Candidates Discuss How Skills, Experience Fit with Melrose Board of Aldermen

Candidates for Board of Aldermen participated in the Melrose League of Women Voters Candidate Forums Wednesday night at the Roosevelt Elementary School.

For about an hour in the school's Cafetorium, the candidates answered several questions submitted to the League of Women Voters prior to the forums. Melrose Patch will be presenting their responses in a series of stories over the next several days so make sure to check back with us.

Aldermen Race

All seven Aldermen candidates participated in the forum, as they vie for four two-year seats on the board.

Here's a look at what the candidates had to say about how their skills and experience would blend in with the Board of Aldermen:

Donald Conn, Jr., who is seeking reelection to the Board of Aldermen, discussed how he has played a role in shaping five city budgets, adding that he served as the chairman of the Board of Aldermen's Appropriations Committee for two years. 

"As a result of my service as Appropriations (Committee) chairman, I essentially run the budget meetings of the Board of Aldermen so I've had ample experience in running budget meetings and in analyzing budgets," Conn said. "Also, I had the good fortune to be the city solicitor of the City of Melrose for five years and during that time I was a city department head and I worked on creating the budget for the law department so I think those are skills...that stand me in good stead in terms of the budget process."

Michael Zwirko said he has more than nine years of experience working in the financial services in the private sector, adding that he did spend a couple years in the public sector after college. "It's all I've done in the private sector, and it's actually one of my talents," Zwirko said of working in financial services. 

Monica Medeiros, who is seeking reelection to the Board of Aldermen, said she has been an elected official for the City of Melrose for the past six years as an Alderman for Ward 2, as well as two years serving on the School Committee.

"During that time, we've balanced our budget in some tough economic times," she said. "In my personal life, I work in mortgage financing, and I work with families and individuals and help them put their budgets together and make the financing work. I think I can bring that and my analytical skills to the Board of Aldermen and that would be an asset."

Jaclyn Lavender Bird, a current Alderman seeking reelection to the board, said she had experience with budgeting and has worked on the past three city budgets where she has been "looking at creative ways to make up for the resources that we've lost over the past several years both from federal dollars and saved dollars."

Bird said she background includes fundraising for nonprofit organizations. 

"What I like to look for is ways that we can collaborate (and) bring money into the city," Bird said. "For instance, the Melrose Alliance Against Violence just (received) a successful state with the Melrose Police Department, bringing in 60 percent of the salary for the domestic violence officer in Melrose. I think those kind of things I'm going to be looking at as we go forward."

Ronald Seaboyer, seeking reelection to the Board of Aldermen, said he has a construction background that will help the board when issues crop up about streets needing to be dug up and repair work needs to be done to city infrastructure.

Seaboyer also stated that he has had two successful businesses. "...Running a business, having a budget to worry about, paying the mortgage and everything else...it's important to know just how the money comes in and how the money should be spent appropriately," he added.

Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis, seeking reelection as an Alderman, said she has served four terms on the School Committee—two years as chairman of the committee, as well as 2-3 years as the chairman of finance when they developed the budgets "basically from zero-based budgeting...building it that way."

In the six years she has served as Alderman, McAteer-Margolis said she has served twice as the chairman of finance and HEW. 

"I have worked with many nonprofits. I work at a nonprofit now and I'm responsible for building the budget there," she said. "I'm also working very hard with organizations like the Melrose Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition which has received numerous grants to help fund prevention in our community."

George Doyle, who served four years on the School Committee (one year as finance chairman), said he previously spent eight years on the Board of Aldermen, including as chairman of Appropriations.

"In my private life, I've been a teacher of mathematics and an engineering manager," Doyle said, adding that he has "managed million dollar budgets to get product in on time and on budget."

"I'm amply equipped to handle a budget appropriation (and) look at budgets in a way probably nobody else here has the ability to do," Doyle said. 

Check back with Melrose Patch, as we'll continue to break down the Aldermen candidates' responses to questions fielded during the League of Women Voters' Candidate Forums.