Next Election: May 19, 2025
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Election Day has arrived.
Thank you for the support during this campaign. Congratulations to all the candidates who ran for elected office and those who were successful in winning their races.
My name is Aaron Langlois and I am seeking a seat on the Oakham Board of Selectmen in the election this May. I humbly ask for your vote. I offer 35+ years of volunteer service and 20+ years in healthcare and executive leadership. Along with my wife and three children, we have been residents of Oakham for 20 years. I served in elected and appointed positions for 12 years, including on the Board of Selectmen and Board of Health. Here are my priorities:
- Preserving Our Rural Way of Life: I will fight to protect Oakham's rural character by demanding equitable representation and funding at the state level. I will be an advocate with the Massachusetts Municipal Association and seek support from the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission. I'll work with our residents to protect our open spaces, uphold 3-acre lot minimums, pursue all available grants, and ensure any development is in line with our values.
- Addressing Key Challenges: Taxes are increasing because of the nationwide rising costs of housing. Just about 1/3 of our town, the seniors, struggle on fixed incomes. With increasing inflation costs and maintenance of an aging infrastructure, we are forced to do more with less and are reaching a financial breaking point as has been indicated by our Finance Committee over the last two years. These increasing costs are squeezing our $4+ million town budget. We have many vacancies on town boards and committees, and have struggled to recruit for municipal positions. We need to tackle these key challenges with a united strength as a community with a comprehensive plan for our future.
- Fostering Transparency and Community Engagement: I will continue to prioritize transparency through accessible and timely information, promote collaboration with neighboring towns, our local boards, departments and the Quabbin Regional School District, helping to facilitate effective solutions. With open communication, we can engage all our residents in overcoming any challenges and building on our many strengths.
I hope to hear your ideas, questions, and or concerns. Please view my webpage for what I believe. Please email me at contact@aaronlanglois.com. You can also sign up to support the campaign, or if able to help contribute to its costs. No matter what, together, let's work for a stronger and sustainable future for Oakham. Please cast your vote for me on May 19, 2025.
What Makes Aaron who he is?
Serving The Community
Aaron has been part of this community since 2005, working to make it a better place. As an elected leader, appointed committee member or through his decades of volunteering for Scouting or supporting seniors. Aaron is grateful for having had the opportunity to serve Oakham as a member of the Board of Selectmen, Board of Health, Tree Warden and on the Fire Department Advisory Council.
United By A Common Goal
Aaron knows the value of being a servant leader. He's been a successful healthcare executive for organizations that have had positive culture changes and operational improvements. This includes managing budgets of 80+ million and having oversight support responsibilities of hundreds of employees. As an Eagle Scout, he exemplifies that being an Eagle Scout doesn't end when you get the badge, it’s a lifetime commitment to being a leader and giving of one's time in service for others.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following are some inaccurate statements made on social media or things residents have been told as true about Aaron’s beliefs or plans for Oakham. More may be added if more come up. Please reach out to Aaron at contact@aaronlanglois.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Not now, not ever.
Not now, not ever. I like every other resident who showed up during COVID to vote on our town bylaw related to BESS voted to make it practically impossible for them to come into Oakham. I believe Oakham has every right to defend its people and its environment from things that might cause harm to our water, air and the health of our people. While, I acknowledge the fight will be hard and we might not win, we need to use this as a rallying cry for other rural towns or those that politicians in Boston don't know exist, to hear us loud and clear. Enough is enough, we demand equal school funding, equal PILOT payments for state land, and a voice that can match those along the MBTA or in large cities.
Not now, not ever. Aaron has a job in a non-profit industry which has spent his adult life in for over 25+ years serving the elderly, sick and dying as a hospice nurse and Healthcare Executive. He also gives many hours a week to Scouting on a local and national level, and wants to make sure his family is a priority along with the outdoor activities he loves to do. Plus he hates the divisiveness of state and national politics, but loves local public service and only cares about serving his community and fighting for It.
Absolutely not, Part of why we picked Oakham was we wanted peace and quiet and rural life. Without the traffic and all that comes with it. Plus it would impact the ability to see the stars :)
No again. Aaron’s been an advocate for the outdoors going back to being a young toddler. He hikes, camps, kayaks, mountain climbs, has traveled to National Parks for the beauty of it. So Aaron will continue to fight to keep Oakham rural and without any light pollution.
See answers to questions above. The answer is the same. Aaron wants to see Oakham continue to be a community that protects the rights of farmers, chicken mamas and dads, hunters, those who fish, hike, fly drones, shoot safely in their backyards, burn when it is allowed, walk out to their car in their pajamas (or boxers), know their neighbors, even if that means all 1800 of them. Aaron does these things (minus the hunting and fishing) and will do whatever it takes to advocate and fight for that to continue.
