Lorenda "Ren" Layne, Candidate for Norwell Select Board

Having called Norwell home for more than a decade, I have developed a deep appreciation for the town’s history of civic responsibility and community engagement. Through various parent organizations, Scouts, and the Norwell Women’s Club, I have gotten to see and participate in this tradition.  At this point, the time is right for me to join the Select Board. A favorite memory I have that captures what this town means to me is this:  after living in Norwell as a very young family, we had to move to another town when my husband changed jobs. My then 6-year-old daughter ran into some playground trouble with a classmate and lamented that she missed knowing whole families, because after attending preschool in Norwell, she had already developed strong communication and problem-solving skills with peers and adults. At that moment, I knew she was asking for a return to a healthier, more connected community, and within a year we found a way to move back.

First, I would work to restore and enhance cooperation across the Select Board, Planning Board, and Advisory Board in matters of budget decisions. Over time these groups have drifted apart in their communication and collaboration and bringing them back into a relationship of strategic decision-making will help the town respond more efficiently. Second, I would look at our policies around attracting and retaining businesses in our town to help ease residents’ tax burden. We need to enhance the business owner experience through promotion, better management of our town center and Rt 53 business districts, and collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce to identify and address the needs of business owners.  Growing our business tax base will help ease the burden on residential taxpayers while also improving residents’ quality of life.  

I would look for new ways Norwell can increase its business tax base to ease the resident’s tax burden. The most important issue we’re all facing is rising costs. The 2.5% cap on tax increases was developed at a time when inflation was lower and growth was higher, and even a 3% increase – the same amount as the routine cost of living adjustment I received in my first job over 20 years ago – would necessitate an override process. With inflation routinely approaching 8-9% over the last few years with no relief in sight, we need pragmatic leadership to address these issues through transparent means. Spreading the burden further by increasing our business tax base, reducing friction in the budget-making system at the town level, and keeping members of the community not just updated, but educated on exactly what is driving costs, particularly around state-mandated spending increases such as the increase in pension and healthcare costs, on a consistent basis are all ways I would work to address this problem. Finding ways to make Norwell a more business-friendly town while honoring its traditions of historical and natural conservation will be a top priority.

Community engagement is paramount. In my time volunteering on town PTO’s and in other town organizations such as the Norwell Women’s Club and VFW, I have seen the value of a personal invitation.  Reminding neighbors and inviting them to attend or watch the local proceedings on NSTV, particularly at times of high controversy, would be a top personal goal. By collaborating more closely and improving transparency between town governing bodies, the number of people intimately aware of town proceedings would increase, giving them better information to share with their social networks as well.  Demonstrating and reminding each other that we chose Norwell due to its high level of community engagement, as well as its fantastic school system and beautiful scenery, is a core intention I will bring to this office.

I bring a diverse set of skills that have been developed in various professional environments. From my time working as a public health and orthopedic medical researcher, I bring analytical skills and the ability to communicate complex ideas in a constructive way to audiences of varied backgrounds. As a small business owner, who has successfully opened businesses and operated one through heavy pandemic headwinds, I bring the ability to react calmly and nimbly to changing policies and regulations as well as insight into the experience of business ownership. From my time as a PTO president, adult Sunday school teacher, and Scout leader, I understand the importance of intergenerational cooperation and communication, between myself and others and facilitating others’ cooperative work. I often say that being an English-to-English translator is one of my strongest skills, and it is one that I have used in every undertaking so far. As an outdoor guide, avid gardener and nature enthusiast, I respect the strong history of conservation of our natural areas and environmental impact considerations that go into much of our town decision-making. As a history buff, the connections Norwell keeps to its roots are something I will keep in mind as we find smart and sustainable solutions to growth. It’s this holistic approach that I hope will help me serve our town and bring continued success for the years to come.