By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — Two incumbents pulled nomination papers for the Town Election on Monday.
School Committee Vice Chairwoman Stacy Dahlstedt and Select Board Chairman Dick Dalton pulled papers and are running for their respective seats once again in the municipal election, which will take place on Tuesday, April 12.
Dahlstedt is running for a second three-year term.
“I first ran for School Committee to help shape the direction of the Lynnfield school district,” said Dahlstedt in an email sent to the Villager. “My main objective was to ensure we provide our students with the best education and tools our budget allows to prepare them for life after Lynnfield High School and the ever-changing world around them. Since that time, the world has certainly changed more than any of us could have ever imagined.”
“Together, we have hired a new superintendent of schools, who has tackled her role with earnest determination,” said Dahlstedt. “We brought our elementary school building project to fruition after several years of planning. We focused on getting kids safely back to school and prioritized time with their teachers, both in-person and remote. We agreed to terms with our Lynnfield Teachers Association (LTA) on the Lynnfield Public Schools Re-Entry Plan for the 2020-2021 school year, which allowed our kids to spend more time in school, and when remote, learn directly from their teachers with live synchronous learning. Lynnfield was the first district to reach this type of agreement.”
Dahlstedt also noted that Lynnfield Public Schools “was an early adopter of the Test and Stay program,” which she said “saved many learning days for students.”
“We overcame logistical hurdles to ensure weekly meetings were conducted to ensure families were apprised of the ever-changing COVID landscape,” said Dahlstedt. “We approved and hired adjustment counselors at Summer Street School and Huckleberry Hill School, ensuring our commitment to mental health support for our students.”
Dahlstedt noted that late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated that, “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
“There is more important and good work to do in this great school district of ours and my work is not yet done,” said Dahlstedt. “I intend to continue to represent the needs, interests and achievement goals of all students and staff in the district. I have been a fierce proponent of vertical articulation to ensure students are prepared for higher level learning, academic achievement and excellence at all levels, meeting students health and wellness needs, bringing foreign languages into our elementary schools, and financial literacy into our middle school. I will continue to challenge our district to promote all of these and other integral initiatives to ensure Lynnfield Public Schools continues to prepare our students for the global world they will enter after their time in our school community.”
Dalton is running for a third three-year term.
In addition to Dahlstedt and Dalton’s seats, there are seven additional offices appearing on the ballot this year.
School Committee Chairman Rich Sjoberg is eligible to run for a third, three-year term in the April Town Election.
Town Moderator Joe Markey will have the opportunity to run for a fourth, one-year term.
Planning Board Chairman Brian Charville is eligible to run for a second five-year term in the April Town Election. Library Trustees Vice Chairwoman Faith Honer-Coakley and Library Trustee Richard Mazzola are both able to run for three-year terms.
Board of Assessors member Richard O’Neil Jr. is eligible to run for a three-year term. Housing Authority member Stephanie Petty, who was elected to the board in June 2020, can run for a full five-year term.
Candidates who pull nomination papers are required to receive at least 50 signatures of registered voters in order to have a their name appear on the ballot. The last day to submit nomination papers is Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m.
