'Choose Collaboration Over Conflict': Swampscott Select Board Member Speaks Out On Contentious Discourse

The following is a Letter To Patch submitted by Select Board Member Danielle Leonard:

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — I feel hopeful about the new chapter our town is entering with our new town administrator and our new superintendent of schools. In a small community like ours, leadership matters not just for the policies that are put in place, but for the tone that is set.

This is as true at a national level as it is here in our town. Their early actions and tone suggest a commitment to partnership — not only with each other, but with the broader community. In a small town like ours, that kind of respectful collaboration is essential.

Working together does not mean we stop asking questions. On the contrary, healthy communities depend on thoughtful inquiry, transparency, and accountability. We should all feel comfortable attending meetings, reviewing budgets, and voicing concerns.

But how we do this matters.

When questions are asked in a spirit of helpful problem-solving rather than finger-pointing or political point-scoring, we create space for honest answers and real progress.

Unfortunately, there remains a small but vocal group in town who seem determined to frame every issue as "us vs. them" — residents vs. schools, taxpayers vs. town government, etc. Rather than engaging in constructive dialogue, they repeatedly take negative aim at our schools and our public
officials, sowing distrust and division.

This is not only unfair to the people who have stepped up to serve Swampscott, but it is also harmful to the community as a whole.

Our schools are not an enemy. They are a central part of what makes Swampscott a desirable place to live, raise children, and invest in our future. When we undermine our educators and attack our students' learning environment simply to score political points or win arguments on social media, we all lose.

The same is true when we assume the worst of town leaders instead of giving them a chance to do their jobs and be held accountable in a fair, fact-based way.

We can choose a different path. We can be firm and fair, asking detailed questions while assuming good faith from those who serve. We can disagree without disparaging and hold leaders accountable while recognizing their efforts to address complex challenges. Respectful dialogue does not weaken oversight; it strengthens it.

Swampscott has an opportunity right now to move beyond old grudges and entrenched negativity.

Let's support our new town administrator and superintendent as they work to build bridges, not burn them.

Let's choose collaboration over conflict, and community over division.

If we want Swampscott to thrive, we need to stop tearing each other down and start rowing in the same direction.

Thanks,
Danielle