Frequently Asked Questions
Why are you running for Select Board?
Nick is running because he cares deeply about the Groton, Massachusetts community and wants to help ensure it remains a place where people of all ages can live, work, and thrive. He believes in thoughtful leadership, strong civic engagement, and making decisions that reflect both Groton’s values and its future.
Can you share your background?
Nick lives in Groton with his wife and their two school-aged children—one in elementary school and one in middle school. His in-laws also live in town, giving him a strong connection to three generations of families in the community and a personal understanding of the needs of both families and seniors.
Professionally, Nick works in the pharmacy sector, where he regularly negotiates with senior executives and advocates for the needs of his clients. His work requires strong analytical skills, comfort with complex budgets, and the ability to find balanced, practical solutions—experience he will bring to town government.
What are your top priorities?
Nick’s priorities include:
- Supporting strong, well-funded schools
- Preserving Groton’s character and natural resources
- Promoting fiscal responsibility and transparency
- Keeping Groton affordable for families, seniors, and young residents
What is your approach to town spending?
Nick believes in careful, transparent budgeting that prioritizes essential services while respecting taxpayers. He brings experience working with complex financials and believes in long-term planning, clear communication, and accountability in how public funds are used.
Are there ways to increase revenue without changing Groton’s character?
Yes. Nick believes Groton should thoughtfully explore creative revenue opportunities that align with the town’s values. This could include pursuing partnerships, grants, and other innovative approaches—while being intentional about preserving the character and scale that residents value.
How will you support Groton’s public schools?
Nick believes strong schools are essential to a strong community. He is well-versed in the structural challenges facing the district, including limitations in the state funding formula and Groton’s designation as a “hold harmless” district, which can constrain increases in state aid despite rising costs.
He supports advocating for fairer state funding while working locally to ensure schools are sustainably and responsibly funded.
What does “preserving Groton’s character” mean to you?
To Nick, preserving Groton’s character means protecting open space, maintaining the town’s historic charm, and ensuring that development is thoughtful and aligned with community values.
How will you improve communication, transparency, and trust in town government?
Nick understands that there is real frustration and mistrust when it comes to town finances and decision-making. He believes rebuilding trust starts with clear, consistent, and accessible communication.
He supports modernizing how the town communicates by using plain language, sharing regular updates through platforms like social media, and providing easy-to-understand summaries of key decisions and budgets. His goal is to make local government more transparent, more approachable, and more responsive—especially for busy families and parents who want to stay engaged but may not be able to attend meetings.
What is your position on Flock cameras and data privacy?
Nick believes public safety tools must be balanced with strong protections for personal privacy. He has concerns about the potential for misuse or overreach when it comes to technologies like Flock Safety cameras.
He supports clear policies, oversight, and accountability to ensure that any use of this technology protects residents while safeguarding their data and civil liberties.
What is your leadership style?
Nick is a thoughtful listener who values different perspectives. He believes in respectful dialogue, collaboration, and making decisions grounded in facts and the long-term best interests of the community.
How can residents share their concerns with you?
Nick welcomes hearing from residents and is committed to being accessible and responsive. Open communication is essential to strong local government.
What makes you the right candidate for the Select Board?
Nick brings a strong commitment to Groton, professional experience navigating complex challenges, and a balanced, practical approach to leadership. He is ready to listen, lead, and work hard on behalf of the community.
What are your thoughts on the MBTA Communities act, and how the state is trying to force/encourage compliance. Should we comply, in your opinion? Other Massachusetts towns are resisting, and the issue has come before the Mass State Supreme Court
Nick believes Massachusetts is facing a real housing shortage, and that communities across the state need to be part of the solution. Housing affordability has become a major challenge for young families, seniors looking to downsize, and many working people who want to remain in the communities where they live and work.
Nick supports thoughtful, well-planned growth that reflects Groton’s character while also helping address long-term housing and economic challenges. He believes affordable and workforce housing can strengthen the community, support local economic growth, and help create a more sustainable tax base over time.
