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Dear Editor and fellow Reading residents,I am writing to express my support for Tara Gregory for Select Board in next week’s election.
I had the opportunity to talk to Tara recently. I wanted to learn more about them and why they were running for Select Board.
Growing up in Upton, MA, Tara’s interest in civic duty began at a young age. At age 14, Tara signed up for the town fire department as part of a youth engagement program, where they learned about fire protection and even got to ride-along on calls. This gave Tara an early understanding of the significance and importance of serving one’s community.
Tara’s love of engineering (Legos and K’nex were their favorite toys growing up) and experiences with the fire department eventually led to a career. After graduating from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Tara became a fire protection engineer, helping to ensure that new construction and renovations for existing construction are designed to minimize the risk of fire as much as possible.
In Reading, Tara has been active with PAIR (Partners & Allies for an Inclusive Reading), a town-wide network that works to establish cross-community partnerships to address equity issues related to age, neurodiversity, disability, gender and sexual identity, socioeconomic status, and racial or ethnic identities, among many others. They also work with CATO, the Coalition of Us, which is dedicated to creating social awareness, opportunities, and support for all Reading residents.
Tara met their husband Andrew (who is running for the Board of Library Trustees in this election as well) in 2020, although ironically it turned out they had both attended WPI at the same time and even had friends in common. The two also share a love of flags; they currently own over eighty, representing everything from states to countries to causes (and even unusual flags such as the proposed-but-never-approved New Zealand “Laser Kiwi” flag). Tara and Andrew fly the flags on rotation outside their Pleasant Street home, where they live with their two dogs, Kaycee and Ari.
I came away from my discussion with Tara with the knowledge they had a strong sense of civic duty and an understanding of the significance and responsibility of serving the residents of Reading as a member of the Select Board. I therefore wholeheartedly urge you to vote for Tara Gregory on March 5.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Jason Clarke
Ash St.
