Candidate Profile: Nancy Tawadros, Reading Select Board

READING, MA — Nancy Tawadros is one of three Select Board candidates in the 2022 Town Election on April 5. Voters will be asked to vote for two candidates for Select Board, as current member Anne Landry is not seeking re-election.

Select Board member Mark Dockser is seeking re-election, and Jackie McCarthy is also running this year. Reading Patch asked Select Board candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

Tawadros works in talent acquisition at EverQuote, a Cambridge-based technology company. In her spare time, she volunteers with Caring Hearts Ministries in Revere, serving those who struggle with addiction, housing and food insecurity.

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

Age (as of Election Day)

47

Position sought (including ward or district number if applicable)

Select Board

Party Affiliation

unenrolled

Family

Two daughters: Nicole (18) and Natalie (14)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology/Natural Science from St John Fisher College

Occupation

People Operations/Talent Acquisition for 20 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

none

Campaign website

https://www.nancyforreading.co...

Why are you seeking elective office?

I want to be more directly involved in impacting some of the key issues facing our town and our community. We need to make decisions and direct funding towards the matters that are pivotal to the integrity of this town, and those that are foundational to the livability of our town for all of our residents. Back in the early fall, when I was interviewed to be a volunteer member of the town manager search committee, I discovered how volunteers in Reading are able choose the directions of our town’s future. It is volunteers and/or elected officials who decide on zoning and zoning waivers, write and revise our bylaws, issue licenses, regulate our parking and roads, approve budget spending, regulate our conservation and forest spaces, protect historical structures, and, of course, help to hire key individuals, There are so many ways for community members to be a part of our democracy! Out of all of these, I chose to run for the Select Board, because I believe this role and board is the best match to my expertise in corporate problem solving, recruiting and retaining personnel, and, most importantly, listening to people and working to resolve their concerns. The Select Board members help to interview and appoint many members of other boards and committees and regularly receive and respond to information from many of these same boards and committees, as well as multiple town departments. Dealing with multiple departments and their concerns, and listening thoughtfully to stakeholders, to help guide the best decisions for all involved, is what I do day to day – and what the Select Board has to do at every meeting. I am a great fit for the Select Board and am excited by the opportunity to use my skills to make a difference for Reading!

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

The single most pressing issue facing Reading is managing our growth, and this is what I intend to do about it: I want to apply the best of my corporate problem solving skills to learn as much as I can about managing the challenges that come with growth and then, in my role as a Select Board member, help develop objectives for our town manager that will enable the town departments that work under him, to proactively prepare for future issues that growth will create and more effectively respond to all of the issues that have already arisen due to growth. And, to be specific, by “growth” I mean the significant increase in development in Reading, especially downtown, of residential and mixed use structures. New developments bring new residents, new businesses, new vitality, and new revenue, which is all wonderful. However, what I have observed is that we as a town, especially our town boards and committees, are struggling to make this growth work more for the benefit of the town. We are tending to be reactive vs proactive. Parking is a primary example. Our Select Board reacted to this issue by forming an ad hoc committee to help develop parking solutions (and they are doing terrific work). To me, however, there should have been better up front planning, regulation, and oversight of the development and growth, including potential parking challenges, that, anyone could see, was likely to happen. With the coming MBTA-community zoning requirements, the parking challenge (along with others that are of concern to residents, like density, aesthetics, proximity to existing residential, impact on schools and town services, etc.) will become even more pressing. We need Select Board members, like me, who not only think creatively and proactively, but who also have a record of knowing how to work with people to make necessary actions happen, on time and on budget.

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

I bring a unique perspective to how I approach understanding every angle of a problem, which inherently results in stronger and more effective decision making. For example, as I grew my career in talent acquisition in the corporate world, and built my strengths, I decided to volunteer to run employment groups at a homeless shelter. I did this partly to be able to get a varying perspective on how to solve problems from different perspectives. Working with underserved folks, understanding their challenges and embracing issues from varying points of view lead me to build and diversify my skill set in the corporate world in People Operations. And to further my understanding, I went to the streets of Revere to serve the homeless, because not only do I value the opportunity to serve, I wanted to continue to develop the skills required to understand underserved populations because serving them properly requires in depth understanding and being able to take into account varying viewpoints to solve problems. Not only has this approach led to great success for me in my career, it would greatly benefit the Board if elected.

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

I think my answer above regarding our Select Board tending to be reactive vs proactive, addresses this. Town meeting approved the expansion of the 40R downtown in April 2017. Since then, we have had nine downtown-area 40Rs built, being built, or in the approval pipeline. I am disappointed that certain members of the board have not advocated for proactive steps to plan for the issues that might come from all this new development.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My campaign priorities:

● Updating infrastructure and road planning to better address current conditions and more effectively fix problems resulting from delaying needed repairs
● Improving communications with and services for underserved residents, including our senior and immigrant communities
● Balancing competing community goals in a thoughtful, fiscally responsible way, gathering input from a broad spectrum of Reading residents
● Addressing “growing pains” from new 40R/40B developments (such as parking issues, infrastructure limitations) while still encouraging responsible, sustainable tax base growth to maintain Reading’s solid financial position

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

As I have grown in my professional career, deepened the scope in regards to my serving underrepresented minorities, all while raising two kids and maintaining a household as a single mom, I’ve developed the ability to “take in” and process many differing points of view and perspectives as I consider coming up with effective solutions to problems. Embracing a “top down” and a “bottom up” approach along with taking into account the fiscal impact is critical to becoming an effective, engaged and collaborative leader. I’ve learned to solve problems in addition to becoming an active and engaged listener. I’ve learned to manage time and resources, whether while maintaining my household or working within budgeting constraints to solve corporate problems. I’ve learned to manage my natural demeanor as an empath while not shying away from difficult conversations. I exemplify leadership in combining my experience and ability to be a servant minded leader that can think critically about problems and collaborate with others to drive us forward to solutions.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

It will all come out in the wash.

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

I care deeply about this town and the people who live here. I want to make sure folks are heard, and that they feel supported as we as a community move through some critical issues over the next few years and beyond. I would be honored and am ready to lend my voice, my talents, my strengths, and the unique perspective that I have built over the years as one of five voices on the Select Board.