Hello Manchester residents.
I would like to introduce myself to those who do not know me: my name is Jeff Delaney and I am running for the position of Select Board.
I grew up in town, my father is the late Richard Delaney, and I am the 3rd generation of the Delaney family to live here with my wife and daughter.
Since 2017, I have been representing the Town of Manchester at the Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School as a school board member, and for the last three years, I have been the policy committee vice chair. I have had the honor of watching the school flourish to become the largest high school in the State and, in my opinion, one of the best Tech/Agricultural high schools in the country, setting the bar for others. I have great support for technical education, being from a technical background myself and from a family working in technical occupations.
I worked with administration through Covid to get students back into the classroom as soon as the State would allow, making sure protocols were in place. I believe hands-on learners cannot reach their potential behind a screen, and it is important to get them back into a hands-on environment as soon as possible.
I developed the "Manchester what when where how" Facebook group and have been the sole administrator for the past 6 1/2 years. This has given residents a platform to discuss topics of town interest and have a dialog away from official Town platforms. It has also been a great resource for local small businesses to advertise on and for residents with general questions about the town. I have no doubt the new administration there will carry on in the same spirit.
Recently I have worked with a great group of people to help jump start the local Sons of the American Legion chapter after a short hiatus through covid. We are working to put continuing education scholarships into local students’ hands and help support our local veterans and our local Legion, who in turn support our community. We hope to see you at our annual Casino Night this November, which was a ton of fun last year.
I am also a long-time member of the Manchester Club, and I have recently worked with the executive board on scholarships and maintained one of the oldest continuing clubs in Manchester.
I hope to be able to work as a team with the Administration, current Select Board members, other boards, and residents to move the town forward in a fashion that is constructive, and in the best interest of residents. Manchester is lucky to have residents and board members from different backgrounds, and I hope that my experiences can complement both moving forward.
Although I am running unopposed outside of any write-in campaigns that may come, I hope to have your vote and get a chance to earn your trust. I thank everyone who has been so supportive thus far.
Jeff Delaney, Manchester