Norwood 2022 Candidate Profile: Tylor Tourville, School Committee

NORWOOD, MA - Norwood voters will have a big choice to make in the School Committee race.

There are two seats up for election on Monday, April 4. Incumbent Joan Giblin is seeking reelection. There are four challengers in the mix: Tylor Tourville, Michael Condon, Mark Whouley and Katie Sibbing-Dunn.

To help voters get to know each candidate, Norwood Patch sent all five a questionnaire to probe their thoughts on school issues. Here's what Tourville had to say:

Age on Election Day: 31

Party Affiliation: Republican

Family: Wife - Chelsey, 31. Daughter - <2 years

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No

Education: BA in Communications from the University of Maine

Occupation: Vice President at a public relations agency

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: None

Campaign website:
www.tylorfornorwood.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I believe that the parent has been effectively locked out of the conversation when it comes to shaping the education system they send their precious children into. I never wanted to get into public office, but it's become a calling after watching school boards across the nation these last two years fail our children. To be clear, I'm not here to make friends or become a career politician. I believe in respect, but my sole purpose for doing this is to make our children's education system better. Full stop.

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

It's not about one issue or another, in my opinion. It could be forced masking, it could be school start times, it could be weakening of the curriculum due to ideological influences, it could be the new middle school project. It's the fact that the leadership as a whole is weak, and either doesn't have the courage or the fortitude to stand by their decisions and defend them when faced with simple questions.

When I am elected, they will have to, at the very least, look a parent in the eye (me) and make their case and be able to justify it. I will represent the voices of the parents who have not been heard for the last two years.

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

I have a backbone. I am also willing to evaluate past decisions and make adjustments, and not be married to something just because it's ideologically or politically convenient. That means owning up to decisions that ended up having a negative impact, and not being afraid to revert back or change course. If something is working to the benefit of the kids is the only thing that should matter.

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

The school committee isn't dissimilar to the majority of school committees and boards across the country in its failings. The last two years have exposed many as weak leaders who would rather defer decision making to other sources in order to protect themselves and their positions rather than doing what was asked of them when they were elected, which is to take information, insights and anecdotes from the community, consider them and think deeply about them, and then make decisions and communicate those decisions effectively to the community.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.
My singular goal is to bring the voice of the parent back into the school committee and to have it be heard, discussed, and considered when making decisions for the wellbeing of our children in the school system.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I work in PR and have built a successful career helping companies and their executives build and maintain their brands and reputations. I've worked with enough "high powered" (big ego) people in my professional life to the point where I'm not intimidated by much, and I will take that attitude into this position.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Never think you're better than anyone else - and at the same time, never let anyone treat you as if you're lesser than them. It's a saying about respect my first boss told me, and it's always stuck with me.

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

I've come to love the town of Norwood and am ready to fight for it. I moved to Norwood in 2018 with my wife to put down roots and raise a family in a nice community. I moved around a lot when I was growing up in Maine, and never truly felt like I was "from" somewhere.

In Norwood, I think I may have found where I want to be "from" and I want that for my kids. I truly believe we ended up in the right place for us. As my budding family has continued to grow, I've realized the importance of having passionate people involved at the local level to ensure the values of the people in the community are preserved, and to me there's no better place to have an impact than the school committee, where we have the important job of shaping the foundational system in which our children are brought up and educated.