NAHANT — Board of Selectmen chair Mark Cullinan will seek to keep his position during this year’s Town Election.
Cullinan, who announced late last month he had submitted the necessary signatures to run for re-election, cited Nahant’s aging infrastructure, coastal flooding from climate change, Northeastern University’s expansion plans, and housing among the town’s most pressing issues.
“I would like to think that the experience I bring to the table working for the town, including strong fiscal management skills … combined with my passion for this town as a lifelong Nahant resident, make me the most qualified candidate,” Cullinan said. “Our challenges are big, but our budget is not, and we need to manage that.”
He added: “I think we have made some progress during the past year, and would look forward to continuing to work alongside Selectmen Josh Antrim and Gene Canty, and Town Administrator Antonio Barletta, as we move forward in addressing the town’s issues.”
Cullinan served as town administrator from 1995 to 2011 and previously worked as a senior project manager with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management in the 1980s.
Last January, following the premature departure of former chair Francis J. Barile and a nearly three-month-long special election campaign, Cullinan was elected chair over competitor David Wilson in a landslide vote of 702 to 133.
Because Barile left his seat before the end of his three-year term, however, Cullinan can only hold the position until April, when the town must once again decide whether to elect him to the Board of Selectmen.
“A year in office is not enough time to accomplish all the things I set out to do, particularly in a year that has been dominated by the pandemic,” he said. “The town is facing several important issues, and I want to be at the table to advocate for the town, to problem-solve, and to continue working on behalf of Nahant’s residents with the goal of making Nahant a better place to live.”
Elyse Carmosino can be reached at [email protected].
