Candidate Profile: George Ferdinand For Tewksbury Selectman

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 to answer questions about their campaigns and is in the process of publishing candidate profiles.

George Ferdinand is running for the Board of Selectmen. There are four people running for two available seats. Ferdinand faces Todd Johnson, James F. Mackey III and incumbent Mark Kratman.

Ferdinand is an autoworker, currently working for Chrysler.

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: WATCH: Tewksbury Town Election Forums

George Ferdinand

Age (as of Election Day)

59

Position Sought

Selectmen

Family

Wife Patricia she works at the Family Care Center in South Tewksbury for 13 years

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Northeastern University and Wayne State University

Occupation

United Auto Worker in the Automotive Industry for 37 years currently 24 with the former Chrysler Corporation

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Appointed Visioning Committee member, Elected BOH member from 2106-2019 and currently appointed to the General By-Laws Committee

Campaign website

George Ferdinand for Tewksbury Selectmen on Facebook

Why are you seeking elective office?

4 Reasons: Open Seat, Retiring from the Auto Industry, my Experience and my Ideas to serve the people of Tewksbury

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

Route 38 from Road Upgrades to Business Occupancy to Sidewalks. Other than that, lobby for State funding. I will be releasing our 10 Point "Contract With Tewksbury" on March 31st and 2-3 of the points will address this.

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

The knowledge that I have of the interconnection of the various government levels, from the Federal, U.S. Congress to the State House on Beacon Hill to Middlesex County, to the town of Tewksbury and the art of politics of how to get things done for the people of Tewksbury.

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

I would strongly oppose the "fee in-lieu of" with regards to affordable units and would have voted yes to the chairman's tax shift proposal (benefitting the home and condo owners.) earlier this year. Those are two big differences we have.

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

I had the pleasure of working closely with newly retired Director Susan Sawyer from 2016-2019. I thought the BOH did a tremendous job with what the Governor and State had them work with. I would have lobbied the Town Manager to hire a full-time Grant Writer to apply for all the State and Federal money out there to help against Covid19.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

The possible short-term budget shortfall, business occupancy, the oversight of the current projects for the next 3 years and lastly sideways on the main roads.

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

In 2016 after being elected to the BOH I met with Director Susan Sawyer and we had a great visit. I was willing to work on the things that she was focusing on and I lobbied for transparency, response to citizens calls and regulatory reform. By the first meeting the department started recording the meeting by YouTube and made copies available upon requests by the public. A log was made for citizen concerns and for the full 3 year term I never again had one person say that the Dept didn't return the call. Lastly 5 out of the 14 regulations were updated and another one was created for a 37% completion of the regulations in 3 years. Its knowledge, mutual respect and consensus building that gets things done.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

1 "Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it"-George Santayana
2 "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life"-Winston Churchill
3 "You do the living and God will do the measuring"- Rev A.L. Shepard

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

On March 31st the campaign will be releasing our 10 point "Contract With Tewksbury." No more of the status quo. There needs to be a change. You the voters hold the direction of our town in your hands. On April 10th Vote CHANGE WITH EXPERIENCE George Ferdinand for Selectmen. God Bless you, your family and our town.

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