April 14, 2022 Submitted by Kirk Shilts
Kirk Shilts of Prospect St. Hingham is seeking re-election to the Hingham Board of Health and to the Hingham Sewer Commission.
Born in Hingham, Dr. Shilts has lived his entire life on the south shore including the past 34-years in south Hingham. He and his wife have two young adult children. Ms.Shilts is a licensed clinical social worker who began her calling as a paraprofessional in the Hingham school system. Dr. Shilts is a second generation chiropractic physician and maintains a practice in the Longwood area of Brookline. He served as a member of the state chiropractic licensing board for nearly twenty years. Dr. Shilts is also a Past President of the Weir River Watershed Association.
Dr. Shilts was a long-standing member of the Hingham Water Supply Committee which eventually helped lead to the town’s purchase of this essential public utility and guide future development. He chaired the town’s Comprehensive Wastewater Master Plan committee charged with town-wide septic and sewer management planning. Dr. Shilts also currently serves as an elected Sewer Commissioner for the town.
Dr. Shilts is an expert on state Title-5 septic system regulation and groundwater protection. He successfully authored the Board’s responses to a number of over-scaled chapter 40B developments that would have impaired the quality of Hingham drinking water supplies. He was also principle writer to updating the town’s supplementary septic regulation; Fats, Oil and Grease sewer regulation; the keeping of animals and fowl regulation; Bodywork regulation; smoking and tobacco product sales regulations as well as dumpster and recycling regulation. Currently, the Board is working on promoting new geothermal well standards for the town.
Dr. Shilts served on a national professional examination and assessment corporation whose clients included numerous medical professions. He lectures on practice compliance programs for healthcare facilities and private offices. Dr. Shilts also has membership in the American Public Health Association.
With regards to future aspirations, Dr. Shilts said “Protecting our local environmental resources is vital to safeguard our human population and allow for community development”. “Hingham’s long-term housing needs are so important - and managing its wastewater safely and affordably is critical”. He said “I think I’ve shown the knowledge and the experience to carry on with the job on the Board of Health and with the Sewer Commission”. Adding, “I hope to continue keeping Hingham the special place it’s pretty-much always been”.
Kirk Shilts can be reached at 781 749-2580.