Meet Barnstable School Committee Candidate Michael Judge

BARNSTABLE, MA — Local elections in Barnstable are less than a month away, and Patch is determined to help residents get to know their candidates for council and school committee.

Patch has sent candidate questionnaires to each of the candidates that will appear on the ballot in a contested race for each of those positions.

Michael Judge is running for re-election in this election cycle. He has served as a consistent presence on the committee for the better part of a decade, and hopes to stay on for another cycle.

Get to know Judge below:

Name

Michael Judge

How old will you be as of Election Day?

50

What city or town do you live in?

Osterville

What office are you seeking?

School Committee

Education.

Paramedic Certificate and Massachusetts Fire Academy

What is your occupation?

Retired Firefighter/Paramedic

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

I am married to Natalie and we have 4 kids(Brian 23, Matt 21, Samantha 19, Hallie 17)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

None

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Yes, I have been on the Barnstable School Committee for 8 yrs and am running for re-election

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

I am running for School Committee because I have always been involved in schools. I volunteered in schools in many different capacities. I started teaching fire safety in the school that I attended as a student prior to having my own kids. When we moved to Barnstable, I continued teaching Fire Safety in the schools. When our kids got to school age I would always volunteer in their classrooms for whatever was needed, whether it was reading groups, math groups or going on most of the field trips. Although being on the School Committee is different than how I started, it is still just trying to make it better.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is \_\_\_, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I think in such a changing world, it is always a challenge to keep education up with that speed of change. It is always hard to explain to people how education isn’t even close to what it was when we went to school. I think I as a school committee member need to continue educating people about the changes as they occur.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have been a school committee member for 8 years.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Treat people the way you want to be treated!