To the editor:
I proudly write this letter in support of MaryEllen Fletcher’s reelection to the Swampscott Select Board. Rather than just repeat all of the positive words written by other supporters, I wanted to provide some insight as to how serious MaryEllen is about her job and the effort she makes on behalf of the taxpayers in this town.
Among the several things I do within our community, I have been on the Swampscott Contributory Retirement Board for thirty-two years overseeing the $97 million fund that is made up of both taxpayer and employee contributions.
People may not realize this, but the contributory retirement system is the second largest line item in the town’s annual budget. It is second only to the school department budget.
Throughout my tenure on the retirement board we have begged for town officials, including town administrators, to put in the effort to better understand MGL Ch. 32 and how the town’s retirement system operates within the law and the requirements set by the law on our board and the town as a whole.
During her years on the Finance Committee, MaryEllen was a tough no nonsense member who always challenged those who came before them to explain and justify their requests and proposals. Honestly, MaryEllen and I disagreed at times and at others she was a true advocate for the retirement board’s request. Never once did I ever think her position was anything but well thought out.
The day following her election, I received a call from MaryEllen telling me that she was committed to diving into the retirement system and learning the ins and outs of the law and our board’s operation. It was not a challenge to us, but rather a challenge to herself to better understand how we did things and why we did them.
Prior MaryEllen, especially in the previous ten years, the retirement board and the retirement system were misunderstood, and quite frankly disrespected by the administrator who always painted a negative picture based mostly on his unwillingness to understand retirement law and its requirements.
Her call was a breath of fresh air. MaryEllen comes to our monthly 8 a.m. meetings either in person or via remote. She asks questions and gathers information to share at her select board at their meetings. As a result, we now have a solid relationship with the board and they have far greater understanding and appreciation for the retirement system.
Every employee, retiree and their families should vote for MaryEllen because she is sensitive to the essential operation of the retirement system and how to best serve them. The taxpayers should vote for MaryEllen because she also understands the need to balance the town’s obligation to the retirement system and the other budgets within the town.
MaryEllen Fletcher does not just focus on the retirement system. She brings the same effort to learn and understand the entire operation of the town’s government and budget process. I have never witnessed a Select Board member put the time and effort into serving the town.
You may not always get the answer you want from MaryEllen, but you will always get an answer that is based on her appreciation for all the residents of the town. She is always willing to revisit the question, or the issue to hear more information and reconsider.
I have been living in Swampscott since 1964 and I can tell you without hesitation that MaryEllen Fletcher is one of the best to have ever served this community!
Tom Driscoll
Swampscott
