SWAMPSCOTT — Select Board candidate and challenger Liz Smith hosted a meet and greet at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn to drum up support for her candidacy.
Smith has an extensive history with the town. She served as a critical advocate of Save King’s Beach and is the chair of the Water and Sewer Advisory Committee, becoming one of the leading figures in town in the fight to get the beaches at levels safe for recreation.
Smith said she aims to bring integrity, passion, determination and critical thinking to the role of town leadership, with the ambition of advancing initiatives that directly correlate with the town’s needs and wishes.
Smith’s campaign manager, Katie Arrington, commented on why Smith has earned her vote. “I’m supporting Liz because she’s the real deal,” Arrington said. “She’s overly qualified to be sitting on that board. She cares about our town, she wants to be fiscally responsible, she wants to be open and honest, and she’s going to benefit Swampscott greatly.”
Community members gathered in a room at the church as Smith spoke to residents about her candidacy and her hopes for the town should she be elected.
“We moved here ten years ago,” Smith explained. “I grew up on the North Shore, and really wanted to get back here. I feel most comfortable here.” She said her family was seeking the right academic environment for their daughter and felt Swampscott was the best choice.
She spoke about her past experience running a $750 million apparel-sourcing business with 95 people working across seven countries. “After I retired, I started working in the schools. I wanted to give back, be more involved in the community, so I was a title-1 math tutor, a special education aid, and taught at all the schools in the district (minus the new schools).
“I really love digging into facts, old computers and dusty old files, and I put that strength to use when I started understanding what was going on in our beaches,” Smith said. “The beaches are beautiful, but you can’t swim in them.”
Her efforts to bring awareness of the state to the pollution 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.
She emphasized one of her main points to attendees who came to listen, highlighting her goal to bring real change to Swampscott.
Smith stated she feels that the Select Board is currently facing division. She also hopes to bridge that gap by focusing on transparency in decision-making and working to improve collaboration between board members in order to serve the town to the best of the board’s capabilities.
