Braintree Election 2021: John Mullaney For Town Council

BRAINTREE, MA — The Braintree town election is less than two weeks away, and soon voters will hit the polls and elect new members to the Town Council and school committee.

Town Council contested races are in districts 1, 2 and 3., while the school committee will see seven candidates compete for three open seats.

Prior to the election, Patch is running candidate profiles to help inform residents on where candidates stand on the issues. Here's a bit more about John Mullaney, who is running for an open seat in District 2, in the Nov. 2 town election.

John Mullaney

Age (as of Election Day)

74

Position Sought

District 2 Town Councilor

Family

Donna Mullaney, wife, John C Mullaney III, son, Jessica Mullaney, Daughter

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My son is a school teacher in Weymouth at the Abigail Adams school.

Education

Boston College, 1968, BS in Accounting, Suffolk Law School, JD

Occupation

Tax Attorney 19 years.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Braintree District 2 Councilor from 2009 thru 2019.

Campaign website

John Mullaney for District 2 @aol.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I believe the town has pressing financial problems and my experience and education will help us to resolve them. When I left office four years ago, the reserves of Braintree were $14 million. Today, they are $2.9 million. As a Councilor, I will stimulate conversation and work towards innovative resolutions.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

For the most part, the people that I have contacted are happy with Braintree but are concerned about the conditions of their schools now and in the future. While I was a Councilor, I would visit the Blue Hills Vocational Tech school and observe the superior condition of the building. It is important to have a maintenance program and a capital planning program to take care of the little problems before they become big problems. We are too good a Town to allow our High School to be in the condition it is.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My experience is superior to both candidates. For over 35 years, I have been involved as a volunteer in Braintree as a Little League Coach and Braintree Youth Basketball for both girls and boys. For six years, I served on the Finance Committee. This committee reviewed and analyzed the budget before it was submitted to the Town Meeting members, on which I also served. As a member of the Finance Committee, I was the only member to vote in support of the Quinn Bill and help to get it passed as a Town Meeting member. I served as a Braintree Town Councilor for ten years and then took a break. While a councilor, I worked for three years to increase the meals tax by 3/4 if 1%. This now provides revenue of about $1.5 million to Braintree. I have served as a union official for over 25 years. For the last 19 years, I have worked in Braintree as a tax lawyer saving people from the IRS. My college degree is in accounting, which I used while serving as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee on the Brainree Town Council.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

It was something unusual and a live and learn experience. Having employees work at home was a good reaction to the problem. The problem is the loss of revenue now and in the future. All towns must balance their budget and when there is suddenly a shortfall the town must act fast to cut expenses. Meals taxes and hotel taxes took a hit. Braintree schools that were closed lost students to private schools. As a result, teachers were laid off. Everybody must work together to bring our schools and the Town of Braintree back.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

(1) Property that is in poor condition must be fixed. One example is the property at Liberty and Grove St. Before I got involved, the contractor was going to build 40B housing which would have been 90 units. Now, there will be a day school on that corner and a new CVS. This will bring significant permit fees and real estate tax additions to the Town of Braintree. Beautify and create additional revenue. (2) Little things must be taken care of such as broken side walks that create health hazards for our seniors and an inability for our your children to ride their bike. (3) Work on the budget to increase revenue and avoid future layoffs. No employee should ever worry about being laid off.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Over the years, I have managed union chapters securing benefits and security for my members. I helped to create a law practice with three others, which I describe as a Supermarket of Financial Advice. The partnership is made up of a CPA, a general litigation attorney, a bankruptcy attorney and myself, a tax attorney. As stated above, I served on the Braintree Town Council as Chairperson of the Finance Committee for six years. In my first term as Coucilor, myself, Hank Joyce and Lee Dingee rewrote all of the laws of Braintree because we were converting from a government run by Selectman to a new form of Government to be run by a Mayor. Throughout my career and I lived by the adage "Specializing in Resolving Problems."

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Keep it simple.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I have been endorsed by Mayor Charles Kokoros, Mayor of Braintree and Shannon Hume, President of the Braintree Town Council. Both have recognized the need for us all to work together to resolve the financial problems that Braintree faces. We must all work together for a better Braintree.