With a new master plan to write, Marion Planning Board candidate Jennifer Francis hopes voters will send her to the board for the first time.

“The next few years are going to be really important ones for the town,” said Francis, a research professor at Rutgers University for the past 20 years.

The board is currently seeking public comment on the master plan, which addresses many aspects of living in town, including housing, open space and natural resources, land use, public services and transportation.

A Marion native, she said her family moved back after living in cities and towns across the country. She discovered not much had changed, for which she was grateful. If elected, Francis said she’d take steps to ensure Marion’s character is preserved.

As an Energy Management Committee member, she developed solar bylaws adopted at Town Meeting and is working to establish a community solar garden.

After spending a few years on that committee, she felt confident running for Planning Board.

“It was a confluence of me feeling prepared and deciding that it was time to make a difference,” she said.

The board should consider writing bylaws that have the legal authority to stop developments that might harm the community, she said.

Additionally, Francis said she wants to foster positive discussions on the board.

“I hope we can make town governance attractive to people,” she said. “We need to engage the younger generation.”