Backed by decades of experience in management and working across departments in private industry, Lakeville Select Board candidate William Hoeg wants to bring the town together to form a vision for the future.

“I don’t have experience in town government, but I do have experience working with teams,” Hoeg said. “I cross-communicate between different departments, trying to work out methods and relationships so that everybody can get some satisfaction with the outcome of a situation without feeling dismissed in any way.”

If he wins the election, Hoeg says he will bring clearer communication with residents and town officials.

Hoeg said he does not want to push residents out of town with high taxes, and he wants to see a sustainable approach to growth that provides revenue to the town while preserving the town’s character.

“We can start by trying to fill the voids we have,” Hoeg said of his vision for Lakeville’s growth.

Hoeg said the town government needs to have conversations with residents over whether it should comply with the state’s MBTA housing law. He says he is not against dense housing because of the state’s housing shortage, but he wants it “done right.”

Communities that do not adhere to these regulations could lose some state funding.

“Would it be feasible for us to forgo the state money and just do what we want to do?” Hoeg said. “We could very easily not have dense housing and back out of the MBTA program, and we can do it however we want. I think that might be a reasonable approach.”

Hoeg added that if Lakeville does not comply, lost revenue from the state could lead to “strong, difficult decisions” for the town.

“I think the choice should be put before the town’s vote,” Hoeg said. “I don’t think the Select Board should be making the decisions for the town’s future without the town’s input.”

Regarding the approach to the town’s growth, Hoeg wants to work with town officials and residents to create a plan instead of taking a project-by-project approach.

“We have a tendency to put in a feasibility study for a lot of things,” Hoeg said. “We have an economic growth committee that hasn’t really convened. I would like to be a part of that.”

Hoeg says the town’s options for the hospital site are limited due to Rhino Capital’s private ownership of the land. At the moment, he says the town’s two options are a warehouse or dense housing, and he wants to form a dialogue with residents about the site.

As a manager during his career, Hoeg learned that letting talented people do their jobs gets better results than micromanaging. 

“Micromanaging slows everybody down,” Hoeg said. “Everybody has to come together as a team, and we have to have a vision.”