Mello has Qualities to be SB Member
Serving on a select board is not for the weak of heart. It’s a demanding, time-consuming, and oftentimes trying position that requires a person who can make rational and informed decisions, provide careful oversight and ethical leadership. Select board members are responsible for making decisions about the town’s ordinances, regulation and policies; providing oversight for the town’s operations; creating and enacting policies; preparing, approving and managing the town’s budget; approving the appointment of department heads and appointing members of town boards and commissions, attending public hearings, listening to community concerns, making decisions on disputes and appeals within the community, and representing the town on broader regional issues.
Serving on a select board requires someone who can put aside their personal and political views and make decisions based on the facts and what is in the town’s best interest. A person who can work collaboratively with fellow select board members with different points of view and be open to listening and considering their positions when making a decision. They are also committed to providing quality services to the residents of Fairhaven and demonstrate that they can do so in a civil, transparent, and accountable manner.
For all the aforementioned reasons, I can think of no better person to serve on Fairhaven’s select board than Natalie Mello. She has all the qualities it takes to be an effective board member. She is honest, fair, bright, concerned, and willing to put in the time and effort it takes to serve on the select board.
Natalie has years of experience and a proven education, business, and government track record. She was a teacher, university administrator, consultant and member of the Wachusett Regional School District Committee. In these varied positions she served on committees, supervised staff, participated in strategic planning, created and monitored budgets, oversaw search processes for key positions and collaborated with town and university officials, students, town residents, and parents.
In recent years, Natalie was a substitute teacher at East Fairhaven Elementary School, working with teachers, administrators, children, and families in different areas of town as well as serving on Fairhaven’s Historical Commission and the Community Preservation Committee. Presently she is the President of the Board of the Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum in New Bedford, where she provides leadership for the organization’s mission and future.
Natalie’s professional skills, personal character, and commitment to Fairhaven would be an asset to the Fairhaven Select Board.
Geneva Woodruff, Ph.D., Fairhaven
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