SWAMPSCOTT — With local elections looming around the corner, community members have begun to announce their running for seats on the Select Board, prior to the election on April 29. Below are the profiles of each candidate.
MaryEllen Fletcher
A dedicated public servant with a lengthy track record of fiscal responsibility and community engagement has announced her candidacy for re-election to the Select Board. MaryEllen Fletcher has decades of experience serving different town boards — where she most recently served as Select Board Chair — and is committed to continuing her work to ensure that every taxpayer’s voice within the community is heard and represented.
Her background includes seven years on the Finance Committee, where she served as vice chair. She was also the liaison to the Capital Improvement Committee and was involved in other committees, such as the Recreation Commission, Harbor and Waterfront Committee, and Article 6 Committee. She was also a member of the Massachusetts Municipal Association Finance Committee.
“I have had the privilege of serving the residents of Swampscott, and I am excited to announce my candidacy for a second term. Together, we can forge a positive path forward, with a strong focus on fiscal responsibility, accountability and inclusive governance,” Fletcher said.
A few of Fletcher’s most notable achievements include reallocating $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds for critical sewer pipe rehabilitation, the Land Disposition Agreement for the Hadley and Pine Street projects, balancing the 2023 budget between the school and the town, and securing public parking at St. John’s parking lot.
Fletcher has been a town resident for 37 years, with deep roots spread throughout the community. She raised her niece, who attended and graduated Swampscott schools, participated as a volunteer Girl Scout leader, and coached softball and field hockey.
Some of her priorities for the next term include the following: fiscal responsibility, qualified leadership, infrastructure improvement, affordable housing, seniors and veterans’ resources, maintaining structures, and supporting small businesses.
Katie Phelan
Katie Phelan has officially announced her candidacy for re-election to the Select Board. After serving on the board for the past three years, Phelan is eager to continue working to strengthen the community through thoughtful leadership and collaboration.
During her first term, Phelan played a critical role in acquiring open space, including the largest land acquisition in over 50 years. She also helped secure $1.7 million in ARPA funding to improve Fisherman’s Beach and advocated for a $3.5 million Sewer Revolving Fund to repair the infrastructure that affects the town’s shoreline.
She also has her eye on the town’s more long-term goals. Phelan supported a Feasibility Study for Swampscott Community Center to find ways to address the evolving needs of the town’s population. She also worked to bring in a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant to ensure the town is fostering an inclusive community.
According to Phelan, one of her most notable accomplishments was the Hadley School Land Development Agreement, which would bring a new boutique hotel with a flurry of jobs, economic growth and a fresh destination for the town.
“As a graduate of Saint Anselm College, I was shaped by the Benedictine value of listening with intention. The Rule of Saint Benedict instructs us to ‘Listen with the ear of your heart,’ and that belief has guided me not just in my role on the Select Board but in my life,” Phelan said.
She continued, “Over the past three years, listening and engaging with residents, employees at town hall and my fellow Select Board members has been at the core of my approach, and I look forward to continuing those conversations.”
As a mother of two, Phelan is equally passionate about making Swampscott a town where families can thrive. “I want to ensure Swampscott remains a town that balances progress with preservation, fosters inclusivity, and invests in its future,” she said. “There is still important work to do, and I would be honored to continue serving as a Select Board member.”
Liz Smith
An advocate of Save King’s Beach and Chair of Swampscott’s Water and Sewer Infrastructure Committee, Liz Smith, has announced that she is setting her sights on a candidacy for the Select Board.
Smith has an extensive history working to rally the communities of Lynn and Swampscott together to battle the issue of pollution. According to Smith, her efforts to bring awareness of the state to the sewer pipes led the Select Board to create the Water and Sewer Infrastructure Committee and commit $1.7 million of ARPA grant funds for Fisherman’s Beach.
“I am excited to announce my candidacy for Swampscott Select Board,” Smith said. “The town needs collaborative leaders who listen and work together to solve the challenges facing the town we love. I am talking to residents throughout town to understand how to preserve the wonderful aspects of this town by the sea.”
Smith plans on bringing integrity, critical thinking, determination and passion to the role of town leadership, where she hopes to advance strategic initiatives that correlate directly with the wishes and needs of all residents. For the past two years, Smith has regularly attended Select Board meetings to understand the challenges and dynamics at play.
She and her family moved to Swampscott in 2015 so that she could return to her roots by the North Shore. Her husband, Evan Katz, joined the town’s school district as the School Business Administrator, and her daughter attended Swampscott Middle School for four years.
“We have beautiful beaches that should be swimmable, a wonderful new elementary school that must be fully staffed and equipped, and housing that is out of price for many people that want to live here,” Smith said. “We have acquired open space and need a plan for it that residents support. We must have a middle school on par with our other schools. I’m excited to work with my fellow Select Board members to advance these projects and keep Swampscott beautiful and affordable.”
Smith holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, magna cum laude, From UMass Amherst, and a Master’s in Management from MIT’s Sloan School.
“I want to put a stop to the discord that’s torn the Select Board apart,” Smith said. “Swampscott needs Select Board members who will hold public hearings, listen to residents, and discuss issues openly, and make decisions in public view for the benefit of all. I will be that kind of Select Board member, and I’m excited to get started.”
