Finlay Returning to the Framingham School Committee
FRAMINGHAM – A joint meeting of the Framingham School Committee and the 11-member City Council was held tonight to elect a School Committee member for District 2 to replace the late Karen Foran Dempsey.
There were four candidates Richard Finlay, Kelly Garofalo, David Gordon and Brandon Ward.
A majority of 10 votes were needed of the 19 members voting. Finlay received 11 votes in the first ballot.
Finlay, who serves as an at-large School Committee member when Framingham was a Town, was the first District 2 School Committee member elected when Framingham became a city.
Dempsey’s husband Mark, and her sister at-large Councilor Janet Leombruno, a life-long District 2 resident, spoke to support Finlay.
Gordon received 7 votes.
The School Committee was split 4 votes for Finlay and 4 votes for Gordon.
School Committee members Geoffrey Epstein and Beverly Hugo touted Gordon’s diversity and fiscal experience.
Garofalo received one vote from District 7 Councilor Margareth Shepard. Ward received no votes.
The 11-member City Council heavily favored Finlay in the vote. Finlay received 7 Council votes.
Finlay is expected to be sworn in tomorrow, March 3, and attend his first meeting Wednesday night.
His term ends on Dec 31, 2021.
The District 2 seat, along with the 8 other School Committee seats will all be on the November ballot in 2021. The entire School Committee is elected by district every two years.
SOURCE will update this report later.
School Committee
- Beverly Hugo — Gordon
- Scott Wadland — Finlay
- Adam Freudberg — Finlay
- Priscila Sousa — Finlay
- Geoffrey Epstein — Gordon
- Tiffanie Maskell — Gordon
- Jessica Barnhill — Finlay
- William LaBarge — Gordon
City Council
- Christine Long — Finlay
- Cesar Stewart-Morales — Gordon
- Adam Steiner — Finlay
- Michael Cannon — Finlay
- Robert Case — Gordon
- Philip Ottaviani Jr — Finlay
- Margareth Basilio Shepard — Garofalo
- John Stefanini — Finlay
- Tracey Bryan — Gordon
- Janet Leombruno — Finlay
- George P. King Jr. – Finlay
