North Andover Town Moderator Appoints Three to Finance Committee

8 July 2016 – With Town Moderator Mark DiSalvo’s most recent appointments to the Finance Committee, for the first time since the Town’s founding in 1646, it will be made up of a majority of women. Reappointed to the nine member committee for a three year term is current member Jennifer Goldman.  Also appointed to a three year seat is new member Sasha Weinreich and appointed to a single year term is new member Divya Bhatnagar.

“The Finance Committee may be the most demanding and significant job in town government. It is central to the best practice review, operation and fiscal integrity of our community,” stated DiSalvo.  “It has been a huge effort to contemplate, recruit, interview for and assess the make-up of our Finance Committee and I am excited for our community in this result,” noted the Moderator.

A public swearing-in of the Finance Committee will take place on Monday July 18th in the North Andover Public School Administration Building Meeting Room on Main St. promptly at 5:30 PM. The service of departing Finance Committee members Don Elliot and Susan Almono will also be acknowledged.  The public is invited to attend and refreshments will be provided.

Backgrounds of the new and reappointed members are: 

  • Sasha Weinreich works in asset management and acquisitions for Calamar Capital Services where she oversees a rapidly growing, nationwide portfolio of senior housing facilities, as well as additional retail, commercial and multifamily properties. She is responsible for budgeting, forecasting, and performance analysis of existing assets, as well as performing underwriting and due diligence on securing potential new assets from a broad range of asset classes.  She received a Master of Arts in International Economics and

Finance from Brandeis University, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a concentration in Finance and Economics from Babson College.  She is a lifelong North Andover resident. Sasha and her husband Nathan, a United States Army Officer and Senior Financial Analyst at Raytheon, enjoy spending time in the local community with their young son Joseph.

  • Divya S Bhatnagar, trained as an Urban Planner, is a small business person and entrepreneur. She owns and runs a Kumon Math and Reading Center franchise in Lowell. She also has over 15 years of experience in transport planning, technologies and human resource development in the public transportation industry, and acted as a principal analyst/investigator/ planner for multiple planning projects, as well as business process evaluation projects in the transportation industry.  She earned a Masters in Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi with an emphasis on residential development. She also earned a Masters and Bachelor of Arts in Geography (Advanced Cartography and Urban Planning) from Patna University.  A nearly 20 year resident of North Andover, she and her husband Himanshu, a 2013 immigrant of the year awardee, founded HB Software Solutions (HBSS) a company that provides technology for public transportation systems. They have three children, sons Arjun – a Presidential Scholar at Babson College, and Abhijay – a Junior and New England Prep Schools number 1 seed wrestler, at Phillips Exeter Academy, and an 8 year old daughter Anika at Sargent Elementary School. They reside on Laconia Circle.
  • Jennifer Goldman is founder of My Virtual COO, an implementation expert in business process improvements and technology. Prior to founding My Virtual COO, Jennifer spent over 20 years as a Certified Financial Planner, quality control manager, and project manager for professional services firms across the USA.  A Buffalo New York native, she is a graduate of SUNY Geneseo with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and of Boston University’s Financial Planning graduate program.  She has been published in Technology Tools for Today, Liberated CEO, Staying in the Game, and Inc. Magazine and has spoken at national conferences on change management and successful tech implementation. Jennifer volunteered for years at a homeless shelter and served on a local YMCA planning committee.  She lives with her husband and two children and is an active fan of her children’s school and sporting events.

Weinreich succeeds Susan Almono who is retiring from the committee after fulfilling her three year term. “I thank Susan for her significant contribution to our Town as she leaves the FinCom to continue her interest in Sustainability,” praised DiSalvo. Bhatnagar will fulfill the remaining year of Don Elliot’s term who is leaving the committee due to personal family interests “I am particularly appreciative of Don’s services as the senior member and Vice Chair of the Finance Committee.  His guidance to the other members providing institutional memory was invaluable as a new committee of first time members was established.  His selfless recognition that he could no longer provide the commitment that the FinCom required is testimony to his respect for the committee and the Town,” commended DiSalvo. Goldman begins a three year term in her own right upon swearing in. “I couldn’t be more pleased by the positive effect Jennifer has had on the FinCom.  Her active voice and new insights have afforded better public policy,” noted