9/16/2021 3 Comments Joining the Board of AssessorsAbout a year ago, sometime during the height of the pandemic, I went to our Town Hall to update our dog licenses. I was in a particularly warm and expansive mode but I don’t remember why. I had recently read about our Town hiring a new assessor, so after dealing with the dog licenses, I walked across the hallway to the assessor’s office simply to welcome her. We had lived in Ipswich for 27 years and although we are not “townies” (for a “townie designation”, you need to be born here), we feel that we have landed and this is our home. By good fortune, the assessor was not busy. I told her that I just wanted to welcome her and wish her well. I also shared my appraisal and property valuation background. I had a 29-year career in the appraisal business from which I retired 10 years ago. We chatted for a while and discovered we both knew some of the same people and even reminisced a bit about the “good old days.” As I was about to leave, I mentioned that I would be happy to help her out if she could use my skills. However, I could not think of a single reason why that would be necessary. She asked for a business card and I gave her one of my dog massage cards. Later that day, I told Catherine about the adventure and then completely let it go. I did not remember the assessor’s name, nor would I have been able to recognize her if we met. A year passed. Then this July, Catherine and I returned from a lovely bicycle ride on a balmy Friday evening. I had a voice mail. “This is Mary Lou from the assessor’s office. There is an opening on the Board of Assessors. I wonder if you might be interested. Go on the Town website for details.” The website stated some of the job details: be an Ipswich resident, valuation experience is a bonus, there is a $6,000 annual stipend and the appointment is for three years. There was also a link to the Town application form. I shared the information with Catherine who, to my surprise, was enthusiastic. Surprised because I already had a full / robust life with lots of commitments, and we both try not to be overbooked. However, both Catherine and I feel that one aspect of being a good citizen is to volunteer for our Town. Catherine has been on the conservation commission for more than a decade, and I have been on a few committees including a six-year stint on the open space committee. I told Catherine that I would gather more info on Monday before I made any decision. When I visited the assessor’s office on Monday, Mary Lou was on vacation. One of the people who worked there was helpful explaining that the Board consists of only 3 people – the Town assessor (Mary Lou), another assessor, (Karen) from a different town, and me, if I am selected. The Board meets every Monday evening for three or more hours. Every Monday sounded like a lot, but again, Catherine was all in. She knew I had the basic skills, and also thought I would enjoy the experience and learn a lot. I applied and they scheduled an interview for a few weeks later. The Interview So here I was, going to an interview for a job that had “found me.” This type of thing had happened in my life before with very positive consequences. My role was to simply say “yes” and be open to learning. With this attitude, I drove to Town Hall for my interview. I remembered the last and only formal job interview I ever had occurred almost 50 years ago in a very similar large brick building called Arlington High School. I had applied for a 3-month teaching gig as a health education teacher, so I could have the summer off. That morphed into a fulfilling seven-year job teaching the “law” to high school students while I attended law school at night. From then on, all the jobs I had were either through networking or were simply extensions of what I was already doing. The formal interview was held in the Town Manager’s conference room and included the Town Manager, Mary Lou (the Ipswich Assessor), Karen (the other assessor), and an HR person. It was a friendly affair with prescribed questions that I assumed they asked all the candidates. I got a chance to share my background and interests, both as an appraiser/lawyer and also as a mediator. It seemed clear in the conversation that these skills would be helpful to the assessor. The Town Manager asked if I could take a complicated concept and explain it simply. I decided to explain how to “value a house”, and asked if he would be willing to do a bit of role playing. He was a good sport and within quick order it was easy to explain. My favorite question was “Why do you want this job?” I told them that I had never even heard of an “assessor board” before this, and had assumed that the assessor made all the decisions herself. I was not looking for this or any other job. However, this job found me and that intrigued me. It felt a bit like “Kismet.” Before I left, I “warned” them that if they offer the job, I will say Yes. Two days later they called and offered me the job. I happily accepted!
