Burlington to Honor Long-Time Public Servant, Paul Raymond

The Town of Burlington this afternoon will recognize a Burlington resident who dedicated more than half a century to serving the town.

Paul Raymond moved to Burlington in 1960, and within about a decade he was heavily involved in town government. As a member of the Town Counsel Advisory and Study Committee in 1971, he was among the residents who led the charge to institute a representative Town Meeting, where elected members represent each precinct.

After that successful bid, which made Burlington one of just a handful of towns to have an elected legislature, he was elected into the inaugural slate of Town Meeting Members, representing Precinct 3, District G.

After serving as a Town Meeting Member from 1972 to 1988, Paul was elected to the Planning Board in 1990, where he served for 32 years until his retirement in 2022.

During his time on the Planning Board, Raymond was involved in countless projects, including the expansion of the mall and the opening of Lahey Hospital and Medical Center (then called Lahey Clinic) on Mall Road. "I thought it would be a nice thing to have a downtown [medical center]," he said.

His daughter, Deb, added, "If you've ever gone to Lahey ER with him, he'll tell everybody it's there because of him."

His priority, Paul said, was allowing commercial businesses into Burlington that could support the tax base without causing a disruption to the suburban way of life. The Planning Board during that time was intentional about keeping commerce closer to the highway while maintaining quiet residential areas with less traffic.

"They worked really hard with the businesses to make sure that they landscape properly [and] put in bike paths," said Deb.

According to town Archivist, Dan McCormack, "Mr. Raymond also served on other town boards, some as an appointed representative and some as the Planning Board's appointee. Most notably, he was the Board's representative to the Recreation Commission from 2002-2013 and 2015-2021. Other service included terms on the B-Line Advisory Committee, the Bike Committee, the Stream and Flooding Study Committee, the Senior Housing Options Advisory Committee, and the Rules Committee."

"He's a very smart guy," said long-time friend Jack Kelly, who served alongside Paul in various capacities for decades. The two had similar philosophies regarding government's role: "Representing [the people]. Preventing people from getting special favors. Making sure that the government was open."

But Paul's only interest wasn't in town government. Professionally, he worked in pharmaceutical sales. And he lived an active life - hiking, biking, skiing, and generally enjoying the outdoors. "He used to say his $600 Planning Board stipend got spent on skiing lift passes," said Kelly. Jack's and Paul's families were close, taking trips together and gathering around Burlington as well.

Paul still lives in Burlington. A bench will be dedicated in his honor this afternoon, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 2:00 PM outside the Town Hall Annex, where the Planning Board has its offices.