Name: Ethan Paul Kiczek
Office Sought: Town Meeting Member Precinct 9
e-mail address: ethan [at] electionspace.commichaelschanbacherlexpb [at] gmail.com (
)phone number: 617-669-9797

Community Activities: 

Since moving to Lexington in 2012 with my spouse, Amanda, and our son, Ethan Luke, I have sought ways to connect with our neighbors and engage more substantively in our community. As the parent of a young child, I was involved in the PTA and a room parent while my son was enrolled at Bridge Elementary School. For 5 years I was a Cub Scout Pack 160 Den Leader and Pack Treasurer. Wanting to understand more about Lexington’s town government, I was honored to attend and graduate from the Lexington Citizens Academy in 2016. More recently, I have applied what I learned at the Citizens Academy to my service as a Town Meeting Member for Precinct 9. A few years ago, a civic-minded neighbor suggested I join Lexington’s Refugee Assistance Program, LexRAP. Since then, I have become a liaison with the Lexington Housing Assistance Board, LexHAB, and I have worked closely with families to help them navigate day-to-day challenges such as housing, employment, finances, and even the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Most recently, with LexRAP and other community groups, I have been helping recently arrived, newly sheltered families navigate similar challenges. All these experiences have shown me just how lucky we are to be part of such a vibrant, diverse, and supportive community like Lexington. I hope I have made a positive difference thus far, and I look forward to connecting more with my neighbors and the community.

Article 43 on the 2024 Town Warrant is asking if the Town will authorize and request the Select Board to petition the General Court of the Commonwealth for Home Rule Legislation to allow any citizens in the Town of Lexington, who have reached the age of 16 or older, to register and vote in municipal elections within the Town, or to take any action in relative thereto. Would you support this article? Why or why not?

For the spring 2024 Town Meeting, I support Article 43, which advocates lowering the age for residents to vote in municipal elections for the Town of Lexington from 18 to 16 years old.

These younger residents already show their civic-mindedness by participating in a number of community groups and Town Committees. Election results often affect them and their families, but residents in this age group are currently prohibited from having a direct impact on those election results. Allowing and encouraging these young Lexingtonians to vote will have a positive impact on our community. Voting fosters connections to the community that will help establish a basis for younger voters’ substantive civic engagement in the future. Adding this demographic to the list of eligible voters will likely increase both voter interest in Town Elections and voter turnout, making the town’s elections more representative. Although some may believe that these young Lexingtonians are not yet mature enough to participate in elections, my experience is that this age group benefits from a strong education system that emphasizes the importance of civic and community engagement as well as critical thinking. I believe that they will carry these lessons of being responsible, thoughtful citizens to the voting booth.