LYNNFIELD — While there is only one contested race this year, the April 13 town election has become a hot-button topic.
The only contested race in the 2021 town election is for the School Committee with three candidates vying for two open seats. Longtime committee member Tim Doyle, who has served on the committee for 18 years, announced last month that he will not run for re-election, leaving the seats open to incumbent Phil McQueen, Planning Board Chair Brian Charville and newcomer Kate DePrizio.
McQueen, who works as the English Department head at Lynn Classical High School, said he has a good rapport with his fellow committee members and his re-election campaign “has been going great.
“I am so humbled and appreciative of all the support and endorsements I have received, and the tireless work of my campaign team. As I did in 2018, I have run a clean, honest and positive campaign in 2021 that has focused on district and School Committee accomplishments and future goals,” said McQueen. “If re-elected, I will continue to listen to and be a voice for all students, parents and educators across all levels of the Lynnfield Public Schools.”
Charville, a 2001 graduate of Duke University, where he majored in political science and government, also graduated from Wake Forest University Law School in 2005. He has served as CEO for Ferris Development Group and Ferris Construction, LLC since March 2018 and said he is “really pleased with the widespread support we’ve received for our campaign, especially from folks who know the responsibilities of the School Committee and the need for a business person like me to help with administrative and budget matters.
“I am optimistic that voters will reflect on my experience and entrust me with a term on the School Committee,” he said.
An Illinois native, DePrizio chaired the Together We Grow organization, an initiative that culminated with a lopsided townwide vote at a special election in December to approve a $17 million improvement plan to add 10 new classrooms at the town’s two elementary schools.
“I look forward to engaging and uniting Lynnfield together for more and I look forward to April 13 with great positivity,” she said. “We must hold ourselves to a higher standard and exemplify the kind of character we wish to instill in our children. I am a compassionate leader, a uniter and an empathetic heart by nature.”
In addition to the School Committee race, Select Board Chair Chris Barrett announced in January that he would not run for re-election. Army veteran Joseph Connell is running unopposed for the vacated Select Board seat.
The election will feature many safety protocols put in place to protect voters from COVID-19. All four precincts will vote at Lynnfield High School, 275 Essex St., between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Town Clerk Linda Emerson said that voters will move through the building in one direction to enforce social distancing. Voting booths will be sanitized between uses, and each voter will be given a clean pen to fill out their ballots.
Face masks are mandatory and poll workers will wear masks and gloves, as well as face shields.
“We want to just keep everybody safe,” Emerson said. “We want them confident that they feel safe.”
