEFANIE MNAYARJI
Recording Secretary,
Winchester School Committee
"For $1000 per student, we accelerate recovery, strengthen our curriculum, expand opportunity, and restore the level of academic excellence our community expects. The question before us isn’t whether we can afford to do this. It’s whether we can afford not to."
MICHELLE BERGSTROM
Winchester School Committee
"I support the override to address structural budget gaps and provide stable, ongoing funding for Winchester’s municipal and school services. For years, the district has worked to maintain level services while costs continue to rise, making it challenging to fund new curriculum, professional development, or expanded programming options. This investment would provide the stability needed to protect core services today while thoughtfully planning for the academic and operational needs of the future."
TOM HOPCROFT
Winchester School Committee
"As a School Committee member and Town Meeting member, I see firsthand how rising costs are putting pressure on both our schools and town services. This override is a measured, forward looking investment that will help Winchester maintain strong schools, reliable services, and the high quality of life our community values."
"As a Winchester Resident, a mom of 2 kids in WPS, a Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member and an active member in various community organizations in our town, I support “Yes For Winchester”, because the only future for Winchester is to invest in Winchester. We cannot preserve and enhance our town if we do not invest in it. Nothing comes in zero dollars. We all know that. We have a growing population and an aging population. The only way to support the growth and the aging is to invest.
Do we want our town to thrive? Yes, we all do! Do we want our kids to have education support that’s ever evolving? Yes, we do!"
Tina Coll
Winchester Resident
"I am voting “YES” for Winchester because I didn’t move here expecting a town with low taxes, mediocre schools, crumbling public facilities and understaffed town departments. I moved to Winchester for its exceptional schools, beautiful downtown and parks and buildings, and well-run local government (one of very few in MA with a AAA bond rating - this is a very big deal!) I’m happy to pay my fair share for long overdue, critically necessary expenses that will benefit us ALL! "
Leigh Schopp
Lincoln Elementary Parent
"Supporting this override is a no-brainer for me. While every piece of this override package is important and needed, as a parent of two young children investing in our schools is most important to me. Our family chose to move to Winchester because of its strong schools and great schools don’t happen by accident—they require thoughtful planning and consistent investment. I’m especially excited that the much-needed literacy curriculum is finally here and can’t wait to see the impact on my own children. I’m grateful to live in a place that truly values strong public schools and invests in our kids and our community."
Caitlin Musto
Town Meeting Member, Winchester Resident
"I’m voting Yes for our schools! As a parent of three boys, I was shocked to learn that our district lacks consistent, evidence-based literacy and math curriculum—something that is foundational to every child’s education. Investing in these essentials, along with Tier 2 support that helps students close learning gaps before they grow larger, gives our teachers the tools they need and ensures every child in Winchester schools has the opportunity to build the skills that will shape their future."
Cheryl Timko
Winchester Resident
"I am excited that the override would fund long-overdue repairs to the historic Winchester Town Hall. The heating and air conditioning system has exceeded its lifespan and needs to be upgraded immediately. Windows are failing and carpets are worn; both need to be replaced. In the process, we will be able to help reduce our carbon footprint and make the indoor space safe and comfortable for employees. These necessary repairs far exceed our town's ability to fund through the operating budget, and the override specifically earmarks this funding. Further capital funds would be available to ensure our students have well conditioned school buildings with watertight roofs. While just a part of the total override, these capital funds will enable us to keep our town and school buildings safe and secure for years to come."
BRIAN VERNAGLIA
Chair, Winchester Planning Board
Former Chair, School Committee
"The override process in general was very thorough and thoughtful. The final figure settled on for the override offers substantial support for the Town’s needs and the reach of that override should dovetail well with the realization of projects coming to Town that have been permitted and will be generating tax revenue in the next few years. It provides funding for the Master Plan 2030, which will ask the Town to create a vision for 2040 on the heels of this growth, and it provides funding for a comprehensive audit of our bylaws that will help successfully implement findings."
KERI LAYTON
Winchester Planning Board
"I am proud to be supporting the Yes for Winchester campaign and this override because it funds critical needs that impact all of our residents. This override will help us ensure that all of our students, irrespective of their background, can achieve their full potential. Vote YES on March 21st!"
JOHN BELLAIRE
Candidate for Winchester School Committee
"I strongly support the override because we need to do the best for our town and for our dedicated town employees. This is a long term investment that I am confident will pay off tremendously. Winchester has always been a prudent manager of resources and that will continue. I very much look forward to the improvement this successful override will bring to our town."
SHAMUS BRADY
Candidate for Winchester Select Board
Former School Committee & Finance Committee
"I strongly support the override because it is essential for our community's sustainability by addressing immediate needs and securing a prosperous future for our community.
By voting yes, we can improve our educational system and address the inequities to essential educational resources for families, including vital areas such as special education, Tier 2 supports, academic opportunities, and athletics. This investment ensures that we continue to provide a high-quality education while also strategically managing the FY2027 budget and growth.
Furthermore, the override sustains indispensable town services and advancing critical capital repairs, such as the repair of Town Hall and schools (Muraco feasibility, Lincoln, McCall, and Ambrose). It is important to me that the leaders of our community, who have the authority, have committed to implementing levers that minimize the financial impact on those most affected by increased taxes.”
HEATHER R. VON MERING
Candidate for Winchester School Committee
Former Town Meeting Moderator
Town Meeting Member, Precinct 8
"As a mom of three young kids, supporting our schools is the first thing that comes to mind. And there is no question that we have critical unmet needs in our schools. But this override is also about so much more than our schools. The proposed override will provide the much-needed funds to preserve some of our Town’s most historic buildings, like Town Hall and the Library. It will also provide essential repairs to Lincoln, Ambrose, and McCall. These restorations and repairs have been on the to-do list for years but the funds have just not been available. If we continue to put these projects off, they will only become more urgent and more expensive to finance and complete. The override will also be providing essential funding to maintain and improve so many other things important to our town – from our sidewalks and infrastructure, to our declining tree canopy, to strengthening the Town’s cyber security, to necessary upgrades to our Public Safety Departments.
I hope the community can come together and vote Yes for the override to support not only our kids and schools, but also the buildings, programs, and town employees that are so near and dear to our hearts and that make Winchester such a wonderful place to live. "
AMY BELIVEAU
Candidate for Winchester Planning Board
