Tewksbury Town Election: James Mackey III Candidate Announcement

TEWKSBURY, MA — James F. Mackey III is running for a seat on the Tewksbury Board of Selectmen in the April 10 town election.

A U.S. Army veteran, Mackey is one of at least four candidates who have taken out papers to run for two open seats on the committee. As of Feb. 1, he faces incumbent Mark Kratman as well as fellow challengers Collin McNaught and Todd Johnson.

Nomination papers are due by Friday.

Hicks submitted the following candidate announcement to Patch for publication:

James F. Mackey III, thirteen-year Veteran of the United States Army and 4th Generation Tewksbury resident, today announced his campaign for election to Tewksbury’s Board of Selectmen. After working with government agencies at the Federal, State, and Local level, Mackey aims to help bring new vision and energy to common issues he sees in his home town of Tewksbury, MA.

Leadership and its challenges are nothing new to Mackey as he has served in various leadership positions in both his civilian and military career. Notably leading the planning, coordination, and execution of the offensive cyber operations team activities for the last three years in both Regional and FEMA National Level Exercises.

“Accountability and professionalism need to be front and center in the minds of our local government and town employees. Both are here to serve the citizens of Tewksbury and that service needs to be the primary concern,” said Mackey.

Mackey is running on a platform of “Accountability and Professionalism” with key areas of interest being fiscal responsibility, affordable housing for veterans and the elderly, improved transparency of government activities and ensuring boards and committees are empowered and accountable for their respective areas of responsibility.

He intends to work closely with the finance committee, and leverage their expertise to explore options that minimize tax raises. Mackey has identified a number of possible ways to improve the affordable housing options in town for the elderly and veterans by working closely with the town manager and housing authority.

Improving the Tewksbury town web page and keeping citizens more informed will provide greater transparency and ensure citizens are notified of proposed changes and board decisions. This will come hand to hand with working with boards and committees in town to ensure they are empowered and accountable for their decisions.

The election is currently set for April 10, 2021. The campaign for the election of James F. Mackey III is currently accepting donations and volunteers. Visit MackeyforTewksbury.com for more information.

“I am extremely grateful for the support the community has already provided,” said Mackey. “I look forward to continuing to hear from Tewksbury residents about the best ways I can serve our town.”

This announcement was produced by the Mackey campaign. The views expressed are the author's own.