06/25/2026
One question I’ve been asked repeatedly is, “How did you vote in the special election?”
The truth is, how I voted isn’t the most important part of this conversation. What matters is that I value education. Our students deserve safe, healthy schools where they can learn, and our teachers deserve facilities that allow them to provide the best education possible.
No matter how anyone voted, one fact remains: our school building challenges still exist. The vote wasn’t a rejection of education—it was a reflection of what many families are feeling every day. Families are struggling with the rising costs of housing, utilities, groceries, healthcare, and taxes. Many residents simply felt they could not afford another major financial burden right now.
I attended several information sessions, and even on Election Day I met many voters who still had important questions. I saw many voters asking at the polls and I knew some of the information given by other voters was incorrect. I had questions myself and appreciated the conversations I had with School Committee Man Rob Sheppard during my routine voter precinct visits to thank the voters, signholders and workers for their help and involvement. I valued all who took the time to explain the project over this time. I am quite familiar with the process that is taking place, having served on the Greater Lowell Technical School Committee for several years during a major building expansion and renovation, I know these projects can be accomplished. I believe Dracut will find a way forward.
This is also part of a much larger problem. Cities and towns across Massachusetts are being asked to do more with less while state funding and reimbursements fail to keep pace with local needs. Residents watch billions of dollars being spent on priorities they never expected to fund, while many hardworking taxpayers who have supported this state for decades struggle to qualify for assistance themselves. The conversation I hear at doors throughout the district is remarkably consistent: people want a government that remembers the families who built these communities.
As I continue my campaign for State Senate, these are exactly the conversations I will bring to Beacon Hill. We need leaders who will fight for fair state funding, responsible spending, and policies that support our cities and towns instead of shifting more of the financial burden onto local taxpayers.
The election for the school is over, but our responsibility is not. Let’s stop bickering about the yes or no vote and start working together on a solution that gives our children the schools they deserve while respecting the financial realities facing Dracut families. I believe we can do both.
