Boston Globe picks up confirmation story

In a story on Boston.com Jessica Rudis outlines Denise's candidacy for State Rep.

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Needham Patch: Garlick Running for State Rep., Confirms Campaign Director

Patch.com has the story on Denise's confirming her candidacy by submitting signatures collected in Needham, Dover and Medfield.

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Press Release: Garlick Confirms Candidacy for Mass. House of Representatives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 20, 2010

Denise Garlick Confirms Candidacy for Massachusetts House of Representatives

Submitted nomination signatures for 13^th Norfolk District

NEEDHAM - Needham Selectwoman Denise Garlick confirmed her candidacy this week for the Democratic nomination for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 13^th Norfolk District. She submitted signatures collected from voters in Needham, Dover and Medfield. Garlick, a Registered Nurse and lifelong Democrat, pledged to provide positive leadership and produce effective results for the members of her district and the Commonwealth.

Garlick said, "I will protect the vital interests of the members of this district at the state level during these challenging times. From many conversations with voters in all three communities and as a working nurse and elected official, I am acutely aware of the demands faced by our families, seniors and businesses."

She also pointed to her record during an impactful tenure on the Board of Selectmen.

"I have produced results that count through compassionate leadership and coalition building. I will bring my skills and energy to the House of Representatives to work every day for the residents of Needham, Dover and Medfield."

Elected to the Board of Selectmen in 2008, Garlick immediately set to work on Needham's Town Hall renovation project. Denise's independent voice on the Board of Selectmen in a speech at Needham's Town Meeting altered the course of the project, leading to a design overwhelmingly approved by Town Meeting and currently under construction in Needham's historic Town Common.

Currently, she serves as co-chair of Needham's Senior Center Exploratory Committee, spearheading a project that languished on the town's to-do list for more than a decade. That committee has made great progress: Needham's Town Meeting approved funding in November for a feasibility study, keeping the project on schedule and on budget.

She also represents the Board of Selectmen on the Council of Economic Advisors and is working with business and civic leaders to revitalize the New England Business Center at Route 128 and transform it into a powerful engine for economic growth.

Prior to joining the Board of Selectmen, Garlick was Chairman of the Needham Board of Health and a veteran Town Meeting Member. She founded and served as Co-Chairman of the Needham Coalition for Suicide Prevention, which supports and strengthens the community. It currently serves as a model for community coalitions throughout the state.

Garlick's record as an advocate and leader stretches beyond her work in Needham. She is a working Registered Nurse and served as President of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, an organization with 23,000 members. In this capacity, she led a national campaign to educate workers about health and safety issues.

The Democratic Primary will be held on September 14, 2010.

Denise and her husband Russell are 22-year residents of Needham, where they raised their four children: Monica, Elizabeth, Alex and Andrew.

For more information on Denise and her campaign, please visit www.DeniseGarlick.com.

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Needham Times OP-ED: Needham Senior Center update

By Denise Garlick and Jim Healy, Co-Chairs of the Needham Senior Center Exploratory Committee.

The Senior Center Exploratory Committee would like to take the opportunity to update the community on the progress of the evaluation of sites for the construction of a new senior center. The SCEC was created by the Board of Selectmen to make recommendations to the selectmen on the appropriate location, size and design, projected cost and other matters related to the construction of a new facility to house our existing senior center.

The committee actively explored the types of senior centers that are provided in communities across the commonwealth, and members have toured numerous centers. The committee has also evaluated the pros/cons of all available town-owned land, and explored opportunities for purchase of private property, issuing two requests for proposals for property acquisition. The committee distributed and analyzed a community survey document, held three public hearings and testified at a public hearing conducted by the Board of Selectmen.

Last fall, the SCEC determined that it had progressed to a point in its evaluation of potential sites where funding for professional-level analysis and recommendation was required. At the Nov. 2 Special Town Meeting, the town appropriated approximately $49,091 for the purpose of conducting a feasibility study under the jurisdiction of the Permanent Public Building Committee.  

At its meeting on Dec. 22, the Board of Selectmen voted to accept and approve the recommendations of the Senior Center Exploratory Committee for focused feasibility studies by the Permanent Public Building Committee with respect to Rosemary Hill; Greene’s Field, with or without inclusion of the Stephen Palmer site, provided that it be a consideration that utilization of the Stephen Palmer site would have no material negative impact on the timeline; and Ridge Hill. The Board of Selectmen also voted to consider any further recommendations by the SCEC for other sites that may be identified through an Request for Proposals process, although neither of the solicitations resulted in a response. 

The board voted to designate SCEC Co-Chairwoman Denise Garlick and Council on Aging Board member Colleen Schaller to serve as the “User Agency Representatives” on the Permanent Public Building Committee for the feasibility study. The Building Committee selected the services of a design firm — Bargman, Hendrie + Archetype, to conduct the study. BH+A is in the process of researching legal and zoning restrictions; topographical and environmental challenges; traffic, congestion and site access concerns; availability of utilities; adjacencies; and other site data criteria. 

The SCEC has continued to meet to follow the progress of the designer and the Building Committee, and to offer feedback during the process.

The SCEC remains committed to achieving community consensus on the preferred option for construction of the new senior center in time for an appropriation for design funds at the November Special Town Meeting. BH+A will make a presentation to the Building Committee at a special meeting for that purpose in late April., at the Needham Public Library in the Community Room. 

Read the whole article here.