The Dedham-Westwood Youth Action League announced today that they would join the effort in Westwood to help re-stock the food pantry. After several articles published in the Westwood Hometown Weekly, the Westwood-Based community organization will deploy over 500 bags and flyers to various residential doorsteps in the town this weekend. The flyer will request that each household supply the food pantry with canned tuna, canned fruit, coffee, and other various non-perishable items. Any family who wishes to donate but does not receive a bag because of limited resources can call 781-326-8944 to schedule a pickup.

The pickup dates are be listed below:

Sunday, August 10th, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.

Sunday, August 17th, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.

Anyone who wishes to volunteer by passing out bags or collecting food for the DWYAL should call Greg at 781-326-8944 or email him at: agnew.g.j@comcast.net

While reading the Westwood Press this morning during breakfast, I noticed a very compelling letter to the editor, sent in by Jane Nash, a member of Westwood’s Board of Library Trustees and News Coordinator for the Westwood-Walpole chapter of the League of Women Voters.

Jane spoke of the 41 year anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which established our right as Americans to obtain government records and affirmed our right to know what our local town, state, or federal governments are doing. Nash also exclaimed that our rights to transparent government have been eroding, leaving people feeling helpless when it comes to attempting to obtain knowledge of government happenings.

Much like Jane, I suggest residents in Westwood become more aware of what their town government is doing on a week-to-week basis. We need to make sure our top town government officials are being asked questions, and held accountable for their actions. In addition, I ask that you attend meetings held by our local boards and committees, educate others on the important role town government plays in your life, and become aware of elections being held in our town, our Commonwealth, and our country.

Best Wishes,

Greg Agnew

I would like to extend my congratulations to Ed O’Reilly for successfully challenging John Kerry during today’s Democratic State Committee Meeting at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Ed O'Reilly, a progressive Democrat from Gloucester, MA, received well over the 15.1% of the total delegate vote in order for his name to appear on the Democratic ballot as a primary challenger to John Kerry on September 16, 2008. Out of the 2,573 people to vote at the convention, 580 cast their vote for change within the Democratic Party by supporting Ed O’Reilly. Before the nomination at the convention, each candidate must produce 10,000 nomination signatures to the Secretary of State’s office; Democrat Ed O’Reilly submitted over 15,000.

As a newly elected Delegate from Westwood, I cast my vote in favor of Ed O’Reilly. I did so because I believe we deserve a choice when it comes to the primary contest on September 16, 2008. It’s been 23 long years since we’ve had a contested Democratic primary. These months leading up to the September primary will shed light on both candidates, hopefully forcing Kerry to work for the vote, instead of brushing the people he represents aside to pursue national interests as he has done in the past. Senator Kerry has worked hard for us, but now is the time for him to become re-acquainted with the state he represents.

Either O’Reilly or Kerry will square off with presumptive U.S. Senate GOP nominee Jeff Beatty during the general election in November.

For more information, please visit Ed’s website at: http://www.edoreilly.com. If you have any immediate questions or would like to contact Ed personally, please call: 1 (617) 924-2008. You may also email Ed directly: ed@edoreilly.com.

Best Wishes,

Greg Agnew

Dear Residents,

Thank you very much for all of the support and encouragement that I received during the past few months during my run for an open seat on the Westwood Board of Selectmen. I truly appreciate every vote across all four precincts cast in support of my candidacy. I was also impressed with the voter turnout, which in previous years was somewhat disappointing.

Secondly, I would like to thank every last person who sacrificed their weekends by helping me hold signs for seven straight weeks. In addition, I would like to call attention to each precinct captain who stood proud and held signs in support of me during the April 29th election, each one of you deserves more thanks than me, or anyone else could give you.

I would like to highlight all of the candidates who pulled papers and joined me in my quest to achieve the seat vacated by former Selectman Tony Antonellis.

