Lynn School Committee
Candidate Forum
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Congregation Ahabat Sholom
151 Ocean Street, Lynn
7:00 p.m.
Upcoming Events
All candidate forums will begin at 7:00 p.m., 151 Ocean St., Lynn
Please participate in our Red Cross Blood Drive
Saturday, July 27th, 9am – 2pm, LHAND, 10 Church Street!
Sunday, September 29--Essex Heritage Sails & Trails—Two Events
Goldfish Pond and Grand Army of the Republic Museum
(free to all—get “Passport” from www.essexheritage.org)
Book Club--meets monthly September through June
For more info email lynncommunity@comcast.net or see our website www.lynncommunity.org
Eating Out Club—meets monthly at different Lynn Restaurants
For more info, contact Trish, paintertrish67@yahoo.com or visit our website www.lynncommunity.org
Thursday, October 17th, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Fundraiser--Tides Restaurant & Pub, 2 Wilson Rd, Nahant
10% of all sales to benefit LCA programs and events.
November, Date/Time TBA--Resource Fair
December, Date/Time TBA--Wreath Hanging
Monday, January 20, 2014--3rd Annual MLK, Jr. Day of Service
March 2014—Youth Forum
May/June 2014—Mayor’s State of the City
June 2014—Clean Sweep to the Sea
Lynn School Committee
Candidate Forum
Lynn, MA
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
7:00 pm
Welcome
Mary Trahan, LCA President
Moderator
Cleo Hereford*
Time Keeper
Steven Dwyer
Candidates Qualified by City Clerk:
Patricia M. Capano**
Maria O. Carrasco**
Donna M. Coppola**
John E. Ford, Jr.**
Charlie Gallo**
Lorraine Gately
Melissa L. Romaniello
Richard B. Starbard**
Stanley H. Wotring, Jr.
* Cleo Hereford is a Lynn native educated in the Lynn Public Schools at
Ford Elementary, Marshall Middle School and Lynn English High School.
After graduating from Wellesley College in 2009 with a degree in psychology,
she began work at Boston Children's Hospital in the Department of Psychiatry
where she is still currently employed. In addition to her day job, Cleo is also
the writer behind An Education, a local blog focused primarily on the Lynn
public schools and education-related issues, and serves on the Citizen's
Advisory Board and the Marshall Middle School Council.
**Incumbent
Notes
Candidate profiles are listed in alphabetical order with a photo
and a brief biography.
Candidates are seated for the forum in alphabetical order (left
to right).
Please accept our thanks for all Lynn citizens caring enough to
come out tonight to this forum, and to the candidates who are
taking time from their already busy campaign schedules to
participate.
In Gratitude…
A special thanks to moderator, Cleo Hereford; time keeper,
Steven Dwyer, and LCA photographer, Patrick Devanney.
Very special thanks to the Congregation Ahabat Sholom and
Shendel Bakal for their very generous support of LCA by
allowing use of their facilities and set up for the event.
We much appreciate a variety of local media coverage!
The mission of Lynn Community Association
is to promote pride and ownership in our community
through beautification, education, recreation,
and neighborly relationships.
Debate Rules
1. Each candidate will be allowed 2 minutes introduction;
candidates will present in alphabetical order. A yellow flag
will be displayed by the time keeper 15 seconds before time
is up. A red flag will be displayed when time is finished.
2. Moderator will ask questions which have been submitted
anonymously by voters in the community. A name of the
person who is to answer first will be drawn from a pool of
candidate names. The question will then pass to that person’s
left until each person has had an opportunity to respond.
3. Each candidate will have up to 90 seconds to answer the
question. Yellow/red flag time keeping will apply.
4. If any candidate makes a remark which is directed toward
another specific candidate, that candidate will be allowed 45
seconds to respond/rebut. Yellow/red flag time keeping will
apply.
5. Following approximately 75 minutes of questions/answers,
each candidate, in reverse alphabetical order, will be allowed
an additional 1.5 minutes to make closing statements. Again,
Yellow/Red time keeping will apply.
