THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 18, 2019 Page 3 Gray and Dean vie for the Ward 6 School Committee seat By Barbara Taormina V oters in Ward 6 will choose between Joseph Gray and Renee Dean as their next representative on the School Committee. Both candidates have been involved with Malden schools for years, and both have said, if elected, they will join the committee with an open mind and the intention to dig into the details of different issues. Joseph Gray For Joseph Gray, a seat on the School Committee will be an opportunity to defend children, teachers and their learning environment. “That’s a portion of my personality: to serve and protect,” said Gray, an army vet who served for four years as a crypto technician and later did a short stint with the National Guard. “We go out and do the hard work so everyone else doesn’t have to,” he said. “I feel like someone has to stand up for children and push back against budget cuts.” Gray has described Malden’s teaching staff as one of the district’s greatest strengths and said ensuring “quality curriculum” is one of his main goals. He supports building up vocational and technical education programs at the high school in order to meet the needs of all students. “I would love to expand those programs. I took a vocational path through life,” he said, adding that he helped promote Nedlam’s Workshop, a makerspace at Malden High. Gray, who ran unsuccessfully for the Ward 6 School Committee seat in 2013 and 2015, has steered clear of announcing a list of what he feels should be the district’s priorities. “I don’t have specific issues; I have a more flexible attitude and point of view,” he said, adding that if he gets the job he’ll sit down and figure out how to deal with whatever issues are on the table. In general, Gray supports the work the committee has done over the past couple of years, adding that members have Renee Dean Ward 6 School Committee Member candidate faced difficult budget constraints and made hard choices. He also supports the administration’s efforts to increase diversity among teachers and staff and said the programs in place should be evaluated to see what more can be done. Still, as a parent whose three children attended Malden schools and as a former member of the Malden High Parent Council, Gray feels the committee can do more to improve communication, which he said is sometimes good and sometimes not. He points to the sudden announcement of changes in the afterschool program as an example of a breakdown in communication. He also feels the meetings on Roosevelt Park Field and whether to go with artificial turf or natural grass were more of a “sales pitch” rather than an effort to gather input and communicate with residents. “I’m not a tree-hugger, but I draw the line at grass,” he said. Although increasing parental and community involvement has been a campaign issue for St. Vincent dePaul Society FUNDRAISER Tuesday, October 22, 2019 5 PM - 9 PM Pearl St. Station Restaurant, 53 Summer St., Malden Pearl St. Station Restaurant will donate 15% of the proceeds to St. Vincent dePaul Society. Please inform your server. Questions, call: Joan at 617-633-0407 many candidates in this election cycle, Gray takes a practical view of citizen engagement. “I’ve been out knocking on doors – talking about issues – and I face people who just don’t want to get involved,” he said. “They hate politics around town.” He said that school leaders can reach out and provide information in all different languages, but community involvement isn’t something you can On Tuesday, November 5th Joseph Gray Ward 6 School Committee Member candidate JOHN H. FROIO MALDEN SCHOOL COMMITTEE WARD 8 “KEEP PROGRESS MOVING” (Political Advertisement) Vote force. Which, again, is why he’s running for a seat on the committee; to do the hard work so everyone else doesn’t have to. GRAY AND DEAN | SEE PAGE 8 RAFFLES! RAFFLES!
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