Former School Committee Member Enters '07 Race

Marc McGovern, one of the two Cambridge School Committee members defeated in 2005, formally declared on Tuesday that he would attempt to win back his seat this November, and pledged to improve the delivery of special and early childhood education services and to work to create “safe and healthy schools.”

McGovern, a social worker at the Cambridge Family and Children's Services who served one term on the School Committee from 2004 to 2006, attributed his defeat in the 2005 election to three factors: many of his supporters concluded that he would be safely reelected because due to his strong performance in the 2003 election; challengers Patricia M. Nolan '80 and Luc D. Schuster won over some of his reform-minded base; and turnout in the election was “one of the lowest in memory.”

In his speech to the crowd of about 75 Tuesday, McGovern said that he believes he has deep political support in Cambridge among older and newer residents alike.

As evidence, he pointed to the local politicians in attendance, including City Councillors Anthony D. Galluccio and Denise Simmons, former Councillor David P. Maher, City Council candidate Sam Seidel, and State Representative Alice K. Wolf.

Though the elected officials said they came to show their support, not all are formally endorsing McGovern. Galluccio, who is laying the groundwork for a state senate bid, said that he is “not crazy enough to endorse someone for a race when I have a race of my own.” Seidel said that “[McGovern] was a great School Committee member” but that he's “not supporting him exclusively.”

In an interview in early June, McGovern detailed his priorities and positions on the issues, most of which put him in general agreement with Nolan and Schuster. McGovern said, for example, that he wants to increase the transparency of the district budget, while also giving principals a portion of the school district's fiscal surplus that they could then use as discretionary funds—two things Nolan and Schuster have called for, only to see the proposals fail.

McGovern also said that he would have voted, like Nolan, last year not to renew the contract of Superintendent of Schools Thomas Fowler-Finn, saying he wants a superintendent that “students, parents, and faculty flock to when he walks into a school building.”

Fowler-Finn has been criticized by many in the community for his autocratic management style—Schuster once likened him to former University President Lawrence H. Summers—and he received low marks for working with the community in his evaluation by the School Committee last year.

But McGovern added that though many of the candidates agree on the specific issues, his experience—he would be the only committee member who works with students and children on a daily basis—and leadership style distinguish him.

“Being a leader doesn't mean bashing everything all the time, and at the same time, being a leader doesn't mean being a cheerleader,” McGovern said, in probable reference to Nolan, a longtime critic of the school district's administration, and veteran committee member Nancy Walser, Fowler-Finn's strongest supporter.

McGovern's chances of winning are improved by the fact that Walser decided earlier this month to not run for reelection citing personal reasons.

The five other incumbents are all running for reelection, and McGovern, who was the third highest vote-getter in the 2003 election, is likely to have an edge at winning a seat.

The other non-incumbents running include a Walser-backed slate of newcomers comprising environmental analyst Stefan Malner, schoolteacher Nancy Tauber, and educational loan counselor Gail Lemily Wiggins.

If McGovern, a critic of Fowler-Finn, replaces Walser, this could spell trouble for the superintendent, whose contract comes up again for renewal in January 2008, when the new School Committee will be in office.

If incumbents Nolan and Richard Harding, both of whom voted against extending Fowler-Finn's contract, are elected along with McGovern, whoever becomes the mayor—a person chosen by the City Council from among its members—could be critical.

The mayor over the past two years, Kenneth E. Reeves '71, voted against renewing the superintendent's contract last summer.

—Staff writer Paras D. Bhayani can be reached at pbhayani@fas.harvard.edu.