Meet Salem City Council Candidate Cindy Jerzylo

SALEM, MA — Former Salem police officer and Willows neighborhood advocate Cindy Jerzylo is one of three candidates running to replace outgoing Ward 1 Councilor Robert McCarthy on the City Council this fall.

The open Ward 1 seat — which McCarthy said in May he was not running for re-election for after serving as acting mayor for five months pending the special election earlier this year — is the only office requiring a preliminary election on Sept. 19.

Armand Blanchette and Chris Malstrom are the other two candidates vying for the two-year
term. The top two vote-getters on Sept. 19 will advance to the citywide general election in November.

Patch reached out to all three candidates in the contested election with Jerzylo telling Patch she is running for the City Councilor to be a problem solver for residents of the city, work on issues related to climate change that impact Ward 1 and follow in the footsteps of her father, George Nowak, who served for 22 years as a Ward 1 Councilor.

"From him I learned the value of helping people, listening carefully to others, and sticking with a decision, even the hard ones," she told Patch. "My career as a police officer taught me to be a problem solver, communicating clearly with people. When an issue is brought to my attention, I am naturally drawn to find a solution that offers a universal benefit. I value forming new relationships and uniting people together.

"Ward 1 is arguably Salem’s unique ward. We have a mix of residences, industry, tourism and recreation."

Jerzylo is a lifelong Salem resident who has lived in Ward 1 most of her life. She and her husband, Ray, raised two children through the Salem Public Schools.

"My deep roots in Salem have grown into a sincere devotion and pride for my hometown," she said.

Jerzylo retired from the Salem Police Department after 33 years about five years ago and has been involved in several city advocacy groups — including the past four years as founding chairperson of the Willows Neighborhood Association.

She helped form the Flood Advisory Committee in the neighborhood group that pushed the city to rebuild the Columbus Avenue Seawall.

She is part of Salem Alliance for the Environment and part of its Offshore Wind Alliance as a stakeholder in the Community Benefits Agreement with Crowley Wind Services as it constructs the new wind turbine facility on Derby Street. She also works part-time at the Winter Island Campground.

"There is always a great deal of change and development transpiring," she said. "I believe that listening to the residents of Ward 1 will allow me to understand their concerns for the change being brought about in our community. The Shetland Property redevelopment, Pioneer Village relocation and the new development at Lee Fort Terrace are all projects that I have either been involved with, concerned about or engaged with."

Jerzylo said she has been doing a lot of door-to-door canvassing ahead of the preliminary election where she has met with and talked with residents in an effort to learn their concerns.

"I am grateful for their feedback," she said. "Their encouragement has been most gratifying. I would be honored to have their vote."

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