Marshfield School Committee candidate Matthews McDonough, right, talks with a voter outside the polls on Saturday. (DEBEE TLUMACKI/The Patriot Ledger)

Copyright 2007 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Monday, April 30, 2007

By SYDNEY SCHWARTZ
The Patriot Ledger

MARSHFIELD - Two newly elected school committee members are hoping they can bring a fresh approach to dealing with a potential budget crunch.

‘‘Two out of five members are brand-new,’’ Matthew McDonough said. ‘‘It’s going to be a completely different board in terms of its dynamic.’’

McDonough, a Norfolk County assistant district attorney who recently moved to Marshfield, and Nancy Currie, a retired teacher, won the two available seats on the school committee in Saturday’s election, defeating incumbent Paul Kaufman.

McDonough was the top vote-getter, receiving 3,172 votes to Currie’s 2,656, Kaufman’s 2,372 and John Scanlan Jr.’s 2,111.

Voters also defeated a proposed $4 million Proposition 2½ override that all four school committee candidates supported. They did, however, approve a $2 million override, which will balance the municipal budget for one fiscal year. The $4 million override would have balanced it for three years.

Dealing with the budget will be the committee’s biggest challenge, Currie said.

‘‘The mandates aren’t changing, and you have to pay for those mandates, but you also have to look at contract negotiations, which are at a standstill right now,’’ she said.

School committee Vice Chairwoman Carol Shrand said she hopes to start next year’s budget process early to educate the new committee members - along with the public.

She said she hopes to have budget presentations at school committee meetings, which would give the public more opportunity to provide feedback.

‘‘I think we need to be proactive in presenting that information,’’ said Shrand, who will run the committee until a new chairman is elected. ‘‘If you look at the budget all at once, it’s somewhat overwhelming.’’

She said the committee also will have to deal with the loss of knowledge, commitment and experience that comes with the departures of Kaufman and member Eileen Ryan, who did not seek re-election to a fifth term.

In other races, Selectman Michael Maresco beat challenger Robert Tice, 3,221 to 2,820, to win a third term.

The available seat on the board of public works went to Stephen Hocking, who defeated Patrick Fleming, 2,872 to 2,266.

Hocking, a sergeant in the state Department of Correction, graduated from Marshfield High School. Maresco is an assistant secretary of state.

More than 37 percent of the town’s registered voters went to the polls.

Sydney Schwartz may be reached at sschwartz@ledger.com .

http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2007/04/30/news/news04.txt