Missy Hollenback: getting to know a local star

By Juan Perfetti

Melisa Hollenback grew up in a “hillbilly” town in Pennsylvania where “many people was living in trailers.”

Nowadays she is a proud mother and wife, Shrewsbury Town Meeting member and possibly one of the most engaged neighbors around town.

She is definitely very passionate.

Appalachian childhood

Missy remembers a very sheltered childhood, her father worked in a chemical-metal factory and her mother was a hairdresser.

“Everyone was white, largely people worked in factories and they really weren’t involved in the community… You pay your taxes and somebody else do the work,” Missy added.

College participation was extremely low, specially for females… It was the “typical small-world-community in the Appalachia…” after high-school she wanted to go college and leave the community.

College and beyond

Missy went to the Elmira College in New York and got a major in business administration.

For 7 years she worked as a retail manager and she learned that companies “weren’t a lot of protective of the employees.”

For grad school, Missy came to Massachusetts. She went to Umass Amherst to get her Labor Studies.

She learned about unions, the benefits of democracy, inequality, high-exposure labor and the employment history.

Here in Massachusetts is where Missy also met her husband, during grad school. He is a computer scientist.

Citizens for a Better Shrewsbury

First, they moved to Marlborough where they lived for 2 years. Then, they moved to Westborough for 4 years… and then -when they decided to start a family- they moved to Shrewsbury.

A couple years later Aurora was born, their first daughter.

Hollenback considers that Shrewsbury is a “well run” town and there’s “a lot of diversity.” After 5 years living in town she realized that somethings needed to happen, and her involvement started with the schools.

In 2008 Shrewsbury voters said no to a proposal for a $1.5-million property tax override to increase the money for public schools.

Missy was part of the group who were supporting the increase of money for public schools: Citizens for a Better Shrewsbury. The counter balance for another group called Shrewsbury for Responsible Taxation.

Despite the tax override was rejected, it was not a waste of time at all. The election got an unbelievable (sadly) 50% of citizens participation, they lost for only 500 voters and they collected a significant data base of neighbors. Missy believes that Internet was a big protagonist in this results.

Town Meeting Members Association

When I asked Missy what does she think about the current situation in the Town Meeting, she gave me an outstanding answer.

With other Town Meeting members, Missy is starting a group based on other towns like Brookline, Amherst and Lexington.

Missy feels that several people have been town meeting members for a long of time and they agree with “whatever the people of the stage say is good” and vote yes for “whatever they say.” For her, It need to be more education and understanding about how this works.

“Most of the time they are very good (the people of the stage) in the suggestions, but sometimes they get shut off a little bit through the process,” she explained.

“People have questions, comments, but they are allowed to move the question and basically shut down all debate… and if the majority of the people in the room vote to shut down the question, it will happen,” affirmed Hollenback.

The Town Meeting Members Association wants to change that, she said.

I said very passionate

In the beginning of the article I’ve said that Missy Hollenback is probably one of the most engaged neighbors in Town. Why do I think that? Well, she is not only an active Town Meeting member but also an ecologist, local first activist and democracy advocate. Hollenback is president of the Shrewsbury Farmers Market, Shrewsbury League of Women Voters and Shrewsbury Recycles.

In the fall of 2013, the town passed a bylaw allowing farmers markets for the first time in Shrewsbury. Shortly after, Shrewsbury Farmers Market, was formed and began the process of planning the first farmers market in Shrewsbury history. The market currently hosts over 25 vendors and is being held at Ski Ward Ski Area. Visit their website for more information.

The League of Women Voters of Shrewsbury is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy and never support or oppose any political party or candidate. Visit their website for more information.

Shrewsbury Recycles was established to improve recycling and to reduce waste generation. The organization aims to promote greater awareness of waste generation’s impact on our environment. Visit their website for more information.

Hollenback is also promoting a “plastic bag ban” petition in the the Annual Town Meeting warrant to be voted on by Town Meeting members on May 16th.

The ban will include “all plastic check out bags thinner than 2.25 mils which are not marine degradable. It will not include meat, produce, bulk foods, or bakery item or, dry cleaner bags, generally bags without handles. It would cover any retail store who is larger than 2,500 square fee, or has 3 locations in Shrewsbury that total more than 2,500, or a retail pharmacy with at least 2 locations under same ownership, any super market that has annual gross sales of over $1 million the previous tax year. The retail establishment bag ban will be regulated by the Department of Health with the first violation receiving a warning, second a $50 fine and third warning a $100 fine,” according to Shrewsbury Recycles.