Aaron believes that the citizens of Oakham (all of them), including those who have lived here all their lives, had families who built this town and made us what we are, those who have lived here 20 years, or those who just moved in last week, have the same right to speak and have access to the same public officials, meeting agendas, minutes, town news, as the next person. Who you know, and how long you have lived here don’t make up ones value. We all have value and as a community that cares deeply about our liberties, each one of us should be fighting to protect that. Our town is struggling to engage residents in what’s happening, meetings that approve 4+ million dollar budgets are 10-100 on average. If we make the effort to share what’s happening in our town government, make it easily accessible and easy to interact with, there’s the chance that more people will be involved. We need volunteers on every town board and committee. Right now, Finance, Board of Health, Assessors, Council on Aging, Zoning Board of Appeals, Conservation Commission. We have been relying on a contracted Town Accountant for 2 years and we have no Treasurer/Collector. These are just some of the reasons Aaron believes residents need to be aware of what is going on because it can have a major impact on decisions being made. Aaron also believes that town boards and committees need new people and new insights to tacking today’s problems. Simply saying we’ve always done it that way isn’t going to solve the financial and operational challenges ahead.
Aaron actually advocated that the community see the information about ARPA expenditures and boards/committees and residents be allowed to provide input. Until that point, at least the Board of Health and as a resident, I had never seen that offer made. Of the total ARPA money spent – Aaron advocated for a grand total of $5761.54 out of $584,960. That represents $5761.54 approximately 0.98% of $584,960 in ARPA spent before or after my term on the Board of Selectmen. Some items during that period of time while a member were unanimously support but did not suggest them as expenditures.
From the Town Website detailing the expenditures of ARPA https://www.oakham-ma.gov/board-selectmen/pages/american-rescue-plan-act-arpa
Town of Oakham American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Expenditures Made:
Town Email Migration- Microsoft Office 365 $4,648.00
Retirement Gift- Town Accountant $250.00
Mileage Reimbursement- ACO $920.34
Air Conditioner-Voting Room $349.99
Town Hall Repairs- Senior Center side $5,165.00
Cable / Internet Contract (1st ½ payment) $96,500.00
Hand Held Radar- Police Dept. $1,980.00
Police Cruiser $27,614.70
Roof Repairs- Safety Complex $4,844.83
Lawn mower- Highway Department $19,857.00
Masonry- Stone wall- Electronic Sign $5,640.00
Floors- Safety Complex $20,250.00
2 Plumbing- Safety Complex $563.00
HVAC System Repair-Safety Complex $5,100.00
Town Hall Gutters $16,630.00 ZOOM
Meeting Room License $2,317.90
Capital Strategic Solutions- COA $2,040.00 6
Executive Office Chairs $839.94 - Championed by A.L.
BOS Tablets $2,000.00 - Championed by A.L.
Zoom Equipment $13,086.84
Senior Center Door $1,700.00
Board of Health Trailer $7,099.50
Public Health Nurse- payroll $1,181.25
Highway Superintendent- payroll $11,307.60
Meeting Room Audience Chairs $994.65 - Championed by A.L.
Restroom Splash Divider $107.91 - Championed by A.L.
MMA Meeting $884.04 - Championed by A.L.
Capital Strategic Solutions- Fiber Grant $935. - Championed by A.L.
Search & Rescue Drone PD & FD $7,950.00
Safety Complex Electrical Lift $4,650.00
Library Well $24,972.00 Flags & Bunting $349.19
Fire Station Lights $1,550.00
Pine Grove Cemetery Tree Removal $32,400.00
Pine Grove Cemetery Police Details $1,340.50
HR Seminar $875.00 BOS Admin laptop $1,190.99
OCS Water Heater $14,500.00
Zoom Yearly Subscription $2,327.90
Motorola Server- PD $973.50 MIIA FY25 $5,274.00
Library Roof Repairs & Cleaning $6,500.00
Town Hall Study Comm. Expenses $437.62
Misc Expenses $5,371.07
QDS Conversion Cost $3,000.00
Actuarial Study $2,200.00
Police Department Payroll- Sunday Coverage Dec-Feb $3,984.00
Town Hall Guest WiFi $400.00
Highway Misc Expenses $4,974.65
MMA Invoice $120.00
Treasurer/Collector Payroll $3,207.29
Total Expenditures: $383,355.20
Allocations: • Cable / Internet $96,500.00 (2nd ½ & final payment) • Green Hallow Cemetery Arch $21,774.80 • Town Hall Painting $35,865.00 • Vadar Software $47,465.00 Total Allocations: $201,604.80 Grand Total: $584,960.00 5 $584,960.00 - $584,960 = Bal. avail $0.00 Current as of: 1/09/2025
What does Aaron ACTUALLY believe?
Want to help support the costs of the campaign?
As required by law, a campaign committee was created to allow for campaign contributions. These contributions go towards offsetting the costs of post cards, postage, sponsored social media and yard signs. Estimated costs are $1800-$2000.
Contact for comments/questions
640 Scott Road, Oakham, Massachusetts 01068, United States