Wilmington School Committee Members-Elect: Eager To Get To Work

WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington residents voted Saturday to send incumbents David Ragsdale and Mary Jane Byrnes back to the School Committee and to add Melissa Plowman to their number. Plowman will serve the remaining two years of Steve Bjork's three-year term after he resigned ahead of the election.

The three candidates told Patch in the wake of their elections that they are eager to get to work on the committee and laid out some of their plans for coming years.

>>Wilmington Town Election Results: Incumbents, Plowman Win

Plowman is a mental health counselor with a private practice. School Committee is her first elected office.

"I enter this position with much gratitude to Steve Bjork for his time and commitment to our school system and hope to make meaningful contributions just as he has," Plowman said. "I am excited to be a member of a really talented and dedicated team of School Committee members."

Plowman won by a large margin in a three-person race for the two-year term, taking almost two-thirds of the vote, according to unofficial results. She credited her victory to "a lot of work" and to connecting with the town's residents.

"I had many, many conversations with a lot of very important stakeholders in our town these past months," Plowman said. "They each taught me so much and shared their experiences and insights, which completely informed my campaign.

"This journey has also reminded me of how fortunate I am for the outpouring of support from my friends and family."

Ragsdale works as an educational specialist for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and was elected to the School Committee in 2018.

"I hope that my re-election is attributable to my having done a good job representing the interests of students in Wilmington for the past three years, and working to provide them the best schools we can," he said. "I am eager to continue that work as we return to full in-person school throughout the whole district and begin planning for the 2021–22 school year. Now that the campaign is over, I am glad to be able to give my full attention to the work before us."

Byrnes was first elected to the School Committee in 2012. She attributed her re-election to "the work and clear passion I have for the work I do on behalf of the children of the community" as well as the support from her colleagues on the committee, her friends and the community. She detailed some plans for the coming term.

"My next steps will be to continue to support the transition of our students and staff into the classroom, and ensure that they both have access to the tools and resources they need in order to ease fears or concerns, in order to get back to learning," Byrnes said. "I will also be heavily focused on working towards building community support in the building and consolidation of our schools, and am grateful for the Districts success in being invited back into the MSBA thus offsetting some of the cost of this vital project off the shoulders of taxpayers.

"Lastly, I will continue to lend my voice and advocate for appropriate public school funding, which is essential in the growth and services we provide to the children of Wilmington."

Byrnes said she has other projects in the works which "it's too early to discuss."

About 1,200 residents voted in Saturday's election — 6.6 percent of the town's registered voters. The two School Committee races were the only contested elections, while only one candidate ran for other seats including town moderator and selectman.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-85335 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.