Former Haverhill School Committee member Shaun P. Toohey has taken out nomination papers for a City Council run, saying he is “increasingly concerned about the direction our city is heading in and its future.”
Toohey, who served on the School Committee 14 years before not seeking re-election two years ago, said he will focus on public safety, education and fiscal responsibility. He was School Committee president during 2010-2011 and again during 2014-2015. He also served as a member of the Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School Committee from 2010-2015. He is a former member of the Haverhill Stadium Commission.
“I am committed to winning this November and I look forward to a spirited conversation with residents about issues that concern us and ways we can bring better leadership to city government,” Toohey said in a statement.
Republican Toohey lost to Democrat Andy Vargas in the 2017 race for 3rd Essex District state representative. Vargas received 3,889 total votes to Toohey’s 3,403.
In his statement, Toohey added, “I chose Haverhill as the place to raise my family and grow a small business. I want our city government to do everything we can to support public education and to keep our streets safe. Yet, every day, I see more and more evidence suggesting that we are not getting the job done.”
Toohey has a bachelor’s from Cambridge College. He is a former baseball coach for Riverside Bradford Baseball and currently coaches hockey for the Valley Jr. Warriors. He and his wife Tatum have been married for more than 20 years and have two children, Delainey and Jack.