SWAMPSCOTT — Mary Webster, a former member of several boards and committees in the town, including the Conservation Commission and Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee, is running for Select Board, challenging current board Chair Peter Spellios for his seat.
While she has been absent for a few years, enjoying being a grandmother to her daughter’s children, Webster said she is ready to get back into town politics.
“Starting back in October, I started to feel that urge again to get more involved,” Webster said. “People have always spoken to me about things happening in the town, and … some people are not too happy about some of the issues that have taken place, feeling like they didn’t know in time how to respond to the powers that be. I felt it was time.”
Webster said she has been involved with the town for around two decades. She listed one of her most important contributions as serving on a board overseeing arts and cultural programming in the town, which later merged with ReachArts, and Webster became co-president. She also served as secretary and chair of the committee that drafted the town’s Open Space and Recreation Plan, which was released in 2016, and spells out Swampscott’s goals for its green spaces, such as the rail trail.
Now, she wants to help the town move forward on its current big projects, including the rail trail and the new elementary school building, as well as enforcing transparency with the community.
In addition, while she is very much in favor of projects like the rail trail, Webster worries about how they might impact neighbors, noting concerns about property being potentially taken by eminent domain.
“It’s a town, not a business,” Webster said. “I want to run it like a town. The nice, small town it is.”
Spellios, incumbent Select Board member and chair, said that he originally ran for the position because he was frustrated with the lack of action by the town government.
“Our big problem wasn’t the bad decisions we were making, it was the lack of decisions,” he said.
Over the last five years, however, Spellios said the town has improved significantly, especially in its financial standing. He noted that the average single-family tax bill in Swampscott has not increased in that time, making it unique in the state, and that change has paved the way for other community improvements.
“This renewed sense of community and financial prudence put out the welcome mat for residents to be more involved and put out ideas and partner with the town on things. I want to ensure that happens,” Spellios said. “It’s an endorphin release for me, seeing all the people wanting to do things and supporting new ideas and new programs.”
The town election will be April 27. The deadline to register to vote in the election is April 7 at 8 p.m.
