Webster, Imbriano React to Election

School Committee Chairman Mel Webster was reelected and Secondary Schools Building Committee member Janene Imbriano was elected to the School Committee Tuesday. Both are looking forward to serving for the next three years.

"Well I'm glad to be able to serve one more term for the School Committee," Webster said.

He is looking forward to his next term and is thrilled about working on the school building project. He said it will be "exciting, but challenging" as they have to be "really careful with budgeting issues as we were this year."

He expressed gratitude for former School Committee member Michael Kushakji and his three years of service.

"He became a really solid member of the committee," Webster said.

He also welcomed Imbriano to the committee, who said she was pleased with the results.

"I'm really happy, I'm thrilled," Imbriano said.

She admits, she was nervous as she had never run for an elected position before and didn't know what to expect, especially since there hadn't been write-in candidates in an election for the last 15 to 18 years, she said.

"It's not something that happens every year, but I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.” 

She went on to thank everyone who supported her as well as Town Clerk Barbara Stats and her staff for taking the time to count the votes.

As a member of the SSBC, she has traveled to the State House and worked with State Representative Brad Jones and Senator Bruce Tarr to "bring advocacy to North Reading and work with Chapter 70 funds" and she would like to see that happen in the future. As a member of the School Committee, she would like to see the committee "keep up the good work they have been doing."

She complimented Superintendent Kathleen Willis and said that having her at the helm of the school district makes it easier for others involved.

Imbriano will continue to be a member of the SSBC. The school building project required more time earlier in the planning phase, but now that they are in the building phase, it is not as time consuming, she said. She is looking forward to walking through the new school as a member of the SSBC.

"As long as they'll have me, I'll stay," she said.

New positions will be decided at the committee's reorganization meeting next Monday.