This is part two of a two-part feature on the candidates for Bristol’s representatives on the school committee. Click here to read part 1.

Editor’s note: In last week’s profiles we incorrectly stated Anthony Morettini’s wife had been a special education TA for 30 years, which should have been 13. We also listed Adam McGovern’s occupation as a “Director of Faculties” when it should have read “Director of Facilities”.

With terms expiring for three current members of Bristol’s six representatives on the Bristol Warren Regional School Committee, a field of eight candidates have emerged to fill the void. Of the candidates, only Carly Reich is seeking re-election, as Victor Cabral and Sheila Ellsworth decided not to run in 2022.

All candidates have acquired the requisite number of signatures, and will appear on the ballot for the general election on Nov. 8. Here is a little more about the remaining four candidates (ordered alphabetically by last name).

Brian Bradshaw

Born and raised in Tallahassee, Fla. and a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in electrical engineering, Bradsaw has been a Bristol resident for 16 years and has three children, the youngest of which is going into 8th grade at Kickemuit Middle School.

Bradshaw won a seat onto the school committee in 2016 and ran again in 2020, and missed re-election by a narrow margin. He originally ran because he felt responsible for helping ensure his children would receive a quality education.

In his four years on the board, Bradshaw said that he has become much more aware at how important cohesion among a school committee is to the health and prospering of a school district, which is part of the reason he is throwing his hat in the ring again this year.

“I learned in my four years on the committee that one person with an agenda is counterproductive to the role of a nine-person committee,” he said. “Without consensus it’s very hard to move anything. What inspired me this time was seeing this organization that I’d put so much time and effort and heart into just, what appeared to me to be going in the wrong direction…There’s no civil discourse anymore. It seems like we can’t agree to disagree and move forward with what’s in the best interest of the children.”

Bradshaw said that his favorite thing about being on the school committee was being able to attend student activities, whether sporting events, theatrical performances, musical showcases, et cetera. He said in the past few years, the focus has seemingly shifted away from highlighting students’ achievements and has instead been turned onto the behavior and actions of the school committee themselves.

“When the school committee gets in the paper for the things it’s been in the paper about, you’re taking the focus away from what it should be about, which is the students,” he said.

Bradshaw said that party politics should not seep into the school committee, and that he would seek opinions and viewpoints from all stakeholders in order to make decisions that benefit the student population.

“In my time on the school committee previously, you had people that had varying view points and you have to listen to what the viewpoints are, the parents and the students to some degree as well, and you have to put the politics aside and decide is this helping or is this harmful? And it’s going to be a case-by-case basis…if it’s hurting, you’re moving in the wrong direction.”

Carly Reich

The only candidate currently on the school committee, Reich just celebrated her 10th anniversary of living in Bristol. The Southern California native is a trained mental health therapist and is currently in the midst of an entrepreneurial effort to begin a business that produces environmentally sustainable medical scrubs.

Elected in 2018, Reich has one child entering their junior year at Mt. Hope High School and one child entering eighth grade at Kickemuit Middle School.

Looking back on her first term, Reich said that while she was proud of some of the accomplishments she was able to help enact in the district — such as getting additional mental health supports for students — she feels her work is not done.

“It has been a crazy, but really rewarding four years. Who could have anticipated all the amazing and sort of terrifying things that have happened in the last four years?” she said. “I don’t feel as though I was able to get as much done as I wanted to. I’ve got more work to do, more standing up that needs to be done…I’m hoping we can build consensus and change the dynamics of the current school committee.”

Reich has seen firsthand how the division within the school committee has caused tension and disruption within the district, and she said that a willingness to find common ground was more essential than ever.

“I think being a really good listener and not coming in with a closed mind or a set of decisions that you already want to make is helpful,” she said. “You have to be flexible and willing to compromise.”

Reich said that while the subject of educating students can be an unavoidably political issue, the focus always has to be on providing a public education system that benefits all students, and not promoting personal agendas.

“I think like just about anything, schools and how we run schools and teach our kids is one of the most political things that can be done,” she said. “That being said, everybody cares so deeply about their own children and I respect that very much, but public education exists to take care of all of our kids, so we have to keep the forest in mind when we maybe want to prioritize individual trees.”

Reich said that the new leadership, starting up top with new superintendent Ana Riley, has brought new energy to the district that she hopes can be harnessed for positive gains for kids.

“We have new leadership and all these great things going on we just have to be able to make some decisions, and stand in those decisions and defend them,” she said.

Margaret Elise Richards

A native of upstate New York and most recently from Chicago, Richards moved to Bristol right before the pandemic kicked off in force in early 2020. She has a child who attends Colt Andrews and a set of twins who will be going through the district soon.

Richards’ professional acumen in the educational world is impressive. She has a master’s in International Education from Harvard. She has taught from the kindergarten to adult-level education, including ESL in South Korea, math in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and was an adjunct math professor at Trinity University. She trained volunteer teachers to assist immigrant families in FSM, and worked with the Tanzanian Ministry of Education to develop the country’s first e-learning strategy. She also has experience promoting and developing curricula and programming in STEM, mental health, entrepreneurship, accounting, and data collection/analysis.

“A lot of my experience has been starting with a problem,” she said, explaining that in her work she has often had to take a holistic look at the issue in order to formulate a possible solution or road to improvement. She said she would take the same approach to seeking out how to improve educational outcomes in the district.

“It’s not just about better teachers, textbooks, or more money, it’s also about looking at the community and households. I take a very systemic approach to education,” she said. “I have the experience of being able to look at a problem or challenge or need and look at the entire scope of dependencies, which can help us come up with better solutions for things.”

Richards, too, has seen how politics has invaded school policy discussions at the local level, which she said has been a contributing factor to disrupting possible areas of agreement among those on the board.

“I’ve seen opinions get in the way of recognizing where we have common values and where we can benefit from taking an objective look at facts and data and sources and using them to make good decisions,” she said. “I recognize that a lot of these issues, like stuff around vaccines and masking, or the influence of race on student outcomes, they’re often described as being political now. I personally want to change that, I don’t see them as political issues. I see them as human issues — community issues that we need to come together to work on.”

Richard Ruggiero

Originally from Bristol, Ruggiero served 18 years on the Bristol Town Council until 2006, where he served 12 years as the Council President.

Ruggiero was a health and physical education teacher for 33 years in Rehoboth, Mass., ultimately becoming the department head. Since he has retired, he has become involved in real estate sales.

After so long away from the political scene, Ruggiero said that he felt it was time to get involved again.

“I’ve aways missed being involved in politics,” he said. “My only motivation is to be a voice for parents and students to ensure the school department provides a quality education for student to prepare students to be successful adults in life.”

Ruggiero said that he would utilize his years of experience as an educator, administrator, and his years as a member of the Town Council — including his years as a member of the district’s Joint Finance Committee — to leverage his ability to advocate for the best outcomes for students.

Ruggiero said that in his political life, politics and personal opinions were always able to be put aside for the greater good and for compromise, which he said would be the same attitude he would take should he be elected in November.

“I felt that even though all the years I ran as a Democrat, I didn’t feel as though I was political,” he said. “I think you have to look at issues and make decisions based on what is best for the students. And as a council member, it was about the citizens…You have to put party affiliation and politics aside and deal with the issues in front of you and make the best possible decision that you can.”