6. Candidates who do not respect the time keeping rules may be
disqualified from participating in the remainder of the
debate.
City Clerk’s Office
Contact
Mary Audley | City Clerk and Elections Chief
Phone
(781) 598-4000
Email
maudley@lynnma.gov
Office
Room 203 | Lynn City Hall
Hours—
Monday
8:30 AM to 4 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM to 8 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM to 4 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM to 4 PM
Friday
8:30 AM to 12:30 PM
You can register to vote at City Hall Clerk’s Office, where you also can
obtain/complete an absentee ballot.
Candidate Photographs and Biographies
were submitted by candidates
and are presented on the following
pages in alphabetical order.
Patricia M. Capano
I am a life long resident, homeowner, and an invested
citizen of the city of Lynn. I am married to Attorney Mario
Capano and have three sons Nicholas, Alexander, and
Jonathan. I graduated from St Mary's High School Class of
79. I attended Salem State College after high school. I have
held a seat on the Lynn School Committee for 16years. I have been the Vice
Chairperson for the past 10 years. Prior serving on the School Committee, I was a
family advocate for children with acute trauma and chronic disabilities at Tufts
Medical Center. I currently serve as an Eucharistic Minister at St. Pius V Church,
Lynn, MA.
When I first ran for a seat on the committee I was a mother of three young LPS
students. My oldest son required several services and I quickly learned I was his
best advocate. I thought I could serve my community by bringing my knowledge
and passion for education to this board.
My primary goal has not changed. I continue to be motivated and passionate and
want to be part of a system that is growing and thriving. I believe I have
consistently worked openly with parents, teachers, administrators and my fellow
colleagues to continue to strive for a successful future for our students.
I have been part of the Negotiations Subcommittee for 16 years, assisting with
contracts that support and promote highly qualified teachers for our students.
Serving as Chairperson for the Curriculum Subcommittee has given me hands on
experience and specific knowledge of our students' academics, books, and standards
of teaching in our classrooms.
As a committee member I have been instrumental with assistance of my colleagues
to devise the Superintendent Evaluation, which combines committee, district, and
Superintendent goals that are concise, measurable and consistent with our mandate
to continue to achieve increased levels of students performance.
I will continue to be an accessible advocate for parents and students. I will continue
to reach out to the community to help our students be successful in the future.
Maria O. Carrasco
In the early 1980’s I came to Lynn in pursuit of the
“American Dream.” I immediately enrolled in English
classes at North Shore Community College and received an Associate’s Degree
with certification as a Drug and Alcohol Substance Abuse Counselor.
For over 15 years I was a teacher. I have worked as a case manager for 25 years at
the North Shore Career Center. Every day I get to help people access the training
and education they need to achieve their career goal and feel I make a difference
enabling me to be a strong advocate for increased state funding for more English as
a Second Language (ESL) and Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs.
I have three children and 6 grandchildren. All three of my children attended and
graduated from Lynn public schools. Three of my grandchildren attended the Lynn
public schools. I am ecstatic to say that my first grandson has graduated from
English High School and this past May Graduated with a bachelor’s Degree from
Becker College.
My life experiences have given me an understanding of the lives of children, youth
and working families in our community and the challenges they face. I have been a
community advocate and activist in Lynn for decades.
I have been President of New Lynn Coalition, Chairwoman of the Lynn Shannon
Grant Steering Committee, Member of Neighbor to Neighbor, Greg House,
Operation Bootstrap, Lynn United for Change, Highland Coalition and have had A
the honor of being appointed by the governor as Member of the Trustee Board of
North Shore Community College. I have also been a member of the Lynn Hispanic
Scholarship for over 16 years and served as president for 4 years where we award
scholarships to high school students based on their academic performance and
financial need.
Donna M. Coppola
300 Lynn Shore Drive Apt. 700
Lynn, MA 01902
781-593-4433
donnacoppola@mail.com,
Facebook - Re Elect Donna Coppola – Lynn School
Committee
Married to Harry, mother of 4 children, grandmother of 3. Former foster parent of
19 children.
