Sudbury 2023 Candidate Profile: Elizabeth Iwasaki, Goodnow Board

SUDBURY, MA — Sudbury's spring town election is coming up on March 27, and Sudbury Patch has reached out to candidates running in contested races to answer questions about why they're running.

This year, the races for select board, planning board and Goodnow Library board are the only contested races — although there are plenty of other candidates on the ballot.

Here's what candidate Elizabeth Iwasaki said about why she's running this year.

Elizabeth Iwasaki, 52, School Library Aide

Relevant experience

Working in school libraries for close to 10 years

Why are you running for a seat on the library board?

Because I am passionate about libraries. I believe they are our last shared public spaces, and serve an essential role in our community. It worries me, seeing the pressure libraries are under nationwide, and even in our state and I would like to use my education and experience to help support our beloved library.

If elected, what's one item you'd like to see pass the library board in 2023?

I'm not running with a specific agenda, but rather a drive to make sure our library represents and serves the people of Sudbury the best that it can. My first priority will be to listen and learn from people who have been there far longer than me before coming in with a list of demands.

What's one thing the library is lacking right now, and what would you do about it?

I think the library does a fantastic job of providing materials and activities to reach and represent a wide range of people, and they are always expanding and improving that. I especially love the programs that bring people of different ages together, like the chess club where high school players teach younger ones, or Stuffie Surgery where adult sewers fix stuffies for young patrons and I'd love to find a way to do more of those. I also think the library could use a high school intern/ social media manager to help promote programs and increase reach.

Previous Sudbury 2023 candidate profiles:

• Sudbury 2023 Candidate Profile: Ingrid Mayyasi For Goodnow Board