SWAMPSCOTT — The Select Board will have female leadership this year under the direction of Chair MaryEllen Fletcher and Vice Chair Katie Phelan.
In May, the Board reorganized its roles in the aftermath of town election. Its five members voted unanimously to name Fletcher as the new Chair while Phelan was chosen to serve her second consecutive year as Vice Chair. Both are entering their third year on the board overall since first being elected in 2022.
Fletcher has been a Swampscott resident since 1988. Before joining the Select Board, the pet-food manufacturing business owner served on other municipal boards such as the Finance Committee and was a Town Meeting member.
“I’ve been involved in the town for a long, long time,” Fletcher said.
Select Board Chair is the highest-elected position in Swampscott, and requires duties such as creating and controlling the board’s agenda, and leading each meeting. One of Fletcher’s main priorities for her term is to increase the efficiency of said meetings. She gave credit to Grishman for his efforts to maximize the board’s production, but said she still has some “fine tuning” to do.
“It’s a balance, you have to try to get a lot of work done,” Fletcher said. “If we can take a real look at how much we’re talking at these meetings and get a little bit more precise, that’ll be it.”
In addition to a female Chair and Vice Chair, the Select Board now has a female majority with the election of its newest member Danielle Leonard in April. Fletcher recalled an exchange she had with a friend in which her young daughter took notice of the representation.
“Her daughter said, ‘wow, three moms are up there,’” Fletcher said. “That was significant… a little girl sees three women sitting on a select board.”
Phelan echoed Fletcher’s point by saying her young son and daughter have learned that anyone is capable of being a leader.
“Our collective experiences as women bring unique insights and strengths to the table, fostering a collaborative environment where innovative solutions and equitable policies can thrive,” Phelan said.
A native of Connecticut, Phelan moved to town in 2015 to raise her family with her husband John, a Swampscott native. Unlike Fletcher, Phelan’s election to the Select Board marked her first role in local politics. Phelan said the pair has developed a friendship despite not knowing each other upon first being chosen to serve.
“She’s just such a great asset to the community, I’ve really grown to admire her,” Fletcher said about Phelan. “I don’t think anybody really knows the amount of work that she does behind the scenes.”
Phelan said Fletcher has been an invaluable asset for her as she has learned how to serve on a municipal board.
“It’s been a wonderful working relationship so far,” Phelan said. “She’s just a great person with a great heart.”
