Candidate Profile: Keith Bernard, Ward 7 School Committee

MALDEN, MA — Keith Bernard is running for school committee in Ward 7 in the Nov. 2 municipal election. He faces a challenger in Nichole Mossalam. There will also be a citywide election for councillor at-large, as well as elections for city council and school committee in certain wards.

Malden Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles this week.

Bernard has been a system administrator for more than 20 years. He ran for school committee in 2019 and feels that he "could do some good."

Are you running for office in Malden? Contact Alex Newman at alex.newman@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Malden Patch.

Age (as of Election Day)

51

Position Sought

Ward 7 School Committee

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Zayda Ortiz, wife of 16 years; Benjamin, 27, son & Christina, daughter in law.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelor of Science, IT, University of Phoenix

Occupation

System Administrator, 20 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

bernard4ward7.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I ran two years ago, and was thinking about not running this time, but local families and other neighbors members asked me to run. I felt that I could do some good.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I don't think we have just one pressing issue, but we need to build trust between our families and the schools, and we can only do that through being transparent and communicating with our families. I think the new school administration is off to a good start and we need to keep them on that track, and make sure we're meeting people where they are at, especially with families trying to enroll their kids, kids and staff experiencing bullying and facing those challenges, and paying our staff and teachers what they are worth.

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

I can't speak for what my opponent stands for. I know that I promise to try and listen to our families, advocate for their needs, and try to help where I can. I can't solve every issue, but if I say I'm going to do something, I am going to do it.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I think we did okay, and there is always room for improvement. Our city did as well as can be expected, and I think that we learned some important lessons about what we are able to do for our kids, and that we can lean more on the community as a whole to help out.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Malden is a city that is proud of our diversity, so I'd like us to support that diversity by any way we can. We have three representatives that believe in education as well as our state senator, so we know we have a good team that will support our schools. If elected, I want to continue the good work our previous school committee member was doing in terms of auditing special needs programs and budget items. If we can afford it, I want to expand our after-school programs, because many parents want and need that for their children.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I'm a father, and have had a diverse work history from running successful retail shops, to budgeting and assisting with the design of offices and networks. I work in IT which requires patience, critical thinking and sometimes creative problem solving. I've also lobbied and organized for the Student Opportunity Act and am in the process of organizing for the Fair Share Amendment, which if passed will help pay for some of the goals of our schools.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Meet people where they are at. In other words, don't talk at them, but listen to them and find common ground, things we agree about.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

No matter what, I'll always try and listen respectfully to people's questions and opinions.