LETTER: Wilmington School Committee Member David Ragsdale Endorses Sivakumar Mallaiyasamy For Select Board

Dear Wilmington residents,

I’m writing to encourage you to vote for Sivakumar Mallaiyasamy for Select Board in the town election on April 25.

Sivakumar believes in service and giving back to the town where he has made his home for nearly 20 years and where he raised his family. He’s smart, hardworking, and understands the challenges facing Wilmington — from managing growth and maintaining Wilmington’s suburban feel to encouraging economic development so that we can manage the tax burden on our residents.

Sivakumar was, and will continue to be, a strong supporter of the MSBA elementary school project, which will provide new elementary educational spaces to Wilmington children for the first time since the Shawsheen was built in 1970.

As a professional in the information technology field, Sivakumar is accustomed to using data, objective analysis, and clear-eyed recognition of the trade-offs of different decisions — skills that he will bring to the Select Board. As an example of this, consider his approach to the MBTA Communities Act. Like many residents, Sivakumar opposed the law in the first place and respected the initial rejection by Town Meeting. But he is also able to see the current situation clearly, and recognizes that continued noncompliance will only lead to additional legal fees borne by the taxpayers, millions of dollars of lost grant funding that will have to be replaced by taxpayers, and eventual forced legal compliance that may leave Wilmington with no say in how the zoning districts are drawn.

I have known Sivakumar for more than 13 years, since our children were in kindergarten. I am proud to support his candidacy and I encourage you to cast a vote for him on April 25.

David Ragsdale