Carla M. Cook Enters Race For Westborough's Lone Contested Seat On Housing Authority

WESTBOROUGH, MA — Westborough residents will head to the polls to vote on one open seat on the town's Housing Authority, and Carla M. Cook has announced her candidacy for election.

Cook, who has lived in Westborough for six years, is running for a first term with the town's Housing Authority. The agency develops, manages and operates more than 100 affordable units in town for low- and moderate- income residents.

See Also: Westborough 2026 Election Voter Guide: Candidates, Where To Vote

If elected, this would not be her first time serving the town. She was appointed by the Select Board to serve on the 250th American Revolution Committee, a position she currently holds.

Cook said she decided to run after seeing the condition of some affordable housing units and hearing from residents who questioned why more housing is being built in Westborough.

"Our town is just so giving, and we have such a kind population of people," Cook told Patch."We're helping these people by giving them these places, but to me, there's no dignity in providing a place that's falling apart."

Cook said she has seen conditions of some units, such as rusted metal.

As an employee in the Special Education department at Mill Pond School, Cook told Patch that the increase in housing has also strained schools.

Her current role in the school comes after nearly 20 years working as an organ and tissue transplant social worker, a career she said ingrained in her an advocacy mindset and a drive to seek solutions.

"I'm eager to hear residents' feedback regarding housing and to bring their voices to the table so that practical solutions can be found and put in place," she told Patch.

During that time, she was also selected to lead a group overseeing the organization-wide process improvement. In that role, she used data analytics and grew comfortable with numbers and budgets, skills she would bring to a position at the Housing Authority.

"One thing, and I have heard this from the residents that live in the units, is that they feel like they're underrepresented," Cook said. She hopes to bridge that gap so that everyone's voices are heard at meetings.

Cook pointed to issues, such as the impact of housing on schools and the condition of some housing units. To help address that, she told Patch the Housing Authority should determine where to focus its resources.

"We need to figure out what the priorities are and kind of assess where we're at before we make any other decisions moving forward," said Cook. "Once we assess where everything's been going and what the needs are, just put a practical plan in place and solve some of these things."

Westborough's Annual Town Election will take place on March 10. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Residents will vote on 12 open positions on the ballot, including seats on the Select Board, School Committee, Planning Board, Moderator, Town Clerk, Trustees of the Public Library and a contested race for one open seat on the Westborough Housing Authority.

See Also:

• Westborough School Committee Member Jakub Moskal To Run For Re-Election
• Westborough Public Library Trustee Dorothy Mello To Run For Re-Election