The two school committee candidates endorsed by the Andover Education Association have received a total of $2,615.09 in campaign support from the teachers union’s parent.
In a filing with the Andover Town Clerk Thursday, the Massachusetts Teachers Association’s political action committee said it had spent $1,307.54 for mail printing and postage in support Christopher Shepley and Jacob Tamarkin. The state’s biggest labor union also reported $1,416.92 in “in kind” contributions separate from the $1,307.54 it spent on each candidate, including $232.92 for use of a voter list and $1,184 for staff time.
Shepley and Tamarkin are challenging incumbents Emily DiCesaro and Sandis Wright in Tuesday’s election. AEA said it conducted a thorough review of the four candidates, and more than 90 percent of its membership voted to back Tamarkin and Shepley when it made its endorsement last month.
While union and political action committee contributions are commonplace in state and federal elections, they had been rare in local Andover politics until last year. Along with the Andover Public Schools budget, student performance, and the fate of Andover High School, AEA’s endorsement of Tamarkin and Shepley and the campaign support it entails has become a key issue in this year’s race.
Earlier this month, a group of 22 Andover residents — including former select board and school committee members — signed a letter urging voters to not vote for two candidates.
“As the only contested local race and one that now introduces a significant conflict of interest, voters should be very concerned,” the residents wrote. “Historically, these races were funded by personal donations with total campaign expenses approximating $3,000. That was shattered last year when the Massachusetts Teachers Association Independent Political Action Committee injected over $15,000 into the Andover Select Board and School Committee races.”
After the AEA endorsed first-time candidates Lauren Diffenbach and Shauna Murray in last year’s election, MTA’s PAC spent $4,461.96 to support each woman’s campaign, according to finance reports maintained by the Town Clerk. The women won the two open seats in a five-way race, ousting incumbent Susan McCready in the process. McCready was among the signers of the letters, along with former school committee members Joel Blumstein and Tracey Spruce, and the husband of current school committee Chair Lauren Conoscenti.