Home Page (May 2026)

PETER SHAPIRO

Member of Lexington Town Meeting, Precinct 4

Background bio…

  • Lexington resident since 1975: Wachusett Drive (48 years), Waltham Street (~3 years), both Precinct 4
  • PhD Stanford University
  • Former management consultant at Arthur D. Little, Inc. and in private practice
  • Two children went through Lexington schools (Bridge, Clarke, LHS)
  • Two grandchildren in & entering Lexington school system
  • New pickleballer, author (five published novels, see https://peterdshapiro.com/), and amateur flute player
  • Elected to Town Meeting in March 2025

After Annual Town Meeting in April/May 2026, the following update was sent to Precinct 4 friends and neighbors on my email list. (LMK if you’d like your email address added to the list)

Dear Precinct 4 Friends & Neighbors,

Our 2026 Annual Town Meeting was more contentious and protracted than I expected, given that we were not confronting major zoning issues.

Following were several of the highlights…

Article 4. Appropriate Operating Budget.  Lexington Public Schools (LPS) announced reductions in staff positions due to budget constraints and declining enrollments. At the last moment, Dawn McKenna introduced an amendment to allocate $1.25M to LPS from the town’s free cash. The Select Board, Town Manager, and our spending committees, opposed this use of free cash because in their view it might put our bond rating at risk (my analysis showed that taking $1.25M from free cash would not materially affect a key bond rating ratio). LPS Superintendent Dr. Julie Hackett described how the funds would be used for one-year-only transitional purposes and not to cover recurring costs beyond that year. The School Committee proposed a compromise $625K amount, which was reluctantly endorsed by the Select Board and spending committees, and the revised amendment passed (I voted YES).

Article 23. Appropriate for Trash/Recycle Bins. Article 23 allocates $1.2M for the town to purchase trash and recycling bins that would be provided to residents to replace their current bins. It prepares for a shift towards trash collection by trucks using automated pick-up arms.. The town (led by Maggie Peard, Lexington’s Sustainability and Resilience Officer, mpeard@lexington.ma.gov, 781-698-4538) and relevant committees are assessing what bin sizes should be adopted, whether 35-gallon or larger sizes, based on surveys of residents and inputs received in public meetings. 

This outreach has included displaying examples of bin choices in various locations, such as these in Cary Library.. 

I’ve advocated for residents also to have the option of continuing to use their current trash bins that meet requirements of configuration & sturdiness…TBD whether this happens. Article 23 proponents made a very compelling case that haulers are effectively taking manual trash collection off the table, which would mean that if we insisted on continuing with manual vs. automated, we’d have to pay a lot more for the privilege. Article 23 passed 149 to 29 (I voted YES).

Article 31 Remove “free” in bylaw for trash disposal.  This Article provides the option for fees (in some form) to be charged for trash exceeding what fits in a resident’s standard bin, in what might be called a Pay-Above-a-Threshold (PAAT) system.

Article 31 was linked to Article 23 in that a plan would need to be agreed with haulers to collect excess trash in addition to what they collected from standard bins, and “excess” by definition implies something for which a fee is charged. 

For many years we have enjoyed excellent and highly flexible trash collection services. Now, however, because of circumstances beyond our control, including haulers’ business decisions and closure of in-state landfills, attempting to continue with our current approach will become cost-prohibitive. We’ve been assured that when deciding the specifics of our new PAAT system, the Select Board will take into account inputs from residents and will accommodate special cases, and that in practice most residents will not incur any fees because for most of us the standard bin will be adequate. Article 31 passed 118 to 49 (I voted YES). 

ALSO….

Article 26. Volunteer committee to oversee LHS project expenditures.  I was concerned that that this proposed committee could distract the LHS project managers with unrelenting demands for backup documents, and explanations, and rationales, while also engaging in disputes about spending choices they disagreed with or misunderstood.  Article 26 failed (I voted NO).

Article 27. Procure software platform to report on progress of capital projects.  While I agreed with the intent, it was unclear to me that the anticipated output would be of interest to most residents. The town manager and staff warned that providing the data in usable form would impose substantial demands on town staff. An Amendment was proposed to postpone software procurement while assessing what kind of report would provide most value.  The Amendment passed, replacing the original Article (I voted YES on the Amendment).

COMING ATTRACTIONS…

School and town budget pressures are getting increasingly serious due to rising costs for health insurance, and so on, while our tax infusions from growth of commercial properties have stalled.  Potential tax impacts of the new multifamily projects are still unclear. No one wants to talk about a Prop 2 1/2 override just now, but in 2027?  …maybe so.

Fingers crossed that ground will be broken this summer for our LHS project, as planned.

Here’s the link to see how TM members voted on all Articles over our 8 sessions… Scroll down to Electronic Votes Per Session and click on the session of interest https://lexingtonma.gov/2501/2026-Annual-Town-Meeting-Legal-Postings-

SUBSEQUENT TO ATM2026, OPPONENTS OF ARTICLE 31 COLLECTED ENOUGH SIGNATURES TO LAUNCH A REFERENDUM ON WHETHER THE TOWN COULD COLLECT FEES FOR TRASH DISPOSAL IN EXCESS OF WHAT WOULD FIT IN A STANDARD SIZE BIN. A SPECIAL ELECTION HAS BEEN SET FOR 16 JUNE 2026.

For my ATM 2025 Letter to Pct 4 friends & neighbors, click HERE.

For LHS Rebuild Project, click HERE

For MBTA Zoning, click HERE

Where we are now…

Lexington has benefited from the professionalism of town staff and from residents who give their time on committees and boards and in Town Meeting. Our town works, with excellent basic services and amenities enjoyed by residents and visitors alike, including a vibrant town center enhanced by recent additions of cafés and bakeries. As we are reminded each time we visit the center, Lexington is not only a community; it’s a destination that uniquely commemorates the founding of the nation.

At the same time, however, we face issues related to…

  • trash disposal (upcoming referendum on Article 31)
  • vacant storefronts in the center (formerly occupied by Via Lago, Wales Copy, Dabin, Signature Stationers, Abbotts Frozen Custard, Galaray)
  • multi-family housing projects in MBTA zoning districts
  • adjusting zoning to maximize benefits from developments while limiting negative effects and allowing for abutter inputs
  • town investment trade-offs
  • rising school and town operating costs that could require a Prop 2 1/2 override
  • LHS rebuild project
  • town affordability

Questions? Comments? Email: pdshapiro (AT) yahoo (DOT) com

Or text, or phone: 781-608-6348

Please share this website with other Lexingtonians residing in Precinct 4 … https://SHAPIRO4LexTM.us