Thank you! We did it again.
I am pleased to announce I was re-elected to the Truro Select Board. I consider it a great privilege to be selected for a second term, and I am honored to be given another three years to continue to work on behalf of the people of Truro.
First, let me thank the citizens of Truro for their trust and for allowing me the amazing opportunity to serve you and be your voice for the last three years. We are fortunate to live in such a special community with incredible spirit and love for our Town. In a time where the national spotlight has constantly focused on the things that divide us, I think it's vitally important for our local communities to come together on the things that we can all agree on. We all want to live in a Truro where our beaches stay beautiful, our friends and neighbors have places to live and work, and where our seniors have the resources they need to stay part of our community.
I've been listening to your concerns throughout my tenure on the Truro Select Board, and I promise to keep on listening. I want to continue to bring you all into this process so that we can preserve what makes Truro special together. Sadly, out of respect for public health, I won't be able to see you all in person at meet and greets, outside the post office, or at the transfer station as I did before the COVID-19 pandemic, but I will be using all the technology at my disposal to make myself available to you throughout my campaign. I still very much want to hear from each and every one of you about what you want for our town.
Thank you again for your continued support!!!
Prominent Select Board Member Actions
I first ran for the Truro Select Board because I wanted to make a real difference in the lives of Truro residents. Our board continues to dedicate itself to moving Truro forward to meet challenges around public safety, affordable housing, community sustainability, providing a great education for our kids, taking care of our seniors, supporting our local businesses, having fiscal responsibility, and protecting our environment in a way that maintains and improves upon what makes Truro such a unique place.
With my colleagues on the Select Board led the job search for, negotiated the salary of, and hired Darrin Tangeman, a former Green Beret and holder of three Master’s degrees, as our new Town Manager.
Helped to make crucial decisions to keep Truro residents safe and reduce the risk and spread of COVID-19 in our community.
Identified the Town’s financial goals and approved municipal budgets for FY 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Contributed to a continued effort to explore, research, and utilize shared services with our municipal neighbors on the Outer and Lower Cape.
Made local implementation decisions on Short Term Rental Tax, which is a source of revenue for the town, and funding opportunity for wastewater projects.
Coordinated with Cape Cod National Seashore, marine scientists and town manager to mitigate the ongoing shark threat and scale up beach safety.
Endorsed and signed a letter to the Provincetown Select Board on behalf of the Truro fishing community consider the following three actions requested by the Truro Select Board: 1.) Institute a moratorium on dockage increases for 12- 24 months; 2.) Maintain the inclusion of Truro in the definition of “Provincetown-Based Vessels” in the Town of Provincetown Harbor Regulations and Mooring Rules and Regulations 1-1-3; and 3.) Include Truro representation in Provincetown Pier Corporation’s decision making processes by having a Truro resident either as a liaison or as a full-member of the Corporation.
Collaborated with Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans, and Brewster to negotiate regionally for leverage on a ten-year Comcast contract.
Supported the purchase of the 69.9-acre Walsh Property and the formation of the highly representative Walsh Property Community Planning Committee.
Finalized contract for and hired Chief of Police Jamie Calise, who continues to bring the highest level of professionalism & experience.
Supported Fire Chief Collins in evaluating ambulance services for cost efficiencies and the ever-increasing needs of our community.
Endorsed the protection of our transportation infrastructure and our natural environment. Pamet River: Digitizing properties along and near the upper Pamet River. Resetting tide gauges and collecting data for post storm evaluation. Replacing the tide gate at Wilder’s Dike and salinity testing. East Harbor: Seaward end of the East Harbor culvert. Mill Pond/Eagle Creek: Department of Ecological Restoration awarded the additional modeling bid to the Woods Hole Group. The modeling is complete, and culvert replacement options are under consideration. The slip line repair of the culvert located on Old County Road just south of Prince Valley Road has also been completed. Engineering Analysis for Corn Hill culvert and Little Pamet.
Served as Truro’s representative for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Initiative to further resiliency and climate-related work now and in the future.
Supported policies and programs to protect and restore our fragile environment, foster sustainable and appropriate development, and address the creation of more year-round affordable places to live in town. Committed support of the Cloverleaf Community Housing Project as one of several initiatives to address the challenges of maintaining a diverse and sustainable year-round community.
To promote a year-round community, support for the Residential Real Estate Tax Exemption available to every year-round resident property owner, with over 600 Truro households out of over 800 year-round homes benefiting from this statutory tax exemption authorized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
After Town Meeting passed the year-round condo bylaw, approved several condo conversions in Truro to year-round use.
Worked on the Accessory Dwelling bylaw by joining an Ad Hoc group consisting of members of the Select Board and the Planning Board to bring to Town Meeting changes that will make the process of building an Accessory Dwelling less complex. In the hope, these changes will encourage more people to think about adding an ADU to their property.
Served as a liaison to multiple town committees to assist with the inter-working, communication and coordination of all standing Town multi-member Board, Committees and Commissions.
Encouraged community engagement and governance, which underlines a commitment to transparent and open government.
Recommended updates to our town website to improve online services and access to essential information.
Created Truro's first Board, Committee, and Commission Handbook as a general informational guide.
Signed a Host Community Agreement with the High Dune Craft Cooperative, made up of a group of respected Truro farmers.
Kristen believes in Truro’s special quality of life…
She wants to preserve our heritage while working collectively for our community to ensure a bright future. Kristen believes that hard work, good communication and consensus-building generate the best solutions to the issues we face. As an elected official, she actively listens to her neighbors and all Truro constituents to ensure that their viewpoints are represented. Kristen has called the Outer Cape her home for over 16 years, first working seasonally as a permaculture farmer and in the hospitality industry. She then took her collective experience as an entrepreneur and co-founded Chequessett Chocolate, an award-winning craft chocolate business in Truro which has created over 22 jobs. She also works as a certified nursing assistant, where she cares for the needs of seniors in our community. Kristen has worked with Safe Harbor, an environmental consulting group in Wellfleet, where she worked in the field on coastal restoration including erosion control, revegetation, stormwater management and steep slope stabilization. In 2014, she personally invested in Truro when she became a proud homeowner.
COVID-19 Information for Truro, MA
State Announces Vaccine Appointment Booking for Individuals Ages 65+, Individuals with 2+ Certain Medical Conditions
Candidate Photo Credit: Joe Navas from Organic Photography