NAHANT — David G. Conlin has an extensive history with the town of Nahant, where he has served the community as town moderator for 34 years.
For his 34 years of dedicated service to the town, Conlin has been named Essex Media Group’s “Person of the Year” for Nahant.
“I’m a patent attorney, and I’ve always been involved in some way or another,” Conlin said. “When we arrived in Nahant back in ’78, I got involved with the Solid-Waste Disposal Committee, before going on to the Finance Committee (FinComm) for about eight years before I ran for town moderator.”
He noted that both he and his wife, Molly, had been involved in different elements of town government. “My wife ran the Memorial Day parade for about 45 years.”
According to Conlin, his background in law gave him some training regarding public speaking and a determined attitude to navigate the town onto the right track. “The first time I got to do a speech was at a Town Meeting while I was on FinComm. Before that, I had given speeches in courts all around the country. But, speaking in front of your neighbors is more nerve-wracking than doing it in front of a court in Seattle, because your neighbor will remember the stupidity that comes out. So, I was more nervous with that than doing a legal thing, but it worked out well.”
Conlin took a moment to reflect on his time as town moderator that highlighted the importance of civic engagement within his community. “A couple years ago, we had some very important matters being decided at Town Meeting—and instead of the usual two or three hundred people that show up, we had around 1,200 people, and we had to hold the meeting in a tent over a local baseball field.”
According to Conlin, presiding over these meetings has its fair share of challenges and rewards that come along with the job. He recounted one peculiar instance where his vote as Town Moderator was required. “There was a question that was two-thirds majority, and they were trying to undo something that Town Meeting had previously done, but my wife’s side lost by one vote. If I had voted in favor of her side, she would’ve won.”
“I’ve had to run for office every year for 34 years,” he said. “The first year was tough. Before I decided to run, nobody knew me, but my wife walked the dog all over town, so they knew my dog.” He mentioned how his opponent was a popular candidate in town who shared many mutual friendships with Conlin.
“That dog was the friendliest dog in town, so everyone knew my dog, but nobody knew me. So, we put a picture of our dog in the Item paper, with a caption that read, ‘I can’t vote, but if I could, I’d vote for Dave—Join the wave, vote for Dave.” He credited his campaign team for coming up with the slogan.
According to Conlin, he ended up winning the election by several hundred votes. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of people in town, and it’s been a very rewarding thing and also increased my ability to be in touch with the populace of Nahant.”
