Melrose Election 2019: McNaught Ready For Ward 2 Head Start

MELROSE, MA — Jeff McNaught doesn't have any political experience — or much experience at all on city boards or committees. What he's got is four decades of living in Melrose, as well as a head start on whoever his fellow rookie City Councilors are going to be in the new year.

McNaught is running unopposed in Ward 2. But unlike other candidates, the seat he's running for is currently open after the sudden departure of President Jen Lemmerman. That means McNaught will likely sit on the City Council as soon as the results are certified, which in his case shouldn't take too long.

McNaught would have roughly two months on the Council before the new crop starts in early January. He plans on putting that time to good use.

"That time's to learn as much as I can, just about how things work," McNaught told Patch. "We're going to have a new mayor and almost an entirely new City Council. There's going to be a lot of people banding together to learn together. In a way it's kind of difficult to start after an election, but in a way I can learn."

The timing is certainly peculiar. McNaught could be one of the more experienced members of the Council by the time it rolls over just by virtue of sitting on a handful of meetings. He'll even be in position to vote on the upcoming polystyrene ban, though he didn't indicate which way he was leaning.

"I feel fortunate that I'm able to vote on it," McNaught said.

McNaught knows what the big issues are, even though he didn't need to mount much of a campaign.

"Almost everyone that's running has a lot of shared goals, and I think the main ones are police and fire stations, infrastructure," he said.

And of course, as a Ward 2 resident, he knows about The Rotary.

"The rotary, I've heard so much about the rotary," McNaught said. "Howard Street is over the fence in my backyard, I used to hear accidents regularly.

"I actually think the rotary has done a good job at slowing everyone down. I know changes aren't for everybody but it's clear now it's a rotary. I think in time people will get used to it and realize it's better."

McNaught will be learning on the fly. He wasn't even going to run until Lemmerman said she wasn't going to seek re-election — "there wasn't even a thought of running against her" — but he's certainly qualified.

McNaught is an attorney who spends much of his time advising student at Harvard Law School. Oh, and he's got a couple of kids in the Horace Mann.

All that's left for McNaught to do is sit and wait, though he's been reaching out to City Councilors to get a taste of what to expect. After all, his number's being called sooner than later.

The election is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Subscribe to Patch for free for more previews and live updates.

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