SWAMPSCOTT — The Swampscott School Committee “race” is no longer a race. Two candidates are vying for two open seats, after the third candidate, Keiko Zoll, dropped out Thursday morning.
Zoll announced on Facebook that she was ending her campaign, and thanked her supporters, but said she made the decision to drop out “largely to focus on my own mental health.
“Trying to balance the demands of full-time work, parenting, and homeschooling during this pandemic has been a struggle. This was a decision with which I’d been wrestling for several weeks, and one made largely out of the need to focus on my own mental health,” Zoll said.
Zoll said the decision was “not made lightly,” especially less than two weeks away from election day, and after receiving endorsement from the Swampscott Reporter the night before she dropped out.
“I am and will be OK,” Zoll said. “It’s just a process to which I must fully commit for my own wellbeing. Additionally, my role at work has recently shifted, and will require significantly more time than I would be able to commit to School Committee. Though I’m no longer running, I have every intention of holding our School Committee and our school district accountable to the many challenges ahead, from the reopening of our schools this fall to the building of a new elementary school in the coming years.”
Zoll is the second person to drop out as a candidate for School Committee, with Greg D’Antona having resigned his candidacy earlier this month. D’Antona could not be reached for comment.
The Item hosted a Zoom debate with the candidates for School Committee on Thursday. Because Zoll dropped out earlier that day, she did not participate in the debate. Visit www.itemlive.com or read Saturday’s edition of the Item to read what the other candidates, incumbent Suzanne Wright and John Giantis, said during the debate.
Swampscott’s town election will be Tuesday, June 30.
