Michelle Larned Announces Campaign for Board of Selectmen

If the pandemic has shown us anything, it is that the citizens of this town are passionate, civic-minded, caring people who are willing to work hard to protect and improve this town even in incredibly challenging circumstances. Last spring, as we started to come to terms with what we were facing in COVID-19, we also saw this deep civic commitment bloom. Neighbors organized food drives, home sewists launched mask-making initiatives, and we all came up with new and different ways to celebrate our milestones and support our local restaurants and businesses. What is best about this town came clear, and even as the months have passed with little abatement of the pandemic, these qualities are still in full view. We are creative, we love our town, and we will dig deep to ensure its success. Even when we disagree about how best to do that, no one would doubt that we are all motivated by a genuine love for Hingham.

I have lived in Hingham with my wife Leah, who grew up here, for 6 years. Leah and I met in Florida in 2010, and we got married and chose to buy a home in Hingham because we wanted a strong, inclusive community in which to grow our family. As a member of the Air Force Reserve for 21 years, Hingham’s appreciation for military service helped me feel welcome in my adopted town.

When I am not on reserve duty, I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, and the Director of Clinical Services for Vinfen. I clinically oversee a team of social workers who provide provide a wide range of evidence-based programs in recovery, supported living, habilitation, education, and employment. Our clients come from all walks of life, and it is our mission to ensure that they all receive the best, most effective services we can provide.

What I learned through my years of service, through multiple Reserve deployments as a medic to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan and places devastated by natural disasters including Haiti, and as a social worker working with struggling individuals and families all over the Commonwealth, is that leadership is about both action and attitude. No matter where I’ve been, the best leaders are the ones who work alongside their people in order to find solutions together. This requires patience, humility, and sincerity, but it delivers results that benefit everyone.

In general, Hingham has weathered the pandemic well, but we are still facing challenges that emerged before the pandemic that we needed to address. We need to improve communication on town channels and throughout the community so that residents receive timely critical updates, and officials are better able to plan. We have to ensure that our schools are structurally sound and fully staffed now and into the future. And we need to build a more flexible, more inclusive, and greener Hingham. I am running for the Board of Selectmen so that I can work with you to meet these challenges. Together, we will work toward a brighter day.

Please email me with any questions at Michelle@michellelarned.com. You can follow my campaign at fb.me/MichelleLarnedforHinghamBOS or on the web at michellelarned.com.