Needham Times: January 28

Excerpt: With Harkins’ seat likely up for grabs as she eyes a state Senate run, Needham Selectman Jerry Wasserman and Selectwoman Denise Garlick, both Democrats, announced they will run for Harkins’ seat.

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Needham Times: January 20

"Needham Selectwoman Denise Garlick also plans to run for state Rep. Harkins' seat"

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By Steve Ryan


NEEDHAM - Needham Selectwoman Denise Garlick  said she also plans to run for Rep. Lida Harkins' seat. Harkins declared on Jan. 20 that she is running for Sen. Scott Brown's state Senate seat.

"I am a known leader with a proven record of positive change in my hometown on issues that range from co-founding the Needham Coalition for Suicide Prevention to representing the Selectman on the Needham Council of Economic Advisors," Garlick said in a statement.

Garlick would be up for reelection to the Board of Selectmen in April 2011. She has served on the Board of Selectmen for two years. A registered nurse, she was also a past chairwoman of the Needham Board of Health. She was also past president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association and Needham Opportunities Inc. She was also heavily involved with the Needham Coalition for Suicide Prevention.

"As a working Registered Nurse I have been a strong advocate, at the state and national level, for the health and safety of patients and nurses," Garlick said. "I pledge to bring my knowledge and skills to address the complicated issues which strain the resources and finances of the district as well as the entire state. These issues impact education, our seniors and our business community. I welcome the opportunity to meet the many citizens of our district and earn their vote."

Memorial Day 2009: Denise Garlick's Remarks

These remarks were delivered at the Needham Cemetery on May 25. 2009 by Denise Garlick.

Memorial Day.com tells us that in the history of the United States more than 35 million men and women have answered the call to arms. In the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan. And countless unnamed military engagements. Many came from Needham. They walked the streets we walk, sat in the schoolhouse or Emery Grover building when it was a High School, or cruised down Great Plain Avenue. They loved and were loved by their families, they laughed with their friends, prayed in our churches and they dreamed their own special dream. Some Needham soldiers and more than half a million others never came home. Some died in battle, others in captivity; all died too soon.

Recent military action in Afghanistan and Iraq has offered fresh reminders of the human reality of war: ordinary men and women leaving their homes and families and all they know- to risk their lives for an ideal of honor or duty.
People of patriotism and goodwill may debate the merits of any given war, police action, or humanitarian mission. But there should be no debate about our debt to our fellow Needham residents and the hundreds of thousands of our American citizens who have given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives- heeding the nation's call to service.

So today we pause- in what we consider our busy lives-and express our acknowledgement and our gratitude.
But what truly matters is that we know and understand the meaning of this great sacrifice and that we honor the lives of these Needham servicemen and women through our daily actions. Pause for a moment-yes- but live so that we daily acknowledge, earn and value all that these lives have sacrificed to preserve, promote and protect.
Our soldiers do not die- but live on in us.
I have adapted the poem- "Do not stand by my grave and weep" by Mary Elizabeth Frye.

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am the American Flag that snaps in the wind

I am the anthem that rings out in the school room, the Town Meeting, the ballpark

I am the voice that registers to vote

I am the summons to jury duty

When you stand on the street corner and lament the local politician; or blame the state legislator or question the President

I am the reason your voice is free

I am the possible dream of the poor child who wants to be a scientist, an astronaut a governor

I am the spirit that rebuilds America time and time again.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I do not die. 

Town Meeting Remarks: 2008 Debate on Town Hall Renovation

Denise delivered the following remarks, concerning the renovation of Town Hall, at Town Meeting in 2008.

I have been a Selectman for 35 days. Like many of you I have been a town meeting member for many years. My most recent experiences however are in the Selectman's campaign which allowed me to speak to hundreds and hundreds of Needham residents.
Each discussion may have centered on an issue specific to that individual or group; the fields, schools, trees or senior center. But the overwhelming theme of these discussions was related to the concern about communication in town government and the questions were about the way citizens of our Town can influence the decisions that impact our lives.