Educaiton:
Graduate of NSCC, Phi Beta Kappa, and University of Massachusetts
Work History:
AT & T 23 year career, member of CWA
JOI Childcare Center Case Manager, Teen Parent Program, UAW 1596
Commonwealth of Mass NRS, Direct Care, member of AFSCME 1730
Volunteer & Community Service:
Elected to the Lynn School Committee in 2000
Past PTA President Lincoln-Thomson Elementary PTA, Breed Jr. High PTA, and
Lynn Classical HS PTA
Mass PTA, former Executive Board member
Education Reform Review Commission, Parent Representative appointed by Gov.
Weld
Lynn Community Connection Coalition Board Member
DARE Family Services, former Board Member
My Brother’s Table, former Board Member
North Shore Labor Council, Women’s Committee
Austin Square Baptist Church, Women’s Supper Committee
Awards:
Kline Scholarship Recipient, Governor Foster Furcolo Recipient
John E. Ford, Jr.
I am married ( 46 years ) to Sheila ( Wilson ) , have 4
daughters ( Kathleen, Tina, Valerie and Jennifer) and 5
grandchildren. Two of my daughters are Lynn
schoolteachers ( Kathleen and Jennifer). My sister, Joanne
Eagan is the Principal of Sacred Heart School. My father,
John, was the Councilor of Ward 7 for 16 years and City
Council President for 8 years. My uncle Robert was the
Principal of the Ford School and the building is named in
his honor. My cousin Phyllis O'Brien teaches at Shoemaker and my brother-in- law
John "Jack" Eagan recently retired as a teacher from Pickering. I have strong family
ties to education.
I worked 34 years at General Electric, retiring in 2001. I then worked several years
for GE as a contractor before joining the staff of State Representative Steven Walsh
in January 2010, as a Legislative Aide. My main duties for Rep. Walsh are to act on
his behalf at local events and to attend to his constituent services. I have a B.S. in
Sociology from Northeastern University and a Masters in Education. from Cambridge
College. My initial desire when attaining my Masters in Education was to begin a
second career as teacher, but that desire never materialized.
I am very involved in the community. I am a member of the Knights of Columbus and
A.O.H Division 10. I am a member of CTC ( Community That Cares) and serve on
the Executive Board. I am on the Board of Directors of Children and Family Services,
Building Bridges Through Music, and Cerebral Palsy of Eastern Mass. I also serve on
the Executive Board of the Lynn Food and Fitness Coalition. I have also been
involved, the past several years, with Councilor Peter Capano, and the Lynn Item in
running a Summer Youth Basketball League.
As a member of the School Committee, I am very active. I am in contact nearly every
day with School Administration on any topic or agenda item that may arise. I pride
myself on same day response to any school related phone calls and attend as many
school functions an initiatives as my schedule will allow. I attempt to render
educated and common sense input on each School Committee issue.
Charlie Gallo
I first ran for the School Committee because education has
always been important to me, and I wanted to work to improve
education in Lynn. As the first member of my family to graduate
from college, I understood the importance of a quality
education. I understand the history, accomplishments, and
challenges facing our city and its schools. I ran for the School
Committee with the belief that all students deserve a quality
education, and that the future of Lynn requires that all students
receive a quality education.
I began my first term on the School Committee in 2012, and have worked hard for our
students and schools. I am running for a second term to continue working hard to improve
education in Lynn. Some of the initiatives that I have been working on include grant funding to
bring more resources to Lynn students and schools, career development programs for high
school students, student safety programs for elementary school students and parents in
partnership with the Lynn Police and Fire Departments, youth engagement and the Lynn
Youth Council, partnerships with businesses and non-profits to provide more opportunities to
Lynn students, establishment of the Lynn Community Enrichment Program which offers
educational and recreational courses at Lynn Tech at night for Lynners of all ages, educator
appreciation, and making Lynn School Committee meetings available online.
