Dear Friends,

It’s the eve of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence!

As we reflect on our nation’s history, the importance of considering how the United States’ history isn’t framed by the Battles at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 or the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 is key. For me and so many in Lexington, our right to birthright citizenship came from United States v. Wong Kim Arm (1898)—reaffirmed less than a week ago by the Supreme Court.

As of today, I’m the same age Alexander Hamilton was in 1776! This past year has been an incredible experience, especially with all of your collaboration, and I’m looking forward to what 21 brings. Thank you to all of you!

Dear Friends,

You’ve heard a lot from me—this will be the last message for a little bit:

Preliminary results are in for yesterday’s special election. The vote of Town Meeting stands since “No” votes failed to meet the 20% minimum to reverse a vote of the Representative Town Meeting, in accordance with Section 8 of Chapter 215 of the Acts of 1929, as amended.

Read the Town’s press release here (PDF) and Lexington Observer’s article here. The Town of Lexington is governed by several state and federal laws listed here (PDF).

Dear Friends,

Tuesday’s special election is almost here, and I’m asking you to vote YES—so we can continue making fiscally responsible decisions for Lexington.
Read my previous email about this ballot question.

After many conversations and following the online discourse, I worry we’ve lost sight of what this election is really about: our priorities as a community.

The question on the ballot is whether we want to modernize our 1920s-era trash bylaw to give the elected Select Board the flexibility to manage the rising cost of trash disposal. If we don’t act, those cost increases could force cuts to other town services—as we saw happen with the schools and municipal services this year.

Dear Friends,

The 2026 Annual Town Meeting has wrapped up, but we still have one important step remaining. We need you to show up on June 16th!

Lexington’s Town Meeting passed Article 31 to address rapidly rising trash disposal costs. On Tuesday, June 16th it goes to a town-wide vote. A YES vote is critical to protecting our community services.

What the proposal does: The new system provides free collection of a standard amount of trash while offering options to manage additional trash beyond that threshold. This modernizes a bylaw designed for a society from over 100 years ago that simply doesn’t reflect today’s needs or costs.

Dear supporters,

I write with a sincerely heartfelt appreciation for your support in my campaign for the Planning Board. This was a hard fought contested election and you are the community that kept me and my campaign team inspired and motivated throughout.

Sometimes, an effort takes a village. This one did. I want to thank everyone who wrote emails to their circles of friends and neighbors; letters to the editor, hosted a lawn sign (more on that below), held signs in the cold on weekends, and stood out all day on election day.

Thank you to the incredible team that worked behind the scenes to make all of it possible and supported every effort we made.

Good morning,

Today is the day! It's Election Day.

I am so grateful for your support along this journey. 

Polls are now open (7am to 8pm) and you can find your polling place here. You can return absentee/mail ballots to the dropbox outside of the Town Offices.

Dear friends,

We have less than a week to go!

Monday, March 2 is Election Day and I am so grateful for your support along this journey. 

Polls will be open 7am to 8pm and you can find your polling place and information on absentee ballots here.

Thank you so much for supporting my campaign for Lexington Planning Board!

We have had a busy week and I wanted to send my sincere appreciation to all of you who donated to the campaign this week, who endorsed me, held coffees, and volunteered in myriad ways. 

We are making fantastic progress and that really comes down to you. Thank you!

This is the home stretch, with just two weeks left until the election, and I hope you can help us continue to build momentum.

Tonight, the League of Women Voters is hosting their annual candidates' night. Clarke Middle School (17 Stedman Road) from 7 p.m.

Meet all candidates for Planning Board, Select Board, and School Committee. All will be there for a forum (starting 8 p.m.).

Meet candidates for Town Meeting and incumbent Town Meeting Members there to answer questions in Precinct meetings! If you're interested in hearing from Town Meeting candidates or want to meet your Town Meeting Members, this is a great opportunity.

Warmly,
Kunal Botla
votekunal.com

Kunal here—thank you so much for supporting my campaign for Lexington Planning Board!

Here are just a few examples of your impact to date:

• 200+ endorsements!
• Over a dozen coffees and small group meetings! 
• 100+ lawn signs!

Dear Friends,

You're invited to meet Planning Board candidate Kunal Botla:

• Today, Friday, January 23, 12:00-2:00 PM in person at Galaray House, 1720 Mass Ave, Lexington Center

• Sunday, January 25, 2:00-3:00 PM over Zoom

Kunal is looking forward to discussing current Lexington zoning issues and how to plan for smart, thoughtful future development. For other upcoming forums and opportunities to meet Kunal please visit votekunal.com.

Dear Friends, Happy New Year!

Thank you for your support of Lexington’s MBTA service. In August 2025, the MBTA began operating increased service on routes 62 and 76. Lexington now has Sunday service (not offered since the early ‘70s) and service higher than pre-pandemic levels on both routes. This could not have been possible without your advocacy and support.

In this town election, I’m running for a seat on Lexington’s Planning Board on March 2, 2026. I’m running to bring my architectural, transportation, and urban planning knowledge into Lexington’s zoning.