• During the campaign I pledged to strive to promote communication; build coalitions and start a new conversation in our community. To be effective in that process we must:
• involve stakeholders of initiatives from the start of major projects ;
• we must evaluate all input and
• We must be willing to adapt new information brought forward by concerned citizens.

Therefore I feel compelled as a matter of personal integrity to the citizens of Needham to address the issue of communication as it pertains to the decision now before you.
The fundamental question before us is as follows-
Do we want our Town Hall to be a single use municipal building or do we want a multi use public and municipal building?
Four of the Selectmen desire a single use municipal building.
They are not wrong. The Selectmen's plan is consistent with our role as one part of the Executive branch of government -which we share with other elected and appointed boards.
Indeed ,The Board of Selectman and The Finance Committee have all worked very hard up to this point. Their work supports the choice of a single use municipal building. Each of these individuals is caring, committed and dedicated to Needham and deserving of our respect. However other Boards and Committees, some elected and some appointed by the Board of Selectmen-with pertinent expertise and skills have also worked very hard. And they are also deserving of our respect.

• The Planning Board voted unanimously twice -with different board compositions -to oppose the single use option.
• The Needham Historic Commission was not invited to be on the planning committee of the Town Hall. The Town hall is designated as a National Historic landmark and the Commission has voted unanimously to oppose the single use option that renders the historical aspects of the Town Hall visible but non-functional and not accessible to the citizens of Needham.
• The Needham Historical Society has voted unanimously to oppose the single use option.

The Community Preservation Committee, given only the ability to vote on the single use option was divided 5 to 3.
Given that the Town Hall is the symbolic home of the town of Needham -we are a house divided .
How do we heal this division?
The motion for the development of the study committee calls to town meeting to exercise their right as the legislative authority. There is precedent, of course, for Town Meeting to establish committees to conduct a study and report back- we may recall committees on electromagnetic waves and XXXXX
No precedent is more poignant that one identified by James Hugh Powers in his research. Article XXX at the Town Meeting of 1963 directly related to the concerns about Town Hall and a charge to the Study Committee not unlike the charge today.
Speaking of James Hugh Powers; who was sworn in as a Town Meeting member from his hospital bed last Thursday- he is quoted as saying the choice for the disposition of Town Hall is so difficult because both sides- single use and multi use are right choices.
The decision about the use of Town Hall is about what our vision of our community is. We may want a utilitarian building that serves the community on a Monday to Friday business schedule and is efficient and secure or we may want a more vibrant center that meets not only our business needs but also acts a catalyst to economic development and not only preserves our history but allows us to live it.
Because the process is complicated we only have the information to support single use- we need to take a deep breath and ask for the answers to the obstacles to a multi -use building including all the items in the motion and cost. We need to know- we deserve to know these answers.
Town meeting members have the responsibility to not only make sound decisions during the meeting but also to be accountable to the residents of their precinents. On one of the most important and historic decisions you will ever make as a Town meeting member you do not have all the answers-

• The charge to the Town Hall Committee is clear.
• The time line is less than six months -180 days- when a report is due to you the town meeting members this November, 2008.
• There is no cost for the new committee.

I support a yes vote to Article 24 and a yes to Article 25.
The Town hall Committee Study Group can work parallel to the design process.
I see no harm or threat for a vote in favor of the Town Hall Committee... Your questions will be asked, all issues explored, and furthermore, as representatives of citizens in you precincts, you will have available to you all of the information that is pertinent to whatever final decision is made. The Town Hall Committee, given the option to fully explore the Great Hall, will in no way slow the design process or allocation of funds for construction at May 2009 town meeting .
This decision is not about history- it is about making history.
Let this Town Meeting be remembered as the legislative body that required all the information-not accepting speculation- to make the best decision for every constituency in town- and to ensure that our limited and precious CPA funds which are raised from our property taxes- our money- and matched by the state- also our money - are maximized for the best benefit. And that we sought to protect, preserve and promote the Town Hall as the seat of our government and as the symbol of our civic life.