Katie Stiff To Run For Wayland Board Of Health

WAYLAND, MA — Wayland residents will vote on May 4 on several local offices, including two open seats on the Board of Health, and resident Katie Stiff has announced her candidacy.

Stiff, who works as a nurse practitioner at Mass General Brigham, moved to Wayland in 2020. She currently serves on the town's Board of Health.

"When we first moved to Wayland, I started volunteering for the health department... and I had met the director," Stiff told Patch. "When there became an open seat last year, she encouraged me to run. "

Along with a general interest in public health, Stiff said she has some training in the subject through her nursing education. She said one of the biggest parts of serving on the Board of Health is just showing up for residents.

"Coming prepared for the meetings, and being present and thinking about the health and safety of the community is what the goals are in my mind," Stiff told Patch.

The Board of Health in Wayland focuses on protecting and improving residents' health and safety. Stiff said in general, the Board is looking to find solutions for residents.

"We get presented with different issues, and sometimes issues come up," she told Patch. "It might be a unique complaint, so it takes some thinking."

Stiff said that she is proud of the work that the Board of Health does.

"I think we do a really good job with collaborating with other towns and public health initiatives, for vaccines and disease monitoring, as well as the monitoring of the water at the town beach and in the ponds," Stiff told Patch.

Overall, she said the board works hard to organize events and strategies to keep people up to date on public health matters. Wayland's Health Department is solutions-based, Stiff said.

"From what I've seen, the Health Department wants to work with people and problem-solve. It doesn't want to be a barrier," Stiff told Patch. "Even though it can seem like a burden if you're having an issue, coming to the Board of Health is really reasonable. We do listen to people and try to help come up with solutions."

Jonathan Storer, who is also a current board member, is running for a seat on the Board of Health.

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