By Geena Monahan
For the North Star Reporter
With North Attleborough’s April 1 Town Election quickly approaching, two names were noticeably missing on the list of candidates running for Town Council – Darius Gregory and Andrew Shanahan.
Gregory and Shanahan have been serving on the council since 2019 and 2020, respectively, and spoke with the North Star Reporter about not pursuing another term, challenges they faced and what the future holds.
“It’s been a great experience. I’ve been able to meet a lot of great people around town and get to learn how the town really works behind the scenes,” Shanahan recounted. “We’ve gotten a lot of stuff done in coordination with Town Manager Michael Borg that’s improved the quality of life for people in North Attleborough, and that was the whole point. Overall, it’s been very rewarding.”
When asked about why they chose not to seek re-election, both councilors cited wanting to spend more time with family. Shanahan has served for almost seven years and is ready to spend more time with his children, whom he noted are quickly growing up. Gregory voiced similar feelings, ready to shift his focus back to his three children and wife, traveling with them, and coaching youth sports.
“We accomplished so much. It was never about ‘I’, it was always about ‘we,’” said Gregory. “I had the privilege of working with former Council President Keith Lapointe, who’s now running again and Council President Justin Pare. I think they both always tried to build community within the council chambers and with the councilors that were serving, regardless of their background or political affiliations. That was refreshing to see.”
A look back on their terms
Despite choosing not to seek re-election, both Gregory and Shanahan remain proud of what they were able to do and improvements made to a town that was at the point of cutting teachers and police officers from its budget just over 10 years ago.
Gregory, North Attleborough’s first and only elected Black council member, recounted a tumultuous first term and how he overcame major hurdles while still being able to accomplish what he set out to do. A global COVID-19 pandemic and national outrage over the George Floyd tragedy were two issues that made his first term unique and memorable.
“I had to speak up and speak out about things, and I’ve always felt this unsaid, immense pressure being quite literally, the only person of color in the council chambers, to be conscious of what I was saying and how I was saying it,” Gregory said. “I knew I had to ensure that I was true to myself, my family and all those that I represent.”
The hiring of Town Manager Michael Borg was something Gregory called an extremely important objective in executing a shared council vision. Working with Pare and now state Rep. Adam Scanlon to create the Economic Growth and Sustainability Subcommittee — which Gregory went on to chair in his second term — was something he felt proud of accomplishing during his time on the council.
“That subcommittee is vital to the Town Council having a voice and ensuring that we are able to continue to seek opportunities for sustained economic growth,” Gregory said.
Shanahan, who served as chair of the Bylaw Subcommittee, showed similar pride for the improvements made to North Attleborough’s economic development and bylaws, something he called “archaic” when he first came on board. The ability for food trucks to operate in town and improved animal safety at the shelter were two small but important things that Shanahan pointed to these bylaws attaining.
“I certainly can’t take individual credit, but as a team I think we’ve done a lot,” Shanahan continued. “The vibrancy of the downtown has been a major focus of the council; we had bylaws approved to help the farmers market, to help the downtown area generally and for commercial development like the proposed project on Route 152. There was a lot done behind the scenes on that to make sure the town was in the best position possible to allow that to go forward and get the most concessions we could from the developers.”
Bumps along the way
Despite positive impacts the councilors felt were made during their terms, this past year in particular hasn’t come without challenges. There have been heated discussions at council meetings and disagreements that have spilled over onto social media. When asked about the effects that these tensions had on his most recent term, Shanahan called out the negativity that public divisiveness can create.
“It’s been frustrating and to be honest, a little embarrassing,” Shanahan said. “Having one councilor publicly call out the other councilors and town manager and propose measure after measure that are counterproductive to that goal or simply outside the authority of the council, it’s frustrating. Having that individual then go online and act like they are the only one fighting for the citizens of this town, it’s embarrassing for the council to have that sort of division be public. Unfortunately, I think a lot of it is disingenuous grandstanding and it detracts from the mission of continuing to improve the town.”
When asked about these issues that have cropped up with the current Town Council, Gregory admitted that it has been tiring and disappointing, but remained confident that it hasn’t affected their ability to remain productive and forward-thinking.
“Things have definitely gotten quite contentious over the last two years,” Gregory said. “I think we all hope that everyone’s intentions are always pure and in the best interest of the town. When the trust is lost between councilors, it can raise conflict. When comments are made or inaccurate information is shared, it makes the entire council look bad. A lot of the councilors, this wasn’t their first rodeo, so I think we knew how to navigate the terrain without it affecting productivity. That’s just par for the course, unfortunately.”
Plans for the future
While Gregory and Shanahan turn their focus back to family, it seems a return to politics is not out of the realm of possibility. Gregory hopes to continue spearheading new affordable housing opportunities from a development standpoint, and Shanahan expressed a desire to — with the next council president’s blessing — continue to stay on the Bylaw Subcommittee as a citizen member.
“Never say never,” said Shanahan. “I’m able to bow out and feel comfortable about it because of the other individuals running for council this time around. We have seven out of nine current members running and others like Keith [Lapointe] coming back from his time off. There’s a number of first-timers running for the council that I think will be very good additions. I can’t give it the time it requires anymore, so I’m going to step aside until another time when maybe I can.”
“For me, it’s not goodbye to politics, but more like see you later,” Gregory said. “What I would say to future town councilors, on a basic level, would be to keep your composure, always stand on the side of right and be sure to always keep collaboration as a focus, regardless of political affiliation. Most importantly, always keep the town’s best interest at the forefront.”
