Candidates for 2026 Election

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WRSD School Committee

Meredith Pugh

“Meredith was born in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. She attended Woodward Academy and graduated from high school in 1988. In 1992, she graduated from the University of Georgia in Athens with a Bachelor’s degree in French Language and Literature, then taught elementary French for a number of years in Atlanta. 

In 1995, she moved to New York to attend the graduate program in Linguistics at New York University (NYU). In 1998, she received her Master’s Degree and spent some time teaching English as a Foreign Language and French, in Slovakia and in France. In 2004, she received her Ph.D. in Linguistics (more specifically, Sociolinguistics) from NYU. She was an Assistant Professor of English at Utica College in New York State from 2003 to 2005, then moved to the West Coast with her husband.

From 2006 to 2016, she was a senior lecturer in the Department of English at Western Washington University, where she taught for the Department of Linguistics, theDepartment of French, as well as for the Department of English Language Learners (ELL). During that time, her first son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Sensing that her other children were also on the spectrum, Meredith did some educational coursework in Autism.


In 2016, she and her husband moved back to the East Coast, to Massachusetts. While at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Meredith taught courses on linguistics (Introduction to Linguistics, African American English), literature (Monsters), and several composition classes. She then transitioned to work in the public school sector. At Gardner Public Schools, she was the Director of English Learners and the Grants Administrator.
In 2018, Meredith learned that one of her children had dysgraphia, and another had dyscalculia and dyslexia. In order to help them, she trained in the Orton-Gillingham method with Orton-Gillingham Academy (https://www.ortonacademy.org/). As such, Meredith is certified as an Orton-Gillingham Practitioner (Associate Level, A/OGA).  She is also certified to teach Reading (all levels), English Learners (EL) (all levels), and English Language Arts (grades 5-12). She has licensure as a public school Non-Core Supervisor/Director, Core Supervisor/Director, and is state certified to teach the Massachusetts course “Sheltered English Instruction (SEI)” to both teachers and administrators.

Meredith was the “Director of Literacy”, “Coordinator of Student Support (K-4)”, and “Federal Grants Coordinator” at Applewild School in Fitchburg for several years. Currently, she is a reading specialist in the public schools and adjunct faculty in the EDLM and EDUC departments at Fitchburg State University.”

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Holden Dems and Friends Join us on the first Saturday of the month
at 10 AM in the Town Hall and NEW Zoom meetings on the second Wednesday of the month at 7PM
email holdendems@gmail to request the zoom link.

Candidates We Support for Town Election: May 12, 2025

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Board of Selectmen

Christopher Faulkner

Chris was raised in a military family mostly in Massachusetts and is a proud veteran himself. He served as a Cavalry Scout in the Army and after being honorably discharged, earned an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Fitchburg State and a graduate degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security at National University. Working in the banking and investment side of residential and commercial construction, he has learned to develop and maintain complex budgets and analyze and anticipate possible effects and impacts projects might have on communities. Christopher and his wife Adelle moved to Holden in 2020 and have put down roots in the community. Christopher is dedicated to conducting thorough research on policies to ensure that decisions made will positively impact our neighbors and our community. He would love the opportunity to serve the town that he has made his home.
See more info about Christopher here on his Facebook Page.

William Holmes

Will and his wife moved to Holden from the Boston area in 2020. Will is an aeronautics engineer by training and brings formidable problem-solving, project management, and research skills to the table, all skill sets that are sorely needed in town government. Will and his wife are expecting their first child this summer, so the main focus of his campaign is making Holden an even better place for families to live, especially when it comes to housing affordability and investing in our schools.
Find Will on Facebook here.

 

WRSD School Committee

Jana Brennan (incumbent)

Jana Brennan is a dedicated and passionate member of the WRSDC, committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students. As a school committee member for the past three years, and Chair of the Business and Finance Subcommittee for two years, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the position. She has helped establish a new foundation of collaboration and transparency between the Committee and school administration, and through her advocacy efforts, forged close relationships at both the local and state level. She is excited to continue her positive contributions to our schools and help shape a brighter future for our students.
Find Jana on Facebook and Instagram @janabrennan_wrsd

Maleah Gustafson (incumbent)

Maleah Gustafson has had the honor of serving on the Wachusett Regional School Committee for seven years and has been a passionate advocate for all WRSD students and families at the local and state level. In these particularly uncertain times, she believes it is essential to have knowledgeable experience on our School Committee.

She has served on the Strategic Planning working group; Business & Finance Subcommittee for seven years (as both chair & vice chair); Legal Affairs Subcommittee (vice chair); the Equity, Diversity, & Anti-Racism subcommittee (chair and vice chair); the Audit Advisory Board (chair); as the School Committee Liaison to SEPAC; and as a SIMCO Member at Dawson Elementary.

Maleah is the mom of a high school senior and has first-hand experience with the special education process and systems. With a background in higher education and community development, she is currently an academic counselor at a community college. A Holden resident for over 20 years, she is passionate about our town, our future, and our children. She is committed to providing all students in the district with access to the education they deserve, and the resources and opportunities to meet their full potential.

Get more information about Maleah on her Facebook Page.

William (Bill) Fisher

Bill is immensely grateful for the education he received in Holden. He is a staunch believer in the potential of public schools to alter individuals’ lives. His dad never finished high school, working in a dairy making ice cream, and his mother was a clerk in a retail store. Nevertheless, the strong educational foundation he received in the Holden schools equipped him to attend and graduate from Clark University, obtain a masters degree and Ph.D. from Northeastern University, and become a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Bill’s career as a sociology professor at UMass Lowell makes him uniquely qualified to take an evidence-based approach to developing school policy. With two grandchildren in the Wachusett Regional School District, Bill feels that our schools should provide every student with the foundation for realizing their potential. As a member of the school committee, Bill will work with his colleagues to help ensure that they always will.
Get more info about Bill on Facebook here.

Trustees of the Damon Memorial (Library)

Virginia Powell-Glazier

Katye Brier

2025 Town Election Info – List of candidates coming soon!

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The Holden Town Election is MONDAY, May 12.
There is no early voting, but you can request an absentee ballot by mail by May 6th (form is on the town website) and the last day to vote by absentee is May 9th at 5pm. If the ballots are available (May 1st or so – you can call) you can go fill out your absentee ballot in the clerks office.

Also save the date for the Town Meeting, Monday May 19th at 7:00 pm in the auditorium at Wachusett High School.

Voting in Holden

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Follow and share about our candidates on social media and don’t forget to vote on May 13!!!

Aidan Slaten for Board of Selectmen

Linda Long-Bellil for Board of Selectmen
Lauren Salmon-Garrett for Wachusett Regional School Committee
Richard Maurer and Alan Degutis for Trustees of Damon Memorial
Holden Democratic Town Committee

Good Neighbor Award for 2024

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The Holden Democratic Town Committee announces the recipients of its annual Good Neighbor Award, this year its 29th. The award honors citizens of the town who have made significant and/or long term contributions to the community through their volunteer activities. It’s an opportunity for friends and neighbors to say “thank you” to those people who have touched our lives through what they have given.

Jessica Cosenza
Verena M. Welch 

Jessica is being recognized for her work with Holden’s Community Garden. Verena, a high school senior, is being honored for her work in addressing period poverty. She is also the student running the TOPSoccer program.

The recipients will be honored at a friendly, informal ceremony and reception held on Thursday, March 21, 2024 at Holden’s Senior Center, 1130 Main Street. The time is 7:00 pm. Tim Ethier will make the presentation, which will be telecast live on HCTV Channel 191.

We sincerely hope you can join us.