May 12, 2022 submitted by Kirk Shilts
All Boards of Health are charged with protecting the health and welfare of its citizens. In communities with their own water supply source, this becomes its paramount responsibility. The greatest long-term risk to Hingham (and Hull’s) drinking water source is from dysfunctional or excessive septic systems. I served on our expanded-scope Water Supply Committee for 16-years, more than anybody. I served on our Wastewater Master Planning Committee (charged with septic and sewer town-wide planning) throughout its existence. I’m a past President of the Weir River Watershed Association. And for the past 18-years, I’ve been a productive member of our Board of Health. I’m also a 39-year practicing physician knowledgeable in the both the clinical health arena and public health advocacy with membership in the American Public Health Association. I repeatedly showed-up to protect our water supply resource at every 40B state housing application (utilizing septic) over my tenure. I attended all of the water company acquisition public meetings as well as each state DPU public hearing. I believe I missed only one Board of Health meeting in 18-years. I’ve been our health Board’s lead author in drafting our formal reports and stipulation agreements as well as its writer of all of the Board’s existing regulations, except private well regulations which we’re re-writing now.
Any incumbent for re-election is judged on her or his record and their plan for the future. I believe I best possess those two qualities in proven service to the town. I probably don’t have a lot of years left to offer to public service. And I’m comforted to know that I’ve been able to accomplish much. I respectively ask for the opportunity to return to the Hingham Board of Health and serve my home town to make our shared existence less burdensome safer and healthier.
Butte you did nothing as hundreds of Hingham lives were lost to Covid. The were no actions taken to protect our vulnerable senior population, little if any enforcement of mask or other mandates. Possibly a pandemic just wasn’t as important for a public Health Officer as ‘septic issue’?
Hingham needs and des raves a BoH that cares and will work to protect all Hingham residents.