Wakefield Election Profiles: Anne Danehy, Town Council

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The following candidate profile is from Anne Danehy, who is running for Town Council.

Facebook Page: facebook.com/anneforwakefield

Your name: Anne Peverada Danehy

Age, as of April. 1, 2021: 55

Town of residence: Wakefield

Position sought: Town Council

Party affiliation: Democrat

Family: Married to Kevin Danehy for 29 years; 2 daughters — Caitlin, 26, a chemist at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Caroline, 24, a full time graduate student at New York University.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government, including the Town of Wakefield or Wakefield Public Schools?: I have done political consulting in the past.

Education: Smith College, B.A. Government; University Of Connecticut, M.A. Political Science

Occupation: Professor at Boston University; Founder and owner of Strategic Opinion Research, a public opinion research firm.

Previous or current elected or appointed office: Appointed Member of Wakefield Finance Committee 2006-2011; Elected Member of Wakefield School Committee 2011-2017, Vice-Chair (2012), Chair (2013).

You are running because:

My parents instilled in me the importance of family, education, hard work, integrity and community involvement. These core values have guided my personal and professional life every day and inspired my desire to serve on the Finance Committee and the School Committee. During this prolonged pandemic, I spent considerable time reflecting upon the importance of again serving my community. I sincerely believe that my proven leadership and experience will significantly enhance the Town Council’s ability to assist all Wakefield residents and businesses as they continue to grapple with, and ultimately overcome, the devastating effects of a prolonged pandemic.

What is the single most pressing issue facing our town council, and what do you intend to do
about it?:

During these unprecedented times, Wakefield faces many challenges rendering it difficult to identify the most pressing issue. That said, I will highlight business and residential growth, two intertwined issues that impact many other facets of daily life. Our goal must be to maximize services while minimizing residential taxes. Wakefield requires a smart growth strategy with a vision for our future. We need an integrated plan that will bring about more housing for people of all ages and incomes, will revitalize our downtown and will attract large companies to our town to help shift the tax burden away from the individual home owner. We must invest in our infrastructure while maintaining and enhancing open space and recreational facilities.

I view residential development through both a Finance Committee and School Committee lens. I recognize the need for additional housing so that people who have grown up here can live here, and people who are downsizing can stay here, but I am concerned with the stresses that dense residential development places upon our schools, public safety services and infrastructure. When I was a member of the School Committee, we consistently voted to maintain our low class-size policy. I am now concerned that we will not be able to maintain an optimal ratio. Moreover, population growth has to be balanced with the preservation of natural resources and open spaces. I would like us to look into becoming a part of The Community Preservation Act, which helps towns implement affordable housing, preserve historical sites, create recreational space, and maintain open space. Again, an integrated plan is essential moving forward.

I believe that, if we can properly develop a long term strategic growth plan that incorporates residential with business development, we will achieve our collective goal of maximizing services, minimizing taxes and maintaining the highest quality of life. We must focus on expanding business opportunities. They are taxed at a higher rate and thus help off-set residential taxes while not stressing our school system. The hiring of Erin Kokinda as our Economic Development Director was a great start. Our downtown development work is exciting, but we need a town planner to bring together housing, DPW, economic development and all of the progress made by the efforts of Envision Wakefield. Through careful planning, with boards and committees working together, we can all reap the benefits.

What other issues make up your campaign platform:

COVID and COVID recovery will be an important challenge facing the Town Council. The town has lost revenue from meals and lodging taxes and has spent a considerable amount of money on COVID safety protocols. At the same time, our beloved businesses have been struggling to survive. The pandemic has caused unimaginable stress as our families and neighbors have endured financial struggles, children have lost learning opportunities and many of us have lost loved ones. At this critical juncture, the Town Council needs to function as the leaders of our community as we emerge from the devastating effects of the pandemic. Public safety is central to the role of local government. We must ensure that we have a police and fire department that is prepared for any emergency. Providing all students with optimal educational opportunities, allowing each child the ability to thrive is also central to local government. With that said, plans for a new or renovated high school, and finding creative ways, to fund to reduce the residential tax burden will be important challenges facing Town Council.

We must also continue to maintain and repair our roads and sidewalks on an ongoing basis. Last year, $10 million was voted on at Town Meeting to go towards repairing/replacing all roads and sidewalks in town. I support that.

Most importantly, we must focus on building a community where we all feel at home, whether new to Wakefield or part of a family that has been here for generations.

What accomplishments and experiences would you cite as evidence you can handle this job:

In this election experience matters and having a record of getting things done is essential. I have served on both the Finance Committee (2006-2011) and the School Committee (2011- 2017) and have a record of and a reputation for getting things done. My time on Finance Committee was arguably during the bleakest economic time in Wakefield’s recent history. The town budget faced cuts each and every year. It was imperative that the Finance Committee carefully evaluate every line item for every town budget and develop a thorough understanding of the consequences of our ultimate recommendation to approve or not approve department budgets. This role required leadership, attention to detail, the ability to perform cost benefit analyses and creative problem solving skills. My time on the Finance Committee prepared me to make tough, but thoughtful, decisions with the best interests of Wakefield residents always on my mind.

I reflect on my six years on the School Committee (elected Chair and Vice-Chair) with tremendous pride. Structural highlights included the opening of the Galvin Middle School, the Doyle pre-school and collaborating with the town on a new WHS football field. Educational achievements included the opening of the Doyle pre-school, establishment of free full-time Kindergarten, a renewed policy commitment to the lowest possible student-teacher ratio, implementation of high-speed internet and connectivity for the schools and the establishment of critical 21 st century learning opportunities. The School Committee also provided a town-wide fund to support special education students while maintaining resources for all students. I am immensely proud of our swift progress and many achievements.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and the position:

Serving on town boards requires more than just having good ideas. It requires someone who has the experience, knowledge and leadership to get things done. I have a record of getting things done. Collaborating and finding common ground with your colleagues is essential in accomplishing great things. It is not that we always need to agree, but we do need to have respect for each other. We need to listen, not only to the residents in town, but to each other. In the words of Phil Jackson, “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”