Thank you to Doug Obey for your praises and words of encouragement during our time spent together on the campaign trail. I appreciated our conversations, our friendly attitude, and your commitment to our town. Although we may have disagreed on some policies concerning our town, I enjoyed running a clean race with you and wish you the best of luck in the future.

To Phil Shapiro: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy life to show your commitment to our town. Your victory was both impressive and inspiring to both me, and to the residents of Westwood. Thank you for being such a kind-hearted individual, and for your professional attitude. I look forward to working with you in the future!

Jason, thank you for showing your commitment to our town as well. Your knowledge of development and entrepreneurial ventures is quite impressive and will certainly serve the town well in the coming years. Seeing as we’re both from precinct four, I was excited to hear someone from my side of town was running for an elected position. Good luck to you in the future and thank you once again for being part of this race.

Lastly, I enjoyed my time running for office and, most importantly, had fun doing it. I was inspired to run for Selectman by three people, my grandfather, my father, and the former Governor Michael S. Dukakis. Each one of them taught me that becoming a civil servant is the best way to give back to a community that made me what I am today.

As a reminder, the State Primary Elections are set to take place on Tuesday, September 16, 2008. On this day, we will all be voting for the Democratic and Republican nominations for United States Senate, a seat currently occupied by John Kerry. Two candidates, Jim Ogonowski and Jeff Beatty will battle to receive the Republican nomination, while Ed O’Reilly and John Kerry will square off to decide who will become the Democratic nominee. Robert Underwood will run as the only Libertarian candidate. Mary Jean J. Charbonneau will run as an Independent, and William Estrada will run on the Socialist Workers Party platform. I sincerely hope we all can become interested and involved with this race. For reference, each candidate who has a website is listed below.

Edward J. O’Reilly (D-MA) http://www.edoreilly.com
John F. Kerry (D-MA) http://www.johnkerry.com

Jeffery K. Beatty (R-MA) http://www.jeffbeatty.com
James Ogonowski (R-MA) http://www.jimogonowski.com

Robert Underwood http://www.electbobunderwood.org

Best Wishes,

Greg Agnew

781-801-0779
greg@gregagnew.com

To my fellow residents of Westwood:

As the only candidate who started meeting with residents in January, I feel blessed to have seen so many signs, window stickers, and “Dear Friend Cards” circulate the town in support of my efforts to deliver Westwood back to the residents.

As you may already know, I’ve been advocating communication since the first day I announced I was running for Selectman. Now that I’ve debated the other candidates, written position papers, and participated in Westwood’s first ever “Podcast,” I feel my message has been heard.

I’ve worked hard during my campaign to restore the character and charm back to this town, which I have lived in all of my life. I’ve demonstrated a new kind of experience, and a brand of leadership that emphasizes a willingness to take responsibility for my actions and introduce new concerns that are facing our residents. I ran for Selectman because I saw a gap in communication between town boards and committees. I’m the type of person who can lead Westwood towards a common goal while giving back to the town that made me the person I am today.

As Selectman, I’m looking forward to advocating the responsible and recreational use of open space. I am also the only candidate who proposes concrete solutions such as green roofs to combat our looming environmental and economic problems. I will make sure that every commercial property is occupied, generating much needed revenue for our town. Finally, I will revitalize Islington Square and seek unity among current boards, residents, and property owners.

Finally, on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008, vote for a candidate who will Listen to you, Learn from you, and Lead with you.

Sincerely,

Gregory J. Agnew
Candidate for Selectman

34 Magaletta Drive
Westwood, MA 02090

781-326-8944

Early Easter morning, vandals removed the majority of my campaign lawn signs that were placed by my supporters across town over the past week. It appears that over fifty signs were taken this morning before 7AM. I reported this immature act to the Westwood Police.

Not only were main streets targeted, but also interior neighborhood streets. At my own home and that of my neighbors, campaign signs were also removed.

I am very disappointed for my supporters, seeing as they have been very generous to my campaign with their time, advice, and financial support. All of their hard work and generosity was maliciously violated and disrespected.

