Medford Candidate Profile: John Intoppa For School Committee

MEDFORD, MA — With the Medford Municipal Election scheduled for Nov. 7, Patch is profiling the candidates.

Here, we learn more about John Intoppa, who running for School Committee. Intoppa, 22, is among seven candidates running for six seats. Intoppa ran unsuccessfully for School Committee in 2019.

The field in this year's School Committee race includes three incumbents: Jenny Graham, Melanie McLaughlin and Paul Ruseau. The other candidates are Nicole Branley, Aaron Olapade and Erika Reinfeld.

Intoppa is the interim program coordinator of student engagement at MassArt and an industrial design consultant at Intake Health.

Candidates were sent questionnaires and filled out the answers.

Name

John L. Intoppa

How old will you be as of Election Day?

22

Campaign website

https://intoppa4medford.com

What city or town do you live in?

Medford

What office are you seeking?

School Committee

Please give us your party affiliation

No Party

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design and minor in Fine Arts 3D Sculpture from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. High School diploma from Medford High School. Alumni, Station1 Scientific Frontiers Fellowship.

What is your occupation?

Interim program coordinator of student engagement at MassArt, industrial design consultant at Intake Health. Both newly hired out of college, but had a near 4-year career in student leadership while attending MassArt.

Family

I am the oldest of three — my sister Lacey Intoppa is a junior at UMass Lowell studying Forensic Chemistry, and my little brother Leo Intoppa is in the 7th grade at the McGlynn Middle School and loves to play baseball in any league he can. My mom Jen Mahan Intoppa works in the retirement office at Medford City Hall, and my dad Lou Intoppa runs Intoppa Painting Co. All of us are born and raised in Medford. South Medford, Hillside, and North Medford.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My mom Jen works at Medford City Hall in the retirement office. I myself am a state employee at MassArt.

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

I was elected to the Board of Trustees at MassArt by my peers after losing the 2019 Municipal Election in which I ran for the School Committee. I served 1.5 terms on the Board before being elected as the Student Government Association President at MassArt for two terms. Both considered government/public employee Positions

Why are you seeking this office?

I didn't lose four years ago. Instead, I won a great opportunity to get the experience I needed for the second run. I see a dire need for more focus around preventative mental health care, art & design education, and the Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility. I feel that with my experience, I will be an extremely vocal voice for these three key issues.

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

The mental health status in our schools for both students and teachers. I intend to incorporate more preventative mental health care programs and services into our system to help get ahead of the issue before it is too late. However, we need to host town halls and surveys to make sure we are providing what is needed and not assuming.

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

We all have different experiences. I feel that my experience makes me the most equipped to handle the tasks I seek to solve. I also have experience working in higher education with student leadership, the experience of being a student with a disability within our schools, as well as my vast experience within the arts, athletics, leadership, and more.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

They have yet to incorporate students to have a full seat at the table. We make too many assumptions after interviewing other stakeholders who speak on students' behalf. While there is often a "high school consultant," it is not enough. When bringing in new resources and protocols, we need strong student voices to make sure we are designing a public school system that makes students feel welcomed, wanted and safe.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

The status of art & design education in our school system and its importance, as well as the lack of funding and resources for our Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility.

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

My career as a student leader over nearly half a decade. I worked tirelessly with faculty and professional staff to make sure students were considered at every table. I helped rewrite an entire constitution and bylaws for student government, negotiated with departments surrounding class length, and I sat on various committees that made decisions and looked at the inner workings of the institutions. I also served in residence life as a resident advisor. I advocated at the state level for open educational resources, as well. Across all positions, I helped advocate for students with food insecurity and allergies, and I helped educate a multi-billion dollar company on how to handle food allergies across three college campuses. I advocated for the students of Medford as well as the senior class president for the Class of 2019. I did all this, as a full-time student.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

You can't teach experience.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I love to talk, and always want to get to know why someone thinks the way they do and makes the decisions the way they do. I am a trained industrial designer, which means I am trained in making human-centric products and services by trade. I hope to take the design thinking/management ideology to the Medford School Committee to better serve our constituents and users. I have been elected by students across the globe to be their representative, and I am hoping the voters of Medford will do the same for this 2023 Municipal Election. It would be an honor to have one of their six votes. Thank you.