Representative Jonathan Zlotnick, Judy Mack confirmed to Gardner redevelopment and industrial finance boards; Zlotnick outlines priorities

The Gardner City Appointments Committee voted to recommend confirmation of state Representative Jonathan Zlotnick and Councilor Judy Mack to the Gardner Redevelopment Authority (GRA) and the Industrial Development Finance Authority (IDFA).

Mayor (unnamed) introduced both nominations and noted that both appointments are governed by state law requiring five-year terms for those agencies. He said the dual appointments (GRA and IDFA) have been a local practice for two decades so members understand development projects and state financing steps.

Zlotnick, who identified himself as the state representative for Gardner and surrounding towns for 13 years, said he accepted the nominations because the roles align with his legislative work on development and economic policy. "I've worked on a number of those projects over the years as well as a range of projects throughout my district, you know, from kind of small redevelopments to kind of massive projects in the tens of millions of dollars," he said.

Asked how Gardner's redevelopment priorities might evolve over the next five years, Zlotnick said the city faces a fundamental challenge: a lack of large, developable tracts inside the city. "We don't have big tracts of land," he said, adding that wetlands, conservation lands and residential neighborhoods further constrain options. He pointed to Rear Main as the largest downtown redevelopment opportunity and named the Garbus property in South Gardner as another major site, but said sites will be harder to assemble going forward and will require creativity. "We're gonna have to look at...how do we increase density? How do we...build up instead of out?" he said.

Councilors praised Zlotnick's experience, noting his work on state economic and small-business committees and his background in the local business community. Councilor Hagelin described Zlotnick's legislative roles as directly relevant to city redevelopment work and said the city is "very well poised" given recent progress and partnerships between public and private interests.

Judy Mack, a six-year Gardner city councilor who chairs the public welfare committee and serves on the finance committee, also introduced herself and emphasized continuity with local history and the GRA's mission. She said she looks forward to updating the urban renewal plan and focusing on downtown business and housing needs. "I think updating the urban renewal plan...should be a continually changing document," she said, adding she wants the plan to reflect the city's evolving needs.

The committee moved and passed motions recommending confirmation of both Zlotnick and Mack to the full council. The mayor noted that the different state statutes control the boards' appointment lengths; the GRA is governed by one statute and the IDFA by another, which is why the appointments have five-year terms.

Ending: Both appointees were recommended for confirmation and will go to the full council for final votes. Zlotnick said he will focus on creative strategies for limited land capacity and on advancing current major downtown projects toward completion.