Press Release

BRIDGEWATER, MA - Marybeth Lawton is pleased to announce that she will be a candidate for the Board of Selectman in the upcoming town election in April. Under the newly expanded Board of five Selectmen, Lawton will be seeking the three-year term.

"I decided to run because in recent years, I have seen an ever-increasing need to have a citizen's voice on the Board of Selectmen," Lawton stated. For over fourteen years, I have watched as this town has grown from a quiet rural town to a larger more active suburb of Boston, and I am concerned about how those changes have and will continue to affect our quality of life here in Bridgewater."

Lawton also lists her concerns about Bridgewater's fiscal situation as another top priority of her campaign. "We have been fortunate in that our town departments and the services they provide our residents are second to none. As a result of years of unprecedented growth, combined with the current economic downturn, we are beginning to see a strain on the finances of the town, which may jeopardize the high level of services to which we have become accustomed. We as a town must face the reality that for at least the near future, state aid and other sources of revenue are going to be tight, requiring us to balance the needs and wants of our community with our current and future fiscal situation."

Lawton believes Bridgewater needs to weigh it's desire to maintain the town's appeal as a more rural suburb with the realistic need for responsible growth and is convinced there is a way to increase the commercial base in town without jeopardizing Bridgewater's character and it's image as a bedroom community. "I do believe, however," she states, "that in regard to recent divisive issues, what has been lacking is open and attentive communications between our elected officials and those on opposing sides of these issues." Lawton promises to bring an open mind and a receptive ear to the challenges that will confront the town in the future adding, "But in the end, we must always, always place what is in the best interest of the town first."

Lawton currently serves as an associate member of the Bridgewater Conservation Commission. She is also a member of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, the Natural Resources Trust of Bridgewater and the Taunton River Watershed Alliance. She spent seventeen years in marketing and sales management and has enjoyed the last fourteen years as a full-time mother to her two children, both of whom attend Williams Middle School. She volunteers her time for Cub Scout Pack 35 where her son, Ryan, is a Weebelo 2 Scout and for the Bridgewater Badgers Cheerleaders where her daughter, Mc Kenzie, has been cheering. She is married to Tom Lawton, a practicing attorney.

Lawton is very pleased that former Board of Selectmen member Carolyn Morwick, has agreed to act as an advisor to her campaign. "Carolyn's experience in town government and continued service to the town make her a valuable asset to my campaign." Lawton's father-in-law, former probate judge James R. Lawton of Brockton, has also endorsed her candidacy stating, "I am confident that Marybeth will be a strong advocate for the citizens of Bridgewater and that the Board will be enhanced by her election."