Nick also believes Groton should comply with state law whenever reasonably possible. At the same time, he believes local officials should advocate strongly for flexibility and local input so that any zoning changes make sense for Groton specifically, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach from the state.
For Nick, the goal is balance: preserving the qualities that make Groton special while planning responsibly for the future and ensuring that younger families, seniors, and working residents are not priced out of the community.
What are your thoughts on the town’s position and responsibility regarding encouraging our state legislators to allow an audit of that body, which unfortunately they are resisting, even though it was approved in 2024 by 72% of the voters. I believe some towns have sent letters to the State House, I believe Groton was among them.
Nick believes transparency and accountability are important principles in government at every level, and he understands why many voters support greater oversight of the Massachusetts Legislature.
At the same time, Nick also believes strongly in the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of government. In his view, the central legal and constitutional question is not whether audits should exist, but who has the authority to conduct them while preserving the independence of the legislative branch.
Nick believes the Legislature should be subject to meaningful independent oversight and auditing, and he supports continued discussion at the state level about how to accomplish that in a way that is transparent, constitutional, and trusted by the public. He also respects the fact that a strong majority of Massachusetts voters supported increased auditing authority through the 2024 ballot question.
As a Select Board member, Nick’s focus would remain primarily on issues directly affecting Groton residents, while also supporting reasonable efforts to promote accountability and public trust in government overall.
What is your position regarding the funding and staffing quagmire around emergency services that is a result of Nashoba Regional Hospital closing in 2024. I know we have the UMass Emergency Center opening up, slated for 2027, but do you feel any other steps are necessary?
The closing of Nashoba Valley Regional Hospital was a major loss for Groton and the surrounding communities. It placed additional pressure on local emergency services, increased transport times, and created understandable concerns about access to emergency medical care.
Nick is grateful to the many local leaders, first responders, healthcare advocates, and community members who worked hard to bring the new UMass Emergency Center to Groton. He strongly supports that effort and believes it will make a meaningful difference for residents and EMS personnel alike.
In the meantime, Nick believes the town should fully support and staff the Fire Department and EMS services so they have the personnel, training, and equipment needed to respond effectively to emergencies. Public safety is one of the core responsibilities of local government, and ensuring that first responders have the resources they need must remain a priority.
Nick also believes Groton should continue working collaboratively with neighboring communities, regional public safety leaders, and state officials to monitor the ongoing impacts of the hospital closure and advocate for additional support where needed.
What are your thoughts regarding the PILOT program for our town’s non profit organizations (ie Groton Hill Music Center, Lawrence Academy and The Groton School). Would you encourage larger payments, or do you feel what they contribute currently is “fair”? Thank you for your thoughts.
Nick believes Groton’s nonprofit institutions are important parts of the community and contribute in many positive ways, but he also believes it’s reasonable for large nonprofit organizations to help offset the cost of the municipal services they utilize.
Nick would support PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) agreements that more accurately reflect the cost of town services being used. Institutions such as Lawrence Academy and Groton School rely on town infrastructure and public safety services, including roads, police, fire, and EMS response. As Groton continues to face budget pressures, Nick believes these conversations should be approached collaboratively and transparently, with the goal of ensuring that the burden on taxpayers remains fair and sustainable.
So what is your plan to rein in out of control property taxes?
Nick believes Groton needs to take a more proactive approach to strengthening the town’s financial future so that the burden does not continue falling primarily on homeowners through rising property taxes.
He supports exploring creative and responsible revenue solutions, including the possibility of hiring an economic development specialist to help the town identify opportunities for sustainable commercial growth, pursue grants, and strengthen the local tax base. Nick believes Groton should be actively looking for ways to bring in additional revenue while making sure growth is carefully planned and reflects the character and priorities of the community.
Nick also believes town leadership needs to do a better job of long-term financial planning and working collaboratively with schools, boards, and departments to anticipate challenges before they become crises. He supports responsible budgeting, transparency, and making sure taxpayers clearly understand where their money is going and why.
Degaitas for Groton 