PERSONAL
--Lifelong Lynn resident; Family in Lynn for four generations; Homeowner /
taxpayer; First family member to graduate from college
PROFESSIONAL—Attorney; Adjunct instructor, North Shore Community College
EDUCATION--Juris Doctor, Suffolk University Law School (evening division, while working
during the day), 2009; Bachelors Degree in Government, Suffolk University, 2005;
K-12:Sacred Heart School, Sisson Elementary School, Pickering Middle School, and
St. Mary’s High School
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
 Lynn Democratic City Committee, Secretary, 2005-present
 Lynn Community Association, Board Member, 2012-present
 Lynn Home for Young Women, Board Member, 2012-present
 Lynn Citizens Advisory Board (for youth, non-profit, and community development
programs), Board Member, 2008-2012
 Zoning Board of Appeals, Associate Board Member, 2009-2012
 Member, Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach
 Member, Lynn Museum and Historical Society
 Member, Friendly Knights of St. Patrick
 Associate Member, Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 10
 Volunteer, Santa Island
For more information please visit www.CharlieGallo.com, call 781-592-9498, find Charlie
Gallo for Lynn School Committee on Facebook, and follow GalloForLynn on Twitter.
Lorraine Gately
Lorraine Gately is a lifelong resident of Lynn who has
experienced Lynn Public Schools from many sides, including
as a student, parent and long-time educator. She is ready to
add School Committee member to that list.
Gately, who retired in June after a 33-year teaching career
has announced her candidacy for Lynn School Committee.
“When I decided to retire from teaching, I knew I wanted to
stay active in the school district, which has played such an important role in my
life,” Gately said. “Serving on the School Committee will give me the opportunity
to put all my experience to good work for the benefit of all students, families,
teachers and staff.”
After graduating from Lynn English High School in 1972, Gately earned an
associate’s degree at North Shore Community College and a bachelor’s at Goddard
College in Vermont. She also holds a master’s in education from Cambridge
College.
Gately spent the vast majority of her teaching career in Lynn Public Schools,
working mainly as a science teacher at the secondary level. For the last six years,
she served as a lead teacher at Pickering Middle School. She has also been a team
leader in the Gateway to Engineering and Technology Education project at the
Museum of Science. Strengthening the science curriculum, especially at the middleschool level, will be one of her priorities as a School Committee member, she said.
Gately, whose son, Michael, graduated from Lynn English this year, said she will
also focus on upgrading the quality of school buildings, which is why the upcoming
vote on a new Marshall Middle School is so critical.
“The Marshall project is the most important issue that has come up in the school
district in many years,” Gately said. “Not only will it cost the City less for a new
building than to repair the existing one, but a new Marshall will also pave the way
for a continued partnership with the MSBA (Mass. School Building Authority) and
more new schools down the road.”
A two-time cancer survivor, Gately is a member of the North Shore Labor
Council’s Women’s Committee and the Lynn Teachers Union. She formerly served
as an assistant girls basketball coach at Lynn English, and over the years has been
involved with Lynn Youth Hockey, Lynn Youth Soccer and the Lynn Park Softball
Association. She is also a former member of the Gannon Golf Course Inner Club.
Melissa L. Romaniello
Melissa Romaniello and her husband Chris have
owned a home in Lynn for six years. They share it with
their three sons, a St. Bernard, and two cats. Melissa's
sons attended Lynn elementary schools, currently her
oldest two attend KIPP Academy and her youngest
child is enrolled at the Drewicz School. Melissa herself is a product of the
public education system.
At a young age, Melissa owned her own thriving company at the
same time that she was earning an Architecture degree. She graduated
from Onondaga Community College in 2007 with a GPA of 3.98.
Her commitment to her family directed a career change and she currently
works as an advocate for families in need. Many of these families require
assistance with school issues, which is an area in which she has hard-won
experience. Melissa successfully advocated for her own children’s
individualized education plans due to their special education needs. She
has a high level of cultural competence--needed in a melting pot
like Lynn--in part because she capitalized on scholarships to study
in Japan and Spain.
Melissa has volunteered with many community organizations,
including the Friday Family Support Group (Executive Board), Lynn
Parent Advisory Council on Special Education (Secretary, Co-Chair, and
Chair), Special Olympics Massachusetts, Cub Scouts (Cubmaster, Camp
Staff, Den Leader), and Boy Scouts (Committee Member). In addition,
Melissa has volunteered many hours to help families with special
education needs to advocate for what their children require.
