LETTER: Introduction From Assessor Candidate Don Garrity

I am excited about the possibility of serving on the Lynnfield Board of Assessors. I have lived in Lynnfield for 17 years with my wife, Ruth and my two children, Caroline and Patrick. I have been fortunate to have been affiliated with the Lynnfield youth sports programs as a coach and as a board member.

I believe that my personal and professional capabilities, personal integrity and legal experience, provide a solid foundation to successfully fulfill the role of Assessor.  I am an attorney with 25 years experience in the areas of real estate, probate and civil litigation involving residential and commercial transactions. Having worked closely with real estate experts involving the law, development and finance, I have been required to fairly and objectively analyze opinions of property values to insure that such opinion is complete, competent, supportable and honest.

I believe that my experience, education and training, as well as my personal character, will be an asset to the Board of Assessors. This will be especially important as our community faces the more complex challenges to come in characterizing the new use and reassessing the value of the Colonial development property.  I received my BA from Colgate University and my JD from Suffolk University Law School.  I feel that my education and professional experience in advocacy and negotiations together with my diligence and preparation make me uniquely qualified for the Assessor’s position.

If elected to Board of assessors, I will fulfill my duties with professionalism, integrity and fairness. This will include talking with the taxpayers and listening to their concerns, conducting accurate research and investigation and working with appraisers to establish and substantiate a fair, equitable and accurate value. Thank you for considering me for this position.