LYNNFIELD — Michael Geary has informed the Lynnfield School Committee that he no longer wishes to be considered as the town’s representative on the Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School’s School Committee.
Geary’s withdrawal from consideration came just one day after Town Moderator Joe Markey shared his reasons with the committee on why he was not reappointing the current representative, Gary Hathaway. He said that last year he “was informed that a committee member who served on the Lynnfield Town Meeting Study Committee … made a racial-motivated and disparaging comment about a business owner in the Town of Lynnfield,” Markey wrote. “I investigated the matter with the help of the Town Administrator’s office and came to my own conclusion that Mr. Hathaway made the comments referenced.”
Hathaway has denied Markey’s allegations and said that every other member of the committee has no memory of any comments ever made. When Markey, who was also on the committee, was first contacted by committee Chair Jack Adelson about the claim, Markey responded he had “no clue” about the alleged incident.
Geary, who was nominated by Town Moderator Joe Markey, informed the committee he was withdrawing his name in an email dated Jan. 11, in which he noted his objection to the way the committee treated him during a Jan. 4 School Committee meeting about the appointment.
“While I am grateful for Town Moderator Joseph Markey and his sincere belief that I would push knowledge and education forward for Lynnfield’s vocational students, I am instead choosing to volunteer my efforts in a setting far removed from the petty critiques and adolescent line of questioning from certain members of our School Committee,” said Geary, who is the Lynn Public Schools’ director of health and wellness.
The questioning Geary objected to revolved around the committee’s concerns over a potential conflict of interest on the part of Markey in his capacity as a volunteer assistant coach under Geary at Essex Tech and as an assistant coach under Geary at Wakefield High School. The committee also had concerns over Geary’s failure to include the Essex Tech coaching position on the resume he supplied to the committee. Geary also did not disclose that he is the brother of Thomas Geary, the school district’s director of finance.
At no time during the meeting did Markey mention anything about why he was not reappointing Hathaway despite having knowledge of the alleged incident since Feb. 26, 2021.
Markey also weighed in on the Jan. 4 meeting in an email to the committee, informing it that Geary had withdrawn his nomination.
“I was just informed that Michael Geary will be withdrawing his name from consideration for this appointment due to the contentious and accusatory nature of the last School Committee meeting,” Markey wrote. “I look forward to bringing a new candidate before the committee in the near future.”
Geary said he is moving on.
“Throughout my professional career in education, my goal has always been to advance knowledge, promote understanding, and serve society,” Geary wrote. “Even without a seat on the committee, I will continue to follow through on these pursuits. And I will do so with pride for the town in which I was raised, continue to live, and along with my wife, raise our two children.”
