Election 2018: Ferdinand Brings Firm Stances To Selectmen's Race

TEWKSBURY, MA -- Tewksbury voters head to the polls on April 7 for municipal elections. Patch reached out to candidates running in contested races for their thoughts on the issues facing Tewksbury. This is the first in an occasional series profiling the candidates running for selectman.

If there is one common criticism of the elected leaders in Tewksbury, it's that there are too many building projects being green-lit and fundamentally changing the character of the town. Board of Health Member George Ferdinand, who is running in a three-way race for two seats on the board of selectmen, shares those concerns.

"I have a core of issues that I am passionate about, but I don’t know everything," Ferdinand said. "I will always be willing to listen to what the people of Tewksbury have to say on all the issues."

Ferdinand, 56, says he is fiscally conservative and will reveal a tax plan at a MArch 20 candidates forum. That's also the venue he's choosing to reveal his thoughts on the opioid epidemic, which he sees the biggest issue facing Tewksbury. While Ferdinand kept quiet on the details of a "comprehensive plan" to fight the drug epidemic in Tewksbury, he did offer a hint about part of that plan.

"What our we going to do for our kids other than sports? How about a Boys & Girls Club?" he said.

Ferdinand's opponent's in the race, Brian Dick and incumbent Mark Kratman, have yet to respond to Patch's request for comment. But Ferdinand notes two key ways he differs from his opponents: so far he is the only one that has pledged to serve no more than two terms if elected, and he was the only one of the three to call for the resignation of former Tewksbury Public Schools John O'Connor in 2015 after a dat breach that resulted in the posting of private student data online.

Ferdinand is married and has worked as an autoworker for Mopar for the past 21 years, where he is also a trustee of UAW Local 422. Locally, in addition to his work on the Board of Health, he was appointed to the Vision Committee and sits on the board for non-profit Tewksbury Cares, a nonprofit initiative to increase awareness of and offer resources to fight substance abuse.

Learn more about the April 7 election including details on other races and voter registration information.

Are you running for office in Tewksbury on April 7? Contact Dave Copeland at dave.copeland@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Tewksbury Patch.

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Photo by George Ferdinand.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).