Former Nahant Town Administrator (TA) Mark Cullinan is running for selectman in the upcoming Special Town Election, to be held on January 29, 2020. He is running to fill the seat vacated by former selectman Francis J. Barile.
Nahant faces many challenges, and Mark is the most qualified person to rise up and meet them head on, applying his extensive management experience in State and Local government, including having served as Nahant’s TA from 1995 to 2011. In the 8 years since Mark stepped down after 17 years of service, the Town has seen frequent turnover in the Town Administrator role, resulting in a lack of continuity. There have been five TAs — two acting, and three permanent. Mark, working in concert with selectmen Richard Lombard and Joshua Antrim, and working with Tony Barletta, Nahant’s current Town Administrator, will draw on his own TA experience to provide the leadership, knowledge and negotiation skills to help solve the Town’s issues, making Nahant the best it can be.
As a third generation Nahanter, Mark has Town pride. But more importantly, as the former long-serving TA, as a former Director of Planning and Construction with the State of Massachusetts, and having served most recently as a Senior Fellow with the Conservation Law Foundation, Mark has the credentials to help lead Nahant. The Nahant Town Charter, By-Laws and the General laws of Massachusetts grant the selectmen broad powers to govern the town. The selectmen act as the primary policy-making body. Mark Cullinan is by far the most qualified candidate to contribute in an informed, thoughtful manner, bringing his extensive experience to the table in helping lead Town governance.
If the past is a predictor of the future, Nahant will be in good hands with Mark as a selectman. During his tenure as TA, Mark focused on results, including preparing and administering 16 consecutive balanced budgets without personnel lay-offs or service reductions; reducing property taxes and the Town’s indebtedness; and negotiating Fire, Police and Public Works employee bargaining unit contracts without grievance or arbitration.
Mark has stated, “I promise to govern in a way that will benefit the Town and its people … your opinions matter, and whether I agree or disagree, I will always listen respectfully to what you have to say.” Mark is a consensus-builder. When he was TA, he brought the Town and concerned neighbors together regarding the redevelopment of the Valley Road School; he worked with the Nahant School Committee in convincing the Town to support the $4.5 million addition to the Johnson School; and he served as the liaison between the Town and Nahant’s veterans to help them find a new home at the Nahant Life Saving Station, the restoration for which he advocated.
Mark has stated the issues that are most concerning to him are: an aging infrastructure, including a sewer system which is at the breaking point and which will need to be replaced at a cost estimated to be as much as $20 million; coastal flooding from climate change, as is evidenced by recent flooding in the Fox Hill, Lowlands, Golf Course and Bass Point neighborhoods; Northeastern University’s proposed expansion in a Town-designated Natural Resource Area; and a lack of affordable housing.
In times like these, we need an experienced leader who will work on behalf of the people. We need Mark Cullinan. Believe him when he says, “I pledge to serve on the Board of Selectmen in a transparent and open manner. Whether you are 1 or 100, I will serve with your interests in mind, while tackling the challenges Nahant faces.”
We urge you to vote for Mark Cullinan on Wednesday, January 29.
Paula Devereaux
Renie and Scott Hamernick
Andrea and Scott Murphy
Colleen Joyce O’Leary
Mark Patek