Melissa will bring a parent’s voice to the School Committee and is eager
to represent the children and families of Lynn, as well as ensure that they
receive the education that they deserve.
Richard B. Starbard
Rick Starbard, currently serving his second term as a
member of the Lynn School Committee, was born in Lynn
and graduated from Lynn Tech’s Auto Body program in
1981. In 1983 at the age of nineteen he founded Rick’s
Auto Body, now Rick’s Auto Collision, Inc., in Revere. In
1996, as a newly certified vocational instructor, he became
a collision repair instructor at LVTI. During his tenure at
Lynn Tech, its Auto Collision Program had blossomed into a nationally recognized
National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) certified training
program.
Starbard is the Immediate Past National President of the 10,000+ member
Alliance of Automotive Service Providers as well as the Immediate Past President
of AASP’s Massachusetts affiliate. He is involved in several local and national
industry initiatives. Starbard is a member of the LVTI School Council and the LVTI
Advisory Board. He is a member of Board of Directors of the LVTI Alumni
Association, the President of the Board of Directors for the Lynn Street Outreach
Advocacy (LYSOA), a member of the Lynn Chamber of Commerce, Grace United
Methodist Church and participates in and sponsors many community endeavors.
Two of Rick’s proudest moments came in the past year when he was inducted into
the Lynn Tech Hall of Fame and was asked to be the commencement speaker at this
year’s LVTI graduation.
Starbard’s more than thirty years as a business owner have taught him how to
make tough financial decisions in tough economic times. Once he took office
following the 2009 election, Starbard became known for speaking out on wasteful
spending as well as restoring needed resources to our classrooms. On a daily basis
Starbard uses his hard-earned expertise to work directly with the citizens of Lynn,
the administration, advisory boards, business community and the alumni
associations to study issues such as budget cuts, programs and security. He has been
a staunch advocate of accelerating the replacement of many of our aging school
buildings.
Rick and his wife Lois have been married for 27 years and have two
daughters, Jessica a 2009 Lynn English graduate and recent graduate of
Northeastern University and Stephanie a 2012 Lynn English graduate currently
attending Bridgewater State University.
Stanley H. Wotring, Jr.
Although born in Washington, DC, I grew up in WV.
Early on I learned the value of education when my
parents struggled to put me in a private kindergarten back before there was
a public one in WV. All through school I always did well, winning various
awards. In high school I was chosen to attend programs with other high
achieving students from around the country. One, an engineering program
at Western Michigan University and the other a National Science
Foundation Chemistry Camp at West Virginia Wesleyan College.
I chose to go to college at Wesleyan where I was studying chemistry but
on the pre-med track. During my freshman year I won the Hyma Award
for outstanding achievement in freshman chemistry, Early in my
sophomore year I was involved in an automobile accident that left me
comatose for eleven days. Through hard work and strong family support I
was able to make a remarkable recovery, even taking Outreach courses at
Wesleyan through the mail less than four months later, I was back in
school full time next fall. I graduated in 1985 with a BA in psychology
and a minor in chemistry.
After a very brief teaching stint in Louisville, KY, I worked in various
capacities at the Elkins Mountain School for seven years. I moved to MA
where I worked for DMR for 15 years before I retired on disability. I have
two kids in LPS. I have been involved with the School Improvement
Council at Ford School where I was also a volunteer librarian for a
year. My blog, LYNN SCHOOL WATCH has been around for three
years and I am approaching 270,000 views.
VOTER INFORMATION:
Last day to register to vote in primary—Wednesday, August 31
Primary election—Tuesday, September 20
Last day to register to vote in final election—Wednesday, October 12
Election Day—Tuesday, November 8
Reminder—Voter Registration
If you are not registered to vote or need to make changes on your
registration, you can do so tonight. Visit the check-in table before you
leave!
P.O. Box 856
Lynn, MA 01903
781-346-9060
www.lynncommunity.org
lynncommunity@comcast.net