At the most recent Hudson Board of Selectmen meeting, during the public input portion of the meeting, the topic of a citizen petition warrant article was discussed. “I’m here tonight because Hudson is at a tipping point,” resident and Planning Board member Victor Oates said. “And it’s time we talk honestly about how we got here.” He explained in 2024 voters approved a warrant article for a comprehensive infrastructure study.
“Why? Because every resident sees what’s happening. Rapid development, heavier traffic, crowded schools, growing demands on Police, Fire, Public Works, water and sewer. The study wasn’t just nice to have,” Oates said. “It was a critical tool to plan for the future and avoid bigger problems down the road. But after that clear vote, this Board chose not to fund it.” He said residents in 2025 “didn’t give up. They pushed to get the funding back on the ballot.”
Oates said that three members of the Board of Selectmen did not vote to recommend the warrant article.
“How can you expect voters to support something when their own leaders are telling them not to,” Oates said. “The article failed. Not because it wasn’t needed, but because it lacked the support of the very people elected to lead. Fast forward to today and here we are reading a scathing audit calling out Hudson for negligence and failure to plan. Exactly what this study was designed to prevent. And let’s not forget that same audit told this town to start with your Capital Asset Policy.”
Oates questioned how they could go about a Capital Asset Policy without having a study done. “Well, how do you start that without understanding the state of your roads? Your utilities? Your public safety facilities and your schools? That comprehensive study would have been the foundation for that,” Oates said. “Providing the data, assessments and forecasting needed to actually manage Hudson’s infrastructure like the valuable assets they are.”
Oates during the meeting argued that “Ignoring the study meant ignoring the first step in responsible financial management.”
“Instead of owning that, I hear excuses. I hear, they’re pushing this on us,” Oates said. “Let’s be clear about who they are. They are your fellow residents, professionals with decades of experience in corporate leadership, infrastructures design, project management and strategic planning. People who have led multi-million dollar projects, built systems and solved problems far more complex than what’s being ignored here. Maybe, just maybe if you had listened to the people offering real solutions, people trying to help this town, not hurt it, we wouldn’t be sitting here getting called out in an audit for poor leadership and lack of foresight.”
Oates also explained that it’s not about politics or agendas. “This is about responsibility. Hudson deserves better than reactionary decisions and finger pointing,” Oates said. “We can’t keep kicking the can down the road while our services and taxpayers bear the cost of inaction. So tonight, I’m giving this Board a clear challenge. Stop delaying, stop deflecting, put funding for the comprehensive study back on the agenda immediately. Not months from now, not after another crisis, now. Because doing nothing isn’t leadership, it’s failure. And the residents of Hudson are paying attention.”
The next Selectmen meeting is set for May 27 beginning at 7 p.m.
