Candidate Profile: Bill Giglio, Medford School Committee

MEDFORD, MA — Bill Giglio is one of 14 candidates running for School Committee in the Sept. 14 preliminary election, which will whittle down the field of candidates ahead of the municipal election in November. There will also be a preliminary election for the mayor's race.

Medford Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

Giglio lives in Medford with his wife Tracey, sons Derek and Justin and niece Cassie. He has worked in telecommunications for nearly 30 years.

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

Age (as of Election Day)

48

Position Sought

School Committee

Family

I live with my wife Tracey and 2 Boys, Derek 20, A 2019 Medford Vocational graduate, Justin 16, A Medford Vocational senior, Lacrosse and Hockey player. We also take care of and raise our great niece Cassie age 6 entering the first grade at Brooks Elementary.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

High School, Trade School, Avaya phone switch training.

Occupation

Telecommunication 28 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

Giglio4medfordsc.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I'm seeking a seat on the school committee for many different reasons. One is to advocate for more of a focus to build up our vocational program. Right now some of the great shops at the Voke are being forced to shut down due to a lack of qualified teachers. The reason being is that the pay is too low. Trade workers are making more money out in the field and we need to find incentives that will attract good, solid, teachers that will get our children out in the work force with a good foundation when they graduate.

My oldest son Derek is proof of what having a great vocational teacher will do for a student. He has been working in Local Union 103 IBEW as an electrician since the day he graduated in 2019.

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

One of the most pressing issues we are facing now is Critical Race Theory. Unfortunately Critical Race Theory has come upon us in the Medford Public Schools. While in school, our children need to learn Math, Science, Health, Social Studies, how our government operates etc. Have the necessary tools and access for EVERY student to succeed after high school. CRT injects race into every subject or course. All students should be taught to identify by who they are as a person and not by the color of their skin or sexuality.

I intend to stop CRT in our school system by paying attention and calling it out when necessary. Our children are young and impressionable and anything but a proper curriculum education for all students will be unacceptable

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

I think we are all determined and want a seat at the table. Everyone is going to have differences but it's how you handle them that counts.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

I wouldn't say that any of the current board member ever failed the community because everyone has different views and beliefs on how they see certain topics. But, I would say that in my opinion, and the opinion of many other community members that I've talked to is how the renaming of the Columbus school came about. It was done during the pandemic, on Zoom and with little public input. As much as they say the Columbus name hurts people, there were just as many hurt that the name was being changed.

It sort of in a way tore much of this community apart when it all could of been avoided by hearing all sides of those concerned. Proper dialogue was just not there unfortunately.

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

Given the fact that we have never in our lifetime gone though a pandemic like this, it's hard to judge their performance. There were some good things they had done and some things I think that could have been done differently. For instance, there was no reason the class of 2020 couldn't have had a safe in-person out door graduation at Hormel Stadium. That same location held a protest just a few weeks before with many of our elected officials in attendance. These students worked a hard, long 12 year school career and deserved better. It’s every parents and grandparents dream to watch their child cross that stage to receive their hard earned diploma! That’s a milestone they will never get back unfortunately.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Wifi. I hear so many people complain about how bad our WiFi is for students. Why? We need to look into the reason why its so weak and what needs to be done to fix it!

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

In the past, I've been a leader to a cub scout group for 5 years. Mentoring these kids meant so much to me. I’ve given so much of my free time on weekdays and weekends to be able to do community projects, cleanups, hikes, camping and field trips and many many other community activities with my group. It's a period in my life I will cherish forever!

In addition to scouting I've coached youth hockey here in Medford. Our team did more than just meet for practices and games. At least once a month and sometimes more, we would have team building events. Whether it was going bowling, Catching a UMass hockey game, pizza or making Christmas ornaments, we got together as a team for some fun team building down time.

Aside from volunteering with children, at my job in the Telecommunication field I've managed hundreds of projects and met hundreds of great people of all kinds. I can communicate effectively with anyone to help meet their needs.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

No excuses, just solutions. Meaning always do what it takes to get the job done. Mistakes will always be made but it's how you fix them that counts!

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

If elected, I promise to work hard so that every child gets the same chance for a great education to succeed while in school and in the world after school.

Please remember to vote in the preliminaries on Sept 14th. My name is Bill Giglio, I am running for school committee and I'm number 4 on the ballot.