Candidate Profile: Deb Wall For Tewksbury School Committee

TEWKSBURY, MA —Tewksbury will have contested races for both School Committee and Board of Selectmen in the April 10 town election. Tewksbury Patch asked candidates in both races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

Deb Wall is running for election to the School Committee. There are four people running for two available seats. Wall faces Jamey Cutelis, the sole incumbent, and Bridget Garabedian and Nicholas Parsons.

Wall works in human resources.

Are you running for office in Tewksbury? Contact Christopher Huffaker at chris.huffaker@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Tewksbury Patch.

Previously on Patch: Tewksbury Candidate Forum Planned For March 18

Deb Wall

Age (as of Election Day)

50

Position Sought

School Committee

Family

Michael (H), Owen (7th Grade), Liam (5th Grade)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BS in Education

Occupation

Human Resources Professional

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

Campaign website

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2853794241555832

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am seeking office to make a positive impact in the lives of all stakeholders. We need leaders who are transparent, forward thinking, follow basic organizational practices and are committed to communicating with all stakeholders in a way that is transparent and timely.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing Tewksbury is the pursuit of a toxic culture between administration, teachers and parents. We have mastered the art of talking at each other rather than constructively listening to each other. We are all on the same team. We are all working towards the same goal, we want to create an educational system that prepares our children for the outside world now and for years to come.

In Tewksbury we spend a tremendous amount of time speaking about what the other stakeholder is or is not doing. We need to stop, step back and reevaluate what we are doing. We need to repair relationships and take steps to create an environment that draw people to Tewksbury rather than push them away. If we do not stop this agenda and take the necessary steps to reverse the damage that has been done to date it will affect all of the stakeholders.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

What makes me different from the other candidates is varied. I think we have many things in common. We are all operating from a good place, looking to make Tewksbury a better District, and improve the outcome for all stakeholders. What makes me different is that I will no longer accept status quo. I will ask the difficult questions and I will push for transparency. My background in Human Resources and my degree in Education make me uniquely qualified to understand where all of the stakeholders are coming from. I will use that unique knowledge to hold people accountable and move Tewksbury in the right direction.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

I think where our current District has failed is in not giving a voice to all stakeholders. There are many voices in this position and not all of them will be correct, but it is crucial to provide each and every stakeholder an opportunity to voice their opinion. Those that do give their opinion do not feel like their voice has been heard or appreciated. We need to change that perception.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I applaud all of the hard work that local officials did regarding Coronavirus. I would not have necessarily taken the same steps, but I believe that there was no easy path through this. There were/are no right answers when it comes to a pandemic. I am thrilled that we are working to get our children back in school and appreciate all of the hard work that is going into making this happen.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

There are four cornerstone pieces of my campaign - transparency, communication, basic business practices and accountability. I think the District lacks in each one of these areas. Obtaining information from the District is difficult at best. Basic business practices and accountability go hand in hand. How are we achieving transparency if we make it so difficult for parents to get timely information from the District?

Additionally, through a series of Public Records Requests I discovered that there are some basic business practices that need to be addressed. The District has process manuals that are outdated or in a constant state of "updating". There are job descriptions that were approved more than 20 years ago. Privacy breaches continue to happen. There appears to be no proactive decision making.

The District seems to always be reacting rather than looking ahead and creating a plan to address areas that will be a concern. As a taxpayer and a concerned parent I need to know that our District is running appropriately.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I am confident that I can handle this job because it is what I am passionate about. My career record reflects my ability to create teams and further missions. I am a certified life and career coach and I help people reach their goals on a daily basis. If you are unsure about who I am or what I can do, I invite you to reach out to me and get to know me.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Always do the right thing, even if the right thing hurts. This was the best advice I was ever given and I live my life with this in mind every day. The right thing is not always easy or painless, but when you work to do the right thing positive things will happen.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am an independent person. My campaign is completely self funded. I am not in this election for myself. It was easy to sit behind a keyboard and voice my concerns and let them float away on the internet. It is a lot harder to do the right thing and stand up and say enough. It is time for a fresh perspective on education in Tewksbury. It is time to say status quo is no longer good enough.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.