The following letter to the editor was submitted by Andover residents Windy Catino, who served on the Andover Public Schools FY26 Budget Advisory Council. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Andover News. You can learn more about our policy on opinion and commentary on our Mission and Policies page.
To the Editor:
I am writing to express my personal support for Emily DiCesaro for re-election to the Andover School Committee. I first came to know Emily when we were 5th grade room moms at Bancroft. Anyone who has volunteered to work with total strangers on school projects while juggling your own full-time job, household and kids will understand when I say that these things can be a roll of the dice. I, fortunately, was very lucky to work with two amazing women, one of whom was Emily. I’m a first impression kind of person, and in this case my positive impression has endured. Emily was and is an intelligent, kind, warm, engaging, open-minded, collaborative, reliable partner, and an absolute joy to volunteer alongside. Those qualities have translated into outstanding public service to the Town of Andover. As a School Committee member, Emily: listens with an open mind; she responds with grace and a kind heart; she considers others’ points of view and gives credit where due; she is reliable to do what she says she will do and to represent the facts objectively and fairly.
After the vitriol during last year’s School Committee elections and divisive FY 25 budget season (and the succession of painful Town and Special Meetings), I felt compelled to get involved. I became the SEPAC Chair and volunteered my time as a citizen member of the Budget Advisory Council.
The key issue that drove me was watching a majority of our Select Board and the entire Finance Committee jettison years of work and plans to build a new Andover High School with no viable alternative plan. I’ve kept a close eye on the “so called Interim Plan” (remember Article 7B that the two new candidates for SC championed and that’s gone no where for 15+ months?). In that process, I’ve watched Emily with grace and patience lead the painfully slow process to address the myriad of facility problems at the high school, a process that was hoisted upon her as the SC liaison to the PTBAC project. She’s successfully advocated for public involvement in the process and to ensure the community is informed and the process is transparent – even though the problem should not have been hers (or the School Committee’s) to solve.
She has weathered unjustifiable criticism and welcomed new SC members with open arms, working collaboratively with people and groups that had torn her down. That’s Emily. She just works well with others and remains independent with a moral compass and without holding grudges or looking for personal glory. She is not a politician looking to spin facts, but a mom and a community servant looking to genuinely solve problems and make our schools the best they can be. As a mom, and now a volunteer in Andover, I am a close observer of the thankless task it is to be a public servant. I am grateful that Emily is willing to continue to serve the Andover School Committee’s mission and I implore you to get out and vote for her on March 25th (or before by mail/drop off ballot). Information on this critical vote can be found at andoverma.gov/348/Elections.
Warmest regards,
Windy R. Catino
Andover
Andover News accepts and encourages reader submissions, including letters to the editor and opinion columns. Submissions should be 750 words long or fewer and Andover-focused. Please include your name, title if applicable to your topic and connection or interest in Andover. We also need a phone number so we can confirm authorship. Send us your prose!