Letter To The Editor: In Support Of Swampscott School Committee Candidates

From Neal Duffy, Chair of the Swampscott Renewable Energy Committee:

"To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this letter in support of Gargi Cooper and Suzanne Wright for re-election to the Swampscott School Committee. In my direct experience working with both of them I find they have the necessary temperament, intellect and attitude to continue moving our schools and our town in the right direction.

I began working with Gargi Cooper on town issues in 2014, when she first became a School Committee member and was appointed as the liaison to the Renewable Energy Committee (REC), which I have chaired for over six years. Gargi attends many of our meetings and has valuable input on all of the issues we work on, whether or not they are school related. I’d like to share one particular experience I had working with Gargi and Suzanne that I think best illustrates why I strongly support their candidacies.

When Gargi started as our liaison, our committee was having many conversations about the need for a town-wide facilities director. Noticing that we were having trouble gaining traction on this issue, Gargi facilitated meetings between Superintendent Pamela Angelakis, Town Administrator (former) Tom Younger and me. Eventually Gargi took the lead and created and chaired a Facilities Consolidation Task Force which consisted of various stakeholders from every corner of the town: Angelakis and Younger, myself and REC Vice-Chair Wayne Spritz, School Business Manager Evan Katz, Board of Selectmen John Callahan and Matt Strauss, DPW Director Gino Cresta and Assistant Engineer Dan Dragani, school maintenance staff, and Gargi’s fellow School Committee member Suzanne Wright. The final result of this task force was the creation of a Director of Facilities Management position in Swampscott. Wright, in particular, spent a lot of time on the job description for the position, consolidating and taking into account all task force members’ concerns and feedback. Throughout this process, Gargi Cooper and Suzanne Wright showed leadership, in their ability to keep big picture needs in mind; focus, in the way they ensured we continued to move towards our goal; and diligence, in their willingness to roll up their sleeves and hash out the important details.

I am a firm believer that our town needs doers, and Gargi Cooper and Suzanne Wright are doers. They are also patient, smart and hard-working people who do not take things personally, do not insist on being right, do not keep score, do not hold grudges, and always look for solutions that make sense for our schools and for Swampscott. That is why as the Chair of the Swampscott Renewable Energy Committee, as a Town Meeting member, and as a parent of two boys in the Swampscott Public Schools, I wholeheartedly support and endorse their candidacy for re-election to the Swampscott School Committee.

Respectfully submitted,

Neal Duffy

Chair, Swampscott Renewable Energy Committee"

Image via Shutterstock