election voter guide / bios?

[Derrick Rice]

Will there be a voter guide containing nominated member bios and/or candidate statements for the DSNC election? Or, minimally, a list of the names, representative demographic[1], and whether they currently hold any DSNC elected positions?

I'm hoping that some information will be shared in advance of voting so that folks can contemplate their choices.

Thanks to the board and election team for all the work you're putting into this. It's hugely valuable and appreciated.

[1] i.e. resident, renter, business, worker.

Be well,

- Derrick Rice (he/him)

[Elaine Almquist]

Hello Derrick,

The Elections Committee has much of this information on a dedicated page on our website: https://www.davissquarenc.org/elections

Best,

Elaine

Elaine F. Almquist

(she/her/hers)

BlueSky @EAlmquist  Instagram: @EFAlmquist
Phone: 978.375.2448

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[Ashish Shrestha]

Hello,

I'm seeking clarification on an element of the candidate classification.  One candidate, Paul Christie, has labelled himself as a member of both the "Business owner" and "Business worker" demographics.  Is a candidate allowed to be classified as both an owner and worker if they own and work at the same business (as appears to be the case here)?  If so, I would think that effectively renders the "Business worker" demographic moot as essentially very small business owner in the Davis Square area would classify as a worker as well.  I strongly believe that a business owner should not be allowed to also qualify as a worker.

Ashish

[Ashish Shrestha]

It's certainly possible for someone who owns a small business in Davis Square to work there.  In fact, I would say it's almost guaranteed: the nature of small businesses in Davis, with very few even small franchises, means that most people who own a business would work there as well.  Allowing someone to fit in both categories means that we would essentially eliminate the worker category as almost every owner would qualify as a worker but not vice-versa.  This seems problematic and at-odds with the intent of demographic diversity. 

Furthermore, it's inconsistent with my understanding of how the last election was run where there was significant work done to recruit a board member who would fit in the worker category.  If we allowed owners to classify as workers, Paul would have already fit that category (as potentially other members would: I imagine Elaine and Jason both work at their businesses in Davis.)  To my knowledge, there was no significant rework of the categories themselves in the last round of bylaw amendments, so this precedent should still hold.

Regardless, I hope the election committee can shed some light on this issue either way before voting starts.  There's a good chance this has a deciding effect on an election seat, so it's important we understand the criteria before we begin the process.

Ashish

On Thu, Apr 9, 2026 at 2:50 PM Edward Woll <e...@woll.us> wrote:

Interesting, Ashish.

I think that a person can own a business and not work physically in that business every day, which I think Paul may do - but Paul knows that better than I what he does every day. 

The impact is that Kendra would then be the only worker. Whether that assures Kendra a position on the Board (like a single candidate for an officer position) I am not sure, but I believe that the bylaws address that issue  - if a demographic category is not met.  I have not, however, reverted to the bylaws.  

Ed

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[Edward Woll]

Interesting, Ashish.

I think that a person can own a business and not work physically in that business every day, which I think Paul may do - but Paul knows that better than I what he does every day. 

The impact is that Kendra would then be the only worker. Whether that assures Kendra a position on the Board (like a single candidate for an officer position) I am not sure, but I believe that the bylaws address that issue  - if a demographic category is not met.  I have not, however, reverted to the bylaws.  

Ed

On Apr 9, 2026, at 2:13 PM, Ashish Shrestha <ashres...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Jeff Kaufman]

My reading of the bylaws is that someone who works at a Davis Sq business that they also own counts as both a "business owner" and a "business worker".  Possibly one could argue that "worker" is being used in the more restricted sense of someone who isn't ownership or management, but that seems like a stretch to me.  I could see changing this in the future, for the demographic diversity reasons you suggest, but that would require a bylaw update.

Since there are many businesses in Davis Sq owned by people who don't physically work there (ex: I believe the owners of JP Licks and the Boston Burger Company don't work out of their Davis location), "essentially eliminate" seems too strong to me.

Jeff

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[Edward Woll]

I think that a person who owns a business can also work there.  There is nothing in the DSNC regarding differentiating a small or large business.  Moreover, if, for example, I owned an ice cream shop, I might hire someone to scoop and serve but not work there myself so I would not be a worker. .  

Also, a business may have several owners where some work there and others do not. My business could be a commercial rental building which run out of a home that is outside the Davis Square catchment.  However, if I have an office in the Davis Square catchment and work out of that both managing the commercial rental business and do other business as well, I think that I would be working in the Square. 

Ed

[Rebecca Rogers]

HI folks,

The election committee is working to implement the bylaws as written.  At the moment, section 4.1 of the bylaws requires that the board include a "business owner (physical retail or commercial location in neighborhood boundaries)" and a "business worker (physical retail or commercial location in neighborhood boundaries)," as well as a renter and a homeowner.  It also says "1 person can count for multiple of those categories." Our reading of the bylaws allows a single candidate who owns and is employed by the same business to satisfy both the business owner and business worker categories.  

--Rebecca Rogers (DSNC election committee chair)

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[Ashish Shrestha]

Thank you for a quick decision on this one Rebecca, good to have clarity before we begin the voting process. 

Ashish