SHREWSBURY – After a competitive election May 2, the newly-elected Select Board and School Committee members voiced their excitement about the results.
Incumbent Beth Casavant earned another term on the Select Board with Carlos Garcia winning a seat previously held by Moe DePalo.
“I was thrilled,” said Casavant. “For me, it is a reflection that the voters of Shrewsbury are happy with the work that’s done by the town on a day-today basis, and they showed that by voting to re-elect me. I’m just so excited to serve for another three years… Now, it’s not about me anymore — it’s about the job and the residents and the work that we do.”
Garcia remembered the excitement of the moment he learned he had won, noting how his election to the Select Board made history in Shrewsbury.
“It was definitely very exciting. It was certainly a historic moment for our town,” he said. “I knew when I was running that there was the potential that I could be the first person of color elected to the Select Board in Shrewsbury and the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to the Select Board, so I’m really proud of that, not just for myself but for the town. We’re becoming a more diverse community… I’m excited for the future of our town.”
On the School Committee, incumbent Sandra Fryc and Rachel Sharifipour were elected.
“I was really happy with the result,” said Fryc. “I think it shows that the community supports my work on the committee… I hope people see me for the work that I do, so for me, I felt [getting reelected] was really validating.”
The candidates also expressed gratitude to their supporters and the town as a whole.
“I’m just so grateful for everybody that took the time to support me in whatever way they did to see that they would be successful in being reelected… To see the voters come out for me is just — it’s huge — it’s everything. I’m just so grateful to have another three years doing something that really brings me great joy and being able to serve the people of the community,” Casavant said.
“I am so appreciative of this opportunity I now have before me,” said Sharifipour. “I am looking forward to working closely with district leaders, students and staff, families, amongst so many others in the coming years.”
Though victory was sweet, the candidates immediately looked toward the future, expressing their hopes for the next three years.
“I think my hopes for the next three years are that more people continue to be engaged and involved in our local government. I ran on a platform that was advocating for more transparency and accessibility within our local government. I’m really hoping that people really see that and realize and understand that they have a voice that can shape the way our town moves forward,” Garcia said.
Casavant, now the most senior member of the Select Board with six years of experience, explained that the board now has an “amazing opportunity” to potentially “reimagin[e] what the relationship is between the Select Board and the residents of the community.”
Fryc hoped that School Committee “build[s] on the good work we’ve already done — because there are a lot of good things that we’ve moved forward as a School Committee,” but emphasized the importance of tackling the learning gaps from COVID-19 and looking for ways to provide access to vocational technical education.
In other races, Kathy McSweeney was also re-elected to the Housing Authority.
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