I would like to praise Heath’s retiring Select Board member, Susan Lively. She was a contributor to one of the best-working Select Boards I have witnessed in my years of attending Select Board meetings. This does not take away from the wonderful hard-working Select Board members in the past. It’s just when three people come together in such a complementary way, it produces something special: the balance of community, business savvy, and fresh eyes.

Sue Lively and her husband, Tom, raised their children here, so Sue has been connected with, and deeply cares about, the Heath community. As a teacher she has years of experience in the educational system, which accounts for over 40% of Heath’s taxes. Her engagement in the Heath Council on Aging and her down-to-earth common sense add value to her leadership role. She has remained true to her fiduciary responsibility to the Heath community through tough times through her fair-mindedness and her ability to see both sides of an issue and act accordingly.

We are fortunate to have a very business-savvy chair in Robyn “show me the numbers” Provost-Carlson, under whose guidance the board has accomplished greater efficiencies in the highway department. Robyn constantly seeks the most cost-effective ways to solve Heath’s major problems: the poor state of our highway and fire garages, and the salt shed. She is a problem-solver who looks for long-term and fiscally responsible solutions.

We also have fresh eyes and an open mind in Elissa Viarengo, who ran unopposed for Select Board and is already making an impact. She continues to ask questions and seek clarification on decisions important to residents. One focus has been addressing the need for more avenues of communication to let residents know what is happening in Heath.

Viarengo created a welcome packet for newcomers initiated by herself and Bob Bourke, loaded with information that is not only helpful to new-in-town folks, but also to some longtime residents. Elissa also created a Facebook page, All Around Heath, that quickly grew to 103 members, proving the need.

Our good fortune continues with the gain of our newly elected Select Board member, Will Emmet, who adds another dimension to the Select Board. His obvious love of the town, along with how he has willingly thrown himself into volunteer work on the Planning Board, the Finance Committee, the Heath Agricultural Society, and as unofficial Highway Department champion and troubleshooter. The election of one so dedicated to the town helps to mitigate our loss from Sue’s retirement.

I join others in a heartfelt thanks to Sue for her service and hope she will continue in other capacities.

Heath resident Patricia McGahan is actively engaged in the Heath community as a member of the Agricultural Society, Friends of the Library, and volunteer web admin for the town. She is a Mass Responds volunteer and author of the HeathConnects website.