David Grishman Seeks Re-Election To Swampscott Select Board

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — David Grishman is running for a second, three-year term on the Swampscott Select Board in the annual town election set for April 25.

Grishman told Patch that he is proud of the Board's accomplishments in fiscal responsibility, open space acquisition on Archer Street and the oceanside Hawthorne property, and his role in the recent agreement to purchase the property on Pine Street and develop it into veterans' subsidized housing since he was elected to the Board in June 2020, and said that he is hoping to build on that for another three years.

"Starting in the height of the pandemic and finishing with the most significant open space acquisitions for Swampscott in the past 50 years, serving on the Swampscott Select Board has been an incredible experience," Grishman said in a statement. "But there is so much more for us to do and I believe my experience makes me the right choice to ensure continued momentum for Swampscott."

Grishman said fiscal discipline and creativity will be key drivers for the town as it looks to embark on needed programs and projects while maintaining a strong credit rating, financial reserves and excess tax levy capacity.

"We did not get to financial strength through luck and financial strength does not mean we can just spend money now," Grishman said. "It has been a multi-year concerted effort with the Select Board, Finance Committee, and town finance staff taking the lead in ensuring we budgeted only for the most important and most efficient programs.

"This planning allowed us to affordably finance our new elementary school, to invest in open space, and to make significant increases in the town's funding for elder and veteran services. This financially sound behavior must continue."

The Pine Street agreement, which must be approved in a town meeting vote, is designed to create 30 to 40 units of affordable veterans' housing and a renovation of the adjacent VFW property largely through American Rescue Plan Act funding.

"Swampscott's investment in veteran affordable housing is unprecedented and will serve as a model to other communities," he said. "Investment in our veterans and seeing this project through to reality are key priorities for me."

Grishman's campaign announcement touted the endorsement of Tania Lillak, the Chair of the Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee.

"I have lived in Swampscott for many years and cannot remember a period with more progress than recent years," said Lillak, a 15-year resident of the town. "I am continually grateful for David Grishman's leadership on the Select Board and assistance in helping our committee achieve its goals. David is an ardent supporter of open space and his vision is extraordinary. I am convinced David is the right person to keep Swampscott moving in the right direction."

Grishman lives in the town with his wife, Amy, and two sons. He is a commercial lender at North Shore Bank.

"Great things are happening in Swampscott," he said. "With the support of residents and voters in town, I very much look forward to continuing the hard work for the town for another three years."

(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.)