Wakefield Election Profiles: Brandon Flanagan, Town Council

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The following candidate profile is from Brandon Flanagan, who is running for Town Council.

Your name: Brandon Flanagan

Age, as of April. 1, 2021: 33

Town of residence: Wakefield

Position sought: Town Council.

Party affiliation: I am running for a non-partisan position.

Family: I married my high school sweetheart, Rachel (Green) Flanagan. We started dating as juniors at WHS, back in 2004. Today, we have four beautiful, healthy children (three boys and a girl).

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government, including the Town of Wakefield or Wakefield Public Schools?: No.

Education: BA Political Science, UMass, Amherst.

Occupation: Chief Executive Officer of In Force Technology, Inc.

Previous or current elected or appointed office: In 2015 (through the present) Governor Charlie Baker appointed me to the Commission on Medico-legal Investigations. It is the board which oversees the Commonwealth’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Campaign website: https://www.facebook.com/flanagantowncouncil2021

You are running because: I am running for Town Council because I want to promote the greater welfare of our community. I want to make our town a safer place to live and raise a family. It is my goal to preserve the legacy and traditions that have established Wakefield as such a uniquely, identifiable community.

In my opinion, the role of Town Council should be to facilitate and work with their community, to develop a sense of place through branding, promoting, and enhancing local identity, and protecting social cohesion, health, and wellbeing.

In that role I will bring strategic thinking, innovation, and action to the Council. I will establish open and effective communication protocols, supported by commitment and passion. I want to Keep Wakefield, Wakefield and when asked what that means, I often ask in return – what does it mean to you? You see, the phrase is ubiquitous and universal – it is all encompassing. For me, it means preserving the Lake and its future. Accordingly, I would like to propose that Wakefield designates the Lake and the immediate surrounding area as a Green Space.

It means preserving the legacy and tradition of this community which has served as a cultural melting pot for decades. It means Wakefield’s annual 4 th of July parade and fireworks which draws crowds from towns throughout the area. And, to me it is the memories of Friday night lights at Landrigan Field.

What is the single most pressing issue facing our town council is ___, and what do you intend to do about it: Wakefield has a number of very concerning issues and I am running to address the following four matters:

1. Accelerate Infrastructure Repairs and more specifically, our roadways and sidewalks. Main street, the prominent roadway to our town’s main attraction, the Lake, is legitimately crumbling. Other roads throughout town or in very poor condition. Our town requires leadership that will ensure a new Wakefield High School is built for the benefit of our community’s youth, but not at the expense of our taxpayers. There are both state and federal grants that will provide significant funding support – but the community needs a compelling plan to access those funds!

2. Reinvest in Community. Our downtown has been vacant for nearly ten years and Wakefield can do much better. We need to motivate property owners to lease their empty storefronts and community leadership should be working to incentivize local businesses to set up shop in Wakefield. When successful, our town will have created a more substantial local economy that promotes small businesses. As such, the increased spending and local commerce will serve as a supplemental revenue source to the town’s bottom line.

3. Prevent Overdevelopment. We cannot continue building and developing large structures without long term vision and coordinated implementation. Right now, the landscape and character of our community is changing and before we know it, we could soon be living in the city of Wakefield and no longer the town of Wakefield.

4. The Opioid Epidemic. I learned from public safety officials recently that Wakefield experienced three opioid overdoses in one week. Unfortunately, this is a topic that is often overlooked and ignored. Yet, we have lost too many good young people prematurely to this epidemic. I am certain, there is not one family in Wakefield that has not been either directly or indirectly impacted by this crisis. We need to better educate the public on this topic, properly equip and fund our public safety departments and consider strengthening our mental health services. There is no better investment and potential return on investment than investing in the people of our town.

What are key differences between you and your opponents in this race:

I am the third generation "Flanagan" to call Wakefield home. My wife, Rachel, and I are raising the fourth generation with our four children (three boys and a girl) and having lived in this community for a long time I recognize the importance of preserving the legacies of our community which have established Wakefield as a cultural melting pot and a uniquely identifiable community.

Professionally, I have served on Governor Charlie Baker’s Finance Committee since 2010. In addition, I served on the Board of Directors for a non-profit organization named Protect Mass Children which advocated for change in the legislature that strengthened Massachusetts’ laws against child predators and abusers. In 2015 through the present, Governor Charlie Baker appointed me to the Commission on Medico-legal Investigations – a board which oversees the Commonwealth’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Finally, I co-founded a national school safety and law enforcement software company of which I serve as its Chief Executive Officer. Given my public service background and experience in the private sector, I plan to take a business-like approach to Wakefield's Town Council.

What other issues make up your campaign platform: See above.

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

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

As a member of Town Council, it will be my responsibility to review every mater with objectivity, professionalism and with the community’s best interests in mind, always. I hope to be the voice for the voiceless and a unifying force which promotes inclusiveness, accountability, and leadership. Accordingly, I will make myself available to speak with all residents from our community frequently and as often as possible. I plan to hold both formal and informal hours as Wakefield’s local, elected representative – it’s important that I hear from every resident so that I can represent our community well.

Most importantly, I want to encourage people to participate in making decisions that affect them. Unlike what we have recently witnessed in our community, the voice of our people should always be a priority – not overshadowed be underhanded votes designed to dissuade residents from voting on a ballot question. It is ok to disagree, in fact, disagreement typically breeds innovation and new ideas. But I condemn bullying and harassment of any kind – there is no tolerance for it in our community. I intend to bring a fresh perspective to our community, and I am anxious to get to work representing Wakefield!