Gallo will not seek third term

LYNN – Two-term Lynn School Committee member Charlie Gallo says he will not seek re-election in November.Gallo, who was defeated last September by Brendan Crighton in a runoff for Steven Walsh?s seat in the Massachusetts Legislature, said he plans on being involved in community affairs, but he wants to spend time building up the law practice he just opened on Johnson Street in Lynn.?I will miss serving,” said Gallo. “Most of all, I will miss going into our schools and engaging directly with our excellent students and educators. My favorite parts of the job have been stopping by high school classes to talk civics, and visiting elementary classrooms to read books and stress the importance of early literacy.”Gallo said neither the defeat in September nor the public dust-up he had with fellow member Donna Coppola over her attendance at committee meetings played a part in his decision.?Brendan is a friend of mine, and he?s going to do a very good job as a state representative,” he said.As for the Coppola incident, “I don?t consider that anything major,” he said, “not when you compare it to budgets or some of the other things we have accomplished in the past four years.”Last year, he opened Gallo Law Office in downtown Lynn, where he specializes in elder law and estate planning. Gallo also teaches at North Shore Community College and is the longtime secretary of the Lynn Democratic City Committee.?I plan to stay involved in community causes as well as political campaigns, as I?ve always done,” said Gallo. “If I can help to improve our city through elected office someday, I?m very open to being a candidate again in the future.”Gallo said that he has kept his campaign promises since his election in 2011, and believes it?s time to step aside and make room for someone with new ideas to build upon past successes.?We did a lot of work with the grant-writing sub-committee,” he said. “That?s been a big effort, an initiative I?ve been proud to lead.”Also, he said, the English and Classical career development programs have added much to the city?s educational environment, he said.?English and Classical never had career days until last year,” Gallo said. “We worked on getting them.?And the student safety programs were also beneficial,” he said. “John Ford and I partnered with the police and fire departments. As we got into the summer, we taught things like fireworks safety, swimming safety ? it seems as if every few years, someone drowns or gets burned, so I?m proud of that.”Gallo also cited his efforts on behalf of youth civic engagement, the committee?s partnerships with businesses and nonprofits, and its relationship with the North Shore Labor Council, Arts After Hours and the Lynn Museum.?All of those things that have resulted in a better educational program,” he said.So, he said, did the night program at Lynn Tech, “where you can now go to play volleyball, or learn English and Spanish, and it was also good to the machine shop back at Tech.”Gallo also said he was proud of his efforts to making School Committee meetings more open and accessible.?They are now streamed and archived online,” he said.He?s not going away, he said.?It has been a privilege to serve,” said Gallo. “We?ve paved the way for the building of two new middle schools and worked with our educators to bring Lynn out of state-labeled ?failing? status. I?m grateful to my family, friends, supporters, and the voters who have allowed me to be a part of the Lynn Public Schools? transition to becoming one of the top urban districts in Massachusetts.”