I would like to ask my supporters to keep moving forward with our campaign, while keeping in mind that vandalism of my opponent’s signs will not be tolerated, especially since there is no direct evidence linking my opponents to this appalling act.

As we look forward to April, I ask that any citizen show respect for the private property that residents have agreed to donate as sign space to our campaign.

Thank you for your continued support,

Greg Agnew
34 Magaletta Drive
Westwood, MA 02090

781-326-8944

Creating open lines of communication and advocating transparency within the Town of Westwood’s government has been one of my top concerns as a Candidate for Selectman.

I understand that many of you, including myself, show up at a meeting in town that supposedly has a predetermined agenda, only to find that the board or committee did not prepare to speak about the topics that the public was interested in hearing or debating about.

I’m pleased to admit that our town website is one of the most informative and visually appealing websites I’ve seen in years. But there is still a huge problem with communication, and I’m not sure anyone can truly grasp the disconnect that continually occurs with residents and town officials. Events are posted along with the subject matter that supposedly coincides with that particular meeting. Each time a board or committee meets however, they must accomplish or discuss any leftover business from previous meetings. This is the only reason I can see for continual resident disappointment in not being able to discuss and/or participate in the subject matter they came prepared for. Agendas, much like construction projects, are continually delayed or pushed back in order to clean up unfinished business.

I’m struggling to understand why people (including myself-several times) have difficulty showing up to the correct meeting. It most certainly has something to do with the town, and NOT the resident’s ability to “follow directions” so to speak. Earlier in the week, “Concerned Resident” mentioned he/she did not see the any members of the Board of Selectman show up to a meeting that in part featured them! I can GUARANTEE that I’ll show up to every meeting, especially meetings that I’m listed as being a featured participant in. Countless times this has happened in our town, where representatives are sent in place of the actual person, supposedly dictating their sentiments to the group. This behavior is not one of transparent government that advocates the desires of the people, the true representatives. I agree that time commitments may have played a role for all three members of the BOS, but I truly believe that representation is what the residents deserve above all.

This is my proposed solution. I’m not sure, but I think we’re not dealing with a lack of information, rather, we’re dealing with the lack of attendance by board members and the lack of truth to the posted agenda from the town website. I’m also sure that Westwood possesses someone who continually posts updates and meeting schedules onto the website for informational purposes. What we need is someone SINGULARLY dedicated to meeting posts, schedules, changes, and general information. The best part is, we won’t have to pay them. I suggest we offer the job listing to a highly qualified web and media oriented student, willing to dedicate their time to meeting information, changes, etc. Credits will be given to this student by the school for performing this task, thus treating the experience much like an internship for credit.

What are your thoughts?

Dear Readers,

My name is Greg Agnew, and I'm a long-time resident of Westwood and a proud product of the Westwood School System, graduating from Westwood High in 2005. I'm currently studying Political Science and Environmental Science at Assumption College and am excited to become your next Selectman. I don't intend to post a full resume or advertise myself, but if you have any questions about my background in civil service or volunteer projects, please ask!

I'm writing to you in order to develop a greater understanding regarding the primary concerns of Westwood residents. I am aware that Westwood Station is at the top of your list, but would like to find out what other issues you are concerned with. For many years, people have complained about the extraordinarily high real estate tax, and the impact it has on their families' ability to continue living in Westwood.

I've previously voiced concerns about the condition of the East Street bridge and the condition of some other roadways in Westwood that clearly need patchwork and repair. I'm also interested in preserving what open space land Westwood has left, but also understand that some people have reservations about paying up to 3% extra on your taxes in order to join the Community Preservation Act.

So, I've laid out the typical issues, but now it's your turn to voice some concerns!

Before we formally begin this race, I'd like to extend my hand in friendship to Doug Obey. May we run a clean race, and have fun meeting the residents of Westwood.

Sincerely,

Greg Agnew

Voicemail: 781-326-8944

Mobile: 781-801-0779