Terri Tauro Chosen For Marblehead Housing Authority Vacancy

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Terri Tauro, a department administrator in the Marblehead Harbormaster's office who ran for the open 8th Essex state representative seat this past fall, is the newest member of the Marblehead Housing Authority.

Tauro was unanimously selected during Wednesday night's joint meeting of the Select Board and the Housing Board to serve out the final five months of the current term. She will be eligible to run for re-election in the June annual town election.

Tauro, who is also Marblehead Municipal Employees Union president, said she was seeking to serve on the authority to help others realize the experience she did coming from public housing.

"I grew up in public housing," she told the Boards. "I was blessed to have wonderful parents. But all five of us (siblings) came out of there. We all have good jobs. We've raised families. We've bought homes.

"I would like to see that be the norm for family housing. That's my goal — to do anything I can to help that along. It's about the people."

Tauro said she hopes to build on her state and local connections from her Beacon Hill bid to deliver services and find revenue streams for public housing in Marblehead and create a space where residents "feel safe to talk about what they need."

Tauro also cited her public housing upbringing as a strength of hers in her Patch candidate profile while running for the 8th Essex seat. She finished fifth in a close race among a crowded field for the Democratic nomination that went to new State Rep. Jenny Armini.

"I was raised in public housing, brought up two daughters as a single mother and have fought for every inch of ground I have gained in my life through grit and determination," she said as a candidate. "I have lived the struggles of working families, small business owners and single parents while also being heavily involved in the political arena."

Tauro earned 8th Essex endorsements from the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, the North Shore Sunrise Movement and Incorruptible Mass.

"These endorsements were not handed to me, they were earned by years of standing on picket lines and time spent in the trenches fighting for change," she said.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)