3 Comments
9/1/2021 0 Comments Weeding the PaversThe Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest wildlife sanctuary of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Much of its 2,200-acre landscape was created by a glacier 10,000 years ago. It is also a 25-minute bicycle ride from our house. Catherine and I have been volunteers for more than a quarter of a century. For the past ten years Catherine and a group that she has assembled have been responsible for maintaining the many nature gardens at the sanctuary. Every Tuesday morning, from the beginning of April through the end of October, they plant, weed, beautify, identify and educate each other about all the mysteries of soil, plants, and all the creatures great and small that thrive in the sanctuary. In 2019, the year before the pandemic, at a volunteer appreciation dinner, I met the new director, Amy. The outgoing director, Carol, a good friend of ours had been there close to 30 years. Something about the way Amy shared her vision for the sanctuary, as well as her enthusiasm for the entire endeavor, spoke to me. I decided, on the spot, that I wanted to do something extra to support her. But what? I asked Catherine for her recommendation. She knows that I like learning about how to fix things and she suggested that I volunteer with the property maintenance crew who are always in need of extra hands. I asked if I could volunteer the same hours as Catherine and the Gardeners (sounds like a good name for a singing group). Thus, from April to October, 2019, every Tuesday morning, I made myself available to do whatever they asked. The first time I helped with the lawnmowing and the second week involved carrying air-conditioners and cleaning out drain gutters. But the third week, the person in charge of assigning work was not there, and everyone else was busy with their own tasks. Hmm, what to do? I simply looked around, slowed down internally, to see what might talk to me. The walkway up to the main house is made with pavers. Grass and weeds were growing between the pavers and made the walkway appear unloved. For such a wonderful and caring place like this sanctuary, it felt way below code. I asked if it would be OK if I weeded the pavers. “Sure”, someone said I went to the barn, found a little trowel and screwdriver type tool as well as a bucket, and simply began at the top paver closest to the house. I am familiar with weeding and really enjoy the quiet, slow process especially with simple tools. As I got to the side end of the first paver, I discovered that the grass had significantly grown over the paver making it look much smaller than it actually was. Taking my trowel, I dug up the overgrown grass making a very nice edge. I did the same thing on the other side edge so that the paver now looked much bigger and more inviting. For the next few hours, I worked in this manner and by my departure time, I had finished almost half of the walkway. I got a broom and swept it so it looked quite clean and beautiful. I was admiring how nice it looked when a number of staff, as well as the gardeners, came by and were delighted to see the results. The next week, and for the rest of the summer and fall, I weeded the walkways, steps and even the asphalt drive near the sanctuary buildings.. Each area was just a bit different and required a bit of adaptation. Some areas were filled with leaves, others had large clumps of grass. Sometimes, I needed to check with Catherine if a particular “weed” was actually a flower that should not be removed. In the early summer, the children’s camp program began. Many years ago, when our own daughter was a child, she went to these summer camps. It was transformative for her. She would come home bursting with news of what she found “ponding” or on their “butterfly or frog hunt.” So here I was, every Tuesday morning, quietly weeding away, with life bursting all around in weed form and human form. My experience had become a retreat of sorts completely integrated into my everyday life. I marveled at the root systems of these plant beings that had been evolving on earth for perhaps 500 million years. Some of the weeds had shallow roots and easy to pull out. Others had a highly developed root network that showed remarkable resiliency. I still pulled them out but with a different appreciation for them. I eventually put them in a large debris pile, eventually to be burned so that their energy would be recycled. As a special treat, the gardeners, mostly women, always brought something to eat and share with each other. And as I was weeding away, a little piece of cantaloupe or watermelon or even a slice of banana bread would sometimes arrive. Even while I was doing the weeding, I was well aware that the weeds would grow back. Somehow, it made the experience all the sweeter. |
David FeldmanDog walker, Dog Mediator, Father, Husband, Categories |