LAKEVILLE — Lakeville Planning Board Chair Mark Knox is running for re-election to a five-year term against challenger David Lodge. Knox has been a member of the board for five years, and has been serving as chairman for almost four.

Knox initially became a member of the Planning Board because he wanted to help the community, he said. “I have the time and the knowledge to provide that help and I feel that I have done that very well, and I’d like to continue doing that.” 

As chairman, he noted that he’s developed a good dynamic with Lakeville’s building commissioner, which is “paramount to having good projects come through.” 

He stated that he’s also made it a point to create a good working relationship between members of the board. “I try to cultivate and instill that collaborative effort so the board works as a unit.”

He’s hoping for a new term so that there continues to be “an open line of communication between land-use boards and the building commissioner to make sure that good development happens in Lakeville.”

Knox added that his experience in construction — he owns a roofing business, holds a construction supervisor’s license and has built several commercial buildings in town — has been beneficial. “Because of my construction background, I understand both sides of the table. I’ve been on the other side of the table for site-plan review. I understand the need to protect Lakeville and facilitate good projects coming to town.”

He also has five years of Planning Board experience. Zoning, land use, site-plan review, subdivisions, are just some of the many items that the Planning Board oversees and reviews for approval, he said. Knox stated that the Planning Board is finalizing a few big projects that he would like to see through as a member. He and his board members are working on an open space residential design by-law that is close to final review by the town counsel, he shared.

“That’s something I would like to be there to speak as a member of the Planning Board at the Town Meeting in June.’’

He said he would also like to continue to work with the Select Board to come up with a solution to help alleviate the Planning Board’s increasing workload as a result of the number of large-scale commercial projects coming down the road in Lakeville. 

He doesn’t think the Planning Board will agree to hiring a town planner, but the board is “looking for some sort of support, in a different capacity.”